mwood

Responses from mwood

Lifting the Christmas veil
My kind of post and wife! Congratulations!  
Tube preamp match with Solid Stare amp
Look in to Backert preamps. Transparent sound and a great preamp for my Pass XA30.8. Wonderful people to deal with, American made and beautifully crafted.  
Streamer Comparison and Suggestions
+1 Innuos. I have a ZENITH MKIII and it’s been flawless. The Sense app seems to be the best available with a great sound, very intuitive and robust!  
Streamer question
+1 Innuos streamers are a great value. I can use it with Roon or with the Sense app at the flick of a switch on the Innuos app. They sound every bit as good as my dCS Bartok Apex streamer. It will be a great upgrade.  
Amazing Record/CD store in RI
My long standing friend, Chris Zingg, is one of the owners of In Your  Ear. Along with his two partners, he opened the first shop in Allston MA many years ago. Chris is a great guy, very knowledgeable and often has vintage hifi for sale at the Rh... 
Speaker Cable Recommendation
+1 Auditorium 23. I’m using them with several low watt tube amps including a Decware ZMA. I learned about them from watching John DeVore’s YouTube channel.  
REF5SE tubes
+ 1 million for Brent Jesse. Every time I’ve dealt with him has been an excellent experience! Every single time.  
Upgrade from Bluesound Node
A dCS Bartok and never look back!  
Budget preamp recommendation...besides Schiit.
I would recommend a used Backert or the current deal they are offering on their 1.3 models. They use two 12AU 7 tubes and have a completely neutral  sound signature and yet add real depth, clarity and realism to a system. Highly recommended!  
Lush and Romantic Tube Amps
+1 on the ZMA. Great amp able to use a variety of power tubes to adjust the sound to your preference.  
SET Lovers, what's the one solid state amp you love(d)?
+1 Pass Labs. In my case I have a SET 572-11 , a Decware ZMA and  Wyetech 300 B mono blocks. All sound great and my Pass Labs XA 30.8 absolutely holds its own among the three tube amps. It’s a great luxury and privilege to have a Solid State amp o... 
I can't go for that.
Tom Wolk was a GENIUS!  
New to Preamp - Preamp suggestion around 10k
You absolutely should try the Backert Rhumba Extreme or Rhythm.   
Pass Labs XP32 or XP22?
Backert and believe me you will never look back. I have a Rhythm Extreme paired with a Pass XA 30.8. They sound fantastic together. I’ve been in this hobby since the very early 70’s and I’m here to tell you I felt as if I hit the jackpot with this... 
Some more modern jazz piano trios
Tim Ray Helen Sung Christian Sands Emmett Cohen and so many more……