rayhall
Responses from rayhall
| Vote for the best speakers in 10K range Sschreiner: I heard the Vandersteen 5 with an Ayre V-1 (200 watts, solid state) and Ayre K-1 solid state preamp. It was magical. This is pretty expensive stuff. I would also recommend what I have now, which is a Pass Aleph 4 power amp and CAT SL-1... | |
| Vote for the best speakers in 10K range Vandersteen 5. The best speaker that I have personally heard. Spacious airy highs that are not etched or unnatural. Transparent midrange. Beautiful vocals. Great soundstaging. Solid powerful bass, including deep bass, with which few, if any, of th... | |
| Hovland HP100 vs CJ 16LS vs CAT Ultimate I am a CAT Ultimate owner who has not yet heard the Hovland. I have heard all the raves about the Hovland and, given that those raving seem to agree on what they like about it, I am sure that the Hovland competes in that ultimate preamp category a... | |
| Power cords for Aleph amps I recommend a very cheap cord which works well with my Aleph 4. It is a Audioquest AC-12 and I recommend it highly to those of you who find Alephs a little polite and laid back in the upper mids. I found that it left the rest of the frequency spec... | |
| Soul Recommendations I love R&B particularly of the 60's, and for me, Aretha is Queen. A good way to explore Aretha is to buy the 4 CD boxed set called "Queen of Soul". I find that many of Aretha's ballads, covers of other people's material, as well as her not-wel... | |
| Help me find a smooth solid-state amp? Of the brands you mentioned, I would be interested in the McCormack. In my audition experience Classe and Bryston have bright sound. Aragon 8008BB is a good amp, but also slightly bright in the upper midrange. The McCormack DNA 1 or .5 were slight... | |
| Source For 6DJ8 etc Try John Birck at raretubes.com. Although he appears to have more Telefunken 6DJ8's and 6DJ8 equivalents, he may have what you are looking for. I have found his prices to be excellent and his tubes to be top notch. | |
| Which Speaker in the 4-6K Range? I looked again at your requirements. Efficiency of the Gershman Avant Garde's could be a problem. I believe they are only rated at 86db/w/m. Although 100 watts is more than enough in an average sized room, I would recommend a high current solid st... | |
| Which Speaker in the 4-6K Range? Besides the "usual suspects" among which I think you definitely should audition Vandersteen 3A and 3A Signature, there is a not-that-well-known speaker from Canada called Gershman RX-20 Avant Garde. These, like the Vandy's, and IMO unlike the Silv... | |
| Ohms? Ohms are the units which measure resistance or impedance. Resistance or impedance are two terms which define the tendency for a substance or electrical component to attenuate or reduce a voltage when current is passed through it. The relationships... | |
| Percentage to spend on Amp and Speakers Joe-Coherent: I found the Opus to have poor deep bass extension and a closed-in, but bright sound. When it was reviewed by the major mags, it was compared to the Eidolon and while they indicated the Eidolon was better, they did leave the feeling t... | |
| Percentage to spend on Amp and Speakers Hi Joe, I agree, as I said previously, that speakers, certainly by the standards of electronics, are not neutral. Speakers are the most crude of all audio equipment. Yet, there are speakers, even expensive ones, which can leave your ears bleeding ... | |
| Most reliable equipment manufacturers I have to second Pass Labs. Although their stuff is warranteed, they don't even bother to pack a warranty card in the box. If you talk to them, they subtly imply that unless you drop the unit out of the window, they are going to honor the warranty... | |
| Percentage to spend on Amp and Speakers I guess, Joe, you disagree with the order in which new components should be introduced into the system. I disagree with you that you have to follow any particular order. While I agree that speakers can be most significant in "voicing" a system, my... | |
| Percentage to spend on Amp and Speakers Thanks, Trelja. I had read your posts and I find that you and I are generally in agreement as to the approach. I would just add that with regard to the order of purchasing products there really is no required order EXCEPT wire. Here is where you c... |