kbarkamian

Responses from kbarkamian

Musical, Warm and Smooth bookshelfs under 500
Focal Chorus 705v or 706v? 
Generation 1 Apple TV as a music server
Steve, Are you talking about the Gen 1 ATV or the current one? If Gen 1, music streamed or stored?Soundmark1,I've had an ATV 1 for about 3 years now. Nothing but great things to say about it. If you have and iPod Touch, iPhone or or iPad, it makes... 
Rega DAC vs. EE Minimax vs. Centrance vs. W4S 2
Robbob and Nonoise,Paul Darwin from Rega stated that the CD player you're discussing will be the next Apollo. It'll be in the chassis they used for the DAC and Brio R. I think it's coming out sooner than later, but Rega isn't the quickest company ... 
Totem speakers and others that I should consider?
I think the Element series is pretty new, so that's most likely why they aren't discussed very much. Haven't heard them, but I'm a big Totem fan.I was looking for new speakers about 3 years ago, and the Arros were the speakers to beat for me (my b... 
Should I try to improve speakers at $2000.00 range
The best advice is to go out and hear as many speakers as you can. Hear stuff above and below your budget, so you can determine what the relative value of things are. If you hear something that really appeals to you, see if you can bring it home f... 
Amps and integrateds w/ similar sonic sig to MC275
Mcintosh's house sound is very consistant through its range, and has been consistant throughout the years IMO. When you climb up the McIntosh ladder, you get more of everything, rather than a change. A lot of companies are like that though.I'm not... 
Amp for Thiel 2.2?
Theil and Bryston regularly pair up at hifi shows. Haven't heard the combo personally, but if they think enough of each other to consistantly team up together, the combo is definitely worth considering IMO.Be prepared to upgrade the source and pre... 
DAC with 4 S/PDIF inputs
The Bryston BDA-1 has a bunch of inputs. The Rega DAC has 2 coax, 2 optical, and a USB.Two great DACs in two different price ranges. Not sure if any DACs have an ADC in them.Rather than taking the digital output from your cable box, XBox, and Blu-... 
New amp recommendations
I think ProAc uses Audio Research in speaker development/voicing. That should be a place to start.I can't recommend anything because I have no idea what your budget, room size, preferences, etc. are. Just threw out the ARC recommendation due to Pr... 
any one box amps that come close to monoblocks?
All of Bryston's amps are dual mono as well. 
First foray into separate 2-channel amp, 200wpc
"The pre amp section of your receiver will just be a switch box and volume control, unless you listen to LPs."It's quite obvious you haven't heard what preamps do (or better yet don't do) in a system.They're more than a switchbox and volume contro... 
I need advice on a good value for speakers
Great advice guys. Have him go audition stuff at a dealer's place, then turn around and buy here.Wonder why independant dealers are going the way of the dinosaur?For the record, I'm not a dealer. Have no financial interest in what anyone buys. I j... 
Speakers and system for compressed recordings?
A revealing system can easily highlight a poor recording's flaws. However... it'll also highlight it's strengths. You may have to look/listen a little harder for them, but I've found even some of the worst recordings have a good trait or two.There... 
DacMagic - Now What
The Rega DAC is a very big step up IMO. I had the DACmagic in my system for a bit. Wasn't close. Others have disagreed. Can't really see why, but who am I to say they're wrong?The other DACs mentioned should also be a good improvement. I like the ... 
Rega DAC vs Havana DAC
Haven't heard the Havana. I own the Rega.The Rega does a respectable job of detail and soundstaging. They're not the Rega's strongest suits though. If your top priority is as wide and deep a soundstage as possible, you'll probably move on. It's no...