jfuquay
Responses from jfuquay
| MM, MC, or MI cartridge I’ll just say I think Grado and Soundsmith have something good going with MI. But yes, implementation is everything. | |
| Top 10 vintage cassette decks I remember auditioning cassette decks in the 70s. My goal was a deck that was indistinguishable from the LP. I settled on an Aiwa, way too long ago to recall the number but cost about $350 I think. Nakamichi was considered the tops. Anyway, the fi... | |
| Do you consider cables to be a "component" of your system? I acknowledge that different cables sound different. And that there are better cable designs for different jobs, like turntable interconnects. But I don’t sweat them like I do my speakers, first and foremost, or my other components. So yes, they a... | |
| Energy speakers No idea, too long ago. But generally speaking, a speaker company voices all its models similarly. | |
| Energy speakers I recall hearing Energy speakers at a Best Buy years ago. I had just heard a Klipsch model that literally hurt my ears. I love the idea of efficient speakers but just can’t seem to tolerate horns. Anyway, the Energy was very nicely behaved and a r... | |
| Is a separate phono pre really necessary? I’m going to say that the designer of a built-in phono stage has the goal of producing an input that the broadest range of customers will find “pleasant.” The phono stage in my Rogue Sphinx is very pleasant. When I started looking for a separate, ... | |
| Do larger planar speakers produce more accurate sound? My first Magnepan experience was with the MMGW, the small wall-mounted speaker that’s maybe 38”x10”. A friend had them driven by a triode tube amp of maybe 40-50 watts. No bass to speak of, I think about 100hz is it. But the sound! It just came ou... | |
| Class A or Class D solid-state amplifiers (modern designs) I can’t do better than Atmasphere’s response. But I will add my 2 cents. I have built several Nelson Pass diy designs, both power amps and preamps, all Class A of course, and I use them in two different systems in my home. I will say there is a sw... | |
| Let me end the Premp/Amplifier sound debate ... Here’s how I think of it. In a lab, sound waves hit a microphone, are converted to electrical signals, travel to a preamp/amp, where they are amplified, and measured. In human experience, sound waves hit an ear drum, continue to the inner ear, whe... | |
| Power regeneration - good idea? PS audio? I have the entry-level PS Audio P3 feeding my Class-D Rogue amp and my sources. I think it lowers noise floor and improves articulation. I listen to mostly acoustic and classical, so I find it worthwhile. Maybe not the most “bang for the buck” $15... | |
| How many systems do you have? Three. All aimed at acoustic music but with different ways to get there. It’s brand name, high-power components plus vinyl in the listening room, then low-power, class-A Pass DIY amplification with high-sensitivity DIY speakers in the family room,... | |
| Anybody use a single ended component with one that is balanced? I have run my Pass diy Amp Camp monoblocs in both, each time with a Pass diy preamp — the Zen Balanced Line Stage and the (SE) B1 Korg Nutube model. (The DAC is also balanced output.) The ZBLS has both outputs, but I think the Amp Camps definitel... | |
| The "British Invasion". A question for you old farts out there. Apple Music has a nice “British Invasion” playlist. I was also surprised occasionally to see that somebody I thought was American was British. The only clique I recall — in jr. hi, since I’m so old — was Beatles vs. Stones. Or maybe the folks who... | |
| Top 5 Reaons to NOT BUY A TURNTABLE. Very sensible. Steve usually brings a healthy measure of practicality to his videos. I’ve got a nice vinyl collection and setup, and enjoy the whole LP experience, but hey, I’m nearly 70. I also choose to pay for newspaper home delivery, but if yo... | |
| How long does Class A have? As long as the speaker I want needs/wants a lot of juice (Magnepan at present), I’ll likely use a Class D power amp, likely preceded by a tube or Class A front end. But I am one of those who also finds Class A has a certain appeal with high-effici... |