oldears

Responses from oldears

Anyone Heard the McCormack UDP-1?
Is no one bothered by the test results in Stereophile which show that the MCcormick is not capable of hi-rez decoding? I guess it would not be a problem on the many discs, both DVD-A and SACD which don't contain hi-rez info anyway! 
Electric power in Europe
Contact your manufacturers to see if it is easy to change to 220V, especially for your amp as high current transformers are expensive. Buy a high quality transformer for all your other equipment. The 220v is single phase (hot, neutral and sometime... 
Only three manufacturers?
Dunlavy, out of business also made speakers meeting this criteria, and Green Mountain Audio continues to make speakers with first order crossovers, and in their Continuum series also physical adjustment of the mid-range and tweeter with respect to... 
I'm totally confused about Hi Rez formats
By now you have gathered that you are not the only one totally confused. Most consumers are confused, myself included. Sony appears to be not supporting SACD by not issuing them as hybrids, and of course DVD-A discs (unless they are the new dual d... 
Vandersteen Quattro
If you are interested in phase coherent speakers, you must try to listen to Green Mountain Audio before you decide. The Continuum series uses quality drivers with really good first order crossovers and mechanical adjustments for the midrange and t... 
Biasing a Threshold
The bias procedure on a Threshold amp is a little special.As I remember it involved removing a screw near a heat sink and inserting an accurate thermometer, letting the amp cook until it is stable and setting the bias for a given temperature. It t... 
BAT VK5i 6 pack capacitor upgrade
The capacitors from Sonic Craft cost about $80 + shpg. The 3.3mF caps lowered the output impedance & increased the bass slam while the 0.33 caps gave better detail in the highs. Jeff recommends to keep the existing 1mF oil caps in the system s... 
BAT VK5i 6 pack capacitor upgrade
Go to the soniccraft.com website and contact Jeff for his advice on soniccap capacitors for the BAT preamps in place of the 6-pak. I did this mod myself and he will ship overseas. Please note I did not compare this to a 6-pak mod, but you should b... 
Phono stage / Preamp Question
Typically you should be able to connect your preamp to the tape in of the integrated amp which should at least bypass its tone controls and maybe the first stage of the integrated amp. You can then use the preamp for all the input connections for ... 
Vinyl Old timers: HK's and Rabco's
Hello Sean,If you are still interested contact me as I have an original Rabco SL-8e in the original box with all paperwork and instructions. (i had slightly trimmed the arm to decrease mass.) I put in a C battery and both the vertical and lateral ... 
Ohm question
One of the best stereo demonstrations I ever heard was in the home of a DIY musician in France who had removed the internal resistors on 2 pairs of Quad ESL speakers and had them wired in series for the left and right channels.For your specific qu... 
Anyone using an Apogee Mini-Dac?
I recently heard a computer based system which used a Tube DAC made by Scott Nixon of Winston Salem, NC. It is a straight DAC with no filter and no upsampling. I did not understand how the data is clocked to the DAC. 
Which Threshold amp to buy???
I agree with Exertfluffer's remarks on sound, but feel I should add that the T-series is not designed by Nelson Pass and uses ring emmitter transistors which are no longer available if they fail. Threshold service company can rebuild these amps wi... 
Best tube preamp with phono stage and mono switch?
Consider a BAT VK30 or 30SE with a phono card. 
How to pick the correct mat for Oracle Delphi
I have used for many years on my Oracle the "Record Interface Mat". This is a solid polymethylacrylate mat made in the Netherlands by Audiophile Products Nederland. I bought mine in Holland and I do not know if it is still made.I think it is the s...