socrates

Responses from socrates

What CDP or DAC would you buy with $1,000?
Thank you for the feedback, fellas. I just picked up a Musical Fidelity A3 24 Dac that I'm going to give a weeks run-in before review, and also have a MSB Nelson Dac and will have a Bel Canto Dac2 soon to shootout. I'll be on the lookout for the K... 
Perfect Solution for Hi Res Mayhem
I think multi-chanel is gimmicky, it reminds me of different "concert halls" from a cheap Sony or Pioneer reviever, sounds like it too, even in very expensive systems I've heard at dealers specially designed showrooms. I am not a bit impressed wit... 
Break in of Link DAC III
Having owned a Link Dac II, III and a Half-Nelson w/upsamling I assure you that you should hear a dramatic improvement with the .5-Nelson: More body, weight bloom, better placement of instruments in the 3D soundscape, same esquisite detail but a t... 
Von Schweikert modifications VR4 or 6 to VR5 or 7?
Listen to the new VR4.III Special Edition by Albert (www.vonschweikert.com), it may be your next and last speaker, it will be mine! Easily the best speaker I've heard under 10K, which was also the sentiments of 2 dealers I heard them at with very ... 
What makes more sense?
Personally, I did not like a tube pre with SS amp, hated it actually. I highly suggest picking up the Musical Fidelity A3.2 preamp, you'll love it. The Musical Fidelity A3 amp may not have enough power for your speakers (it didn't with mine, also ... 
Used Classe CA-101 or new Parasound Halo A 23 ???
I have heard them both and would pass on both. The Parasound has great bass (its forte) and sounds nice at low levels, very warm, but moderate to high levels it will make your ears bleed unless you have a very soft tweeter. It is bright and brittl... 
The Truth of the Philips SACD1000
Any update on the comparison, Infinity Audio? 
Best Amp & Pre-amp combo for under $2000 ???
"Best" is subjective. There are dozens of choices I would choose over the vast majority of Rotel gear I hav heard, but I highly suggest you audition everything you can in order to see what best fits your tastes and needes, and don't hesitate to bu... 
Rear wall effect on sound stage location?
What kind of electronics are you using? I've found amps to be the biggest factor in soundstage location. Many amps offer a first row seat, some seats on the stage, some a standing row only seat against the back wall, and others all spots in betwee... 
Adding Digital INPUT to a CDP for use as a DAC?
I already own a MSB Nelson Dac w/ Upsampling, and I also am part masochist, so I welcome the pain and agony of this mod, if doable, and would really appreciate directions! 
Best configuration for Pioneer DV-47 & Theta DAC?
There are about 1 billion possible settings on that player, you would do well to read the manual to get these right. A friend tried one, hated it initially, spend a few hours resetting some of the sound "enhancing" features to make it sound OK (bu... 
Digital Dilemma...
There is one coax and one optical input only on the MSB. Personally, I would skip the Aiwa CDP idea and just buy a CD player with a coax output, of which there are many to choose from at all price points. 
Differences between Link 1, 2 and 3 DACs?
I can't see any good reason to run AES/EBU between the DIP and the DAC, coax works great and if you could hear a significant difference I would be totally amazed. Having owned a Dac II, Dac III and Nelson Dac III I can say that internally they are... 
The Truth of the Philips SACD1000
Thank you for the review! The MSB Link Dac is quite good, just not expensive enough to garner its due respect among audiophools, and saying that I'm not surprised it offered better redbook playback the then $5 DAC in the Phillips. The MSB offers s... 
Monitor with a full range sound?
No mention of quantity of bass vs. quality of bass? Anyone ever hear quality deep bass from a monitor? How many dozens of dB down and how pathetic was the SPL in anything but a 7ft x 7ft bathroom? Getting down to the 20's is not that hard to do, d...