Musicians?

Hi Nnyc - I am a professional musician, I play the French horn in a major symphony orchestra. My system is posted here. I have always found that horn speakers driven by tube amplification result in the most life-like recreation of live music, particularly for large scale orchestral and operatic works, but also for piano or chamber music or pretty much any type or size of ensemble. I do not claim that the system I have right now is the best that one can have, but it is what I have started with. Many of my fellow musicians who have heard horns driven by tubes agree, even those who had previously heard electrostats, which are the only other speaker type that I have ever heard come close. However, I am definitely in the very high efficiency/low powered amplification camp rather than the other way around, for various reasons. Your set up sounds like it would be great for near-field listening, especially for something like classical guitar. I personally would add a turntable to it, and get yourself alot of guitar LP's - there are many great ones out there. I think you would find that analog playback will resolve the timbre of the guitar (or any instrument, for that matter) much better than the digital set up. But if you want to stick to digital, the set-up you have looks pretty good to me - you certainly have some good equipment there.

Hi Nnyc,

I play tuba and in most ensembles/bands/orchestras I am seated in the back. In some venues it's difficult if sometimes impossible to get the correct balance between instruments. Since I usually sit behind or near trumpets or next to bass drum or tympani, I know the brightness or "glare" of a trumpet and the decay of the percussion. Those features of sound reproduction approach reality for me and is why I use ribbon speakers and solid state gear. I want to hear the impact and speed of each note and I want accuracy in timbre. Also, if the system can give me the darkness and depth a tuba projects, even from the back row, I'll start to smile. The smile will continue if I get the airiness of an oboe, the shrillness of a piccolo and the full body sound of a cello.

I play the tambourine. No, I don't sing or dance. Trying to get some professional studio work. Classical, Jazz and some Gangsta HipHop.

I prefer SET amps with Kappa 9's but modified to only use the tweeters.

Just kiddin'

I am a classical pianist.

My amplification is a Cary SLI-80F1 with Focal Be1007 speakers and a modded Sony SCD-1 front end.

I listen primarily for inner detail and timbre (air). Sound stage width and depth are also important to me.

I prefer chamber music or chamber orchestral works and piano and violin solo works. A little bit of female vocals (jazz) on occasion.