jfuquay

Responses from jfuquay

Best bookshelf speakers
I think the Wharfdales have a wonderful sound, better to me than Elac Uní 5 in a side by side comparison. But really, If you have any way of auditioning any of your options in person, do it, even if it means spending a day driving and listening. O... 
What were your humble beginnings on the path to high end audio?
In 1974, splurged for a Marantz 2230 receiver, large Advents and AR-Xb TT with Shure v-15. Set me back $700 (about $4,000 today) and worth every penny. Had the Marantz refurbished in the 90s and still use it daily, while the refoamed Advents are i... 
The High End for Under a Grand?
wtf, I’ve got the Musical Fidelity V90 DAC in my listening room setup (Rogue Sphinx and Magnepan 0.7s). I like it but assumed it was the weakest link in the group and just auditioned it against a Simaudio Moon 230 HAD, using the same amp and speak... 
The High End for Under a Grand?
First, I auditioned Atoms a few years ago and really liked them. I expect the NAD amp drives them fine.But I bet my living room setup sounds better and still makes budget: Teac AH01 integrated amp with built-in DAC; Magnepan MMGW speakers, Martin ... 
Best audio companies and dealers
Another vote for Audio Concepts in Dallas. And while I don’t own their equipment, thumbs up to Paul McGowan’s blog and videos at PS Audio for a great attitude toward education. 
Small room electrostat/ planar speaker?
You will NOT need a subwoofer with Maggie .7s, based on my experience in a 14x17 room. I have MMGWs in another, larger rooms but use a Martin Logan Dynamo 300 subwoofer with them, which they need. During recent auditioning I was very impressed wit... 
Class D is just Dandy!
Thanks for starting the thread. Two of my three home setups are now Class D, the third being a much-loved Marantz 2230. My listening room is the newest, a Rogue Sphinx driving Magnepan .7s, with a Musical Fidelity V90 DAC, Marantz 5004 CD player a... 
Building an all analog system around Magnepan .7 for 4K and under
I just auditioned .7s with the Sphinx and the NAD C368 at my local dealer.  I also listen primarily to classical, jazz and acoustic. The NAD was much brighter, too much so for my taste, so I went with the Sphinx. The Maggies have enough bass for m... 
I'm considering replacing my passive preamp with a tubes. Is it worth it?
I just auditioned the .7 with a NAD C 368 and the Rogue Sphinx -- so two Class D power amplifiers, but SS pre on the NAD and tube pre on the Rogue. On those two, it was a pretty marked difference in treble and how forward the sound felt, with noti...