sameyers1

Responses from sameyers1

My analog journey - time for a new phono stage or?
Ok, all - thanks for the input, observations, recommendations, etc. Now I have even more options to consider, but I have begun narrowing them down. I would appreciate continuing to hear from those who own any of the phono stages on my initial shor... 
My analog journey - time for a new phono stage or?
@tablejockey Thx for the Zesto and Icon suggestions.   
My analog journey - time for a new phono stage or?
@tomic601 If it were easy to audition these phono stages on a similar set up I would have done it. My goal is to settle on two or three and find a way to audition in home on my gear in my listening room. Auditioning at a dealer on different equipm... 
My analog journey - time for a new phono stage or?
@islandmandan Have you auditioned any of the other stages on my list? Curious to how the Herron stacks up to the Pass Labs, Whest, Manley Labs or any of the  others that are popular among Audiogoners.   
My analog journey - time for a new phono stage or?
Thanks for the all the helpful input. @grislybutter Thx for confirming you auditioned a Chinook, and  for remembering TTs used.. As to design, whatever floats your boat. My gear is more industrial looking, although the Ayre Acoustics gear is clea... 
My analog journey - time for a new phono stage or?
@vonhelmholtz Your admission of hypocrisy is refreshing and I did laugh. The reasons for maintaining an analog front end are three - I own about 300-400 LPs, some my Dad's dating back to the early days of LPs. Second, some of the things I have on ... 
My analog journey - time for a new phono stage or?
@johnto - The Ayre may well be a good fit. Problem is limited number of pre-owned units that come to market. Among the solid state units the Pass Labs XP-15 and Whest units seem to have a strong following and excellent reviews. Like the Ayre, they... 
Budget amp that will give Magnepan 3.6Rs better depth of soundstage
If you don’t mind an older amp, look for a Proceed HPA-2. it is 250 w/ch at 8 and 500 w/ch at 4 ohms, good down to 2 ohms and will drive virtually anything with a neutral sound and a black background. Know that you will be buying about a 20-yr old... 
Warm and accurate bookshelves that can handle volume
Audition a pair of Aerial Acoustics 5T speakers. They will respond well to the power of your Adcom amp. They are neutral to slightly on the warmer side of neutral. They are a 4 ohm speaker that drops as low as 3 ohms. Read some reviews if you can’... 
Why is everyone so down on MQA?
The biggest beneficiary of MQA besides its owners is Tidal. Because MQA files are much smaller, they require far less hard drive storage. I agree with those who’ve noted the technology is at least ten years too late.   Having compared Tidal MQA f... 
Advice? Less than $4k, solid state preamp, neutral to gentle
Yes, you hit the nail on the head with Ayre. I auditioned several pre-amps before settling on the neutral character of the Ayre. You should be able to find a used K-5xe or 5xeMP, for $2k or less. There’s one available on Audiogon. And Ayre custome... 
What Gear Has Disappointed You?
Over the years I have been fortunate to work with dealers who not only had decent rooms to demo gear, but who let me take things home or delivered them so I could demo them in my listening room. So in my case here’s a list of gear that I auditione... 
speakers/ amps liking one another
If you keep the Focals +1 for the Hegel products. I would also consider Bryston amps and the higher end Parasound products. All of these brands include models with very high power output, both integrated amps and power amps, that will drive your s... 
Disappearing Jazz?
Another good jazz radio station, with programs that include a lot of classic jazz artists pre-1960 is WBGO from Newark, NJ. They also play music by contemporary artists.There are two separate streams and it’s a great place to listen to artists to ... 
Streamer Recommendation.
+1 for LUMIN if looking for streamer only. I have a U1 and it is very reliable, firmware is updated over the net, excellent sound quality. Is Roon ready but LUMIN software is as easy to use as BluO. I prefer Roon for a variety of reasons related t...