rockadanny

Responses from rockadanny

Have you heard pro studio monitors ?
Maple, setup is nearfield at my desk. So approx. 4 foot equilateral triangle. I would increase distances if I could, but that is not an option. Still, even at 4 feet, they image fine and soundstage is good too. 
Have you heard pro studio monitors ?
After auditioning several I ended up with a pair of Adam F7 (active). Sourced by laptop in my office. Love 'em. 
Budget Pre with 2outputs, rectifier tube and.....
+1 Mapletree Audio. Tube rectification done properly is fine. 
Quiet Amp Cooling Fan
http://www.coolcomponents.com/I tried fans from a few different mfrs and found from these folks best cooling and most quiet. 
What's the greatest bargain in SET these days?
Greatest bargain? Soryy, no idea. But, if power might be an issue then perhaps check out the monoblocks at Audio Mirror:http://audiomirror.com/amps.htmlLove the 45 Watt SETs on my 89db monitors. Plenty of power and sound terrific. (NOS tubes all a... 
Your last concert was to see who and when?
The ZombiesYikes! First hit in 1965. They must ALL be zombies by now! 
Your most disappointing purchase or audition?
tubes are soldered into the boardOMG! That is crazy! 
$1500 for a whole system, budding audiophile
Active monitors run directly off of your laptop. Simple, inexpensive, wonderful, done! For example, I outfitted my office with a pair of Adam F7 monitors ($900) connected directly to my laptop headphone output with inexpensive cable. Adam makes a ... 
The best of the ECM label
I find some of the music on ECM astounding, and some of it boring as heck. My favorite has to be Terje Rypdal. Start out with "Blue" and "Chaser". Then dive deeper into him if you are so inclined. 
Herbie Hancock best recordings
Herbie's work with Mies Davis is wonderful. Of his catalogue as leader I have only these two, which I enjoy very much: Empyrean Isles; and Maiden Voyage. 
Your most disappointing purchase or audition?
Audition - Linkwitz Orion speakers (original design IIRC). After reading all the science behind them and several stellar reviews I was so excited for the opportunity to hear them. Very disappointing. Cannot recall exactly why because I forget by n... 
Beloved?
Sells better than "hated", "disappointing", "blunder of a purchase", "below par", "sub optimal", "POS", etc. 
Valve amplifiers
To minimize lurking tube troubles I minimized the number of tubes in my gear (while still retaining their audio magic). CDP has one tube, pre has three, monoblocks have 4 each. Been very happy ever since. 
Bookshelf speakers $500 -$700
My search for similar quest brought me to the wonderful Adam F7 active monitors. Slightly above your budget ($898) but since they are active they do not require amp/pre. Well worth the added cost (although you could sell your amp and/or pre to fun... 
Recommend me Bookshelf for Office
To add to the mix ... I was looking to do my office and was considering both the Ascend and LSA as well, but instead went with an active pair: Adam F7 ($898 at Sweetwater and Guitar Center). This relieved me from purchasing additional gear such as...