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lostbears

Responses from lostbears

Tube question: any sonic difference in 6SN7 vs 6H30 vs 6H80 in the amp's signal position?
 It is a different version of the amp. You can't replace 6SN7 tubes with 6H30 ones. They are not interchangeable.  
Power Cables - Which Is Best For My Setup?
 If you do go with Shunyata, make sure to get the HC version. There is a big difference between the regular and HC versions.  
Power Cables - Which Is Best For My Setup?
I am not a big fan of mixing and matching cables. I prefer to have all one brand. That said, Cardas is not a great match with ARC. Shunyata and Synergistic are both good matches. I have all ARC Ref gear and use Shunyata Zitron Alpha HC power cord... 
VSi60 Bias Adjustment
 I agree, you should never run the amp without speakers attached. I would replace all the tubes since you don't know how old they are. Could well be that the tube was at the end of it's lifespan and that is why it failed. Email Jim McShane, you ca... 
VSi60 Bias Adjustment
 The tube with 0 bias is bad. When it went bad it took out the protection resistor.  The resistor needs to be replaced, It is a simple fix. Bring the amp to your local ARC dealer and he can replace the resistor. He will charge you very little if a... 
Analogue Productions Jazz, Blues and Classical 33RPM vs 45RPM advice needed!!!
 I have both 45 and 33 1/3 versions of some albums. I tend to play the 45 versions far less because of the constant flipping of records,For me the sound difference doesn't warrant the added hassle. If I had it to do over I would probably not buy m... 
Audio research
 There were a few different versions of the SP9. It should say on the back if it is a mk2 or later. If you email ARC with the serial number, they can tell you what version you have and when it was made. Around 1990 or so ARC stopped putting mounti... 
Audio research
 Why not borrow the SP9 and listen to it in your system for a few days. That is the only way you will know for sure. Preamps have come a long way in the last 30 years, even in the last 10 years. I owned a SP9 in the late 1980s. Most of my later pr... 
Solidsteel Racks
 My only point was that I had a SolidSteel Rack a while back. At the time it seemed like a decent rack. But in hindsight I was not all that impressed. That was a few years ago. There new line might be great, I don't know. 
Solidsteel Racks
I believe I had the 5 series. This was a few years ago. Each shelf sat on special cones. But he shelves were nothing special. One of the things that I think makes the Zoethecus racks really good are the Z Slab shelves. They are a composite of many... 
Solidsteel Racks
 I had a SolidSteel rack for awhile. I bought it as a demo from Music Direct. I would highly recommend them. I replaced my SolidSteel rack with a  Zoethecus rack. I have all tube electronics and the difference was huge. Especially with the amp. I... 
Low power tube amp for Sonus Faber?
 The Sonus Faber Elipsa can sound beguiling with a tube amp. I own a pair of the Elipsa SE and drive them with an Audio Research Ref 110. They need high quality power to sound their best. A 100 wpc tube amp is about the lowest I would go. Without ... 
Hydra 4 with Taipan Alpha - reduced dynamics and slam
 I agree that Shunyata's entry level cables are not that impressive. I have always preferred their regular line cables. I use a Zitron Alpha HC for my Triton. Their HC cables are the best way to go. They will usually out perform their more expensi... 
Hydra 4 with Taipan Alpha - reduced dynamics and slam
 The Shunyata Triton in my system has had the opposite effect. According to Shunyata, a unit that has been unplugged takes 48 hours to settle back in. I would give it a little time and see what happens. 
EAC question
 I always do test and copy. I also always create both a log and cue files. It really does not matter if you compress while you rip or later. I usually just rip to Flac. I think you need to add the Flac add on to EAC to do this but I might be wrong...