montaldo

Responses from montaldo

Cary 805c and Quad ESL-63 Combination?
I had a less positive experience combining 805c's and ESL-63s. I run mine biamped with Vandersteen 2wq subs, but the issue I encountered was more with the treble. It seemed very dead on top. I love 805c amps (I've heard them on other systems) and ... 
Best mellow sounding 12ax7 for Thor TA-1000 preamp
Jbrrp1, wish I lived in Minneapolis. It feels like Minneapolis here in St. Louis now. I may try some used mullard 12ax7 as an experiment because right now I need "too warm" to balance the edginess. 
Best mellow sounding 12ax7 for Thor TA-1000 preamp
Thanks for all the great responses. Gjrad mentioned the 5751 as others have. Would a 5751 be warmer on top than perhaps a mullard 12ax7? If so, I would actually welcome less gain/volume 
How old are your speakers
I owned Snell Type A ... Several incarnations as well. One of the best speakers ever made, and helped convince me that materials and technology in and of itself is irrelevant. It is about the designers execution and voicing, and personal preferenc... 
Quad ESL-63 and low-powered amps; Sun Audio, Atma
Correction the assemblage is single ended and 8 watts. Looking at so many amps I got them confused. 
Quad ESL-63 and low-powered amps; Sun Audio, Atma
Also, I didn't want to lead with this, but my sonic priorities lean more toward midrange magic and musicality. I am not one who seeks ultimate detail, "neutrality" in the audiophile sense, etc. I play at pretty moderate volumes, and never turn it ... 
Quad ESL-63 and low-powered amps; Sun Audio, Atma
Thanks to everyone for the responses. Sorry for my delay. It sounds unanimous about low powered amps even without any load below 50hz. My CJ MV-60 sounds pretty amazing so unless I can taste the magic of another circuit like single ended, or maybe... 
Subwoofers hum - Vandersteen 2wq - can't stop it
My apologies for never responding. I expected to see emails if anyone responded to my post and so I never checked back! If anyone is still out there: Swampwalker: Yes I have the subs connected correctly and I use Vandersteen's best crossovers, the... 
Conrad Johnson ET-3 vs Premier 10/14 ?
Yes Pops, it seems the drive toward detail and resolution is difficult to stop. I think the Premier was a good balance in my system, but I have the MV-60 and Quads too, so plenty of warmth and musicality there. I wish I knew whether the ET-3 was s... 
Conrad Johnson ET-3 vs Premier 10/14 ?
Also, I really don't want to pay for a 17, so interested in ET-3 vs Premier 14 if anyone can comment. 
Conrad Johnson ET-3 vs Premier 10/14 ?
I thought I had read that the 16 was much closer to neutral than the older (14 and earlier) or the 17? Can you tell me why you think the 17 might be better than the 14 or CT-3?Thanks! 
EL 34 Amp Recommendations
I use a Conrad Johnson MV-60 with a 2wq now, and absolutely love it. The magic midrange, beautifully natural sound, and dynamics are great since the 2wq takes a lot of the heavy lifting. The MV-60SE is supposed to be more neutral, which is not som... 
Vandersteen 2Wq crossover
My issue seems to be solved! I talked to Richard Vandersteen and he told me I could use an M5-HP dip setting one below the recommended impedance to simulate a lower (80hz) cross point. Two below at most. Far more importantly, he guessed that my Sn... 
Vandersteen 2Wq crossover
One correction: typo... my amp is MV-60, not MV-50 
Vandersteen 2Wq crossover
I should have said before this is single ended (RCA). My amp is CJ MV-50 with 100k input impedance. Also, I favor a rich lower mid so prefer slightly lower cross where possible, such as 60 hz. My speakers are Snell Type A so flat to 35 or so.The p...