loomisjohnson

Responses from loomisjohnson

Am I the only one who thinks B&W is mid-fi?
b&w is certainly a polarizing proposition--unlike, say, psb or vandersteen, which everyone seems to like, people either love b&w or think they're overpriced/overrated. to my skewed ears, the curious thing about b&w is that some of thei... 
Please help newb put a system together
mandd, if i understand your query, you're trying to get to a viable system with your existing speakers/sub, an ipod and a turntable. with those parameters, i'd get your used b&k 305/307, which has a good phono stage, amp section and inboard da... 
Recommendations for a used Receiver
second the arcam. b&k 202/307/507 is the other obvious choice and should meet all your requirements. 
Sold Polk lsi15 now what?
someone's listing a new pair of focal cobalt 816s for around $900--i've heard 'em against the lsi15s and liked 'em much better. also saw some totem arro for $750--nice speaker. no affilaition to either seller. 
my peachtree decco experience, your upgrade advice
rather than replacing the decco, which is a nifty piece w/ a very good dac, first thing i'd try is adding a heftier power amp to the decco--maybe something like a parasound hca or b&k. it'll definitely change the sonics, perhaps for the better 
How can anyone afford this ?
not to get all dr. phil-like, but it seems like the real issue is not how much it costs to buy a good stereo, but how much of your life you're willing to sacrifice for such goal. like booze or gambling, audophilia is something that can easily move... 
Anyone like Mordaunt-short or Canton
i own, or have owned the MS Avant 906, MS 20 and others--very good, listenable speakers with particularly good high end resolution. well balanced, big soundstage, not especially bass-heavy. MS gets virtually no attention in the US and consequently... 
Love my ipod, Hate my ear buds....
second ptmconsulting--koss porta pros absolutely rule. the sporta pros, which have the same drivers but a sealed back design, don't sound as good. 
Your feelings on vintage audio.
This has been a very entertaining thread, with both the pro-vintage and anti-vintage folks making valid points. I caught the vintage (i.e. pre-1980)fever and have been stockpiling a veritable musueum of amps, tape decks and speakers (pioneer hpm, ... 
PSB Synchrony One or Vienna Acoustic Baby Grands?
mohit25, you're right--i mistyped. new psbs msrp is $5k, tho the street price seems to be as low as $3.5k. i haven't heard much that's as good in that range. 
PSB Synchrony One or Vienna Acoustic Baby Grands?
i've heard both and agree with shadorne. the vienna is nice sounding and beautifully built and finished, but too laid back and reserved (mellow?) for my taste. the psb synch, on the other hand, is terrific--detailed, rich and dynamic sounding, big... 
what cover versions are better than the original
i just heard al green's take on "unchained melody" and it struck me that he's arguably the ultimate interpretive singer --check out, e.g. his "for the good times" or "can't get next to you" or "how can you mend a broken heart". 
the marantz sound...mid-fi avrs...vs Denon....
mcintosh is maintained as a free-standing operation by d&m and, according to it, its products are still made in new york, unlike the asian-made marantz and denon. i haven't compared similarly-positioned denon and marantz avrs, though i can cer... 
the marantz sound...mid-fi avrs...vs Denon....
Since 2002, Denon and Marantz have been jointly owned by D&M. According to the company the research and development and production of the two brands are combined, while the brands maintain speparate marketing and distribution. Effectively, it ... 
Review: Harman Kardon HK990 Amplifier
very interesting, thoughtful review which eschews the usual, purely subjective cliches and gets into the guts of the machine. the poster illuminates how things like internal switching, seperate voltage supplies for amp/pre, etc. really can make an...