samujohn
Responses from samujohn
| Table/Cartridge price ratio I also agree with Audiofiel. Diminishing returns is a concept, not a specific dollar amount or an instruction table. For example, an inexpensive Rega arm might well benefit from a cartridge that cost more than the arm itself. A little knowledge an... | |
| Table/Cartridge price ratio Of all the equipment in audio the cartridge hits the point of diminishing returns first. One can buy a well designed cartridge for under a hundred dollars. One can buy a very, very, good cartridge for a few hundred dollars. Beyond that the improve... | |
| SOTA vacuum or no? FWIW, I have been very happy with the Souther arm mounted on my Star. Once the thing is set up (just follow the instructions and do not get in a hurry) it has its peculiarities, but is utterly reliable and makes for uncannily quiet groove noise. B... | |
| SOTA vacuum or no? I have used all sorts of clamps including SOTA's own excellent mechanical clamp, but after getting my SOTA Star vacuum some years ago, I have retired all the mechanical clamps in favor of the vacuum system. Just today I played a set of records whi... | |
| The use of equipment as "tone controls" Once the signal is converted to digital, "tone controls" are distortion free, as are the volume controls and any other desired signal processing. If you convert your CD to analog and then add these functions, as most do, you are adding lots of unn... | |
| Amp upgrade question Have you tried simply exchanging the amps to see if you like the HF of the 2500A better? I upgraded from a 2300A to a 2500A and I thought it a worthwhile improvement.I am also skeptical of third party upgrades to something as evolved as a CJ desig... | |
| The Mainstreaming of Audiophilia The relative cost appears to be several time higher. In the era of the $500 McIntosh, a luxury car was around $5000, so adding a zero to the price gets one in the ballpark. Today we have lots of pieces that sell for three to five times that amount... | |
| Is the McIntosh MR67 Modded top notch? I have the MODAFFERI mod MR-77which went for about $ 500 more. I have had several top tuners including an MR-71 modded by another tech. IMHO the tubes just sound better, period. As to which model is "best", opinions differ wildly with individual a... | |
| any advice appreciated They may not be new and sexy and come with big bragging rights, but the venerable Vandersteen 2C is one of, if not the most popular high end speaker of all time, and for good reason.Easy to buy and sell, it is full range, has level controls to mit... | |
| The most important word of advise? Buy stuff you can resell easily if it doesn't work out. | |
| Economics of small speaker manufacturers You sound as if you had already made up your mind that smaller makers have lower overheard and therefore lower prices. There is absolutely no reason to see this as a necessary relationship. The price of one capacitor, for example, may be$10 but th... | |
| Whats with the Watts ?? Planers (I own electrostatics) are exotic products and each type of planer needs special consideration. Maggies are inefficient and also must be played louder than electrostatics to satisfy most listeners, but electrostatics have volume limitation... | |
| Whats with the Watts ?? One could easily devote months, even years to figuring out the power game (it's marketing). I suggest:1. stay away from exotic products that you, personally, have not lived with.2. start with a popular amplifier (and speaker for that matter) that ... | |
| The Ten Rules of high-end audio Don't let the "speakers first" crowd stampede you. When I worked in audio sales I did the demos and then made the installations. I soon noticed that we demo'd speakers with high end separate electronics and sent the customers home with inexpensive... | |
| spikes , cones or platforms? My house is only ten years old, but when I spiked my subs the whole floor shook. Sorry, but their is no substitute for trial and error. Try a box of sand on top of the sub.cheers |