drewfidelity

Responses from drewfidelity

Impressions of Beck's New album?
Very good album. His best since Sea Change, which is, in my opinion, his best album. 
To open a thor TA 1000 MK II you first...
His company is called High End Audio Repair and he is in Brooklyn, NY. He was the Service Manager at Stereo Exchange in New York for many years. I found him through google. 
To open a thor TA 1000 MK II you first...
My suggestion is to call Ben Jacoby at High End Audio Repair and see what he says. He just worked on my Thor TA 1000 MK II and he really knows these preamps. Highly Recommended. 
What Subwoofer is the best bang for the buck?
You should check out MJ Acoustics Subwoofers. They are very similar to REL, the company was founded by former REL employees, and work very well with full range speakers. They retail around 35% less than the comprable REL Subwoofer and are even les... 
System Audio SA2K Master
I had heard the previous version of this speaker, called the SA2K, at the New York Sterephile Show a number of years ago at the Balanced Audio Technology room and was very impressed with the speaker. It reminded me of a Dynaudio Contour 1.3SE loud... 
Warmest speaker?
In general Vandersteen, ProAc Response, Spica, and Meadowlark speakers when driven by tube electronics are rather warm speakers. The warmest speakers that I have owned are the Odyssey Audio Loreleis. I am listening right now and they are sweet. 
Monster pwr conditioners----your thoughts?
As Snofun has already mentioned in his post Monster makes exceptional high end power conditioners at very reasonable prices. Economies of scale make their $350 power conditioners similar in componentry to the $1000 esoteric brands that are availab... 
Bel Canto, Nuforce, Acoustic Reality, Channel Is.
I had a similar reaction to James when I compared the NuForce Reference9.02, CI 200, and the Mark Levinson 431 amplifiers with my Audio Physic Scorpios. Both the CI and the NuForce were a better match with the speakers than the Levinson which reta... 
DAC for $1800 or less?
I would strongly suggest the NorthStar 192 DAC. It is by far the best I have heard under $4000. They retail for $2500, but are often available new for less. Great DAC. 
Rush fans on the board ??
I loved this band. I first heard them when someones mom sent one of my summer camp bunkmates 2112 on eight track. I saw them the first time at the Palladium in New York City on the Permanent Waves tour. I had a painted Rush denim jacket in my teen... 
"Giant Killer" The things legends are made of.
Giant Killers:Speakers: Vandersteen 2 Series, Spica TC-50, Magnepan 1.6Digital: Rotel 855, NorthStar DAC and Transport, Benchmark DACAnalog: AR ES-1, Rega Planar 3, Sumiko Blue PointAmplifiers: B&K ST-140, Quicksilver Monoblocks, Forte 4Preamp... 
BAT VS-55
Hello, The BAT VK-55 has much better transformers than the CJ MV-60 or the Audio Research VS-55. This is why, I assume, the BAT VK-55 is almost $1000 more than either of them. The BAT VK-55, in my system directly compared the new 55 watt basic Aud... 
Cary Preamps
Many of the great tube component manufacturers produce entry level preamps that share some of the same components and design ideas that their higher priced preamps have. Entry level preamps from high end manufacturers may be the best bang for your... 
Speakers for BAT system?
I have a BAT VK55/3ix combination driving a pair of Hyperion 938 loudspeakers and highly recommend auditioning this amazing speaker along with the other suggestions that are being presented. It may be a challenge to find a dealer that has a pair i... 
How Long Did it Take to Burn In a new piece?
I have found that speakers take the longest period of break-in time to sound their best. I cannot tell you how many times I have sold a pair of speakers off before they had the chance to settle in. It is because of this that probably the best buys...