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wspohn

Responses from wspohn

Why the fascination with subwoofers?
1 - Agree that subwoofer integration in a system can be difficult/problematic2 - I'd rather have a speaker that goes accurately down to 40 than a full range that is less accurate. Martin Logan has achieved integration of a cone woofer with an elec... 
Power - where to start? Mains, chords, conditioner, filter?
In my opinion, the place to begin is with one or better yet two dedicated circuits with 20 amp breakers and wire runs of 10 gauge although 12 gauge would work. In addition to that use high-quality AC outlets. Agree completely and that's exactl... 
Dual vs single sub
You want two. Most subs have to cover a range from low bass, which is 'locatable' by a listener, to very low bass which isn't  and the power needed to produce a given spl is only 1/4 as much with a pair than it is with one.Best test is to play a C... 
Is there a difference in sound quality when streaming TIDAL Vs CD player
Back when I was using a CD player for digital music, I noticed definite differences between players and converters.Since I ripped all of my digital material (using a computer CD drive) to a server and play from that via Sonos to my various systems... 
Audio stuff that is impossible to install right (or stay installed right)
Forsell Air Reference turntable - a long, long length of dental floss driving from a remote motor. It was a friend's system and trying to get the best pair pump and best air reservoir, plus experimenting with different floss would have exhausted a... 
What are the speakers you very rarely find in the Used market(Audiogon or Anywhere)?
Apogee Scintillas, Wilson X-1 Grand Slamm, Martin Logan Monolith lll, Avalon Isis, Infinity IRS. 
What are the top 3 dream speakers you wanna buy next regardless of price?
Pretty happy with what I have, but I'd twitch if a set of refurbished Apogee Scintillas ever came on the market (I have the amps to run them at 1 ohm).  I'd also be tempted by a set of SoundLab U-1PX.And I'd love to borrow a set of Wilson Grand Sl... 
Best multi-purpose subwoofer
I don't use subs with my main listening system as my speakers are 3 db down at 20 hz, but I do augment bass for video use and run a pair of the Hsu VTF15H Mk 2 for home theatre use, and agree that they are excellent.  Hard to get  more bang for yo... 
Bryston 9B ST FIVE CHANNEL vs Rotel RMB-1585 5ch
I auditioned the newer Marantz AV preamps but the system that they switched to for calibration sucked - very difficult to get a decent result compared to the old way of setting up (easy if you have a friend with $20K of special pro instrumentation... 
Stereo Speakers behind a perforated screen- How much loss in sound?
Aside from screen permeability to pass sound, you also give rise to odd reflections etc.Only solution I can see is the one I've used - a screen that retracts when you want to listen to two channel (and in my case a different preamp/amp that sounds... 
So many new TT's at lower price, still better off buying used?
Personally, I have always spent a theoretical $1500 budget buying a used unit that cost $3-4,000 new rather than buying new.  You tend to get much better arms and cartridges, as well as better design that way.  And while there is something to what... 
Need DAC/Streaming Advice
I use Sonos to stream my digital music, which is all flac ripped CD sourced.  A friend recently came by and we fed the same material in that format plus some higher res files of the same music. Small improvement on some but by no means all cuts.Un... 
Hey RICH Audiophiles
Well heeled people tend not to buy stereo systems - they buy flashy cars, hugely expensive watches, boats, the wines with the highest ratings etc.You don't get peer points for having anything as geeky and esoteric as a truly well developed audio s... 
Has anyone added a small subwoofer to 2 channel and been thrilled with the result?
I'd give serious consideration to Hsu. I run a pair in my AV system and have occasionally run the audio only system through them (I don't need them for that as my main speakers are 3 dB down at 20 hz), They were well behaved (when properly set up)... 
What unknown musical artist would you like to share with your fellow audiophiles?
Jazz fans should check out Oded Tzur!  Some very interesting music with an Indian component - take a listen on youtube.https://www.odedtzur.com/