jwaugh

Responses from jwaugh

Cars. What does the typical audiophile drive?
So part of the reason my rigs aren't what they used to be... a few cars the prize of which is a 2002 BMW M3 tuned by DINAN to a full S2 (cold air, throttle body, ltd slip, software, total suspension L3, exhaust, etc plus Dinan wheels/PS2 tires and... 
Tube swapping in amps and preamps
Nice choice Marco! I wish I could have run an octet of WEs but just couldn't... I did try the JJ Teslas as one of the A/Bs and made sure they were optimally broken in. I have never tried any other GECs, so that may well be the difference - I dunno... 
What's the frequency Kenneth?
You might try shielded interconnects as suggested and check ground/power. Most likely it is a lack of shielding for RFI on the ICs (at least that is what I had seen before)... 
Tube swapping in amps and preamps
Hehehe... I understand Marco's point - which incidentally is what I meant by the comment that some types of current production tubes are quite good. Perhaps that applies most to some boutique tubes. In general, the gap on power tubes is less appar... 
Tube swapping in amps and preamps
Put the best tubes you can in both. What "best" means will depend on your preferences, system synergy, and budget. I have found NO components that couldn't be improved by exceptional NOS tubes. Some new production tubes are quite good but almost n... 
Best piano version of Moonlight Sonata?
Kempff and Ashkenazy are both exceptional choices and would probably be my two safest recommendations. Gould was brilliant, but his style is polarizing and the re-edits he did on many of his recordings just drive me insane from an audio perspectiv... 
Theta Enterprise or Ayre V1x with Vandy 5A
From what I have heard, I would tend to agreee with both driver and rex. I had not heard the V5x to be at all lean in midbass. I would double-check speaker setup, cables, and room treatments before I moved on... 
Best Small Speakers
I have been repeatedly surprised and impressed by the little Red Rose speakers. Quite musical and not at all boxy in sound... Also I would second the suggestion you consider some of the proac oferings. Other than those I mostly have a list of to-b... 
Opinions regarding JMlab Alto Be?
I would strongly recommend you listen to a lot more speakers before you plunk down your cash - listen more then let your ears guide you would be my $0.02 You seem to be drawn to the high advertising lines so far. Just an observation. Perhaps it is... 
Apogee Diva with DAX better or not ??
This is going back a way for me, but as I recall better by far in presence especially, but also in soundstage depth (which surprised me a bit)... 
Tube Recommendations for Counterpoint 5000 & 220?
Sounds like Amperex or GEB may be the best bet then. Perhaps a PQ, 7308 or one of the other classics? Both use 6dj8 variants and you will definitely want to swap out the other tube too (cheap and well-worth it to go NOS)...Enjoy! If you want any r... 
Tube Recommendations for Counterpoint 5000 & 220?
What is the rest of the system and what types of strengths do you want to emphasize? The Eliott recommendations cover current production tubes and some rectifiers in detail, but won't allow tailoring of NOS tubes to your system, so you are probabl... 
Using Sony 300 disk CD changer as transport
for me, optical is more of an issue than the cd bank as a transport. I would argue (with coax) that she would see a huge gain with a different DAC (since the one in the player is weak at best) so it would be definitely worth it. Someone else will ... 
Anyone have their system insured?
yes - and definitely photodocument the rig well - it will help if you ever need to file a claim... 
Ribbon tweeters/speakers recommendations Please
vmps, genesis, red rose and I believe audio physic. I had bad luck with piega, but others around here loved them as much as I, well, didn't. I have been quite impressed with some of the red rose offerings and vmps has a pretty huge and dedicated f...