bjw54

Responses from bjw54

Time to upgrade the pre-amp.
0bigkidz did a upgrade and rebuild on my Counterpoint SA-2000 using top end parts. I really liked the stock unit, but he took it to an entirely new level in all areas!  
Tube Preamp repair near Trenton NJ
I can vouch for bigkidz. He just repaired a power amp  for me. And he did a rebuild/upgrade on my Counterpoint preamp. He does top notch work.  
Low Output MC recommendations?
If you like the Denon sound take a look at the Paradox Pulse Guard SMR.  I took mine over to VPI and  listened to it with Harry and Matt. Harry couldn’t believe that it was only $1100. He said that it sounded more like a $6000 cartridge. I also ... 
I miss my Loudness Button and Tone Controls....
I have become a Schiit head as well. I love my Freya+ with nos tubes. And I have 2 Lokius EQ’S in 2 of by 4 systems—I love them! The best $300 each I have ever spent in a very expensive hobby.  
Audio Research Refernce 75se
De-lamination of the transformer is very likely. I owned a Counterpoint 5000 preamp years ago that started to develop a mechanical buzz that didn’t come through the speakers. It turned  out that this was a known problem with this transformer. And ... 
Tube preamp: Cary SLP-03 vs Schiit Freya+
I just looked at my post and saw that I said to use tube buffers on the tubes. Obviously I meant to say tube dampers LOL. If you are looking for the pure honey sound that you get from some all tube preamps the Freya is not for you.It retains the f... 
Tube preamp: Cary SLP-03 vs Schiit Freya+
The Freya+ is as good as it gets at even twice its price. Unfortunately it comes with some cheap JJ tubes. You have to do some tube rolling to unlock its true potential.I went with ken rad by-231tubes and they took the Freya up to a whole new leve... 
Question on Denon DL-103 retipping options and preferences
hdm , As he said he has the cartridge already-so he doesn’t have to shell outthe cash for a new one. I have had  a lot of audio equipment modified over over the years. Most of it was purchased used long before the mods were done.The way I look at ... 
Question on Denon DL-103 retipping options and preferences
I have had retipping done by Any Kim on 2 103R’s. One with a Sapphire cantilever and the other a Boron. Both with Micro Ridge stylus. Any isa great guy to work with and his work is as good as it gets. The reasonI first used him was because it took... 
Buying used: how old is too old?
I have a 30 year old pair of Legacy Focus speakers that look like new and soundbetter then new. These are now in a secondary system, but I love the so muchI will doubt I will ever sell them.  
stereo review magazine
Millercarbon is on point. They had me using lamp cord on my speakers and thinking that the 12ga Monster Cable I was using on my sub was over kill! Does anyone remember the small format Publication Listener Magazine? Art Dudley was the editor and M... 
Audio Companies with Integrity??
I agree with Jon Sollecito at Source Technology. A great guy that helped me when I owned his .org. Infinite Slope speakers and I now own his 2 way Sourcemodel floor standing speakers. They use high end Scan Speak drivers and are the best 2 ways I ... 
CD player reliability.... good and bad.
I have have owned 2 Lexicon RT-20’s for 15 years with no problems other thenhaving to replace a belt a few years back. I also purchased a Marantz SA-8260to experience the then new sacd format. The player worked for about two yearsthen it stopped r... 
Schiit Freya damage by giving it an electric static discharge on the volume knob.
I own a Freya + and it’s a great preamp! Years ago I heard about static discharge destroying equipment. I didn’t really believe it,but just to be safe I ran a ground wire down to the basement and attached it to a COLD water pipe. I then attached t... 
Best type of metal for turntable platform?
I to live in a very old house with bouncy floors.In my secondary system I have an old Sota on a walnut turntable platform that utilizes rubber balls. When someone walks into this room the stylus  skips. In my main system I have a VPI Classic 3 on ...