ral

Responses from ral

Best Power Cord
Have tried a number of cords on my Wadia 850. Ended up liking the new TG Audio SLVR best. Made everything more transparent and focused without glare or harshness. If you like the direction that TG HSR-I (genII) goes in your system, you'll probably... 
Voltage Gain
What manner will the two amps be used? Are they 2 stereo amps to be used in a biamp arrangement? Or 2 monoblock amps one for each channel? My experience with active biamping is that such a small difference (~0.5dB) is negligible, especially if the... 
The"new" look Capitole
I wonder if the dealer that Lordgorian described simply prefers a classic tube sound (as found in the "earlier" 24/192 Capitole), since he thinks the new Capitole is more detailed but "less natural". IMO the earlier version is a bit too euphonic, ... 
Wadia Upgrade Question
Tclipse: I had the "reference upgrade" done to my 850 by GNS back in late 2000. I'm still enjoying it. I now run it without a preamp. Compared to the stock unit, the mod greatly fleshed/filled out the midrange, and significantly smoothed out the h... 
Gain matching of power amps
Edesilva: I didn't know that about the Casablanca... interesting. I see your point about not trying to recreate the ML crossover. And yes I think many purists want to avoid any signal processing between source and amp, and this is quite reasonable... 
Gain matching of power amps
Miketw and Edesilva: Neither of you mention whether you have considered using an active crossover, which I consider the best way to do biamping. The individual speaker drivers should not really be receiving the full frequency range from the respec... 
Digital volume control, WADIA style
I have experimented with my Wadia 850 running direct (adjusting the internal switches so that digital attenuation is minimal), and also through a number of preamps including Pass X1, Levinson 380S, ARC LS25, BelCanto Pre1, Art Audio, and others. F... 
French CD players' sound ?
Macdonj, you really should try to get hold of a Capitole for home audition. It is probably just what you are looking for, if you are already comfortable with a more "tube-style" sound. I auditioned a 24/192 Capitole extensively in my home. It remi... 
EMC1 upgraded versus MKII
To Ljgj: That's an interesting alternative. I haven't heard the Kora Hermes. Did you have a chance to try any other 24/192 DAC's that feature tubes, e.g. Audio Aero? How is the bass with the Hermes? (Some tube CDP's seem to provide too much warmth... 
EMC1 upgraded versus MKII
Brulee: Yes, I agree it would probably be a tough choice and very subjective and system-dependent (even though I haven't heard all the CDP's listed). Regarding the Aero (I assume the Capitole), how did you find its bass compared to the EMC1? I've ... 
EMC1 upgraded versus MKII
S of Sound: Thanks for that clarification. Still, it seems incredible that the manufacturer has not started installing the new 24/192 board if it's so great. Guess they don't want distributors/dealers to get "stuck" with current EMC1's because of ... 
accuphase 75 vs. electrocompaniet mk11
To Sanctuary of Sound writer: If you're going to put such a teaser on this thread (the "shootout"), then at least give more details about what you heard among those CDP's. I realize you may be reluctant to comment on brands that you don't carry, a... 
Resolution audio cd55 vs. Wadia 850
I've compared Wadia 850 (which I own) to CD55 in my system. I think both sound very good, but I found the CD55 to be a bit too "analytical" for my tastes. I disagree that the CD55 has a "superior" volume control just because it is of an analogue t... 
Tube amps driving low sensitivity speakers
In the case of Maggies, the speaker presents a mostly resistive load of 4 ohms average. Do triode amps in general have lower output impedance than tetrode operation? 
Copper v. Silver IC sound
Wow- thanks for the info. and opinions everyone. But no need to end this thread now...it's very interesting... keep your responses coming! I had a question for Djgj regarding the Harmonic Tech Magic IC's, where the strategy is mixing copper and si...