cheapmike

Responses from cheapmike

What? Cant hear the voices
I went through several center channel speakers and am now not using a center channel speaker. I have found that unless you have a VERY good digital processor (not found in any reciever so far) the best bet is to keep the signal analog as much as p... 
Which cable is most important to spend money on...
I would like to re-stress the importance of power supply to the house 110 volt outlet. If at all possible, install a "dedicated" circut to that point. This is not as glamorous as super-duper IC, SPK, power cords but can be more important than all ... 
Grado Prestige Gold or Ortofon OM 30 Super
I vote for the Ortofon. Some people prefer the OM20. In my so-so system the Ortofon had a melodious/rhthymic feel to it and the Grado was just "OK". I felt the Ortofon was the best cheap cartridge to just enter audiophile-ness and of course both t... 
great hdmi cable....archives
Recently I put a $20.00 CALRAD brand hdmi cable on a friends new Sony LCD with a $200 Sony DVD player and the picture looked almost identical to a good quality component cable. We tried 3 different cheap to fair to good audio cables and the Calrad... 
Phono preamps
Iv'e owned older Parasound PPH-100 which I did not care for and a couple of $1,000 preamps. The new Bellini single tube amp that I heard seems to be very good for the asking ($200?) price. I have actually listned to the Bellini and it is very list... 
DK Design Review
I guess I'm supposed to throw in my 2cents worth here as a DK Mk II owner (has been for sale on consignment at a local hi-fi emporium for about 6 months). I pretty much agree with the polite, carefully worded review in latest Stereophile, except t... 
Recommendation for small satellite speakers
TBI "Majestic Diamond". This is a new technology speaker about6 inches square. It is especially good for surround speakers as they can be put right against the wall and the sound seems like it is coming from the entire wall surface. Also, since th... 
phono preamp for DKVS1 MK11
How about a step-up transformer since the DK has a basic phono amp built in. Spending big bucks on a really great phono pre is still going to be going through the DK amp? 
Which is best American Amp in $1500-2000 range?
Nuforce has new integrated amp, the 9 series I heard were excellent, the integrated has similar sound but not quite the dynamics of the power amps only. To me, the ultimate (moderate priced) transistor amp if tubes do not do it for you. I assume U... 
dvd component to dvi worth it???
I saw almost no difference on screen between hdmi and component cables on a friends new sony lcd 40" with $200 player. Might as well wait a few months for the cheaper HD dvd players to come out. Mike 
time to upgrade new receiver or used seperates?
Royxc: I just replaced my 1998 Nakamichi with a 2006 Rotel RSX 1056 receiver. The Nak never was superior in the surround sound imaging area and in comparison the 2006 Rotel has been a lot of fun configuring with all 7 channels being used. I'm usin... 
Surround back speaker. Same as front center?
The center rear surround speaker(s) is a separate channel from the center front speaker on Dolby & DTS ex/es. On source material that does not originally have the 7 channel configuration the center rear channels usually are summed from the 2 s... 
Bargain interconnects to tame treble & boost bass?
A few years ago, finding myself in IC hell, I took everything out of the system and replaced it with RadioShacks best. Ever since that has been my "reference" cables. Not the best mind you, just a consistent sound that I can put back into the syst... 
Most neutral speaker cable for less than $5 a foot
For longish runs Iv'e seen the MIT in wall wire with their gizmo on the end acceptable. I murdered a perfectly good extension cord to try out on speakers with poor results, possibly because it was very-well broken-in by heavy Skillsaw use. Regards... 
Good power cord vs Killer power cord?
This may be a bit on the low-end extreme, but last week at my local electronics store (Metro, Sacramento) while getting RCA connectors for a project, I purchased for about $6.00 a 14 ga 6 ft. power cord thinking it has to be better than the 18 ga ...