jhold
Responses from jhold
| Can headphones ever be as good as high end stereo? For me, it's not either/or but both/and.I enjoy listening to my Spendor speakers, and I also enjoy music through my Sennheiser HD800 headphones. The HD800s were game-changers for me. Like you, I had mainly owned modest headphones before, some basi... | |
| Your favourite recording label? HyperionHarmonia MundiECM | |
| Monitor speaker recommendations Agree with suggestions of Focal and Dynaudio. Others to consider:Ascend Acoustics Sierra 1 -- read the reviews.Vienna Acoustics -- used Haydn Grand, but not if you mainly listen to rock.If lucky, you might find a used pair of KEF LS50 or Nola Boxer. | |
| What tube pre amp to use If you don't need remote control, there are two Primaluna Prologue 3 preamps now for sale on Audiogon. Does not have XLR out but does have dual RCA outputs. I own one and really enjoy it -- brings 3-D staging, warmth, inner detail, and overall sen... | |
| Looking to add warmth I'd argue against switching out your W4S DAC -- it's a fine piece and I don't think the PS Audio will do what you want. I too was using a W4S DAC-2 directly into power amp, and found that the system turned warmer, more musical, more engaging when ... | |
| Need some suggestions on tube amplifier If you need only a power amp, check out the PrimaLuna Prologue Five, which has auto-bias and allows tube rolling of many power tubes. It's not the most powerful tube amp but it plays beautiful music and, as tube equipment goes, is remarkably user-... | |
| What is a very nice sounding tube preamp? A variety of thoughts --You can go cheap and pick up a Little Dot MkIII headphone amp, which also has a set of preamp outputs. Sam Tellig in Stereophile laughed his evil laugh as he challenged people to try this little $200 gem as a preamp. I trie... | |
| Speakers for low power SET, nearfield, low volume? Perhaps Blumenstein Orca. | |
| New CD player or new external DAC ? Similar question came up in the Forums about a week ago, though the poster asked for advice on DACs at lower price point:http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ddgtl&1368127795&&&/Upgrade-Help:-CDP-or-DAC | |
| Upgrade Help: CDP or DAC PS -- following up on my suggestion of the Rega DAC -- I personally prefer it to tube DACs I've tried (including CAL) -- quieter background, no worries about tube rolling.Your Marantz 5004 player has coaxial digital output. Contrary to what Lowrid... | |
| Upgrade Help: CDP or DAC Definitely go for a DAC, and if you're looking for a warmer, more musical sound, then I'd suggest you try the Rega DAC, which you can find used for $700 or less. I have tried a number of DACs and I find the Rega is one of the most non-fatiguing ar... | |
| Beethoven Violin Sonatas---favorites and recs Repluso, are you thinking of Milstein in the BACH sonatas and partitas for solo violin? If so, I'd agree, he's one of the best. He's enjoyable in a recording of some of the most popular Beethoven sonatas on EMI, but that's not the first set I'd tu... | |
| Beethoven Violin Sonatas---favorites and recs Among recent releases:Alexander Melnikov and Isabelle Faust on Harmonia Mundi -- excellent sound, vibrant performances, though some find Faust's tone on the steely side. Cedric Tiberghien and Alina Ibragimova on Wigmore Hall Live -- live performan... | |
| CD Transport for Rega DAC? I own a Rega DAC. One source I use to drive it is a Rotel 1072 CD player, which works fine. I think that any of the players you mention will work fine. They're all competent players (like my Rotel), with a decent coax digital output. I think you'd... | |
| Help to complete a system Two more votes for Nait 5i and for my current favorite, the Rega Brio R. Don't know how the Rega will drive your Dyns, but it does a great job with my Spendor SP1/2e. Warm, musical, great drive, gorgeous midrange. A winner! |