jwaugh

Responses from jwaugh

Mullard 12au7 cv4003 tubes? any good?
They don't have the richness of other earlier mullards or the tung sol black glass, and don't have the extension of the telefunkens either. There are a lot of choices in 12au7s. The late Mullards are better than current stuff but really can be bet... 
SLI-80 which 6SN7?
First, I would recommend that you try to match tubes between channels where possible of course. For most tubes, these differences are unfortunately not subtle. As for sylvanias, I currently own vt231 (chrome base), two kinds of chrome domes, and t... 
Wadia 631 grainy and "dirty" sounding vs ML 390s
I personally found the ML 390S to be the more musical unit than the two Wadias I had heard and bought the ML (which I subsequently sold for an Accuphase which in turn I then sold for a 47 labs transport and Audio Note Dac). I would not characteriz... 
Cary 300SEI with KR 300BXLS tubes
I can't comment on the power gain or the sound in the Cary directly (so my reply may not be terribly helpful!), but I have done a lot of 300B comparisons now in other setups and Idid want to say that the 300BXLS tubes are truly remarkable! They ar... 
Melos vs ARC
Melos had better soundstaging and was warmer (also typically more musical to my ears) - but you are going back quite a bit in my memory. A friend of mine has one and insists that it is easy and well-worth considering to upgrade a few key internal ... 
Power Amp suggestions in $2000 range ?
Good idea to replace the power amp - it is definitely the one holding you back...If you like VAC, the PA 100/100 is a particularly good value used at ~$1500-1600 and presents an extremely musical experience with remarkably good soundstaging for th... 
Recomendation for speakers BEST for Piano?
Old apogee speakers, kharma, avalon, and audio note can all be fantastic on piano... 
Wilson or Kharma
There is, in my mind, very little comparison to make here. I have spent a good bit of time with WP7s in a close friend's system and have owned the 3.2crms in the past. The Kharma's are very VIBRANT, immensely musical speakers. The soundstage is la... 
Any WARM, MUSICAL speakers out there?
I agree that you should first tweak your source and cables. IMO I find that the Musical Fidlity Nuvista 3D CD Player, while a great CD player in general, is not particularly warm - especially given the preferences you seem to apply elsewhere in yo... 
Best midranges...
I like a lot of what the accuton drivers can do when employed well... 
Do I have tired tubes?
=)A lot of good suggestions already of course. I would suggest you consider swapping out the stock tubes anyway! There have been a rash of great 6922s posted recently at great prices (I saw several noteworthy posts today alone). Tube rolling can g... 
Review of Michael Wolff Carbon Ribbon Source power
Beautiful review - thoughtful, well-written and very, very helpful. Thanks,Jacob 
VAC - any comments? Good or bad.
My impression has always been that VAC makes incredibly musical gear and has top-notch quality. Their least impressive models over the years have tended toward marked warmth for what its worth. The usual complaint about VAC gear is $$$$, but there... 
Mark Levinson Upgrade Costs?
In almost all cases with Levinson it makes sense to buy the version you want on the used market - you just have to wait for a while... 
Is pure class A ss the equal to tubes?
NO!!! Class A SS is definitely not equal to tubes. They are decidedly different in basically every case. Your preference may be for one or the other and will depend on your system (yada yada)...Usual disclosure aside, I find that, if your speakers...