loomisjohnson
Responses from loomisjohnson
| Recommendations on integrated amps Most of the above-recommended makers have models with onboard dacs within your budget---nad/rotel/yamaha/cambridge/arcam etc. | |
| Recommendations on integrated amps rotel is affiliated with the same company as b&w so should synergize well. i'd also look at cambrigde audio ax81. | |
| Arcam SA30 vs Denon PMA- A110 @edwinf, you could drop a lot more money on a luxman or pass which would probably sound better than the denon, and many folks on these pages instinctively tout less mainstream brands, but the denon is a helluva piece on its own terms. the way i s... | |
| Arcam SA30 vs Denon PMA- A110 my good friend has the arcam, which he uses with magnepan 3.7s, which are admittedly a tough load. it sounds fine but not awe-inspiring--the warm-sounding arcam definitely colors the presentation. otoh, i've heard the denon with focals (i believe ... | |
| B&W 805 D4: which 5 channel power amp should I go with (home theater): Parasound or Rotel reflexively i would have voted for parasound, which i've always liked, but @woots makes a very valid point about rotel and b&w playing well together because they're from the same company--synergy is always critical--so i vote for rotel. | |
| Ripping CDs rvpiano, if for some reason you're averse to computers, there's a number of standalone devices out there which will play, record and rip CDs and store them on their internal drives--the yamaha mcx-1000 comes to mind. i see 'em on ebay for $200. ... | |
| Whats on your turntable tonight? quicksilver messenger service, "shady grove"--poorly recorded, but strangely beautiful, with slow stately slightly trippy songs and gobs of nicky hopkins' piano. nirvana, "in utero"--always a tough one for me--half the songs are iconic, while the... | |
| Young audiophile metal head looking to level up speaker choice i'd look seriously at the goldenear w/powered subs (which have polk lineage)--they extend low, have a small footprint + you can get good deals on the triton models. | |
| Receiver for 702 S2 and HTM71 S2 @mysterygadget, i've no doubt the more recent anthem 1140 is favored, but you're talking a lot more money + it's likely overkill for what you need--it has 11 channels? i haven't heard the arcam 550, although i do know the earlier-generation 500, w... | |
| Receiver for 702 S2 and HTM71 S2 avrs depreciate faster than old sushi, so i'd buy used or refurbished. you can find a anthem 520/720/740 for pretty cheap--it'll have fewer bells and whistles than the mass market stuff but are better built and will probably sound better. arcam a... | |
| Adcom pre amp versus Van Alstine @mrdmbman, not surprised you like the adcom (are you using the active or passive mode?)--it's a helluva good piece. curious to hear your comparison to the va. | |
| Floor to Bookshelf https://forum.audiogon.com/posts/2642092 @mightee, the monitor audio i've heard are transparent and very extended at the high end--i wouldn't call them bright (in the sense of having an energized, hard-edged treble), but neither are they as warm/... | |
| Floor to Bookshelf considering that you'd probably need stands (and maybe a separate subwoofer), query how much floor space you're actually savings w/bookshelves vs. a smaller (fuller range) floorstander. as with @perkadin i'd also buy used--scrolling through the l... | |
| Adcom pre amp versus Van Alstine i've never heard the VA, so can't opine on it. however, i have owned the adcom 750 and it was excellent--it's a nelson pass design which is on a completely different level than adcom's cheaper gtp (preamp w/tuner) models. it had a passive mode w... | |
| Mattresses, not stereos is where the money is i obsessively researched this very topic before buying my new mattress (dreamcloud premier--fantastic). i was informed by those in the biz that the typical profit margin (after delivery costs and overhead but before salesman's commission) for bric... |