larryi
Responses from larryi
| Mark Levinson No.32 vs Mbl 6010d vs Bat Rex? I don't know how it compares to the MBL or BAT linestage, but, I own a Ref No. 32 preamp. To me, it is a somewhat dull and lifeless sounding preamp compared to my current tube linestage. I tend to think the same way about ML amps -- they are on th... | |
| Any vintage tuners with a small footprint? One of the better tuners made was a Naim model I heard 20 years ago that had an extremely small front profile. I don't know if it is cheap as a used model, but I would suspect it still commands a decent used price. | |
| Tube Diagnosis If you can find a vial of Caig Deoxit, that is a pretty good product for cleaning contacts, including tube pins and sockets. I like the super concentrated form of deoxit that is not in a spray can, but has a very thin needle like dispenser. A very... | |
| The Last Breakthrough in Speaker Technology Many of my favorite speakers use extremely old technologies, such as field coil drivers (dynamic drivers that use electromagnets in place of permanent magnets). A lot of newer approaches to speaker design/manufacture sound pretty bad to me (e.g., ... | |
| Tube Diagnosis The first thing I would do is clean the pins on the tube and the socket. Poor contact sometimes causes that kind of noise.Is it coming out equally from both channels or only one channel? If it is one channel, you can isolate the offending tube (if... | |
| basis 1400 belt & cartridge I have not heard the Bottlehead tube unit, but, it has a good reputation. It is a little outside of your price range ($369) and it is a kit that requires assembly, but, I saw and heard a Bottlehead amplifier that came from a kit and it should not ... | |
| basis 1400 belt & cartridge When you can afford it, spring for the Basis belt. Their newest belts are extremely precisely ground to an even thickness and sound much better than their old belts. I doubt that a non OEM belt would come close. Two different friends heard both an... | |
| Anyoen hear the Sonus Faber Liutos? I've heard the floorstanding liuto in a friend's system. The room he has available for the system is very difficult to work with but the Liutos sound pretty good. They seem to work particularly well when listening fairly close to the speaker. Some... | |
| Benz Micro lp/Lyra Titan i AR Ref Phono2 Rojo, Like most cartridges with a microridge type of profile, the Titan is somewhat sensitive to VTA. But, that is the case with most top line cartridges these days. For instance, my Titan is not much different in that respect when compared to my ... | |
| Best single-malt Scotch... I like the Islay scotches as well (I am very slowly nursing a bottle of 30yr Laphroig). But, I like other scotches too. A friend, who is into cask strenth stuff has a nearly 30 yr old bottle of Brora that is fantastic. I usually find drinking scot... | |
| Full Range Speaker That Can Play Near Boundaries I will also chime in with a recommendation for the Gradient Revolutions. I have heard them sounding great in quite small rooms backed up near the wall. Audionote speakers are also designed for near wall/corner placement and sound very good too. Th... | |
| Todays new vinyl LP's better than LP's 40 yrs ago? Generally speaking, no, they are not better. When it comes to reissues of older records, often the reissuer cannot get the master or a low generation copy, or such tapes have simply gone bad over time.Even with new issues, the gear for mastering r... | |
| Which is the best cd player under $10k? There are some problems in trying to translate one's idea of "vinyl" sound into a recommendation to someone else who might have a different take on that kind of sound. So, I will say that, apart from any sort of characterization, I have heard real... | |
| Which is the best cd player under $10k? Like several other posters, I think you should look into Audionote DACs plus a transport. If you have any sort of building skills, even the top of the line Audionote kit with all the parts upgrade would leave you with plenty of money left for a de... | |
| Cd transport isolation I've found that isolation bases or shelves can make a big difference in the sound. However, whether more isolation is an improvement or a detriment, is impossible to predict. This is more of a trial and error process. |