jfuquay
Responses from jfuquay
| Any audiophile use computer (MacBook) as your audio streaming source? I use Audirvāna to play files up to 256 DSD on a recent model Mac Mini with SSD drive and 8 GB memory, stripped down just for music. It feeds a PS Audio Directstream DAC via usb thru an I2S unit. I have tried the Pro-Ject Stream Box, which gets ra... | |
| dac recommendations for turntable listener? Ha!, I was going to suggest the Directstream MK1 closeout sale, and then I see you didn’t like it, and then I see the change with a different room and setup. Truly, this is a subjective experience and synergy matters. Everything’s connected. | |
| How cheap can you go and still be happy with the sound? I really like my living room setup, intended for casual but satisfying listening that has minimal visual/esthetic impact. It uses a Teac A-H01 class D integrated amp, Magnepan MMGW speakers, Martin Logan 300 sub and — wait for it — Apple AirPort E... | |
| For the love of...kits? The kits from diyAudio are excellent. Step by step illustrated instructions for many amps and preamps. Most are Pass/First Watt designs generously shared with the diy community. And if you have the online forums if you run into trouble. I did my f... | |
| How important is the efficiency of a speaker to you? I think a very reasonable argument can be made for low-power amps, along the lines of “the less you mess with the signal, the better.” So assuming you select a well-designed amp, you simply find a speaker that pairs well with it. I have a couple o... | |
| Can you provide context on First Watt? I think you’re on the right track with high-sensitivity speakers for low-volume listening. Whenever I hear a speaker with a cone tweeter I like it’s often a highly efficient speaker, like a DeVore Orangutan. Also, you sound like a careful listener... | |
| Does a particular musician’s songwriting and artistry speak to you above all others? Joni Mitchell is a poet. Hard to top in my world. And Mark Knopfler is just a wonder on his instrument. | |
| At what price is one considered an Audiophile. It’s a state of mind, not state of wallet. If you listen thoughtfully and critically, I’d say you’re there. | |
| Pass Labs 1st Watt Rundown I have a 20x20 family room that serves as my Pass/First Watt DIY venue. If there is a common denominator it is what I hear as purity of sound. A friend likes to say that power and purity are at odds in audio equipment. He’s a low-power tube and Fi... | |
| UPS Driver Literally Drops Package with New Hana Umami Red This probably applies little if at all, but as a reporter I toured a football helmet maker’s factory. They measure impact with an accelerometer inside a model “head.” They then dropped an 8-pound “head” with and without the helmet and measured the... | |
| Used PS Audio Items When I traded in a piece of Musical Fidelity gear for a new PS Audio product, they told me the trade-in would be resold thru The Music Room, which is near by. I now have three items from PS Audio and n repair needs. Good folks. | |
| Sat front row at the symphony... I find attending a live orchestral performance a unique sound experience because of how much more involving it is for the listener. I can think of some composers, like Mahler or Shostakovich, whose compositions can be so complex that listening at ... | |
| Warmer class D amps for magnepan? I use a Rogue Sphinx and REL 9x sub with my Magnepan .7s. Very good combo for the acoustic music listening I do 95% of the time. I really think the use of a tube input stage can be beneficial with Class D power. Several makers doing that now. But ... | |
| Thanks to Paul McGowan Per the comment from optimise regarding BHK and Paul McGowan. Maybe you noticed this week that Gregg Popovich made the NBA Hall of Fame. Pop never scored a single point, or grabbed a rebound or had an assist. All he did was build and cmaintain one... | |
| Streaming Dac $5000-8000 +1 on the new PS Audio Directstream. I have the first version with streamer card option and it’s simply outstanding. The free updates can really add improvements over the years as well. |