ral

Responses from ral

Power Cord Review
You should include TG Audio by Bob Crump in Houston.In the cable-circle discussions his cords are well-regarded. 
Would Maggies 1.6 Benefit with Biamping?
I don't think you can do true biamping with the MG1.6 (i.e. using external active crossover). That's because the bass panel cannot be accessed independently (driven by separate amp) from the quasi-ribbon tweeter, unless you do some modification to... 
Wadia 27/270 vs. dCS Delius+Purcell
You might want to read the Aug. 2000 HiFi News article (pg.32) which compares the Wadia 860x to the dCS Purcell/Delius combo. (Perhaps a 27ix/270 for the Wadia would have been a better choice.) Looks like it may come down to which "flavor" of CD r... 
Sim W5 vs. Aragon 8008BB
In my opinion, Sim and Aragon are a little on the "dark" side in the midrange, but have great bass control. The Marsh tends to be on the "brighter" side in mids, and is nicely neutral in bass. All 3 can be a bit bright in the treble, depending on ... 
Why are EMC-1 s being dumped on market?
Possibly the new version of the EMC1 has something to do with it (due out "this Spring", but not available widely in U.S. now). The new version will supposedly upsample to 24/192, and have some other improvements (e.g. power supply), but cost almo... 
BIAMPING
There are some speakers which actually sound better if you use an active xover to externally separate the bass from the mid/hi (prior to the amps), then let the speaker's internal passivexover split the mid and hi's within the remaining signal. E.... 
BIAMPING
In my last post, I should have said that the use of 2 stereo amps with an active crossover gives "horizontal" biamping.Anyway, there is a detailed disussion of this type ofbiamping at www.sound.au.com/bi-amp.htm 
BIAMPING
Sfrounds: Njonker has raised the most important question foryou to answer. Are your speakers truely biamp-capable tobegin with? Check with the dealer/manufacturer. The speaker inputs MUST allow you to connect to (typically) thewoofer independently... 
Bi-Amping - Good active crossover? Help
I agree with the Marchand XM9 recommendation. I own this xover, and like its flexibility of adjustments. You can also change the xover freq. by easily swapping different "cards" yourself. Sonically it is very neutral. Be sure to order the deluxe v... 
Are you Guys Rich or What!?
The views of onhwy61, joe_b, and sgmlaw indeed reflect the wisdom derived from long experience in this hobby. One CAN put together a very enjoyable, "musical" audio system these days for only a few thousand dollars. In fact, it's easier than ever ... 
Cheap SACD Player or wait for DVD Audio?
Jadem6: Yes, those SACD reviews do compare CD-playback with a that on a few CDP's/DAC's, but these are often expensive models (like dCS, Accuphase, Levinson), in which case the latter are usually prefered. R. Harley says of the SCD-1 that it will ... 
Audio Research 100.2 amp
Khokugo, the ARC100.2 is an all-FET transistor design which in my opinion sounds somewhat veiled compared to solid state amps possessing bipolar transisitor outputs or even MOSFET outputs. The 100.2 has the same "problems" that older all-FET Conra... 
Cheap SACD Player or wait for DVD Audio?
Yes, most audiophiles are going to find that SACD's sound great. But so far I haven't read any specific, detailed accounts of comparing 16/44 CD's played on a SACD player versus on a very good CD player (or transport + upsampler-DAC). For those of...