howie

Responses from howie

PMC IB1 Vs. Harbeth M40
I have not heard the Harbeth but have heard the IB1s extensively. It depends on your musical and sonic tastes. I found the IB1s to be too "punchy" for my tastes. I felt the bass was a bit pushed out or forced, which the higher end MB2s corrected. ... 
Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor - Subwoofer ?
Judging from your previous posts, your budget for a sub is pretty tight, so you're probably not going to be able to afford the Cremona sub. There are lots of positive feedback with the Gravis sub so you might look into that. Otherwise, RELs will d... 
Sonus Faber Cremona Auditors - Room Size
To my knowledge and in my experience, Sonus Faber speakers actually work better with higher ceilings, but probably not with 18ft ceilings in mind (wow that's high). I think it comes down to speaker positioning and how far you're willing to go to m... 
Sonus Faber Cremona Auditors - Room Size
How high are your ceilings? It depends on your musical tastes and volume levels you play music at. Personally, I think you'll be fine. The Auditors like a little bit of room to breathe anyways. 
Smooth sounding Inter connects RCA RCA ? Any ...
Jena Labs Symphony might be a good choice for you as well. They're a bit more than what you're looking to spend I think, but they are definitely smooth sounding cables with lots of air (giving some the laid back feel). 
Panamax 4300EX or Monster Power Powerbar 1100?
I don't quite understand Belkin PureAV's product line. Specifically, the PFHD has the least outlets than anything at its price or lower. Does that mean that if I don't need any more outlets the PFHD offers it's the best and better than the PF30? I... 
What is a better value speaker -- Kharma 3.2FE at
For what it's worth, I think even about 2 years ago the 3.2FEs retailed at $21K. So for what it's worth, the 3.2s have in some ways become a better value in the past 2 years rather than worse.I own a pair of 3.2FEs so take my comments with a grain... 
SACD Player Shootout
It's always interesting to read comparisons like this thanks. I agree with others, it would be even better if Modwright and VSE level 5 units were in the mix. 
Purist or Kubala-which to buy for entire system
Interesting thread. I do believe in synergy when using the same cable brand throughout, but there really are few manufacturers who produce quality ICs/Speaker cables and powercords (although the situation seems to be improving), especially at a pr... 
Unidisk SC vs. VSEI modded Sony for SACD?
I think that if you own the 9000es now, the most cost efficient/biggest bang for the buck option would be to modify this player. The 777es should be better and have greater weight and stability (I was told) but the cost of the 777es and the 5+ upg... 
Tube, hybrid or solid state for Merlin TSM-MMs?
I'll let others with more experience with Merlin speakers and amp combos help you, but I just want to say that if you decide on getting an integrated, I would really think twice about adding an amp and using the integrated as your preamp. In my ex... 
Dartzeel amp lives up to hype
Essentialaudio, your point about the DarTZeel combo being shown at RMAF and at CES or privately at last January's show is irrelevant to what Jonathan and Elberoth2 are talking about. If you read Elberoth2's comments carefully, he seems to be imply... 
If $ was no object what speaker would you buy?
Probably the Von Schweikert VR9 or the Sonus Faber Stradivari. For me, when it comes to buying $$$ speakers, it's also important to consider the dealer you can get these speakers from. I trust Jonathan Tinn of Chambers Audio and find most Sumiko d... 
What will it take to have live music for everyone?
Many musicians have "crappy" music systems because really, they're around live music all the time, and if they want to hear good live music, they'll just get together with friends to jam or attend a live event. And when they're listening, they may... 
Best player for Poorly Recorded redbook CDs?
How 'bout a analog sounding DAC like the Museatex Data II? Otherwise a tubed player would be nice. The Audio Research CD7 perhaps?