loomisjohnson

Responses from loomisjohnson

Need help choosing preamp for streaming
@francotirador2, let us know how you like the arcam  
Elvis Costello's favorite album of his own.
i'd say "this year's model" is his best, in the sense that it rocks the hardest, (arguably) sounds the best and has no skippable tracks. the one i listen to the most, however, is the odds-and-sods collection, "taking liberties," which is the least... 
How cheap can you go and still be happy with the sound?
i have a basement system consisting of polk model 10s ($200), an integra dtm 5.3 receiver ($100) and an integra dps 5.5 cdp ($50ish), and recently added a wiim mini streamer ($60)--all prices used. sounds excellent. i also have a garage system con... 
Need help choosing preamp for streaming
a cheap solution for you would be to get a wiim pro for $200, which streams very well and can function as a remote preamp--you can always upgrade it with an external dac. the bluesound node 2 can be used the same way but costs around $500. you mig... 
Shocked. Need Opinions. How muck power do I need?
@erik_squires, i will track down the pass article. i would add parasound as an amp which does well with challenging loads--during my brief forays with 83db planars my 125w hca1000 was surprisingly capable.  
Shocked. Need Opinions. How muck power do I need?
one of the rare threads in which everyone seems to be making good points. my own experience, which matches other posters', is that high current delivery is by far the most critical factor--even with demanding speakers like dynaudio i've heard 50w ... 
PSB Stratus Silver
Sight unseen, you'd be well served to get 500--the gold are worth around 7-800.  
RIP. Johnny Barbata
skip spence shined brilliantly before burning out--he literally never wrote a bad song. "seeing," his sole contribution to the moby grape 69 album, is mindblowing, and his solo album, oar (supposedly the lowest-selling record in columbia's history... 
London Grammar?
quite good, if smoother and less visceral than my usual--the songs tend to sound samey, but they have some soul and i like the minimalism of the arrangements. whether or not you like this will depend 100% on whether you connect with her voice, whi... 
Sam Ash closing
the company line is that retail rents were too high, but i surmise the real reason for their sad demise is that never fully embraced online sales--their used inventory was always a fraction of guitar center or sweetwater. it's sad, in any event--n... 
Remote needed!
You should be able to program a Logitech universal for the component... Pm me if you want help  
Songs that reference audio equipment
nick lowe, "so it goes" (50,000 watts and a big acoustic tower) Dead Kennedys, Holiday in Cambodia (Playing ethnicky jazz to parade your snazz On your five-grand stereo)  
I don't get it...Exile on main Street-Blue
i don't think exile is the greatest ever rock album (that honor, depending on my mood, might go to "ok computer" or "dark side of the moon" or "ziggy" or "the who sell out," among many others). however, i do think it's the greatest double album--e... 
Meeting up with members even where there is no sale
i'm also in chicago and would enjoy the option of troubleshooting/meeting up with local fellow obsessives....  
Anthem MRX 740 8K as an upgrade to my Denon AVR-X3700H
@carlsbad2 i've owned the 740 for about a year now, and tbh once the honeymoon period was over i miss the old pioneer elite it replaced--the anthem has alot of power and sounds more audiophile-accurate and less digitally tweaked than the mass mark...