flex

Responses from flex

Goodbye CD's
Updating Gmood1's list, here are a few more websites currently offering either high resolution or lossless standard resolution for download. Some are wma only (but convertible to wav via software such as dBPowerAmp), others are flac, some aiff, ma... 
What do you use for isolation?
I have gone through the whole range of cones, bearings, replacement shelves, freestanding platforms, and replacement feet from a wide variety of well known makers. Got sick of the constant changes in coloration through the whole lot of them, and f... 
Music Server vs. PC vs. Transport vs. ?
The Linn Klimax DS is first of all an extremely high quality dac, and secondly benefits from having a very low jitter asynchronous clock, i.e. the data is sent from the pc, hard drive, or NAS via ethernet and does not carry along the jitter or noi... 
Topic: Denon DVD-2900 vibrates
Vibration doesn't destroy playback but I certainly wouldn't bet that it doesn't affect sound. I used to own a Denon DVD-2900 and it would vibrate with any disc that is drilled slightly eccentrically, it wasn't specific to format. I'd suggest check... 
How many more years before cd's become passe?
There is a simple solution for anyone preferring cd's over pc based systems, regardless of how media evolve. Download in lossless format from the web and burn to cd-r. The only issue then is the lack of cover art or booklets but good download site... 
How many more years before cd's become passe?
Regarding Naxos, they have just announced that they are offering their entire catalog in lossless WMA, without drm, on the MusicGiants download website. See the August 25 newsclip at audaud.com. The same clip says that Pentatone will be added soon... 
What is new with the Memory Player?
This is the wrong time for anyone to be marketing standalone players, even pc clones. The market is moving rapidly to more flexible servers and networked systems, both for audio and video. The prooduct is a retro design, though probably wasn't env... 
Best interconnect for Spectral amp, RCA or XLR??
Spectral electronics are designed to be single ended, and the company and dealers always recommend RCA. However if you're using a long cable run between the pre and mono's, i.e. 20-25', you should use XLR for its noise cancelling capability. The a... 
Esoteric Mods
I have a RAM-modded DV50, with the $2200 upgrade. It is phenomenally good. On CD, it's only slightly below my $25,000 front end, and only in such areas as fine detail retrieval and maximum nuance. Otherwise, given the same cabling, it sounds almos... 
Avalon Eidolon, earlier versions vs Diamond
I own Eidolons and listened to the Diamonds about 3 years ago at the dealership where I bought the Eidolons. This was not a back-to-back comparison. However it was immediately clear that where the Eidolons are laid back, the Diamonds were consider... 
MIT Cable-Theory of Operation??
Joe Abrams has it right. Impedance matching, group delay compensation, power factor correction, zobel filtering (lpf), and high frequency control via ferrite rings have all been part of MIT's game plan at one time or another. You can safely assume... 
Installing an AC Grounding System, Need Advice
Cincy_bob,Also check Atitec electrolytic ground rods, (www.atitec.com), which are similar to Lincole but may be priced more competitively. It is worth talking to either company before installing this type of grounding - if you're going this far, i... 
Upcoming universal player releases any new info?
Simple suggestion: buy a Denon or Marantz and have it modded,or buy a used Esoteric DV-50, and don't worry now about next generation players. Within 9 months there will be bluray and hd-dvd players, and there are other pressures to move away from ... 
How do you know if a cable is neutral?
Especially in context of cables, I have never experienced a neutral cable. Every cable I have ever heard has an identifiable frequency balance, along with its own speed, resolution, noise floor, articulation and a group of other variables. Probabl... 
Avalon: are new models quite better than older ?
As an Eidolon owner who has heard the speakers with a half dozen sets of electronics, I'd say that if you are looking for speakers that are tuned first and foremost for dynamics, look to something like the Wilsons. Eidolons and most of the Avalon ...