mike4597

Responses from mike4597

The new dCS Varese DAC...it is so good that all others are now relegated to history??
Well, the Varese undoubtedly fits well into a system costing probably $1 million and up, but most of us have to rummage around the audio basement, or perhaps the first or second floor, as our systems cost only a small fraction of the price of the ... 
A life sentence!!!
At this point, I’d have to say my Rogue Audio RP-7 preamp and/or my Fyne Audio F-702 speakers.  The longest I ever kept a component was my McIntosh MC2125 power amp, which I purchased in 1980 and traded in 2022.  
Need Opinions for Different Cable Manufacturers/Cable Designs
For speaker cables, a strong +1 for Silversmith Fidelium speaker cables, which had a marked impact on the sound quality of my system.  They are reasonably priced and are of excellent quality.  I also added a set of Fidelium XLR cables from my DAC ... 
Will a high quality preamp really make a difference in sound?? Also speaker cable
I went from a Rogue Audio RP-1 to an RP-7–almost triple the price, and it made a marked improvement.  As for speaker cables, I was a bit of a skeptic, figuring that “decent” cables in the $100 to $300 range should be enough.  However, I purchased ... 
If Bi-Wiring is an option, should I choose Bi-wiring over single banana with free jumpers
+1 on the Silversmith Fidelium speaker cables and jumpers.  I was a bit of a skeptic on the impact of speaker cables, but I had invested in pairs of AQ Rocket 88s and Mogamis—used separately not together.  The switch to the Fideliums was a marked ... 
I am sad
Mward:  teamwork!  
Talk me out of buying Monoblocks and into a stereo amp instead
Can’t do, for I switched from a well-respected tube amplifier (Rogue Stereo 100 “Dark”) to two Odyssey Kismet mono locks and it vastly improved the sound, although I suspect part of it was increasing power by a factor of two and switching to solid... 
Got Innuous, now a DAC
I recently upgraded my DAC to a Schiit Audio Gungnir 2, and I am very pleased with the sound quality.  Streaming Tidal through my iPad Pro, it is very good, and I know when I replace the iPad with a dedicated streamer—I am considering the Innuous ... 
Do you listen to your music with your eyes open or closed or a combination of both?
+1 on immathewj's response about lights off, eyes closed, although I take off my glasses only sometimes.  When I cannot see the physical objects in the room, it tricks my combined senses into "seeing" a wider and deeper soundstage, as I am dependi... 
Any piece of equipment you currently dream of ?
Actually, occasionally I find myself wishing I still had my old Infinity RS-iibs that were severely water damaged during an Army move within what was then West Germany.  Oh, I am sure that my Fyne Audio F-702 speakers outshine them, but I wonder i... 
R2R next? Don't like ESS
Another +1 for the Schiit Bifrost 2/64.  I originally purchased the Bifrost 2 before the /64 upgrade, but I did upgrade mine when it came out; I was quite pleased with the product.  Recently, however, I purchased the Gungnir 2, well under $2K, for... 
Balanced vs RCA preamps
Rogue Audio has tube preamps with both RCA and XLR outputs.  I have the RP-7 that has two sets of each, and I believe the RP-9 has the same.  I am quite pleased with sound quality achieved with my RP-7 and my Odyssey monobloc solid state amplifiers.  
Dumb question......why do you need a preamp?
+1 for the comment by Soix on the tube preamp plus solid state power amp; when I switched from all solid state, then to all tube, and then to tube preamp with solid state monobloc power amps, I achieved a significantly higher level of sound qualit... 
Best Used Tube Based Preamp $2k Or Under?
The Rogue Audio RP-1 sells for less than that new.  The RP-5 probably would be in that range used.  I went from the quite good RP-1 to the RP-7, with which I am very pleased.  
SPEAKERS THAT SOUND ALIVE & DYNAMIC AT LOW LISTENING LEVELS
I have a pair of Fyne Audio F-702 floorstanding speakers, augmented by a pair of Rythmik 12” subwoofers, that sound excellent a low volume levels, although I am not sure of the exact volume levels I play them at.  I am driving them with a tube pre...