labtec
Responses from labtec
| Amps which are Great, but either Unknown or Underpriced I have several McCormack amps modified by Steve McCormack. It's a great option if you're looking for SOTA performance for a fraction of the cost.While he used to offer certain mod packages, I think it's totally variable nowadays. Whatever your b... | |
| Best DAC Your best bet is to find a used ARC Dac3. You already have an ARC preamp and I assume you like it (as you should). Thus, an ARC DAC makes total sense and will be an optimal match.I've had the Benchmark DACs (still have the DAC1 as a headphone am... | |
| ARC VT100MK2 substitute The absolute last problem you have is the amp if you're hearing brightness.I suspect you have a source problem.You can save money switching to SS, but I'm willing to bet good money you will gladly go back to ARC after trying SS.Sometimes people do... | |
| Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD Ctsooner, you can actually tell a lot about which equipment is "better" for your tastes by going to the shows. Any seasoned audiophile will be able to pick out traits that they like/dislike. For example, I heard sibilance at CES from the Dynaudi... | |
| Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD Just got back from CES and wanted to post a brief follow-up to the "digital amp" discussion recently.Again, I didn't hear any digital amps in the class of ARC Reference tube gear, but I was impressed with the Kii Audio speakers that are active and... | |
| Recommendations please for good, affordable pre-amp for system? Of the ones you noted, I would stick with the Bryston.Many people like to overthink things and mix/match brands of preamps/amps. Sometimes it works fine, but other times it's a disaster. It can be particularly risky with passives where I've hear... | |
| New Orleans high end stores? I can update my previous comment 2 years ago by saying things have only gotten better at Wilson per my recent visits.His support staff is very friendly and helpful. I'd still recommend dealing direct with Doug...at least that's what I do...but it... | |
| Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD Matt, what class D amps are you talking about?You said they are better than A/B amps, but what about tubes?i've been to countless shows (and I'll be at CES next week), so I'd like to check out any class D i may have missed.I'm all for buying a cla... | |
| Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD It's amusing to read about SS amps that people claim are "tubelike" in a thread about DACs.Why not just buy a tube amp and stop hoping to find a SS amp that comes close?Steve Nugent's thoughts got people all excited, but maybe you guys missed the ... | |
| Wadia 321 DAC, anyone have any experience with it? The case is huge for a DAC and almost too big for normal shelves depth-wise.On the flip side, most dacs are crammed into very small chassis, so it's really a personal preference. The DAC delivers as good or better performances than almost anything... | |
| Does Balanced Power Technologies still exist? I noticed that too. He had a good product, but I would suspect he's out now.Last I heard of him being at a show was with Steve Nugent of Empirical Audio. I know Underwoodwally used to sell his stuff, so either of those people may have better insid... | |
| Cheap/free tweak of the Magneplanar 1.7s, etc. I did a similar thing a year or so ago after running warble tones through my system. I noticed that the 1.7 speaker structure on one channel would slightly resonate at a certain frequency/volume level. I used some Bright Star 10 pound weights that... | |
| Tidal vs. Spotify I have both and there's no comparison in terms of sound quality. Tidal is a must if you are wanting true audiophile quality streaming.You do need to have a good Internet connection and a pc that is optimized for sound quality. I've only had one ti... | |
| Power Conditioner for your amplifier? General rule is to never plug an amp into a power conditioner. There are a few exceptions, but a well designed amp doesn't need power conditioning (at least nothing that most current third party providers offer).The more poorly designed power supp... | |
| Wadia 321 DAC, anyone have any experience with it? I have one and it's about as good a dac as I've heard, especially for the price.It's in the same league as all the reference dacs selling for 2-10 times as much. It's also a clear step up from the log jam at the $2k price tag.The NAD M51 can get f... |