mambacfa

Responses from mambacfa

Open Baffle Experience
I believe the best open baffle experience is a single full-range driver accompanied by a superior active sub woofer unit. This provides the best of all worlds: a cohesive sound for the majority of the musical content, and a proper power/driver siz... 
Why do so many people have problems with bass?
The people who obsess over bass in their audio systems suffer from their own self-inflicted problems: a) they typically listen to rock music and b) they listen to the gear, not the music. How do you realistically deliver an unrealistic musical exp... 
Why do hipsters prefer analog?
It's not a "hipster" thing; it's a sound quality thing.  
Linlai E 6sn7 tubes
I use a pair in my tubed CD player and they sound great. They replaced a pair of NOS Brimar CV-181 that cost over 3x as much.  
Linlai E 6sn7 tubes
Best value in high-end 6SN7 tubes. I had to replace an insanely-expensive pair of NOS Brimar CV-181 with the LinLai Elite and the new tubes are on par with the other tubes which cost 4x as much. Buying through Rachel at Grant Fidelity is always a ... 
Looking for wider soundstage
Open baffle speakers provide the greatest soundstage. Simple is best.   
Ridiculous sale
Paying a premium for the opportunity to avoid waiting is an everyday thing. Try booking a flight for the same day and you will pay the highest convenience premium you'll ever see. If you can afford convenience, there's no problem. I wouldn't do it... 
Linlai E 6sn7 tubes
I use these tubes for the output stage of my CD player. They replaced a set of insanely-expensive Brimar CV-181 tubes that were damaged in a tragic feline accident. Probably 1/3 the price and equally-wonderful sound quality.  
Your sub experience: Easy or hard?
I use the REL Stentor III and I've also used their Stadium model. Both use a Speakon connection to my amplifier's output taps, along with my regular speakers. Integration has always been easy and seamless, as the amp sends only a small signal to t... 
Cable curmudgeon
Like you, I'm a flutist with academic degrees in music - and I have a high-end audio system. I'm the last one to claim that my ears are better than anyone else's ears. In fact, I have two "golden ears" people whose opinions I highly value when dec... 
Finally Learned: Subs serve much larger role than adding more low bass
Subs open up the sound; enhancing the quality of deep bass is a bonus. Especially true with the REL attached to amp's speaker taps which is like bi-amping.  
Boy, Oh Boy! Towshend!
Speaker spikes are useless. Vibration is not limited by the small surface at the tip of the spike; it pass through regardless. And massive platforms don't help; low vibrations pass easily through all large surfaces. Concrete floors are not "vibrat... 
Is $2,844 too much to pay for a fuse?
What am I missing? These appear to cost $28.50 per fuse. That's cheap by premium fuse standards.  
What is the actual percentage of people exclusively listening to vinyl vs digital?
I’ve never had anyone who listened to something on my system - first in vinyl and then digital - say that they preferred digital. Instead it’s usually this: “The first sounded more open and realistic...” 
How loud are you typically listening?
85dB sounds lifelike to me. This SPL is safe for up to 8 hours.