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almarg

Responses from almarg

First impression: Herron VTPH-2A phono preamp
@mulveling , thanks for providing the comprehensive response to the question posed by @jw944ts. In doing so you saved me a lot of time, and I of course agree with what you wrote.JW’s calculation reflects a commonly held misconception that a "volta... 
How do you all ensure correct polarity with aftermarket cables?
If I understand correctly what you are trying to accomplish is verifying that the new cable isn’t wired with a polarity reversal. Especially a reversal of one channel relative to the other, per Testpilot’s comment and per the stated intent of the ... 
Is there a magic formula for spending on components in a system
IMO any such rule-of-thumb guidelines that may be defined are not likely to be useful, and might even contribute to poor decisions being made. There are simply too many variables and dependencies involved. A few examples:-- The listener’s preferen... 
...do great speakers increase in value over time in the vintage market?
The post by @bestbaker brings to mind a seemingly obvious point but one which often seems to not be taken into account in discussions of vintage vs. modern equipment, namely that comparisons should be based on similar **present day** selling price... 
Can a Hana SH cartridge be set up as either MC and MM?
P.S:  I finally figured out what you meant by "TEP" -- an acronym for the screen-name of the previous poster :-)Regards,-- Al 
Can a Hana SH cartridge be set up as either MC and MM?
you’re right. It’s a Jolida JD 9 II Phono Preamp. OK. And I see in its description that one of its two outputs is referred to as "line stage," which is undoubtedly the output to which the high gain numbers (60 db MM; 75 db "MC High," 85 db "MC Lo... 
Can a Hana SH cartridge be set up as either MC and MM?
I think I understand your question TEP.MM - 60 dbMC - 75 db Those are unusually high numbers for a phono stage. Perhaps the "phono stage" includes a line stage as well, even if the manufacturer refers to it as a phono stage. What specific make and... 
...do great speakers increase in value over time in the vintage market?
JL35:almost all don’t, it’s a rare one that does...and often vintage gear actually sells for far far less than those hopeful asking prices... +1. The ultimate example of speakers increasing in value over time (actually just the drivers themselves... 
Very bright SC and IC with coherence in imaging, soundstaging and timing
+1 re trying different tubes in the amp. Also, what amp is it, and have you tried all of its output taps?I suspect that the impedance of the speaker, which I presume is made by Cambridge Audio, rises significantly in the upper treble region compar... 
100W, 200W, or 300W?
P.S: Note also that the MA5300 has a specified dynamic headroom of 1.8 db. Which means that on the peaks of typical "unclipped programme" being played at high volume the amp should be able to provide approximately 150 watts, not just 100 watts.In ... 
100W, 200W, or 300W?
For speakers, I picked up B&W 805D3 tabletops with stands. 88 dbSPL sensitivity, 8 ohm. They recommend 50-120W @ Ohm for the amp power on their site. ... For the MA5300, I’m concerned that there isn’t enough headroom. If I even get close to th... 
Why do most phono preamps lack XLR input even thought cartridges are naturally balanced?
Luisma31 7-9-2020... playing with the Mogami interconnects I noticed no hum, not even the faintest hum with the XLR in place BUT when unplugged one of the XLR’s from the preamp and amp on, disconnecting from the pre there was a nasty hum, this is ... 
ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION TO ANSWER ...
Excellent call re the BS&T self-titled album, in my opinion. (As an aside, though, it was released in late 1968, not 1962, which was several years before the group came into being. During the mid-60s two of its founders, Al Kooper and Steve Ka... 
How to Break In a new CD Transport?
A CD transport does in fact have output stages, digital output stages of course, to drive the digital outputs. And for balanced AES/EBU and coaxial S/PDIF the output stages must in fact be particularly robust, able to drive 110 ohm and 75 ohm load... 
Which SUT? .... for .3mv/10 ohms MC cartridge into 3mv MM input sensitivity
this fidelity research FRT-4 is quite versatiledon’t anybody buy it, I might buy my 75th birthday gift 3 years early.I certainly won’t be buying it :-)Even if I needed it, which I don’t, personally I would not purchase from a seller who ...-- has ...