zavato

Responses from zavato

Fake Audiophiles
I suppose a real audiophile loves the gear but all in service of the music which remains primaryA fake audiophile loves his gear more than any piece of music 
Whats on your turntable tonight?
Ellington- Masterpieces 
Phono stage matching - how critical
By the way the Soundsmith isn't an mm design- a point suggested by some of the responses to the op. 
Power cable for Pass x150, x150.5 or INT-150
Went with Cullen cable Crossover series. Very pleased! 
Pass XP-10 vs. Conrad Johnson ET3-SE
The 30.5 plus XP10 is an outstanding pair. Run a balanced line between the 2 and you will get the most out of your 30.5 
Pangea Power Cables comments
I have used Pangea. Very good for the money. My current favorite cord is Cullen Crossover. Also a fan of a DIY cord using Belden 19364 cable and/or Supra Lorad 2.5 
Ugrade cart or get a new TT
I'm familiar wit the SG 3 table. It's a good table and as long as everything is otherwise ok with it- ie, bearing, motor, I suggest you need a better cartridge and a new belt. I would stay away from any Grado- they will hum on your table. Shame be... 
Uneven speaker cable lengths?
Seems to me the small difference in cable length is likely irrelevant. Given the difference in spead of sound vs speed of electron flow, I would be more concerned if the speaker placement varied by more than 1/4 inch from each other. 
Keeping your Pass Labs Amplifier on all the time
I keep my pass int-150 on standby. If I will be away a couple of days it gets unplugged Serious listening requires 1 hr warm up. Until then, I still listen and have never left the room screaming in horror 
Recommendation for short RCA cables
If your good with a soldering iron, you could make you own. Let's say you want a 3 foot pair. Buy 6 feet of DH Labs BL I- MkII at $6 a foot. That's $36Then for connectors you can go with 4 Switchcraft or Rean RCAs. Rean is a Neutrik company. You'r... 
How short should a power cable be for my amp?
Obviously long enough to reach from outlet to your gear. I do recommend going somewhat longer than that to give you flexibility for the future 
I'm in a preamp pickle: ARC Ref 1 VS CJ 17LS
Yes, the 17LS clicks. Might bother some folks- 
Hard Wireing?
Re the comment on insurance coverage- wonder how that would void first party coverage. If there's a fire, well, you, the insured didn't do anything to deliberately cause the fire. It was not the intent, ie, arson. It might be an unintended consequ... 
I'm in a preamp pickle: ARC Ref 1 VS CJ 17LS
I owned a 17LS2- if you can find the "2" I would say go with that. It was hands down the best preamp I ever owned. Before buying it I compated it to a very highly touted $16,000 preamp. It wasn't even close- the 17LS2 trounced the other preamp.ARC... 
Recommendation for short RCA cables
What's your budget for cables? Knowing that could help with making a suggestion