willemj

Responses from willemj

Most Important, Unloved Cable...
Sure if there are no measurable differences in noise or frequency response, there is nothing until somebody comes up with a better measurement. An alternative and perhaps even purer way to look at it would be to inspect the digital packages and co... 
Most Important, Unloved Cable...
Well, here for the measurements:http://archimago.blogspot.nl/2015/02/measurements-intercontinental-internet.html http://archimago.blogspot.nl/2015/02/measurements-ethernet-cables-and-audio.html 
Newb to DAC question. Benefit of a DAC for only CD listening
That cd player is fine. In this case, don't waste money on an outboard DAC. 
Test Equipment vs The Ear
The problem is that human hearing is not very good - your dog is much better at it. The good news is that for most parts of the audio chain it is now possible to design and manufacture units that are better than what humans can reliably discern. T... 
Best Tube/SS Amps for Harbeth 7ES-3
They have been designed using a variety of bog standard Quad power amps. Alan Shaw, their designer, agrees with Peter Walker that a good amplifier is just a straight wire with gain. His criteria for choosing an amplifier are, first, enough power (... 
Need help in general and for choosing mid ranged amplifier
I would go for the AS 701. It is pretty powerful with a big and heavy power supply, and it has digital inputs so you will not need a separate DAC. You seem to be somewhere in Europe, and for your purpose and within your budget I can honestly not t... 
Crazy to buy a 17 year old CD Player?
An Oppo UDP 205 will give you video as well, plus a very fine DAC that you can use with other sources such as a Chromecast Audio or a television. I have my tv connected to my stereo system for much better audio, and I do not need multichannel (two... 
Question for cable/wire naysayers.....
The scientist in me then asks first, have you equalized levels to within 0.2 dB (you need a volt meter for that), and second, did you do the listening double blind? If not, your experiences  are just that: impressions rather than facts. And I have... 
System Upgrade Recommendations
That is not a small room, so a bit more power such as delivered by an extra sub will not go amiss. And a second sub makes for a much smoother response in the low frequencies. A second hand T7 is a good idea, therefore, but if you find one (I am su... 
Need help in general and for choosing mid ranged amplifier
1 Those Yamaha amplifiers and receivers are excellent (and the heaviest is likely to be the best, because it will have the biggest power supply). They are powerful enough for your efficient speakers in a small room (and would also drive less effic... 
Amps Always On - System Power Up Sequence
Everything gets turned off here, for two reasons. The first is the fire risk, and the second is concern for the environment. I think it is really wrong to add even more emissions, and I say this even though we produce nearly (but not quite) all ou... 
Oppo UDP - 205
Speakers and their interaction with the room are by far the weakest link in any system. Just look at the distortion numbers and frequency response graphs. DAC’s or amplifiers are so much better that the differences between them (if audible at all)... 
System Upgrade Recommendations
Why not buy a second REL T7 and a DSpeaker Antimode 8033 room eq? It will give you somewhat more power and dynamics, plus a much cleaner bass.How big is the room? The 110 watt per channel in stereo mode of the Marantz is pretty decent as long as t... 
Underspent on speakers relative to overall system?
So don't waste money on voodoo science cables, and invest in serious speakers. 
Who thinks $5K speaker cable really better than generic 14AWG cable?
The Wireless World publication of the underlying research is here: http://www.keith-snook.info/wireless-world-magazine/Wireless-World-1978/Valves%20versus%20Transistor...