mcondon
Responses from mcondon
| good headphone amp/preamp? I would look at Woo and Decware. They may be a little above your budget but resale value is very good on headphone amps and many have preamp outs. You might also pose this question on Head-fi, where headphone junkies hang out discussing the latest... | |
| McIntosh MC501 vs Wyred SX1000 I have owned a W4S and currently own a McIntosh MC275. Admittedly, the Mac I own is a tube amp, but the W4S amp did not even sound as good as my B&K 4420, an inexpensive class A/B solid state amp. The McIntosh is better than both, and much bet... | |
| Your 5 Fav Rock Concerts Best shows for me were: Radiohead in 2006 right after Kid A came out. I was a fan before but seeing them live about 10 rows from the stage was a revelation. Next best show was Fugazi in a Wash. DC high school gym in 1990. I had never heard them be... | |
| Audio-gd Audio-gd has a large following on the headphone-related audio forum Head-fi, both for its headphone amps and its DACs. Supposedly Audio-gd provides very good customer support, even though they are based in Asia (Hong Kong?). The only downside has ... | |
| Current production "budget" warm/dark SS amp? Thanks for the recommendations. My speakers are Sehring 703s (86 dB sensitivity). The preamp is an old Aesthetix Calypso. My current amp is a McIntosh MC275, which I generally like, but it doesn't offer up very convincing bass with my somewhat bas... | |
| Opinions: BALANCED cables for Aesthetix I have used Gabriel Gold Revelation ICs with great success between my Calypso and my McIntosh MC275. I also can highly recommend Tara Labs RSC Air ICs, which probably are slightly more forward than Gabriel Gold but not at all fatiguing (and a tad ... | |
| Why don't gold based cable fans try Synergistic I have tried a few Synergistic Research products (ICs, a power cord, a PowerCell 6 power conditioner) and found them to create a slightly "hyper" sound signature that became fatiguing for me over long listening sessions. They are great if you want... | |
| Wyred for Sound DAC 2 or Peachtree Nova What do you mean you would use the Nova "as a DAC preamp only"? I assume that means you won't be using the Nova as a power amp to drive speakers.The Peachtree Nova was designed as an affordable integrated, not as a standalone DAC. Yes, the DAC chi... | |
| Synergistic New Tesla Line...Any comments? I agree the PowerCell's highly glossy plastic polymer used for the chassis is way too prone to inadvertent scratches. It is one of the few pieces of audio equipment that actually made me want to use those silly white gloves that come with some aud... | |
| PS Audio PW vs. Bryston BDA-1 vs. Wyred 4 Sound Considering that the Perfect Wave DAC can be purchased new for as little as $2,100 from some e-tailers (hunt around and you will find one), this should be a no-brainer. It is a great DAC that sounds wonderful using the coaxial digital input and is... | |
| Has anyone tried the Shunyata Diamondback PC? Wow. Kudos for such a gracious response. Shunyata will certainly remain on my short list for higher end power cords and power conditioners. But obviously your recommendation to work with a dealer and to "try before you buy" is good advice. | |
| Has anyone tried the Shunyata Diamondback PC? I have the Diamondback. I don't think it is materially better than what you can get for $10 at Radio Shack.Sorry for the misunderstanding. I used the word "material" to mean "not imaginary", a valid definition, and to refer to the power cord's so... | |
| Has anyone tried the Shunyata Diamondback PC? I have the Diamondback. I don't think it is materially better than what you can get for $10 at Radio Shack. I also agree that the IEC connection is looser than it should be. Although somewhat more expensive, the Audio Arts Power 1 and/or Black San... | |
| Finding a Power Cord that sounds great I have tried quite a few power cords, including very expensive power cords from Synergistic Research and Shunyata. I have tried Kaplan and did not like them in my system...BPT cords are better.Although I won't claim they are better than a top-of-t... | |
| SR Power Cell 10 SE Vs, Bybee Purifier PC My searches of Jack Bybee's work as a physicist turn up absolutely zero citations in the academic literature. Maybe when people say he is a physicist, they mean he teaches high school physics, not that he is on the short list for the Nobel Prize. ... |