jcote

Responses from jcote

Ortofon --- A90 or SPU 90th?
Thanks guys...i'm thinking I'll go with the SPU 90th. In terms of the current SPU's is the 90th still their top or is there a new king of the SPU hill? 
Ayre DAC vs Auralic vs Metrum vs Bel Canto
That was the issue with the Ayre for me...too clean/clinical for my ears and just missing the heart of the music. In context it was being used in an all Ayre system (V5xe, K5xeMP, QB9, SF Cremona). I also tried both Pure Music, Amarra and Decibel.... 
Stone Temple Pilots - Unplugged
+1, will track this message closely, i'd be interested as well. 
Ayre DAC vs Auralic vs Metrum vs Bel Canto
Haven't heard the Auralic or Bel Canto but can rightly say the Metrum Octave outperformed the Ayre QB-9 in my system (Shindo based). 
A B Cable comparison
It's probably negligible but different cables have different capacitance and other characteristics. I would think that by doing this you're presenting two different "loads" to the system which might cause it to function non-optimally and possibly ... 
Tonearm Ideas for Garrard 301 Rebuild
Salectric, The Miyajima Shilabe was one of my interests on the cartridge side as well but the A90 sure looks sweet though assuming i can find one reasonably priced. What kind of headshell are you using? 
Tonearm Ideas for Garrard 301 Rebuild
Thanks all for the replies...I ended up pulling the trigger on a Schick with upgraded Finewire C37+cryo cable and Eichmann plugs. So we can check that off the list. I'm also working with Chris of Woodsong audio now on a rebuild + plinth. The piece... 
Looking for a best TT without arm for under 10K.
Hey Dube, saw your message on another thread about a Garrard. send me a message on ebay under id adhesiv and let's talk more offline. 
Metrum Octave First Impressions
interested to hear how your reclock test works, i also love my metrum and not sure i buy the whole clock thing yet. 
Denon or Yamaha
This is really not an easy comparison. Each has their strengths.I've enjoyed both and to be honest would say unless you're looking at the extreme high end of this market, go with whichever offers the feature set you need in your price range. 
Leben vs Shindo Preamps
Leicachamp, while i have not heard the Leben gear myself, i have been steadily making my way up through the Shindo line without regret. I've gone many different directions before I found Shindo...Ayre, ARC, Counterpoint, Bel Canto, Aesthetix, ASL ... 
Metrum Octave Dac experiences
I haven't tried glass/toslink but I've been happy with my Black Cat Silverstar 75Ohm BNC cable...i'm using specially made BNC-to-RCA termination adaptors but will look to replace the RCA COAX connection with a BNC soon. 
Looking for a DAC for the Squeezebox Touch
Audiojedi, I also use the Black Cat SilverStar between my Transporter/Metrum combo...luckily I have a BNC out on my Transporter but the Metrum needs to be modified to change out the RCA for a BNC. It's on my list but I have yet pulled the trigger.... 
Music Server/DAC in Same Box
if you don't have to store the music on the same machine you should look into a Windows Home Server running Squeezebox software and pickup a Touch or Transporter. The Transporter has a very good DAC section stock and there are many folks who have ... 
Your favorite SET amp? Wavac EC-300B...
THe Shindo Cortese was my first foray in SET land and like Charles1dad the SET sound fits my listening preference. I'd like to eventually upgrade to a higher efficiency speaker to really let them shine but even with my 90db efficient DeVore Nines ...