larryi
Responses from larryi
| Basis Turntables: Worth it or Ripoff? Most of Basis' models don't look quite as elegant as comparably priced models of some of their competitors. Basis hardly puts any money into visual aesthetics. Given that a lot of buyers DO place a lot of value in looks, I can see how Basis lose... | |
| Looking for suggestions for a new (to me) pair of high efficiency monitors The BBC monitors I have heard were quite low in efficiency, but, with a 15 ohm impedance they were easy to drive and worked quite well with tube gear with modest output. Also, anyone looking for somewhat high efficiency speakers that work well wi... | |
| Best tube preamp ever The best, in a cost is no object system, would have to match my taste, my other components and my operating requirements (remote control, balance control, etc.). That can be done best by finding a builder who makes stuff that sounds good to you a... | |
| What makes you build a system around an amplifier? I agree that it is really hard to actually audition gear at all, much less audition the gear in one's own system. But, it pays to at least hear a few pieces to become familiar with differences in sound between types of amps so that one can at lea... | |
| What makes you build a system around an amplifier? There is some logic to first starting with finding the speaker that you really like, and then finding an amp that works well with that speaker. The demands of certain types of speakers might rule out certain amps (e.g., low efficiency speakers ru... | |
| Is it OK to use an 8 Ohm tubed amp to power 16 Ohm speakers? tatyana,If you are talking about using tube amps, your circumstance might be a bit more problematic than using a speaker with a higher nominal impedance. Low impedance speakers tend to be harder to drive and are more prone to having problems with... | |
| Is it OK to use an 8 Ohm tubed amp to power 16 Ohm speakers? There is no chance of physical harm to either the amp or the speaker to use any tap on a tube amplifier, so it is worthwhile experimenting to see which sounds the best. One combination may sound good under one set of circumstances, but not anothe... | |
| Downsizing Speakers in Main Listening Room - Your Feedback on Some options For extreme dynamic punch from a smaller sized package, Zu speakers should be on your list to audition. For a completely different sound, but, particularly good a lower volume, Audio Note speakers are contenders. I personally find all of the Aud... | |
| Why not batteries instead of power supplies? Kosst,Use of a massive bank of capacitors does sound very interesting. Have you tried this approach yourself? Also, are they suited for constant drain (I thought they were primarily used where fairly rapid cycling is involved)? | |
| Why not batteries instead of power supplies? I heard a system with the Veloce linestage and it sounded quite good. I have no idea how it would compare with an otherwise identical model running off of a conventional supply. I have also heard an ultra expensive version of a preamp that is q... | |
| How important is component “aesthetics” to you? Most of my gear is either really plain boxes or has truly ugly form-follows-function utilitarian looks. I don't care at all. When I had an Audio Note Kageki in my system (now on loan to a friend), I installed it ass-out because the power switch ... | |
| Loudspeakers have we really made that much progress since the 1930s? Yes, speaker technology has made great strides in practicality, affordability. Sound quality too, is vastly improved within the constraints of reasonable accommodation of practical considerations. But, if you can live with the equivalent of two ... | |
| Loudspeakers have we really made that much progress since the 1930s? I like the sound of Classic Audio speakers. They do represent a successful utilization of old school technology (field coil magnets) and modern materials and technology. But, whether they are superior to old systems or modern systems using old d... | |
| Loudspeakers have we really made that much progress since the 1930s? Sal,Those are really nice photos of your amazing system. I find YL drivers and horns to be fantastic sounding--very dynamic, yet totally relaxed and natural sounding. The drivers with the diaphragms that are duplicates of the WE 555 can, with th... | |
| Why do Asian looks for old Wadia CDP at high price? There are current manufacturers that use very old DAC chipsets because they sound better. These include Naim, Zanden and Audio Note, among others. Some of these old chips are expensive because they are coveted. The priority for modern chips is... |