bomarc

Responses from bomarc

cable cooker, do they work?
Don't waste your money. Burn-in, whatever it is, is best achieved by just using your equipment--which is more fun anyway, because you get to listen to music while you do it! 
Does Avergae CD Player + DAC = Average Sound?
Depends. If there's something wrong with the sound of the Technics, the DAC may well help. (Of course, it's also possible that there are some bad DACs out there.) At the same time, using an outboard DAC introduces the risk of jitter, which is unli... 
19th Nervous Breakdown...
Analog is one of those areas where money unquestionably buys real improvement. That said, you have to listen and decide what it's worth to you. My general advice is to remember that it's the music that moves you, not the reproduction of music. You... 
HDCD and XRCD. Which's one sound better?
Garfish: I can't absolutely guarantee that an XRCD and a non-XRCD that says "K2" on it are the same thing. But I'd be really surprised if JVC goes to the trouble of doing two separate high-res masterings of any recording, given the low volumes the... 
HDCD and XRCD. Which's one sound better?
For the record: K2 Super Coding is what is used on XRCDs. It is not a separate process. For details, check out www.xrcd.com. 
7500 for USED cables? Are they joking?
What are you complaining about, Detlof? Yours are 20% better! 
HDCD and XRCD. Which's one sound better?
XRCD is not a format. It's a mastering process, or at least the brand name of a mastering process. HDCD is kind of a hybrid, but it does require a decoding chip to gain its full benefits. And its claims to technical superiority (as opposed to just... 
Opinions needed; which is a better choice and why?
As Jadem6 says, dollar for dollar you'll get more from an integrated than separates. A major virtue of separates, however, is flexibility, especially at upgrade time. For example, should you ever want to get into multichannel, with a power amp you... 
Speaker Termination for dummies
JC: I'd advise sticking to bare wire unless you're the type who likes changing wires in and out a lot (in which case a connector will make your life easier). As for wire size, her's the definitive tool for getting it right:www.pcavtech.com/techtal... 
JVC XRCD CDs, are they worth the extra cash?
Gboren: I suspect that JVC wouldn't want to tell you that their disks are available on other labels for less than $20. I have a few of the Fantasy Jazz K2 releases, and they clearly state that they were mastered by someone at JVC. Rest assured, JV... 
European -vs- US high-end
An odd sidelight to this is that there seem to be some brands that enjoy a much better reputation on one side of the pond than the other. Cambridge Audio comes to mind--I've seen it praised here in the US, but I gather it has something of a mid-fi... 
JVC XRCD CDs, are they worth the extra cash?
I wouldn't stake my record collection on this, but I believe that XRCD is a brand name, and that XRCDs use the K2 20 bit Super Coding process. So they are functionally equivalent. If someone has information to the contrary, please share it. 
7500 for USED cables? Are they joking?
Lmb: So many questions, so little time. But I'll take a flier at a few: I don't know about recording and mastering engineers, but my sense is that the folks whose business it is to actually study the propagation of signals do indeed think they hav... 
JVC XRCD CDs, are they worth the extra cash?
Worldcup: XRCDs are not encoded, so they play in any CD player, just like a normal CD (only better!) 
7500 for USED cables? Are they joking?
Well, this is just like S-pile! A straightforward report on a nice piece of research involving training listeners to hear differences, and then a paragraph of pure tripe:"Although small in scope, both studies lend credence to audiophiles' assertio...