mike_in_nc
Responses from mike_in_nc
| Things I don‘t know I had an MC-3+ Smart Clock USB. The REF10 is more than I was willing to pay for something that I might or might not consider an improvement. My conclusion was that differences caused by reclocking will be system-specific (a pretty bland and safe c... | |
| Things I don‘t know I used a Mutec reclocker for a while. It helped an older piece of gear appreciably, at least to my ears, but the reclocking degraded the sound of a newer, better (but less expensive) piece. Why, I don't know. The main use of external clocking (ot... | |
| Balanced Streamer/DAC to Unbalanced Preamp As others have said, just use the RCA connection. If you ever get a pre with balanced input, you can try using balanced and see if it is an improvement to your ears. (Even if not, you might find, as I do, that XLR connectors are better designed an... | |
| Mofi Controversy @Iwin - I agree with your assessment. In my view, this whole affair is the definition of a tempest in a teapot. People are getting wired up about nothing. It also reflects something that's been increasing for years: Audiophiles confusing how some... | |
| 100% USA designed & made DAC Well, if you count all of North America, there are several great Canadian manufacturers. Bryson and Simaudio come to mind. | |
| 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 ... |