mlsstl

Responses from mlsstl

Benchmark DAC-1, Lavry DA10, Altmann Attraction
I bought a Lavry DA10 some months ago and have been very pleased with it. It is not as analytic as the Benchmark, but lacks the sterility (though that is really too harsh a word for the Benchmark.) I find the Lavry has good depth and resolution wi... 
Life after Maggies?
I was in an almost identical situation a year ago. I moved and the listening room in the new house was too small (13' X 15') for my Maggie 1.6QR's. Believe me, I tried, but there was just not enough breathing room for them from both a sonic and ph... 
Ethernet Wireless Hard Drive Music Server
Your maximum streaming rate from an uncompressed CD is 1.4 Mbps. Even the old 802.11b speed (10 Mpbs) is adequate so the g is more than fine. If you wish to play any of the lossy compressed file formats you're even better off since those bit rates... 
Upgrading a CJ PV-10A
I had a PV10A and replaced the high voltage caps in the power supply. However, the originals were just starting to show their age and the unit wasn't as quiet as when I first acquired it. In fact, it actually had started generating hash in the nea... 
Favorite driving music
I prefer compilation CDs for my driving. I've gotten to the point where I actually remix material in Adobe Audition and add interesting transition clips. (For example, a switch from a Vivaldi cello short to Ray Parker's Ghostbusters tune, using Mo... 
How loud do you listen to your music?
Are you using the A scale or the C to measure? On the C scale, I tend to listen in the mid 70's low to mid 80's (this will show lower on the A scale.) There is also the issue of whether you are using the peak mode or average. The type of music you... 
Diana Krall - New Vinyl - Good sound - Poor Vinyl
There are a lot of variables that can affect the quality of an LP record. Vinyl purity and formulation, how the stampers are produced, how many LPs are produced from a stamper before it is replaced, the air quality and cleanliness in the productio... 
Satellite vs. Cable
I can't comment on the HDTV issue but I've had DirecTV for several years and am very happy with them. Count me a very satisfied customer. You can lose signal in certain weather conditions. Generally this is a thunderstorm situation directly south ... 
Best sounding phono preamp under $600
You might take a look at the Channel Island phono preamp. Well within your budget at $350 new and the company has a good reputation for great sounding stuff. 
New CDP for $500?
The Nad C542 is also $500 (retail list) and has an excellent reputation as a musical player. I had one and was very pleased with it. (I've gone to a PC based hard drive/Squeezebox system now.) 
Bel Canto Evo II or S300
I've not listened to the EvoII but I've had an S300 for 7 or 8 months now. It is an outstanding amp. If you check the member review area, there is a review I posted about a month ago. 
"Pro" Amp to Drive Thiels
"Pro" is one of those words that, in the hands of a zealous advertising man, can be rendered nearly meaningless.In a generic sense, the word simply means that a product has been designed to work for a living. That generally means rugged physical c... 
Current vs. Watts??? Need clarification.
Tube amps do not deliver a higher voltage to the speakers. The higher voltage from the tubes is run through an output transformer to send the correct (lower) voltage to the speakers.Many people ascribe the tendency of tube amps to sound louder tha... 
Current vs. Watts??? Need clarification.
I don't have much experience with any recent vintage Rotel equipment, but there are a couple of potential issues here. 1. "1/3 on the volume knob" is not a reliable indicator of anything. If the source is pumping a fairly high line level voltage i... 
Tube pre-amps: turn off when not in use?
Tubes do wear out when left on. The output tubes on an amp may last something on the order of 1,500 to 2,000 hours or so. The smaller tubes used in preamps will last much longer. 5,000 to 10,000 hours and more is probably not unreasonable. (There ...