mike_in_nc
Responses from mike_in_nc
| Top Notch Desktop System Regarding room correction, the miniDSP SHD series offers an incredible feature set at its price (~US$1200). It includes xover software and extra outputs to make integrating one or two subs easier, Dirac correction for adjusting balance system-wide... | |
| Top Notch Desktop System Regarding the KEF LS-50, clearly a matter of taste. It won many awards. Objectively, the Soundstage measurements show a broad rise in response in the 2kHz-7kHz range. Whether this will be pleasing or the reverse will depend on the room, sound pref... | |
| Top Notch Desktop System I use Harbeth P3ESR in my desktop system. (I have them on the inexpensive DS2 rubber stands from Audioengine.) After having the Harbeths for a while, I added a B&W 10" subwoofer (ASW610) I found used on Audiogon. This makes a great desktop sys... | |
| The best speaker for a small room...at any price point. Do you like electrostatics? If so, consider either of the Janszen models. The controlled directivity minimizes wall and ceiling interactions, which is helpful in a small room. They sound great, too! --very low distortion and maximum transparency. | |
| Best sounding CD (or hi=rez). jazz releases? McCoy Tyner’s 1970s album Sama Layuca sounds great to me even today -- I use the CD as a demo disc when friends come over. The title tune is a showcase of percussion sounds and wonderful playing.It may not sound quite as pristine as an audiophile-... | |
| What are the advantages to a Class A amp & what are the trade offs? Never buy based on design, etc. Buy based on how it sounds. +1 to that by @millercarbon. I see many audiophiles who pay a lot of attention to the particular technology used in a product. To a large degree, the sound of a product comes from genera... | |
| Oregon Audiophiles... This is, again, to invite any and all Oregon audiophiles to check out the Portland Audio Club, an all-volunteer club with emphasis on all kinds of audio gear and all kinds of music.We meet monthly, with varied programs. | |
| Music server questions Another route could be putting something like the Mutec MC-3+USB between your laptop and DAC. That particular unit reclocks, has galvanic isolation, and has SPDIF coax (though not optical) outputs. | |
| 2000-2500 USD budget for an integrated amplifier. Do amplifiers sound the same? :) Not knowing your gear, I’d like to make a few general remarks that may (or may not) be helpful.First, I think that Ethan W. overstates his case. Amplifiers do affect the sound, to my ears. Still, I hear far more important differences among speaker... | |
| Anthem STR Int or Benchmark AHB2 + Preamp I have the STR preamp and think it's excellent. As @audiotroy suggested, you might consider that, rather than the integrated. You could mate it with a Benchmark amp or Anthem's matching STR amp or, really, any amp that pairs well with your speaker... | |
| Anthem AVM 60 vs Classe SSP 800 I have a 2.2 system. I recently replaced a Classé CP-800 with an Anthem STR preamp, and I like it a lot. The automated DSP is far quicker to set up than the Classé's manual PEQ. Although it is slightly less flexible, it is more powerful, and to my... | |
| Total cost of ownership - how to reduce it No tubes. Solid-state only.No vinyl. Buy only from companies with records of standing behind their products.Have a belt of scotch before you listen. It will keep you from focusing on those little niggles that lead to new purchases. | |
| Dealers and exaggerated treble @kenjit : Your story of the out-of-phase demo reminded me that I once had that experience, too. It's hard to understand, because the system was set up with care and sounded great once we fixed that.I suppose the explanation is, we're all human. Ma... | |
| Does a DAC completely bypass the computer soundcard If you take USB output from the laptop, you will be bypassing the computer’s sound card completely. If you are using a reasonable audio player program on the laptop, what comes out the USB port (and into your DAC) should be bit-perfect.You mention... | |
| Dealers and exaggerated treble Erik,I haven’t had that particular experience, though I’ve heard plenty of bad sound at dealerships. I suppose in your cases, the harshness could have been exacerbated by the upstream components or lack of acoustic treatment.As you well know, many... |