findoc

Responses from findoc

Any opinions on NAD quality?
NAD is one of the all-time great buys in audioland, nice sound, great sound taking $$ into account, not tweaky, reliable. About the only complaint I've ever had with my NAD integrated is the remote isn't the most reliable, the buttons get sticky a... 
CD Player Recommendation
Accuphase DP-55 (very musical)Metronome CD-1VMuse Model 9Linn Ikemi (probably a bit of reach for your budget) 
best 50 watt tube amplifier?
LOL....The question was "best 50 watt tube amp" not "what 50 watt amp do you own and like", or "what is a good value 50 watt tube amp." Cary Rocket 88? BAT? ARC? EAR? Atma-Sphere? LOL....Best ~50 watt tube amps are the Tenor OTLs already mentioned... 
Ugliest speaker ever?
sdcampbell,why don't you just admit you're not sophisticated enough to appreciate quality horn loudspeakers? as you obviously have a strange obsession with their "looks". i suggest you stick to nice coffin box speakers and your home theater amp. p... 
Personal experience with Cary gear and...
Cary works very nice with Meadowlarks and Soliloquys.... 
Retail vs. List Price
Revel is a Madrigal product line. Cost on all Madrigal gear to the dealer is 45 points, with an additional 5 points for early pay/prepay. So the dealer pays either 50% or 55% of list for the item.If you don't get at least 25% off, walk. Any Madrig... 
Stereophile looses Jonathan Scull
Stereopile is a shell of its former self, so who really cares anyway? 3 reviews a month, and AV equipment figured prominently? The mag is doomed. I looked through a couple old issues last week for some gear I was interested in, a mere 4 year old i... 
Avantgarde Version 3.0
There have been a number of changes, search AA for the details. My advise is that if you are thinking about A-G speakers, do not even think about v1 or v2. The Series 3 are a significant improvement. 
Norah Jones, the Bomb, what do you think?
I think only ABBA and Barry White are worthwhile for playback on my Krell and Kharma system. 
Best Amp for under 10K?
I think Firebird is a loony bird. Rowland and Goldmund no good compared to awesome Krell, and Sound Factory second-rate speakers compared to all-time best KHARMA LOUDSPEAKER, supreme best. I hear designer Charles is a real nice guy too, he likes t... 
Rowland 2 or Accuphase A50?
You are wasting your time, a quality sand amp will never compete with a quality tube amp. Period. Unless you like your coffee w/o sugar, your fries w/o salt, your popcorn w/o butter, etc... No body to sand amps, I've owned all the best. Rowland, K... 
Has anyone heard the Joule Electra Stargates?
Well, there is a pair of Stargates on auction for a cheap price, I may go for them then. Are you saying the amps NEED high-quality speaker cables to sound their best, or just that it helps? I ask as I am using Tara Prism 1000, which is OK for what... 
Best "Used" Audiophile speakers for 1000-1500
Meadowlark Kestral Hot Rods--ditto. You'll forget about hifi craziness and just enjoy your music collection. Wonderful speakers, usually available used for around $900. Hard to go wrong there.... 
Experiences, good and bad, with VTL
If you waste your time with VTL, you will only kick yourself later. The amps WILL fail on you, and you WILL go nuts dealing with the company. If you must use high-powered tube amps because your speakers are grossly-inefficient, I think you will be... 
Shearwater efficiency?
Your salesman sounds like a dodo. I own the Shearwater Hot Rods, I love them. I picked them over several much more expensive speakers I used to own, including Merlins and Kharmas. The Shearwater HRs are exceedingly easy to drive, minimum impedance...