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kairosman

Responses from kairosman

$5k Pair Full Range Speaker Shootout - Help me pick
Rosso Fiorentino Elba 2Tekton Double ImpactDynaudio Evoke 50Different sound signatures  
KEF Reference 1s or LS50s
If you cannot tell which you prefer in your own system and room, then you have a problem no one is going to be able to help you with.FWIW I have the LS50s in my office setup and auditioned the Ref 1s before purchasing the LS50s. The law of diminis... 
Is Wife Acceptance Factor (WAF) sexist?
IMHO if the WAF is a thing for a guy it is okay he mentions it so he can complain or seek advice.If someone takes offense to his use of the term, well, option 1 is he can ignore the protest like I would, or option 2 he can allow himself to be sham... 
Need helpful recommendations for next two purchases
The DAC in the Emotiva is one reason why you have glare/brightness, and as mentioned by someone else, another reason is its preamp section is lossy. Simplify your system by selling the Emotiva and your amp and getting an all in one integrated amp/... 
PrimaLuna Preamp Upgrade Question
If you like to listen to all genres and sometimes crank it, sell the integrated, buy the preamp, and get a hybrid tube/SS amp like the Rogue Dragon that has high input impedence and damping factor, and big watts, then listen as your Focals suddenl... 
How important is the source used with a DAC to obtain optimal quality from Tidal ?
Get an Innuous server to stream to your DAC - best SQ upgrade for streaming you could make at this point in your rig by far, especially if you get a model that has discrete internal power supplies.Do not let anyone tell you streaming is just zeroe... 
Explain what is a clean power amplifier?
OP, study what signal to noise ratio is, that is a relatively quick way to determine if an amp is "clean".Also, as others mentioned, don't focus too much on "cleanliness" in amp measurements as that attribute won't necessarily tell you if you will... 
unbeatable Class A integrated
New CODA CSiB @ 6.5K has same topology and components as the newish No. 8, with I suspect (have not seen under the hood) a bit of the older CODA preamp thrown in.150/300/600 watts into 8/4/2 ohms3Kv transformer, 75/100 amps of current1st 18 watts ... 
Give Bach a try
Hopefully this recording will end up on Tidal or Qobuz! 
Cheap/expensive or expensive/cheap?
OP - everyone's response likely has some merit, hence your question isn't going to result in a definitive answer. Like Mr. Schroeder says above, reframe the question more narrowly/precisely and you will get more useful answers.My experience has be... 
M900U vs the world
Heard the M900U for 2 weeks straight every day in a buddy's system in Toronto, I think he bought it for 18K CAD.Not overly impressed for the $, but my buddy is/was - and if the guy who owns the gear loves it, nothing else matters.Prefer Pass and C... 
DAC choices -- help me cross the line
Metrum makes R2R exclusively and will be back in biz next month - they are Dutch. Very good dacs, but closer to 3K than 2K. 
My #@%$ Cat Destroyed My ARC REF 5SE. Soliciting Suggestions.
Agree with those who suggest to get rid of the cat prior to next purchase. 
What do/did you do for a living?
I do university admissions consulting, and co-own a SAT prep/tutoring company, also a private debate academy. Clients are Chinese mainly, they are the only ones seemingly with the money and desire to spend big on their kids' future... this is real... 
Best route to go for new dac?
The Denafrips Ares II is a chipless ladder DAC that is well reviewed. A/B it alongside the chip-based D90 others here mentioned to determine which sound signature you prefer. Either way you cant go wrong IMHO.