soix

Responses from soix

Moving from Blue Heaven to Silver Reference II
I'm running an Oppo 970 into an EVS DAC1, a Marsh 2000b preamp, and a McCormack DNA Rev. A. Relatively speaking I find these to be fairly neutral components that pass the majority of information through with very little editorializing of their own... 
Moving from Blue Heaven to Silver Reference II
I also run Satori Shotgun into Soliloquy 6.2s, and while the Matrix II will add some midrange heft the 6.2s already have a fairly weighty midrange on their own. The problem is that the 6.2s aren't the quickest speakers on the planet, at least in t... 
AZ vs VD speaker cables & ics
If you're using the original AZ Matrix interconnects you might try the latest version -- much quicker and less heavy sounding than the original while retaining the soul of the music. 
Soliloquy or Von Schweikert VR-1
Haven't heard the VR-1s or the Meadowlarks, but I have heard the 5.0s at length and although I really like them (I own 6.2s myself) in your particular application I would not recommend them. The rear port will most likely cause a problem being so ... 
Silverline Sonata MK.lll overall sound
The first thing I would try would be to substitute AZ Matrix Ref. interconnects for the Silver Ref. -- still very detailed but less energetic up top and luscious in the mids. This one change might do the trick, and it's a relatively easy one to ma... 
tube vs ss for pre-amp.
Here's a nutty thought -- how about the Marsh P2000t preamp? Should be some nice synergy there. 
tube vs ss for pre-amp.
What kind of change are you looking for, or what do you feel you're missing now? 
Power + a bit of warmth for $2K or less?
Don't know offhand if it doubles into 4 ohms or not, but I found the Marsh A400s to have a very refined presentation with lots of tonality and natural detail. It's very good looking in an understated and tasteful kind of way, and it comes in very ... 
Upgading my H/T system - What to do???????
If you generally like the sound of your system but feel you are lacking a bit of detail or excitement, the cheapest and easiest thing you might do is change your interconnects and possibly speaker cable. You didn't list what cables you're currentl... 
Paradigm Studio 100 v.3 or B&W 703?
Wow. You really seem to be limiting your choices both in speakers and amps. Not that the ones you listed aren't very good products(by the way, I have a McCormack DNA 0.5 Rev. A), it's just that you are really in a sweet spot price-wise and it woul... 
Best DAC for under $500
I'll third the EVS Millennium DAC. Top notch parts quality and implementation at a ridiculously low price. Transparency and dynamics in spades. Disclaimer: I've got one but won't sell it, so this isn't self-serving at all. Best of luck. 
Separate DAC vs. A/V Receiver DAC
Hi Bournnw,Sounds like you answered your own question for the most part. To decode multi-channel digital information you'll have to use the DACs in your receiver (i.e. bypass the Theta entirely, since that's only for stereo digital sources), so I ... 
Recommend a good Monitor for my existing system
Don't know how far Raleigh is from Charlotte, but Soliloquy makes some nice speakers there, and their 5.0 monitors have tons of midrange magic and expressiveness if that's what you're after. They should be right in your price range too. 
Marsh A400S vs. Classe CA-200 or CA-201?
Quite frankly I think you're doing this backwards. If you're thinking about upgrading your speakers too, I'd recommend buying them first and then buy an amp that mates well with the speakers. I know people argue this both ways, but I've found buil... 
Recommend a DAC for my system....please.
Sounds like you're trying to make the speakers sound better for music by using a DAC and cables as bandaids -- a very expensive and often frustrating proposition. If you're looking at spending that much money you might be better served to buy new ...