sfar
Responses from sfar
| EL34 vs 6CA7 vs KT77 Mtb - you're right, the choice of tubes is both subjective and system dependent. I'm not sure if my description would be helpful to anyone else but I found the Genalex KT-77's to have the same kind of musicality as the "C" El34's but they seemed m... | |
| speaker for desktop with nuforce icon 2. TIC - I don't have any experience with the Icon HDP and don't spend much time listening to headphones so I can't help with either of those questions. I used the original Icon for awhile as you're describing, connected via USB to a Mac with the JB3... | |
| speaker for desktop with nuforce icon 2. I would highly recommend the JohnBlue JB3. I used them with the original Nuforce Icon and now with a Jolida FX10 tube amp. They're small, beautifully made and sound incredible for their size and price. | |
| EL34 vs 6CA7 vs KT77 When I had an EL34 amp the tubes I liked best were vintage Tesla (not JJ) and the Siemens RFT. Of course, I didn't try every tube out there and both those kinds would be pricey and perhaps hard to track down.For new production, I had the same Wing... | |
| Jolida Fx10 Sorry, I can't advise you about a match with your KEF speakers. When I bought the FX10 I did try it in my living room both with a pair of Soliloquy SAT5 monitors and my Devore 8 floorstanders, neither of which is particularly sensitive. The FX10 s... | |
| Jolida Fx10 I don't have anything to add about the amp itself beyond what I wrote earlier. I use it every day and really enjoy it, have had zero problems. The 6P14P-EV tubes and re-issue TungSol 12AX7's have become the default setup, very quiet and good sound... | |
| Integrated with good headphone output The Onkyo A-9555 is a very fine integrated you could find used or refurbished in your price range and it has a good headphone output. There's a full review of the amp on the Stereophile site.Another option for greater versatility than a dedicated ... | |
| Battery powered, high resolution capable DAC? It's pretty simple if the DAC needs a 12V input. I have a Beresford TC-7520 and, like Tobias, I've run it directly from an SLA batttery. With some wire, a couple of spade connectors for the battery terminals and a power plug from Radio Shack to ma... | |
| Best CD I've heard so far 2011......... Looks as if the word "Halo" is popular in album titles this year and to continue that theme I'll mention "Smoke Ring Halo" by The Wood Brothers. Great album, similar to their earlier "Ways Not to Lose," with the same great writing but a little mor... | |
| What's "OBM" ? Original box and manual. No need to be embarrassed, it's not exactly obvious. | |
| Musical Fidelity A5, Simaudio I-5 or Krell s300i And I love the Simaudio I-5. I've owned both the standard version and the I-5 LE and it's one of the few pieces of gear I've ever owned that I can't find any fault with. It's a very neutral, sweet but powerful integrated with the best ergonomics I... | |
| Music hall cd25 internal upgrades or DAC It also depends on what you plan to have as sources. The opamp upgrade to the CD25 is cheap, very easy to do and makes a dramatic difference. If CD's are going to be your source for digital music the upgrade gives you unbeatable bang for the buck.... | |
| Can you recommend some classical CD's for me? Good advice from Hifiman5 and Isochronism about focusing on one composer or performer for awhile but I think it's important to do some survey work first. If I had started with Mozart or Haydn I wouldn't be listening to any classical music today. W... | |
| Are these speakers fully compatible? I've never tested sound levels with my JB3's, and I'm sure I never will, but in a 10'x 10' office they provide all the volume I could ever use, whether I'm listening to Jordi Savall or Tom Petty. I know volume control position doesn't have much to... | |
| Are these speakers fully compatible? I'm not sure which JohnBlue speakers you're looking at, or how large a space you would be using them in, but I have a pair of JB3's and drive them with a 10 watt EL84 amp. Mine are in an office setting and the 10 watts drives them easily. The soun... |