mikelavigne

Responses from mikelavigne

Opportunity to buy the best Preamp... but which?
Greg, thanks for the details on your comparison. i would have liked to have been there.best regards, 
Opportunity to buy the best Preamp... but which?
Gregm, thanks for the feedback on the dart vs FM.2 questions. you mention the dart pre was 'as satisfying' as the 255 with the dart amp; was it more similar sounding to the 255 or was there significant differences in the balance?i'm not sure you h... 
The Best Midrange in the World Right Now
great thread topic.my last 2 speakers have had considerable adjustability; which as caused me to really learn about exactly what causes a great mid-range.the Von Schweikert VR9SE has three tweeters, each with an attenuator. it has a 15" digital am... 
Opportunity to buy the best Preamp... but which?
Andrew; based on your tastes..."My preference would be a neutral tube based model.".....you are looking for a preamp that has a bit of the sweetness of tubes, but not euphonic warmth.i have heard all those pre's on your list and to my ears the dar... 
What is the best SS Amp and Pre given the trends?
if price is not an issue there are a few others to consider.Burmeister, Goldmund, MBL and FM Acousitics all make ss preamps and amps that are highly respected if very expensive.my personal favorite and the best i have heard is the darTZeel NHB-108... 
Best rack for non-suspension turntable?
Turboglo, if you want the best possible isolation for a non-suspended tt get any stiff, high mass rack and put a Halcyonic isolation shelf on it.Halcyonicsthis what a laboratory would get to isolate an electron microscope. it makes any audio isola... 
12" 45 RPM records: What's the story?
you need to make a distinction between the 12" 45's that were 'dance club' singles......and the 12" 45's that are audiophile reissues of various very popular older recordings.the 'dance club' 45's are all over the board in quality.....mostly bad. ... 
Best processor/switcher/scaler for new ht system ?
Craig, i would strongly recommend going to www.avsforum.com, going to the video processor forum, and then searching for that. AudioGon is great for audio.....but AVS is where all the info is on video.i am not current on your specific question; but... 
Best processor/switcher/scaler for new ht system ?
i would avoid an 'all-in-one' processor/switcher/scaler for both video and audio. the Video side is changing too fast to justify getting today's SOTA video connections in your audio processor. you will get very frustrated when the new source hardw... 
Best SS amps with sound similar to tube amps
darTZeel NHB-108.not ss sounding; but not warm and slow either. sweet and smooth as butta, but with slam and micro-dynamic life. very neutral and very low noise floor.clarity, clarity, clarity......but no sterility or brightness. needs a speaker w... 
Nordost vs. Transparent...which is better?
there are numerous price points within both Nordost and Transparent; if you are asking about the very top level of each product.....i am familiar with both. i own 2 sets of Nordost Valhalla interconnect (i use to own 6 sets) and 2 sets of Transpar... 
How to best isolate TT from vibration?
if you have a 'flexible floor' and the tt is on a rack on that floor, you will not be able to eliminate the 'foot-fall' problem.....no matter what you do.....so you will have to live with that issue.OTOH you can eliminate the other vibration causi... 
Which Jazz Albums are similar to Kind of Blue
anything with Ben Webster will likely give you a bit of that ease and magic. Ben has that combination of 'cool jazz' but with great tone and subtle energy that Miles had in KOB. Ben is my favorite Sax player.i particularly like 'At the Renaissance... 
Is Digital actually better than Analog?
Cdwallace; i will respond to your points;you write;"I agree completely. However, I must point out that personal preference for vinyl (subjective) should not be passed as knowledge of the topic at hand, is digital actually better than analog. To ap... 
Is Digital actually better than Analog?
Cdwallace; i mostly agree with Nsgarch.it is a mistake to confuse preferring vinyl to being anti-digital. digital does not need to be better than vinyl. there is not a market justification for the musical performance of digital to equal or exceed ...