jimmyblues
Responses from jimmyblues
| Why didn't I sell my vinyl rig? I use digital streaming about 95% of the time out of convenience. IMHO the best vinyl rigs still sound better than the best digital ones. However, digital has improved significantly in comparison to the early days of compact discs. In the past, I ... | |
| Tube or solid state Both tube and solid state audio components have their benefits. My tube gear is euphonic sounding, whereas my solid state gear tends to be more analytical. Hybrid components can offer the best of both worlds. It all depends on what type of other ... | |
| Budget amp that will give Magnepan 3.6Rs better depth of soundstage You may want try a graphic equalizer. They fell out of favor in the 1980s but have become very popular with the headphone community in recent years. They can also allow you to tailor the sound of a speaker system to your particular listening room.... | |
| Dual mono integrated amps Regarding dual mono amplification, I remember noticing a significant improvement with my Naim Audio system, when switching from a Naim NAP 250 to a pair of NAP 135 monoblocks.The same sound signature, but better control over my speakers (Harbeth H... | |
| Best turntable under $4000 Systemdek IIX with a Jelco SA-370H tonearm. It may be vintage gear from the mid 1980's but you'd have to spend a lot more money to exceed its performance. Especially when considering the law of diminishing returns in this hobby. You can purcha... | |
| Best Basic CD Player (no SACD, USB, etc.) I’ve been using an Onkyo C-7030 for the past five years (light use each year), and it continues to work fine. It also sounds very good for such an inexpensive player. I purchased mine on Amazon back in late 2017 for about $175 which included an Am... | |
| My terrible Customer Journey with the Line Magnetic LM-503PA Mono Vacuum Tube Amps Audio is supposed to be an enjoyable hobby. So sorry that you are having problems with this company. Up until now I have heard positive things about LM products. However, that has had to do with their excellent sound quality; not customer servi... | |
| Compact ~20WPC Tube Amp I've had my Quicksilver Minimite monoblocks for the past 17 years and still truly enjoy them with some of my British monitors. Linn Kan I and KEF Reference Series Model I (similar to the LS3/5A BBC monitor). If you can find a used pair in nice s... | |
| Best power amp for Quad 63 Futterman H3 OTL if you can find one in nice shape. I believe they were also sold under the Harvard Labs brand. These were the original Futtermans built by Julius Futterman. Wonderful synergy with older Quad Electrostatics. The H3 was also availa... | |
| AKM makes the best DACs Have an older AVA multibit dac and a few AKM chip based dacs. They are all well designed and sound nice. Dac chips are like ice cream flavors. Sometimes you want one flavor sometimes you want another. It's just nice to have the options. 🙂 | |
| Antique Sound Labs I spoke to Tash Goka (owner of Divergent Technologies & former North American distributor for Antique Sound Lab) a few years back and he said that Antique Sound Lab was no longer in business. Perhaps he meant that Joseph Lau, owner of ASL, h... | |
| What were the radio stations of your youth that helped you on your music/audio journey? WPLJ and WNEW in New York... | |
| Are Quicksilver power tube amps in the same league as VAC, VTL, BAT, ARC, ...? Purchased my Quicksilver Minimite Monoblocks new and have owned them since 2006. I consider them to be some of the best sounding power amplifiers I have ever heard. Regarding their design, they are simplicity itself, using point to point wiring ... | |
| How do I beat my Antique Sound Labs AV25? For the money the ASL Wave DT25 mono's are difficult to beat. They have a good circuit and the tube complement sounds very nice. I own a pair of AV25's that I purchased new back in early 2007, and use them to drive a pair of Linn Kan I's. My syste... | |
| Quicksilver Mini Mono's-New transformers Oftentimes, when audio designers make these statements it'susually hype. However, Mike Sanders has a reputation for being conservative. So the new transformers on the Quickie 25's probably do offer noticeable sonic improvements, or Mike wouldn't h... |