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rwortman

Responses from rwortman

Equalizer in a Hi Fi system
No audio pro would attempt to set up a sound system in a venue without using EQ.  Rooms are different and getting decent response in any room usually requires a bit of EQ.   I use the DSP in Roon and a pro audio 32 band equalizer for other sources... 
Power Cable Break In - Such a Change!
That video is not an explanation of complex physics, it’s pseudoscientific baloney.  
Speaker positioning: why do audiophiles neglect this so much?
“The basic gist of the discussion was that the most important elements of a high end stereo installation are listening position and speaker positioning, in that order.  The actual hardware (speakers, amplifiers, source, cables etc) are of less imp... 
Suggestions for a streamer only (I have a great DAC)
You can build a perfectly good streamer from a Raspberry Pi for under $100. It will send bit perfect data to your DAC. Any decent DAC is immune from jitter on the data stream. Anyone who thinks the streamer makes a sound quality difference ought t... 
McIntosh -- good for show, not for sound, says dealer
When I decided to splurge and buy my final preamp and get all the features I wanted I made a mental list. home theater bypass function built in good quality DAC a topnotch phono stage balanced output ability to rename inputs and disable unused... 
How much “suspension of disbelief do you need?”
“Over the decades I have increasingly been dissatisfied with electrified concerts. I now stick to acoustic symphonic and unamplified jazz. Otherwise my system sounds better. ”   Where does one find a jazz concert where no one is using a microphone?  
Fear of volume control
As has been mentioned above, if the mixing and mastering engineers had good ears, the recording will sound most balanced at the level they used in the studio. Usually pretty damn loud. 
Amplification: what are the biggest advances of the last 40 years?
Amplification is a solved problem.   Class D is probably the biggest innovation.  These days, just buy the amp you like the looks of that you can afford and you will be fine.   The biggest innovation in audiophile world has been the amazing abilit... 
Emotiva
Sound quality differences between CD players that aren't broken are almost entirely imaginary.    I have several disk players, only one is a dedicated CD player and it almost never gets used.  Streaming my library from hard drive storage is too co... 
My pet peeve: "revealing" speakers
Revealing is an oft used audio term that means about nothing in actual sound attributes.  Often it is applied to things that sound awful but are expensive. 
Directionality Explained
It's an AC signal, for crying out loud, anything it does in one direction it will do in the other. 
I have a weird buzz issue; can you help me solve the problem?
If your amp is humming or buzzing with nothing connected either it is broken or you have noise or DC offset in your AC line.  You could try an isolation transformer.  Or you could just sell the amp and but something with a design that isn't suscep... 
New TT or upgrade cartridge/platter on Project DC
Use what you have.   With a collection of 150 records, it's not worth the expense.  I am old and most of my records were purchased when they were the only thing.  If I were starting out today I might buy a turntable such as yours just to play arou... 
In the middle of a pandemic, Stereophile reviews ~ $30K equipment
Who cares?    1.  Anyone who takes what is written in a review of a high priced audio component seriously is rather foolish. More than 50% of what any of these guys "hear" is imaginary.   2.  Rich people like expensive stuff.  No one buys a $10,00... 
What is the average dealer mark up?
First off, markup and discount are not the same number.  If a dealer is getting a 50% discount from the manufacturer from MSRP and prices at MSRP his markup is 100%.  Second to the poster above that said car dealer markups are similar, that is wro...