blw

Responses from blw

Stand out phono stages
Another vote for the Aesthetix, both the IO pair and the single box version.I presently own an EAR 834p, largely due to financial considerations, and I have to admit that I really prefer the Conrad-Johnson Premier-15 that preceded it.I haven't ser... 
Best All time 5.1 Pre/Pro
Having owned one, the Classe SSP75 is a *VERY* good sounding piece. However, I don't think I could recommend it, as it proved to be quite unreliable. I thought I just had an early unit that was an outlier, but when I sold mine I got several notes ... 
Martin logans or Dali Euphonia
I own MLs (Odyssey mains, Cinema center, Scenario surrounds, Descent sub), and although they eat most of the space in my room, I'm pretty happy with them otherwise. I have never heard the Dalis, but I *have* heard quite a few of the Piegas that we... 
PrePro - Classe SSP-75 vs Krell HTS 7.1 vs ???
I preferred the SSP75 to the Krell in early 2002. I recently sold mine and replaced it with an SSP-60, and after break in, I concur that the 2-ch sound quality is very similar to the older unit.The SSP60 costs $5K list, about 40% more than the goi... 
Rebuild a Counterpoint SA-100 or start over?
The SA-100 is a power amp, not a preamp, and is definitely worth more than $500 when its rebuilt. You can certainly get fully working original SA-100s and SA-200s for around $800+, but they are not the same thing as the rebuilt units.When Alta Vis... 
Speaker to match Mark Levinson and Jeff Rowland
I'll second the Piegas - C10 LTD or C40 LTD both sound really excellent with Rowlands. I don't own either brand - I've just heard them and been very impressed. 
What's the best XLR cable for home theatre
Try over in the cables forum... I have Classe prepro and amps, and I heard essentially no difference between reasonably equal RCA and XLR - until the amp moved 25 feet away to the front of the room, between the speakers. I have Cardas interconnect... 
Rowland 201 mono's, has anyone heard them?
I got to listen to the Rowland 201's again today, this time in a much more controlled situation. The system I heard used a Classe CDP-10, Rowland Synergy IIi preamp, and new Avalon Ascendant speakers. I A/B'ed the Rowland M201 monoblocks vs the Cl... 
Rowland 201 mono's, has anyone heard them?
Bass response sounded pretty good, although when I heard them nothing was familiar to me - I hadn't ever heard *any* of the components in question before, nor was the music familiar.I'll get a chance to hear them this weekend, so I'll provide a re... 
Upgrades for my system - I have Martin Logan Aeon,
I think your speakers are considerably ahead of the rest of your system. (I had a DH-200 myself, quite a few years ago.) You won't really hear how good your speakers are until you've upgraded at least the CD, almost certainly the preamp, and proba... 
Three electrostat choices and my room-- need help
I think you've got enough room for electrostatics. They really need to be off the back wall, but with 24' you should be able to do that.If you liked the ML Prodigy, consider an Odyssey. They're available here used for about $4500/pr.The Magnepans ... 
Rowland 201 mono's, has anyone heard them?
Haven't heard of any coming stereo version, but then the 201s have only been out a couple of months. 
Rowland 201 mono's, has anyone heard them?
Yep, I've heard 'em, and yes, they are superb. I have a fairly strong prejudice towards tube equipment (even though I don't own tube power amps), but these just got the sound right. Really right.I haven't been THAT impressed with the other Rowland... 
Worst remote nomination...
Classe remotes are ludicrous. I have them for the SSP75 and the CDP-.5. They're all metal, heavy as rocks, and are sufficient to damage wooden furniture with the slightest bump. Even worse, almost all of the buttons are the same size, they are arr... 
Shanling CDT-100 Great or Bad ?
My musical tastes are all over the map - classical from Bach harpsichord concerti to Beethoven and Saint-Saens, country (if it's not twangy), folk from the US and Europe, classic rock and roll from the 60s and 50s, opera, new age.I haven't A/B'ed ...