larryi

Responses from larryi

Shindo Labs Amps and Preamps
Shindo makes some very good sounding tube gear, albeit, at a fairly stiff price.  I think that a good competitive alternative would be Audio Note (uk) gear.  They have a wide range of options and prices.  The lower price models are quite a decent ... 
Tonearm microphonics
bdp24,Yes, I do think it is possible to overdo damping.  Specifically with tonearms, I have experimented with the damping fluid level in my Basis Vector arm and heard the difference with the fluid level in the damping trough of an SME arm.  Too mu... 
Tonearm microphonics
If an arm is not stiff enough and/or it does not have enough self damping (does not effectivelyt dissipate the energy of its vibration as heat), the vibrations imparted by the cartridge will feed back excessively to the cartridge and this will aff... 
The best tweeter design
The best tweeter is the one that best matches the rest of the system.  I've heard a lot of really clean and fast ribbon tweeters that simply did not sound right with the rest of the system.  Integration is the key.Also, the right choice has a lot ... 
DIY Pass Labs First Watt F5 amp impressions
I have not heard the F5, but, I have heard their J2 model in my system (a loan from a friend that I had for two weeks) and liked it very much.  It delivered the liveliness, expansive and enveloping soundstage and good low-level dynamics that is us... 
What's your OTL tube amp experience and suggestion?
Given how dynamic and lively a good OTL can sound, the world would be full of models being offered, if they didn't have their problems.  Most of the ones I've encountered were not fully reliable.  The notable exception are the Atmasphere models wh... 
Emission Labs Mesh Plate 2A3s; anyone else love these tubes?
It is not really phasey, but, given how the sound seems to envelop the listener, it has a bit of that quality.  Image locations remain precise and bass is full.  I like the meshplates a lot, but, I know some people prefer their solidplate tubes mo... 
Emission Labs Mesh Plate 2A3s; anyone else love these tubes?
I ran four EML meshplates in an Audio Note Kageki amp (parallel single ended).  I liked the sound very much.  The meshplates delivered a BIG sound -- rich and saturated, extremely wide soundstage and sound that seems to envelope the listener.  It ... 
Curved and Straight Tonearms
As a rough generalization, older records tended to be cut with grooves that went closer to the label.  As mastering engineers got better at altering groove spacing to match the groove modulation, more music could be packed into any given space, so... 
Koetsu surprise
I wondered about whether something else, like the torque on the mounting screws, had also changed.  I have my doubts about whether a small improvement in overhang would result in a big change in sound.  Also a change in overhang would make the sou... 
Koetsu surprise
All Koetsu owners,By implication from the post above, you should all throw your cartridges in the trash because they are high in distortion.  I don't know if that really is the case, and even if this were an objective fact, clearly, this supposed ... 
Koetsu surprise
Wow, Terry, that is a really interesting sounding DIY table.  The platter is about 100 lbs!  With that kind of weight, an air or magnetic bearing is the way to go.  NICE!!By the way, the material for your cantilever does not have much bearing on t... 
Koetsu surprise
Karl,Have you considered the Moerch DP-8?  I think that it is at least an interesting design.  The arm has weights on outriggers located right at the vertical pivot of the arm.  The weights substantially increase the horizontal effective mass of t... 
Koetsu surprise
My local dealer is a BIG Koetsu fan, particularly the wood and lacquer bodied versions.  He likes the top end Ortofon arms.  These are the arms with the square pivot assembly (e.g., AS-309S 12") that is available from Japan, but not commonly avail... 
Koetsu surprise
The entire Koetsu line has a saturated, harmonically dense sound that is quite musical sounding.  If you want it slightly leaner and a little more like other top end cartridges, then the stone bodies Koetsu would do the trick.  The wood and lacque...