mike_in_nc
Responses from mike_in_nc
| Things I don‘t know (1) Many listeners can’t hear polarity reversal, even listeners with good systems and musical knowledge. As to why hardware doesn’t always offer it, it’s another feature that costs money to include. Why don’t (most) preamps have tone controls? (2... | |
| Turntable suggestions for a shaky wooden floor Another +1 for wall mounting. I found it worked very, very well for me. | |
| Upgrade path question. Upgrade analog or turn to digital? To me, the biggest difference between vinyl and digital is repertoire. There are 1000× as many releases available digitally as on LP . . . maybe it's 10,000×. So if you're interested in new music, digital is the way to go. If you want a $300 re-re... | |
| 5 Dumb Things Audiophiles Believes. I tried one of those "power cords stuffed with the blood of Beanie Babies." It lacked PRAT. | |
| HOW TO CHOOSE A SPEAKER CABLE? +1 @mosler666 . Good post! I would add that having a short cable is especially important for tube amps, which typically have higher output impedance and whose frequency response is more likely to vary from flat when presented a reactive load (i.e... | |
| Time/Process of Hooking up New Equipment Yeah, I wait until I am not rushed. That reduces the chance of stupid mistakes. | |
| ETHERNET CABLES My advice is, don't buy unless the sale includes a trial period, so you can decide for yourself it you hear a meaningful improvement. For even more fun, ask a few sharp-eared friends to visit (one at a time) and do a single-blinded test. We ALL ar... | |
| Schiit Loki Max? @rpeluso - Thanks for the report. It would be great if you (and other users of the Loki Max) could post more impressions as you use the unit more. | |
| ETHERNET CABLES Ethernet connections have an isolation transformer at each end; however, Cat 8 cables are shielded and can transfer noise via the shield from one component to another. That is not true of Cat 5e, 6, or 7, any of which has rated bandwidth far excee... | |
| what kind of power conditioner for front end? @lloydc - As you have had good luck with isolation transformers, you might want to consider the Torus line of power conditioners, which are similarly based on transformers. I have an RM-20, which is dead silent, includes surge protection, and may ... | |
| Best vibration isolation for speakers on carpet? @mitch2 -- Great post. In my view, "best" is one of the least helpful words in audiophilia. | |
| Reviews - Your Pet Peaves My pet peeve with reviews has been overlooking flaws that matter to real users. An example is the multiple streamers reviewed that don't do gapless playback flawlessly, and little or no mention in many reviews. Also, reviewers if they buy get som... | |
| Audio Rack Opinions +1 @dodgealum . I use Butcher Block platforms for my monoblocks and power conditioner, which otherwise would be on the floor. Nicely made and won't break the bank. If the vacuum cleaner hits something, it will be the Butcher Block, not the electr... | |
| Best vibration isolation for speakers on carpet? @kingbr - Whatever you try, it would be good if it’s returnable after, say, a two-week trial. It’s been my experience that things that seem a big improvement aren’t always so after one has listened for a while. It can be helpful to remove the adde... | |
| DS Audio: Auto Android/Apple Play Stream from NAS @vonhelmholtz - The DS1522+ replaced a DS414 in my setup. The earlier one is still working but after 8 years, the new one is much, much faster. As you say, the Synology stuff works smoothly and one doesn’t have to have a ton of tech expertise to r... |