larryi
Responses from larryi
| Is phase control switch a deal breaker for you? I have a linestage that has a remotely controlled polarity switch (Levinson Ref. No. 32) and others that do not have such a switch. I like having the ability to make a switch for near instantaneous comparison, but, not having such ability is NOT a... | |
| Is preamp remote volume a deal breaker for you? I think having remote control is almost essential for sound quality reasons. The ideal volume setting changes from recording to recording, and even from track to track, and often lies in a surprisingly tight range. Finding that volume is next to i... | |
| Is preamp remote volume a deal breaker for you? For me it is a deal breaker. When I found the linestage I liked, I got the designer to add a resistor ladder type volume control that is switched by relay (components can be bought and added by a designer who knows what he is doing). A well implem... | |
| Vote for best US made solid state amp The new amp by Mr. D'Agostino (formerly the founder and chief designer for Krell) might be a contender. I've only heard it at a show (powering Wilson Sasha speakers), but, I was impressed with the fact that it did not have the kind of brittle, edg... | |
| Cartridge Recommendations Hatari,What are you looking for, sonically, that the Kondo does not deliver (what do you mean by an all-rounder)? Are you saying that the Kondo works with certain kinds of music and not others, and if that is the case, on what kind of music do you... | |
| How Much Difference Does a More Powerful Amp Make? Every design, no matter how expensive or supposedly uncompromised, involves inherent tradeoffs. What compromise a designer finds intolerable or allowable accounts for some of the differences in products. For example, OTL amps are designed so as to... | |
| Tri-Planar with no anti-skate? I have never set up a Triplanar arm, but, with every arm I have set up, when doing antiskating adjustment by ear (using torture test records or just long term listening), the setting I find that works is MUCH lower than that which the arm manufact... | |
| 45 Amps Deja Vu is a very unusual audio store. The Deja Vu pushpull amps being discussed here (I own a Deja Vu pushpull 45) were built by a Russian living in the DC area, with the owner of the store providing the "voicing" (he would listen and say whether... | |
| Speakers free of grain, glare and steel? I don't know what specific models are available, and the going price, but, I would be looking out for used speakers from brands such as Living Voice, Gershman, Jean Marie Reynard, Spendor (particularly their older "classic" lines), and Harbeth. | |
| When to get your amp up graded caps ??? The consensus is that power supply electrolytic caps should at least be considered for replacement when they start to get up in age. But, that really is a generalization and it really depends on the source/quality of the parts. I know a current bu... | |
| What is your favorite 1 hit wonder from the 70's? Most of the truly one-hit wonders, were that because the music really wasn't that good. I don't know about best, or what constitutes a hit, but here goes:T Rex: Bang a GongBlue Image: Ride Captain RideArgent: Hold Your Head UpStories: Brother Loui... | |
| Where to use Isolation devices The type of isolation/coupling to use, and where, and the "amount" of such is a matter of tuning (trial and error). I have never found it to be the case that more is necessarily better. It is possible to end up with a dry, sterile and harmonically... | |
| Lyra Helikon setup sensitivity? If you properly use any number of decent protractors, you should be able to attain proper alignment. When you say "multiple geometries," are you really talking about different null points (Baerwald, Lofgren, Stevenson)?I use to have a Helikon (I n... | |
| Cartridge protractor- the best? As long as one attains perfect tangency at the chosen two null points, the proper offset angle and pivot to stylus distance has been attained (i.e., proper alignment). The use of the Feickert spindle-to-pivot measuring arm is merely a convenience.... | |
| Pop heard when stylus dropped into lead-in groove The loud pop comes from the high forces deflecting the cantilever when the stylus is dropped into the groove. It is exacerbated by a number of factors. First, one must cue the down the arm slowly to minimize this force. The pop can become more of ... |