tobias

Responses from tobias

Best monitor under 5k?
I heard the Totem Mani-2s sound great in a small room in Montreal two shows ago. They have a warm balance not too dissimilar from your Vandys. I've always liked this speaker for putting a lot into a small and well-made package. They need a first-c... 
Review: Teac Z-7000 Tape deck
This has got to be the shortest review I have ever read. Then again, I don't suppose many here are in the market for a high end tape deck. For those of us who are, thanks for the tip. 
Nina Simone Remastered
Re Nina, I don't suppose anyone can point me to that wonderful song "Baltimore", and any of the others on the LP of that name, in a version that was (unlike the "Baltimore" album) not horribly smushed by being recorded with the Aphex Aural Exciter... 
Can DAC placement cause CD player skipping?
Skips are far more likely to be mechanical or optical problems than electronic ones. Placement of the units should not make a difference one way or the other... unless that placement affects the mechanical isolation of the transport. If, for examp... 
RE: Outfitting AC to 220V in USA
I suspect you may wind up going the transformer route. If you do, the amp may be starved for current on peaks if the transformer core is too small. To avoid this, get a tranny that is larger than the load seems to require. Two or three times large... 
RE: Outfitting AC to 220V in USA
Can anyone tell me if European voltage is single-phase 220V? I thought our own 220V supply was twin-phase. Do I have this right, and if so does it make a difference for an application like the OP's? 
what digital cables for my dac?
The cryo treatment of my Pulsar certainly didn't hurt it. One consequence of cryo-treatment is long break-in time, according to Chris Ven Haus. That affirmation was not contradicted by my experience. The cable continued to improve _daily_ over a t... 
FIM isolation platform
I haven't used the platform but if I understand what you're asking about, I have three of the disc-and-ball footers they use in the platform (FIM 305) under a CDP. They seem to work even better than my BDR cones--more refined sound, articulation i... 
Why so much music for sale?
Music was a bubble. People are realizing that the reality doesn't justify the hype. "A sweet cheat", Joyce called it, and wrote books instead. The Next Big Thing will be chanting rhymes to the accompaniment of rhythm boxes on street corners. 
what digital cables for my dac?
Jack Dotson, there doesn't seem to be very much at that site. The nav buttons don't load anything--no cables, no systems, no speakers... maybe it's my browser. 
what digital cables for my dac?
Duypham,I know the use of a longer length seems counterintuitive to those of us who are used to "shorter is better". Shorter _is_ better, for analog cables.Go to http://www.empiricalaudio.com. Scroll down to the link "Paper on S/PDIF cable length ... 
Favorite Non-Major Record Label
I have a few... I guess the one I listen to most happens to be Pierre Verany, a small French oufit with a pretty good catalogue of mostly classical music. Hyperion would be close, though. 
Additional isolation for Preamp/ components
The FIM 305 is a double ( upper and lower ) cup plus ball device which is not very high. Steel, tungsten and ceramic balls are available. Although the instructions tell you how to make a platform and set them into it, they work very well on their ... 
what digital cables for my dac?
First of all, don't use a half meter. I had a very expensive Wireworld Gold Starlight III+ half metre cable with my first separates, but the bargain-priced Apogee Wyde Eye in a 1.5 meter length placed the instruments in the soundstage more clearly... 
Help I think my AC is polluted
Fascinating to hear that undervoltage can lead to hum. That conforms to my experience: our AC line hums most in winter, when heating is on and power draw would be highest.Humming toroids eh? My loudest hummer is a Chinese integrated with an 800VA ...