knotscott
Responses from knotscott
| What DAC to get? My only DAC experience has been with a lower end Topping E30, and it's been surprisingly good. Tough to beat for $150 | |
| Speaker Recommendation up to 70k The best speakers I've heard of were a set of Magico M5 MkII running on CAT amps/pre. | |
| Putting an end to the audio cable debate! Part 1 It is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it may be the end of the beginning. So....intermission?! | |
| Tube Amplifier Sound Characteristics @ avanti1960 It surprises me that people still talk mainly in terms of tonal balance when discussing tube amps. The warm, rolled off tube sound as it were. Forget about it! It isn’t what you want anyway. Modern tube sound is better than that. Tub... | |
| Tube Amplifier Sound Characteristics @ bpoletti A well-designed amp, tube, SS, whatever, should not have a particular characteristic related to it’s underlying circuity. They should be honest to the music and reproduce sound without coloration or other distortion. And yet none (or a... | |
| Tube Amplifier Sound Characteristics @jimbones OK I should have stated that I am new to tube power amps. That explains a lot of my ignorance on the subject and I apologize. Don’t apologize for what you don’t know....especially when you’re posting questions to learn. One of the common... | |
| Need advice/opinion in choosing Vandy 2ci or Thiel 1.5 Very cool gesture. It’s subjective. I prefer the Vandersteens. They’re more sensitive and easier to drive, plus to young ears, the Thiels may sound a bit bright. Maybe let him pick. Should be a great sounding system. | |
| Tube Amplifier Sound Characteristics There are a lot of variables in play....the circuit, the caps, the tubes, the rest of the system...all contribute, so even an amp of the same brand and model can sound different with different tubes. One of the things I like about tube amps is th... | |
| DAC That Punches Above Its Price Point Topping E30 - $150. Sounds excellent on what I consider a fairly high resolving system....nice improvement from the stock DAC on my Denon CD player. | |
| Nice extra free service at my local A/V store. My dad was a TV guy in the 60s, and had a tube tester. I learned to use it when I was about 6....which may explain some of my affection for tubes even now. I miss those days. Life was simpler, for sure. | |
| How important is the pre-amp? A preamp can make a significant difference in sound. I suspect "the theory" doesn’t tell the whole story, plus there are different levels of "perfectly good". The value of more expensive components means different things to different people. Not ... | |
| Are Quicksilver power tube amps in the same league as VAC, VTL, BAT, ARC, ...? The Tubes4Hifi Vacuum Tube Audio (VTA) tube amps are excellent bang for the buck. Their service and support is wonderful, and they have a significant following. Their factory wired M-125 monoblocks (125wpc) are $2700 plus shipping, less if you buy... | |
| Recommendations on Hooking Up Dual Subwoofers and Speakers I prefer the response and tonality of my sub running from the amp’s main speaker outputs to the high level sub inputs vs line level in from the pre-outs. Bi-wiring seems to cause a fair amount of controversy, but I’d encourage you to give it a try... | |
| Biggest "bang for the buck" audio gear you have owned(in your history)? @ tooblue B&K ST140 power amps.... I knew the B&K guys back in the mid to late 80s, and owned a Discrete Technology LS-2, which was a modified ST-140. I was thrilled to find one of the latest versions of ST140 power amp for $140 recently.... | |
| Where to go from Grado Gold? Nagaoka MP200, MP300, or with some luck and a stretch, the MP500 is incredible. Wonderfully musical, dynamic carts with amazing midrange presence, separation, and soundstage. |