mordante

Responses from mordante

What's the best Phono preamp under $1000??
Many people look down upon the small Clearaudio Basic. But is a real bargain. The Bluenote phono 1 and 2 are also very good. 
Symphonic Line RG 14 Edition Integrated Amp
Sorry for highjacking this topic a bit.There is a chanse I can buy a 2nd hand RG9 mk?? for a good price. The drawback is I cannot listen to it. My current amp is a modded Rotel RC980 pre and a Rotel RB1070. I know the Symphonic Line is a better am... 
Cars. What does the typical audiophile drive?
1) Peugeot 106GTi (170.000km on the counter)2) Toyata Corolla (my mothers car atm)3) Audi R8 or Koenigsegg CCX 
Symphonic Line RG 14 Edition Integrated Amp
If I remeber correctly the difference between the RG14 and RG14 is the phono stage, the RG14 doen't have one I think. I would prefer the one without the phono stage since most TT lovers will buy a separate phono pre.I have been on the lookout for ... 
Owners of speakers by obscure companies chime in
Zu speakers are hardly known outside the US I think. I have been to some hifi shows in the Netherlands and I am acitive on some Dutch forums but no one even mentioned Zu. 
Impulse speakers
I have no idea if it is the same company. Keith Marshall made transmission line speakers in the 80's/90's but the switched to regular front ported sytems. He now has 2 models the Spirit 2 and Spirit 3. I was thinking of maybe trading in my Aria SE... 
Equipment that has made you 'stop' looking?
For me it would be my transport/DAC combo. It is a CEC TL51x with a Wadia 12 DAC. It may not be the worlds best and not the most expensive. But I think for me it is the best I will ever be able to afford. 
Stereo Sound cart rankings
Hmmmm no mention of Jan allaerts. This list fails. 
EQ before Preamp?
[quite]I agree that capacitors in the signal path can affect sound quality.[/quote]I am no engineer but wouldn't it be best if there are no capacitors in the signal path. At least my 'cheap' Rotel pre amp doesn't have have any. 
EQ before Preamp?
@EldartfordThat is not entirely true I think. Most pro gear is even more expensive then some audiophile brands up to a certain point. A lot of pro gear has to sound good and be able to take a beating. That is why you almost never see real pro's us... 
EQ before Preamp?
The best place for an EQ would be after the digital out from a CD tranport. I think the Behringer 2496 EQ has a onboard DAC?. I know some people who use that kind of gear together with a mic. to apply some room correction. The correct way of doing... 
AES/EBU cables- VD Masters vs Au24s
I think spending a lot of money on digital cable is a bit of a waist. A Apogee Wyde Eye or Pure Note vanguard should be good enough for any system. 
Top ten tube preamps
Prima Luna, prologue 3 is the best one I know. It doesn't have to much of a tuby sound and is normally priced and is well build.