kentaja

Responses from kentaja

new york city audio show 2018
Describing the front metal screen as 'horrid' is a bit dramatic don't you think?  They are there to protect the user from LETHAL voltages.  Can one 'hear' the front screen?  Sure.  I listen to them both ways with and without the front screen and I... 
new york city audio show 2018
The dust covers, rear damping is there for a reason.  Peter Walker knew what he was doing and I am guessing the man probably forgot more about electrostatic design, theory that most people will ever know.   The rear damping is to control panel res... 
I’d appreciate opinions from RMAF 2017 Show attendees on the Elac Adante AF61
The best sounding speakers at the show by a long shot.  Nothing else came close really.  Could not find any fault with them.  Of course I like the sound of real music in real space which is what these speakers sound like.  Unfortunately many audio... 
AR SP9 MKlll
C24 is probably leaky and the relay timer circuit will not open the relay. 
Mark Levinson No.26 Balanced Input Question
As I recall with the No. 26 you could have either the internal phono board option or the balance operation board. But not both. This is why the balanced output does not work.The DIP switches on the phono board most likely control gain and loading ... 
Retipping Miyajima mono cartridge
I can't see why a conical profile would have any difference in life span versus other profiles. But they are any number of variables involved. Poor set-up, improper cleaning and care, dirty records, cheap stylus, etc. Any of these things will grea... 
Retipping Miyajima mono cartridge
Soundsmith does an excellent job rebuilding cartridges. I have had Peter do several for me and I am always satisfied with the result. But......The cartridge will sound different versus a factory rebuild. With some thing like the Miyajima I think i... 
Heads Up: ARC is introducing the new SP-20 in Fall
No problem using a .23mV Kansui with a PH-6. The PH-6 has far more gain versus any of the older SP preamps you mention. If the SP series will handle .2mV then any of the modern ARC phono preamps, i.e. PH-5, PH-6, PH-7, PH-8, etc., will work fine.I... 
Affordable improvement on Valhala Circus LInn LP12
I would take Salvatore's comments with a grain-of-salt. Owning an LP12 with the Valhalla I can tell you that moving to the Lingo, in my case the Lingo II, is a tremendous improvement with the table. Improved drive and dynamics, better performance ... 
Audio Research VT200 Biasing Schematic ETC.
Biasing any of the VT series amps is a snap. The instructions clearly state the procedure and the resistors, 2 per channel as I recall, where the readings are made are on the top of the PCB right under the top cover. No need to dig around inside t... 
I currently have a ARC ph-5 phono stage
Yes the PH-6 is a nice improvement from the PH-5. I own the PH-6 and a friend owns the PH-5. We have compared them side-by-side.The PH-6 provides a much smoother, more refined sound versus the PH-5 with a deeper and better articulated soundstage. ... 
Budget Chinese Tube amps - any good?
You get what you pay for. If you are on a tight budget look for quality used amps from companies like ARC, Conrad-Johnson, Manley, VTL, Rogue. What alls these amps have in common is a solid track record of performance spanning decades. Built in th... 
Any of my existing amps work on Quad ESL-57's
I would strongly advise that you install the protection boards available for the speakers. With the boards installed you may use any amp you like without fear of damage. The speakers do sound best IMO with large power amps.Even if you don't play t... 
Review: Quad 57
IME the protection board has no impact on the sonics. It is not like protection schemes of the past that were in series with the signal input. Instead this circuit rides parallel with the audio signal. It does nothing until the voltage threshold i... 
Review: Quad 57
Wanted to make a couple of comments to clarify a few points. Full disclaimer: I sell and service ESL speakers primarily Quads. Wayne Picquet is a personal friend and we do business together from time-to-time. And I personally feel the ESL63 is a s...