kevziek

Responses from kevziek

How many us a Line Conditioner with a Big SS Amp
I never had a good experience plugging an amp into a conditioner. However, I now have a Chang Reference conditioner, and it makes a huge improvement to plug my big Pass 250.5 into the Chang, along with all other equipment. It helped my grounding i... 
Did 6moons post the BelCanto DAC3 review?
Neil, the DAC2 is a tiny, light unit with a small power supply by comparison. The DAC3 has two decent size transformers, plus totally new clock technology and other technology and chips. The bass and dynamics of the two are nowhere in the same lea... 
Did 6moons post the BelCanto DAC3 review?
I own a DAC3 and just read the review. I agree with some of what Edgar Kramer, the reviewer, said, but not all.I also owned a DAC2 in the past, so I can only go on memory. I also owned a Benchmark DAC1.First off, I don't agree that the DAC2 "a lar... 
Bel Canto Dac 3
The DAC3 is an incredibly great piece. My friend & I compared it to his $7000 Ayre, and it was a close race. We used a Pioneer as a transport for the DAC3 in the comparison. It's also a beautiful piece with very thick casing and faceplate.It a... 
Moscode 401HR's Sonic Character
You should read the review in a recent Stereophile on this amp. The reviewer does find that it has its own personality, and he didn't like all sonic characteristics of it. Further, JA's measurements show lots of distortion spikes that I don't like... 
Strange how many used valves measure NOS?
Correct. I should have mentioned this in my prior comments on NOS tubes. Just like any unused tube, there will be rejects and those that have weak or unmatched triodes, shorts, etc.Yet, people advertise untested NOS tubes, and get good bucks for t... 
Strange how many used valves measure NOS?
Finally someone has had the guts to tell it like it is. Yes, there are a number of greedy tube sellers on this site that are less than scrupulous, yet have "perfect" feedback because foolish audiophiles believe the lies and misrepresentations. The... 
Totem Arros - Set up
I don't agree with the PBJ suggestion. They are too bright. The Hero would be much better, smoother, and work well into power/integrated amps. 
SS amp mosfet 'haze' - ever experienced this?
There are just as many people who feel chip or digital amps don't sound natural, and neither does their clarity. Many, including myself, would take issue with your statement that SS amps are dinosaurs on their way out. This haze thing is getting b... 
Many reviewers will lead you down the wrong path.
Age isn't that relevant to ability to hear (maybe 70, not 50), nor is a bit of upper frequency loss. I know people who have some high frequency rolloff, and I do as well, and they hear quite well. I know that I can better evaluate and hear nuances... 
Benchmark Dac 1 vs Bel Canto Dac 2 ?????????????
I owned the Bel DAC2 and now own the Benchmark. The Benchmark is far superior to the DAC2; I don't know what you people are hearing.Contraire to comment the DAC2 images better -- I found the DAC2 to bunch images together. Two guitars were as one g... 
Cary SLP-98 -- Do Oil Caps make a Difference?
Ok, Linnlp doesn't like the oil caps. Nickt likes them. I did a search of the archives and didn't find much. One guy tried lots of caps and settled on the TNT Teflons as the best by a long shot.Since Cary likes to tweak their stuff, I don't know w... 
Is the Pass Labs X350.5 and X1 "warm"?
Tony, with all due respect, if you don't hear much of a difference between a solid state preamp and amp and a tube preamp and hybrid amp, I don't know what to say. What recordings did you listen to? If you use some poorly recorded, compressed, can... 
Rogue 99
If you listen to it with poor-sounding tubes, it will not sound good. Even cheap old Russians are warm sounding in it, though lack some detail. With Sylvania's it sounds great. 
Is the Pass Labs X350.5 and X1 "warm"?
The X1 is not a warm preamp. To my ears, it has a rather clinical and bare midrange that does not have a cohesiveness to it. Voices do not sound "whole", they sound pieced together. When a singer hits a note, the various elements of the voice do n...