larrykell

Responses from larrykell

Aqua La Scala MKII Optologic DAC
Send a note to Cristian Anelli, the designer of the Aqua products, and ask him this question. He can be reached at: info@aquahifi.comI own an Aqua Formula DAC and like it a lot. The Formula supports Apple's Core Audio so I plug a Mac Mini into it ... 
Your favorite Small Apartment Speakers
My Gryphon Cantatas. They're designed for small rooms and have a bass roll off unit.  
Again the topic of weight of amps
@fleschler I guess I misunderstood you and thought you said we should be worried that a floor couldn’t hold that kind of weight. I put my Gryphon on those little felt furniture pads so that I can slide it around. It doesn’t get moved often but I c... 
Again the topic of weight of amps
@fleschler I weigh 182lbs, lol, and my wooden floor, with substantial joists, supports me. My upright piano weighs 500lbs, and there is no problem with it either.I don’t think stereo components weighing a few hundred pounds are a problem for most ... 
Again the topic of weight of amps
I sold my wife on the Gryphon Colosseum stereo amp based on the fact that it took up less floor space than the previous amp because the Gryphon is tall and not wide. It is a slim 175lb amp, lol. I don't know why more manufacturers don't build tall... 
What are the advantages to a Class A amp & what are the trade offs?
@sfischer1 I own a Baratza Forté coffee grinder, a smart scale, and a programmable kettle. My coffee is pretty consistent from day to day. I watch my coffee to water ratio, you know. I use the Kalita pour over system, it’s simple and it works well... 
What are the advantages to a Class A amp & what are the trade offs?
@verdantaudio I’m glad Gryphon integrated two chimneys in the Colosseum, haha. The amp actually runs pretty cool on low bias, 30w Class A, because of the huge heatsinks, but it runs very hot at 165w Class A. Yes, I can hear a difference between th... 
What are the advantages to a Class A amp & what are the trade offs?
It’s true, George. I think the extra electricity may come to $50 a month, maybe $70, if I listen a lot. It does annoy my wife sometimes but I try to calm her down by pointing out that we don’t own a car, lol, and save a lot of money that way.Peopl... 
What are the advantages to a Class A amp & what are the trade offs?
“The attraction to class A is in the well founded belief that anything class AB can do, class A can do better. Class A is what every topology strives to measure up to, and class A can do things that are simply impossible with any other class, like... 
What are the advantages to a Class A amp & what are the trade offs?
I think people underestimate the amount of power required for the fast transients that typically occur in music, all the time in symphonic music. The Gryphon Colosseum can generate over 4000w instantaneously. It has two huge capacitors that can st... 
What are the advantages to a Class A amp & what are the trade offs?
Once I listened to a Class A amp, many years ago, I never wanted to listen to anything else. Some of the older Class A amps used fans which increases your noise floor. The Sumo Gold I ran for a long time used to hit its thermal cutoffs in the summ... 
How far have ss amps really come in the last twenty years?
@daveyf Yes, it's true. I'm reaching back a bit into the 1970s but a Class A amp from that period still provides a lot of bang for the buck if you get one rebuilt. I certainly had to spend a lot more on the Gryphon to come up with an amp that was ... 
How far have ss amps really come in the last twenty years?
I ran a Sumo Gold 125w 90lb Class A amp for eight years after having it rebuilt. That amp dated from around 1975. A little over a year ago, I replaced it with a Gryphon Colosseum stereo amp 165w Class A, 175lbs, from 2011. The difference between t... 
Spotify for classical music lovers
I have Tidal and Qobuz integrated under Roon. Qobuz seems to have more high resolution recordings than Tidal. I pay for the highest resolution on both.My dream is to have the Naxos Music Library integrated with Roon as a third streaming option, lo... 
Buy a $40,000 10 year old amp for $4,000 or new amp for same money?
Who in the world buys audio equipment as an investment, and thinks that gear will appreciate? As long as the sound quality doesn’t degrade, it runs for years, and doesn’t break, I’m a happy guy. People who buy used gear help other people buy new g...