yesiam_a_pirate
Responses from yesiam_a_pirate
| Bose buys McIntosh It's too soon to tell. One thing is certain: cutting costs is on the top of the list. It always is in these modern roll ups. If cutting costs becomes "cheapen the product" Mac is doomed to Marantz's fate. Alternatively; If there are economic eff... | |
| Reliability - what’s your experience been? The equipment I love the most- ARC is also the most problematic and finicky. I discovered that preventative maintenance stops the fireworks. W Zane Johnson had the notion that his customers were all techies. Read the owners manual from his owners... | |
| Friends hi-fi system not very good, what do you do or say? Assuming this is a friend and not an acquaintance I'd likely ask open-ended questions like what component do you like best? How does this sound to you compared to the one you replaced it with? What got you to buy this or that, etc, If his he... | |
| Amp for the new Watt Puppy speakers I heard a pair of WP8s im August. I was amazed. To my ear they sounded better than the Alexx V which I also auditioned. The WPs were driven by a Mac tube amp (I know, I know but that was how the dealer presented them). The Alexx Vs were driven b... | |
| An audio component you just can't let go I've got and old Audio Research VT130 amp that was kind of "thrown in" on a purchase I made some years ago. It had a blown screening resistor (that kept blowing thanks to a failing 12BH7 tube that tested OK) I replaced a number of resistors and bo... | |
| PS Audio BHK signature preamp PS Audio has one of the best return policies out there. Buy it, try it with a critical ear then decide to keep it or return it. Easy Peasy Lemmon Squeezy. | |
| Upgrading my integrated amplifier for my Magnepan 1.7’s I'm a "Maggie man" since 1977. Maybe my 2 cents can help. Maggies like CURRENT. That's much different than wattage. I have a bias toward Audio Research because back in the day Jim Winey (Magnepan) and Bill Z. Johnson (ARC) were neighbors and b... | |
| Calling All Tube Gurus To your date code question: I think it's not really relevant as tubes from the same batch can vary by a LOT. I read that manufacturers think 5% variance is fine. Try 5% louder in your left channel and me that me 5% is fine. :) I once replaced a ... | |
| Magico speakers too clinical and fatiguing? I heard a pair driven by a pair of ARC Reference tube amps and a Ref 6 preamp. I thought they sounded very good. They are not as "clinical" as Wilson Alexx Vs sounded to my ears. | |
| Preamp upgrade To be honest unless you are Elon Musk price matters. The exponential increase in price of let's say a Ref 6SE over your LS7 will not give an exponential increase of quality reproduction. Most of us in this hobby spend a LOT more money than one ... | |
| New Speakers under consideration - but I’m afraid Its SO subjective but as a rule: Wilsons are holographic, B&Ws are rowdy and in your face, and I've never heard Borresons so I can't opine. One poster mentioned Maggies. I 100% agree. Get the 1.7s with a pair of REL 7 subs. It's transformati... | |
| Bluesound mode not really cutting it I have some experience with the BSNode. It was IMO "unresolving". I have tried a few different streamers and under 2K my favorite (for now) is a PS Audio AirLens. I was skeptical about it's claims but their return policy made me willing to give ... | |
| The Allure of Vintage Audio Gear About 15 years ago I bought a Marantz 4400 and a 2325 on eBay. The quadraphonic unit was really cool with the tube oscilloscope. They both sounded tired so I had the 2325 re-capped and it sounded much better- but by real HiFi standards it was pre... | |
| What Power Amplifier Should I Buy? Perhaps a pair of Bryston 7B SST monoblocs? If you like the Bryston sound (I do too) you can get a set of 7B SST (Super Steve Tanner) used with years of warranty left for 4-5K. I drive my woofers with these and the upgrade in sound quality and oo... | |
| Recommendation for tube preamp Stay with fully balanced. Stay with ARC |