jbhiller
Responses from jbhiller
| Law of Accelerated Returns Sometimes when I hear super expensive systems I don’t enjoy them as much as less costly ones. Other times they blow me away. But it’s interesting how some systems move me while not costing more than a new car. | |
| What made you change to a 6SN7 preamp? @dougthebiker , You know I had a Schitt Freya a few years ago and I miss it. I've bought pricier things and still think about the pleasure the Freya brought me. The Freya was worthy pairing with gear even 5x its price. It's that good in my humble... | |
| Are you pairing Tube Preamp/Line Stage with Class D Power Amp? I for sure was a bit, just a bit, of a Class D naysayer. I wasn't foolishly so, as I always thought the tech would improve. I think we are right at that point now. Ralph's amp has to sound good. Man, I need an inheritance to keep up with all t... | |
| Are you pairing Tube Preamp/Line Stage with Class D Power Amp? Hi Ralph! That is good to hear. Also, I would love to try your Class D amp. Is it ready for the public? I know you were working hard on it. | |
| The Best Preamp is no Preamp? this is a case where specifics drive the outcome, generalities are fun coffee table chatter, but are inconsequential I think this is gospel. It all depends. But, as so many above say, typically a great preamp is better than no preamp. I'm gla... | |
| McIntosh -- good for show, not for sound, says dealer Wow! @hilde45 , you really got everyone to come out today!!! Since we are all voicing our opinions....here's mine. I don't see many absolutes here. First, is McIntosh great gear? Yes. Have they had some flops? Yes. But the brand, the build, th... | |
| Choice between two different integrated tube amps (SET & PP) Great comments above! I think SET is something to experience. It can be intoxicating, but as mentioned speaker pairing is key and they can be a bit fickle. What speakers are you using? PL does just about everything really well--design, build, s... | |
| Bluesound Node 2021 DAC - I sold my Denafrips Ares II @painter24 , Good job trying things out and being open and neutral. I respect your conclusion too--you limit it to your ears, your system and your experience. As others note, so many here chime in without ever hearing anything they are talking a... | |
| Upgrade Reccomendations OP, It's always hard for me to tell until I try something out, but if you are moving to one of the spare bedrooms at 11 x 14, that may give you lots of options on tube amplification as you might not need that much juice/power in that room. The o... | |
| Your method for discovering great music. Great thread OP!!! Do you listen to vinyl or CD? Well, even if you don't, I do like Discogs for research. I like to look at granular facts about an album, like where it was recorded, record label, release data, who mastered it and so on. Discogs... | |
| the cart or the horse? I agree with @charles1dad because you also like jazz at lower volumes. A nice tube amp could put some meat on the bones and as he says you don't need to worry about spending a fortune or chasing tons of watts. But @jjss49 makes a great recommen... | |
| Which PreAmp for Marantz PM KI Ruby @prashanth13485 , the preamp section in the Ruby is quite good, but you could put something in front of the amp and change up the flavor. I'm going to try this myself, as I own the Ruby. I've been pretty smitten with it that I haven't put in a ... | |
| Totally overwhelmed (speakers under $5k) @ddonicht , I think @jjss49 has some good questions for you to think about. You have a nice healthy budget so you should have some great fun researching and shopping. It’s a great time to be an audiophile or just into hifi because there are so m... | |
| Affordable vs. ultra expensive speakers - what's the difference? @hilde45 , I think (at least for me and my logic), you nailed it. I don't have $50k speakers, but today I have $6500 speakers and I never thought I'd get here. I can now fathom maybe a $20k set of speakers if I could use them and enjoy them t... | |
| Can Anyone Identify The Make of this Preamp @roxy54 , Great work! #AudioSleuthRoxy54 |