mike_in_nc

Responses from mike_in_nc

Amps and Kimber 12tc. Big amps and room temperature.
I doubt that 12TC’s rather high capacitance is bothering the Bryston enough to result in extra heat. There is always some heat from a power amp; as Erik said, whatever power it’s drawing winds up as heat. The B3 series runs cool compared to some o... 
Bryston 3b3 or Cary SA-200.2
I have a 4B3, and I think it's a lovely amp. Presumably the 3B3 is similar.Just as the 3B3 is the little brother of the highly rated 4B3, the Audio by Van Alstine Fet Valve 400R is the little brother of the 600R, which has gotten great reviews. It... 
Yamaha R-N803 one of the best values in high-end audio?
It seems like a great deal for the price, as you said. And I do like the Yamaha styling in general. It's hard to believe that a better unit with all those features would be available any cheaper.I'm curious. Have you have used YPAO? If so, what do... 
New Classe Delta amps and stereo pre amp
@gallus - Classe is owned by Sound United, which I think is based in North America. It's the factory assembling the Delta series that is in Japan.Do I recommend the Anthem STR Preamp? I think it's a great choice if you want its feature set: a ster... 
New Classe Delta amps and stereo pre amp
@gallus -- The DSP section of the CP-800 was OK, but not great. I own one, and I have moved it from my main system to a desktop system. In the main system, an Anthem STR Preamp at $4k (and often discounted) gives far more transparent DSP. With any... 
IM Distortion, Speakers and the Death of Science
Erik, I agree with the premise that we need more informative measurements (or, really, more informative measures, the difference being that the latter are derived from the former, using some formula that relates to perception). I am, however, puzz... 
MQA DAC with Coax Output
If you mean digital coax out, the last I heard, the MQA terms prohibit output of a fully decoded MQA digital stream. But maybe there are work-arounds? 
50 foot cables?
Next time you're upgrading, think about separates. Running long interconnects is less problematic than long speaker cables. 
Group Challenge - Home lighting, who is in?
I much prefer listening with the lights off. I even got some of these network-controlled plugs so I can switch them without getting up.I’ve always thought it’s the lack of distraction that makes the experience better, but I can’t rule out that the... 
What, in your system, have you owned the longest?
We moved 10 yr ago, and I started over as far as most of the gear goes. What I've owned the longest are some acoustic treatments (15 yr) and two JL Audio f112 subs (13 yr). Next is the equipment rack (9 yr), and after that the speakers (6 yr). 
Most musical stand mount loudspeakers
Harbeth 30.2 for classical and other acoustic music. 
Speakers that sound great in terrible rooms
Speakers with controlled directivity will interact less with the room. Some I can think of are from Kii, Dutch & Dutch, Janszen. There are others that slip my mind now.The Janszens I use, besides their other virtues, do not interact with the c... 
Looking into speaker upgrade/change?
I heard the Arial 6t at AXPONA 2019 with the Aesthetix Mimas integrated. It was one of my best-sounding rooms in the show. Not the most bombastic or overwhelming; just one of the most musical and involving.I had the Aerial 7t in my room for an aud... 
Whats in your second system?
I purposely have not tweaked my second system. No acoustic treatment, and only lightly optimized positioning. It’s on and next to my computer desk.NAS > Windows Computer with JRiver > Classé CP-800 DAC-Preamp > Marsh A400s > Harbeth P3... 
Auralic Vega DAC: How's it compare in 2020?
I owned a VEGA for several years (sold it for a DAC-preamp with DSP). I suspect that the VEGA will sound really good -- it is a fine DAC -- but not necessarily better than the one you are using now. Let’s face it, "better" is quite subjective when...