richopp

Responses from richopp

Need help replacing my beloved Magnepan....
+1 with @johnto and others who suggest replacing Maggies with Maggies.  No other speaker reproduces music as accurately as Maggies, IMO.The limitations you note are evidently size.  Move them when you are not listening, or go with the smaller Magg... 
What does a tonearm contribute to the sound of a turntable?
Read most of this and have a question.  Back in the "old days" there were controversies regarding detachable heads and fixed heads.  The Shure (SME) 3009 had detachable heads and others had fixed heads.I remember many articles that preferred the f... 
What is the average dealer mark up?
Quick add to my post so you numbers guys can see it in text:SONY TV's (Trinitron) were THE MOST POPULAR in the world at one time--it was a great TV.  The dealer cost was 80% of the FIXED (these were the days of "fair trade" pricing where you were ... 
What is the average dealer mark up?
As a former dealer of high-end audio equipment, I have to laugh at most of this.  It is such bull.FIRST, open a store.  That only costs about $3.00, right?  Then, stock it with, oh, maybe $200,000 worth of stuff.  That is all free, of course.THEN,... 
Chicago-area dealer recommendation
Quintessence Audio LTD5701 W Dempster StMorton Grove, IL 60053Phone: (847) 966-4434  
10 Audio Cable Myths and Facts
Cable stories are all bull.Any decent cable made for audio will do and anyone who says they can "hear" the difference is lying.Period.Now, if you believe YOU can hear it, go buy a $100,000 cable.  The seller is laughing all the way to the bank, bu... 
Can speakers sound worse during break-in period?
If you check with the manufacturer, you will get the answer to your question.  Typically, Magnepan tells customers that there will be a period of adjustment as the mylar does experience come changes from new.Why is this an issue I can't understand... 
Reasonable moving coil cartridge
Gotta ask a question.  Back in the day, the SME arms were not considered to be highest quality as they had a removable headshell.  Arms with fixed headshells were considered SOTA.Has this changed over the years?  What arms are considered to be SOT... 
Power Amplifier Longevity
I can only speak for myself. I built a Hafler 500 in 1975-76--can't remember that far back!--and use it today.It was in the shop recently as I was able to score an Audio Research preamp, finally!, and wanted to be sure the Hafler was OK.  Tech sai... 
MUST Have Vinyl
ALL the Beatles, OBVIOUSLY, and if you wish to hear them, the Sheffield Direct-to-Disc Lincoln Mayorga albums are excellent.Classical, any Decca is usually OK, but specific orchestras and composers depend upon your personal taste.I happen to like ... 
Do any still use an older high end tuner from the past?....
Sequerra was pretty good back then, but they broke a lot.  Also, big in the day was the Onkyo T-9090; it was great.  Still going for big money these days.  I have an older Onkyo T-4055, the T-9090 precursor, and it still plays pretty well!Cheers! 
Cassettes still rock!
If you have a Nak deck that is working you have the best of the day.  We did A-B tests...pretty hard to do and never really perfect, but we just played the record and the tape simultaneously and switched between preamp functions...best we could do... 
So many drivers.....better sound or just more sound?
Check out the speakers made by Magnepan.  They incorporate a stretched length of Mylar as a "driver" for their speakers rather than a number of drivers.  Tweeters vary from ribbons to Mylar depending upon the model and when it was made.You might n... 
Bose 901
Presented without comment:The audio equipment retailer Bose said in January that it planned to close 119 stores globally, including all its stores in the US.  
Bose 901
@ishkabibil  So glad you never came into my shop.  I guess we did not have a punched "AUDIOPHILE" card or whatever YOU think is RIGHT.Probably be one of the customers I "fired" each year at xmas.Pain in the rear, and no, it did not matter HOW MUCH...