wspohn

Responses from wspohn

"Good" Music
I've 'discovered' several artist that aren't that well known in the Northern hemisphere when watching TV - sound tracks from shows made in Australia and New Zealand, for instance that aren't at all well known in North America. People like Anika Mo... 
Can using a bad tube hurt an amplifier?
Thinking back to the days when every drug store had a tube tester in it, it would have been nice to have foreseen needing one in the future and picking up one as they were pulled from the stores.......  
What are your top 3 favorite turntable companies (manufacturer) and why?
I have been very happy (and for a long time) with a Sota Cosmos in one system and a VPI TNT V in another. I use a much less expensive Roksan Radius in another system where analogue isn't played as much. The one that I sold and would love to have ... 
Be aware of a scam!
I have used an arrangement where a lawyer (who is subject to professional standards) is given the purchase money  to be held in escrow until the piece of gear shows up and is unboxed and inspected.  It was easier for me as I was also a lawyer and ... 
Audio racks that can handle heavy components
"I use these guys, my dealer told me that they get The same steel as used In a Ferrari .  https://solidsteel.it/products/" Not as great a comparison as it seems - Ferrari used to send cars here that had no paint on the underside of fenders - they... 
??? What Is The MOST Expensive System You Ever Heard ??? What Was Your Opinion ???
YMMV - a friend and I listened to a 250 K set up at an audio show and it sounded like crap.  Could have been due to set up or the gear itself but it sure didn't encourage any sales that day.  Well, except among that not insignificant portion f the... 
Room is way too bright.
My primary listenings system is in a room that also has a projection TV.  I solved both issues in regard to the one wall that is floor to ceiling windows by having some acoustic curtains made up that both make the room dark for viewing and damp re... 
Phono preamp or SUT for low output moving coil
Hagerman makes a couple of different head amps to do what you need at reasonable prices and they are quiet.  
Enough is Enough
90% of audio dealers are the equivalent of car salesmen - they will say anything they have to in order to induce you to buy something. One local one I used to go to was always touting a particular brand that they represented, saying that nothing ... 
55” or 65” TV Screen Size and Your Speakers: Please Join Survey
Definitely 65".  I have two of those in the house plus a 110" motorized drop down screen.  
A Turntable History Question
So you had a well hung rather than well suspended turntable? I have a mental picture of exactly what you are talking about but only the SME 30 comes to mind (c. 1990)  
Friends hi-fi system not very good, what do you do or say?
I'd do the same thing when someone brings a bottle of agonizingly bad wine over.  I'd open a better bottle and let him see the difference.  If he couldn't tell the difference, c'est la vie - end of discussion. In the case of the audio end of thin... 
Solid State Preamp to replace tube unit
I run a Premier 14 in my main system and haven't needed to change a tube in years - wonder why you are having issues?  (My Premier 11a power amp in the same system has hit a spate of Chinese tubes that haven't been as reliable as the Gold Lions, t... 
Non-Audiophile Audiophile question!
You might consider some surface mount speakers, I use Vandersteen VSM-1s mounted on the ceiling for my rear channel in my video system.  
New Speakers under consideration - but I’m afraid
I guess a more general question might be are  speakers today (>$15k) better than their 25 year old equivalents? Some are, some aren't. I still use older speakers - Wilson, and Vandersteen and ML CLS that perform very well and I have heard an...