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pdreher

Responses from pdreher

Why do Harbeth speakers have such a cult following
I loved my time with Harbeth 40.1's. There's a good chance I'll go back to them some day. 
Used Sony XA7ES Pricing?
I sold mine about 3 years ago for around $750. It's an "ok" CDP, but I'm guessing you can do better in that price range for a newer model. Replacement parts may be an issue to consider as well. 
I just had my Audiogon account hacked . . .
That's alarming. Thanks for the heads up. 
Ocellia cables IC why not much talk?
Anyone have a price list or ROM pricing for single ended 1 meter IC's and 8' speaker cables? 
Warm, lush and smooth interconnect help
KCI Silkworm's and Jade Audio Hybrids. Both great cables. 
Dynaudio C2 II Signature VS. Revel Ultima Studio 2
As a previous owner of both C2's and C4's, I think you'd need a lot of room treatments to make the C4's work in that size room. The C4's are superior IME to the C2's, but neither did well at low to moderate volume levels, which is why I eventually... 
Tube Amps and Cabling
VAC Sigma 160i & Joseph Audio Pulsar should be an outstanding combo. I would not hesitate to pull the trigger on any VAC integrated. If funds are an issue, you should be able to find a used VAC Avatar, Avatar SE or Super for less than $4K. 
Tube Amps and Cabling
Mechans is correct. I may have overstated the impact of simply moving from solid state to tubes in that a well designed solid state amp will likely sound better than a poorly designed tube amp. However, if you do end up going with a VAC integrated... 
Tube Amps and Cabling
Any decent cables will be fine. Just moving from a solid state amp to tubes will have a sizeable & favorable impact on sound quality, much more so than a change in cables. 
Question on tube preamp
I used to have C4's driven by a Plinius SA-102 amp and Aesthetix Calypso preamp. IME, you can't go wrong with Aesthetix preamps. Good bang for the buck, dependable, great support and you can tailor the sound by rolling tubes. 
McIntosh MC-252 or MC-275 amp
I've not heard the MC-252. But the MC-275 MK V is one of my favs. Great amp for the money... a can't miss amp IME. 
Devore Nines and Daedalus Athena comparison?
It could be that the Athena's where not fully broken in. I own the Ulysses and almost gave up on them before I put them thru a formal break-in process. Prior to break in, they sounded anemic, lacked midrange, bass and were very disappointing. IME,... 
When to go solid state vs. vacuum?
Tube amps are my preference by a wide margin. The best ss amp I owned (Plinius SA-102) was decent, but it failed to convey emotion the way similarly priced tube amps do. All other ss amps I've owned where disappointing (tired models from BAT, Sima... 
Recent equipment you hated, thought overpriced
Also, not a fan of power conditioners. Dedicated lines work for me. 
Recent equipment you hated, thought overpriced
Simaudio W-6 monoblocks. Cheap construction and synthetic sound. Sold'em quick. Musical Fidelity M-3 Nuvista integrated. All bling, no substance.Soliloquy speakers. No wonder they are no longer in business.Conrad Johnson Premier 140 tube amp. Fine...