larryi
Responses from larryi
| There is no substitute for cubic inch or in this case surface area I agree that a large enveloping sound and impact is abetted by physically large systems. My own system has twin 12” woofers and a midrange horn thst is two feet wide by six inches tall. My local dealer’s current custom builds often utilize twin ... | |
| Is it possible to find a good DAC for under $50, 000? A lot of high tech/high end DACs are listed here for your consideration. But, in addition to these technologically-advanced models, you should hear something like the ultra primitive Audio Note DACs. These things use some very old chips and hav... | |
| What are the most balanced relatively neutral cartridges at each price level ? At best, you will get different responder's preference at each price level, and not necessarily a preference based on your undefined terms. I will contribute some of my favorites at or near level 4: Audio Technica AT ART1000 (recently discontinu... | |
| What are the most balanced relatively neutral cartridges at each price level ? What is “balanced,” “neutral,” and “colored”? There is no fixed reference for any quality, and even if there were, those qualities would be affected by the particular system the cartridge is in. Even without a reference, I don’t know what you me... | |
| Mono recordings and my new respect for them Many mono recordings are completely different mixes from the stereo version and not a simple fold down of the stereo mix to mono. For people listening in mono to a stereo record, that is the equivalent of a simple fold down and the result may not... | |
| Mono recordings and my new respect for them Some reissues offered both original stereo and mono versions, like the Cream recordings I have. The monos actually sound better in many respects. Among the best sounding recordings ever made are mono recordings, like the 1956 Sonny Rollins “Saxo... | |
| Audio Technica AT-ART1000X I have heard, and really liked, the ART 1000 cartridge. I don't know if buying it will optimize your system performance in terms of bang for the buck, but I don't think your money would be wasted--you should be able to hear what that cartridge ca... | |
| New buy, no return policy Most dealers don't have ultra expensive floor demonstration models from a company's lineup. If they do, it is still a big deal to move that speaker into a prospective buyer's system for a home demonstration--the speaker has to be packed for movin... | |
| New buy, no return policy An honest dealer cannot take back a trial speaker and then sell it as new. The cost of a returned item is high. Most dealers don’t stock such expensive items so a return becomes a very expensive part of inventory that may take a very long t... | |
| Koetsu cartridges. They must be something special. By the way, my local dealer has sent several of his own and customer Koetsu cartridges for repair/re-tipping to Andy Kim in California. He is very pleased with what he got back. It appears that Koetsu will live on well into the future thanks to ... | |
| Tube amp/ preamp advice If you don't need remote control, I would agree with jond that Audio Note Oto or Soro integrated amps are great choices in warmer sounding tube gear. My absolute favorite in your price range is the Synthesis Audio A 40 (40 wpc) integrated amp tha... | |
| Anyone wear gloves to handle vacuum tubes? I know a number of old timers who have used everything, including high power transmitter tubes that get very hot, to tungar tubes, and mercury vapor tubes, and they all handle the tubes without gloves. Tubes are nothing like halogen or metsl hali... | |
| Tube amp/ preamp advice You need to actually hear your candidate amplifiers. Tube amps are WAY more variable in sound than high quality solid state amps. I personally don’t like the MC 275 amp, in particular, anything made in the past 25 years or so. They sound so dea... | |
| Did I Expect too much? It seems that some people think the binding post makes the speaker. I don't see how anyone can claim you got ripped off just on the basis of the quality of the binding post, particularly when it hasn't even been established that the binding posts... | |
| Koetsu cartridges. They must be something special. I like the sound of the stone-body Koetsus. Most of my friends who own or are familiar with the lineup prefer the Rosewood Signature Platinum. It is a matter of personal preference. Regardless of the science, the cartridges sound a little diffe... |