mulveling

Responses from mulveling

Goodsaudio
In general: If the prices look just slightly good it’s probably gray market (no warranty, possibly B-stock). If the prices look really good, it’s an outright scam. Not long ago, there was a rash of scam posts on Facebook, purporting to be so... 
Loudspeaker warranties and black market products
A leading cause of speaker trauma is inadequate amplification. Most speakers love current and don’t get well with amps that can’t provide it. Yep, that is a comon cause of trauma to tweeters - when you over-drive with an under-powered amp. Why... 
Loudspeaker warranties and black market products
Generally agree with @larryi - if a speaker is well designed and not abused, the chances for a warranty need are exceedingly small. As a buyer, I honestly care very little about warranty. My concern is for out-of-warranty service - whether it’s b... 
??? What Is Your Favorite Speaker Finish ???
Last August I purchased a pair of Legacy Signature SE in an exotic Cabernet Sappele Pommele finish. To me , they are stunning. First time owning a high gloss finish, and I supposed they need to be babied more than a black oak, but boy are they go... 
??? What Is Your Favorite Speaker Finish ???
I prefer fine wood finishes that are on the "darker" side. Anything lighter than walnut isn’t my favorite. Even walnut, I often wish was darker (it varies a lot). White/yellow oak is the worst offender ugh - fortunately that’s been out of fashion ... 
How much do I need to spend to make vinyl sound better than digital?
It is hard to see a good analogue set up for less than, say, $5k new. This is where we lose the forest for the trees. I’ve been guilty of this too, plenty of times. I played with a $500 Fluance RT-85 and $1K Hagerman Trumpet, and records were s... 
Anyone have experience to share regarding the Ortofon Cadenza Bronze MC cartridge?
By all accounts it’s the tapered (conical) aluminum cantilever that grants this "warmth". Because that’s the only significant difference to other models of that same motor design and housing. In fact its predecessor the Kontrapunkt "c" had pure si... 
How much do I need to spend to make vinyl sound better than digital?
These results are inevitably some combination of:  You might simply prefer the tyically "clean" sound of digital The kind of music material you enjoy has generally good mastering quality on digital; at level with or better than the vinyl alter... 
Will AI. Minimize the Design differences of audio
A.I. is still a very poor substitute for precision engineering. No telling if it will cover the gap anytime soon, but it’s definitely not a given. There are certainly questionable audio designers making questionable things out there, and A.I. migh... 
Would you buy a tube amp if you were unable to use vintage tubes in it ?
You have a steady 120 volts and that should be good because gear is made for that voltage.  In some parts of the country, one can see much higher voltage, such as 125-127.  That high a voltage would be of concern for some, but not all tube gear a... 
SOTA STAR Sapphire Turntable Care and Feeding
I’m curious from you other owners how to know if the vacuum is working well like it’s supposed to be? @cowboyandy  My Star III’s vacuum platter was NOT working back when I acquired it in 2007, depsite being in otherwise excellent, well-maintai... 
Odd DAC Pricing
I think it’s more odd in the other direction. Tambaqui has been out for several years; how the hell does it seemingly retain so much resale value in such a fast-moving segment of the market as standalone DACs? Asking 65% of full MSRP @ $13K, on a... 
Would you buy a tube amp if you were unable to use vintage tubes in it ?
Yes, 100% - and this is the situation for basically any power amp that uses a quad or more of KT88+ tubes. Or anything with 6H30 - which is an excellent tube; arguably better than alternate types with vintage options (6922). Vintage tubes are grea... 
What are the most balanced relatively neutral cartridges at each price level ?
Winfeld guys, not Windfield.  A wonderful cartridge.   Windfeld, not Winfeld. Definitely not "field", though ;)  https://ortofon.com/products/mc-windfeld-ti  
Speedboost or other lps for Hagerman Trumpet MC
@mulvelimg, that is what I was getting at with my question.  With the jets and the 555 chip.  I couldn’t see how an external LPs could get around the internals in the unit.  The external LPS would end up in a switching circuit to get the rail vol...