retiredaudioguy

Responses from retiredaudioguy

The Cable Company advice?
In general I have had very good interactions with TCC.  I have used the library, mixing their thoughts with my own on choices. The only negative occurred recently, asking about my 11.5% frequent flyer discount, I got an N/A response (this was on ... 
Phono Amp Spec’s
If you are contemplating a new Phone Stage, I can recommend the Sutherland Duo.  There are other Sutherland options in various price ranges; given the impedance of the Benz ZH the "Loco" Sutherlands are probably not right.  In reviews their phono ... 
You are there vs. They are there
In some review I remember reading "a good system will being the performers to your room, a great system will take you there." There is a bit of truth to this, taking you there does require an excellent system, but it also requires that the record... 
Amplifier recommendations for 86 dB Sensitivity Speakers
Sensitivity is usually specified as SPL at 2.83 volts.  I guess to be precise it is at 2*sqrt(2) = sqrt(8).  From ohms law (etc.) (V^2)/R yields 1 watt into 8 ohms, 2 watts into 4 ohms. If you get 86 dB at 2 watts, then 4 watts => 89dB, 8 watt... 
??? Where Does "High End" Start ???
The other day I was wondering "what are the properties of an audio system that make it 'High End'". I don't think it is a matter of price, though there is some floor.  For example an Eversolo DMP A8 and a carefully chosen pair of Dynaudio Active ... 
Would You Rather Own A Good SET Amp, Or A Great Push Pull Amp?
I think that it might depend on what you most find glorious in your listening.  I have owned several good to great PP amps; for many years I used the renaissance VAC 70/70, 2 parallel 300Bs per phase per side.  This amp did everything superbly wel... 
TU-8900 upgrade
The end result is different from my expectations! In the 8900 I have replaced the OPTs and the caps.  Also the small signal tubes are now Amperex ECC82/12AU7s.  WOW. The 8900 with Electro-Harmonix 2A3 EH Gold tubes is just gorgeous and is now in... 
Streamer Options Needed
If you have a separate DAC the Bluesound Node is fine, I have compared my downloads to streamed files and can find no difference - this is with a very high end, well engineered Esoteric K-01XD SE DAC. I cannot vouch for performance with lesser DA... 
How can different CAT5/6 cables affect sound.
I think that the consensus is that the sonic differences are caused, not by digital issues, but by RFI or other noise induced in the patch cord leaking through into the analog circuitry. Perhaps I am lucky (or hard of hearing) but yesterday I lis... 
How can different CAT5/6 cables affect sound.
OOPS.  That should have been: I could have been really contentious and asked if anyone has heard sonic differences between T568A and T568B wiring standards.  
How can different CAT5/6 cables affect sound.
I could have been really contentious and asked if anyone has heard sonic differences between T568A and T568A wiring standards.    
How can different CAT5/6 cables affect sound.
A question for people who do hear a difference between cables. Is your streamer integrated with the DAC or is there a link to an external DAC? The answer to this might provide insights regarding the induced noise theory. Another test for those ... 
How can different CAT5/6 cables affect sound.
If noise, picked up by non-shielded Cat5 cables is the problem, and from responses it seems that is might well be the issue, would that argue that a Wi-Fi (and thus decoupled) connection would work best? I cannot personally comment on this as I r... 
How can different CAT5/6 cables affect sound.
OOPS.  Thanks Richard brand.  Streamers usually use UDP which does not have error correction, so a really bad patch cord could cause data errors.  
How can different CAT5/6 cables affect sound.
My point is actually stronger than TCP being error free, it is that the submission of the buffered data to the DAC chips is totally isolated from the nature of the patch cords.  The data is stored in a RAM buffer and is fed to the DAC circuits by ...