knotscott
Responses from knotscott
| Bi-Wiring The impact of bi-wiring is often subtle, if even audible, but there are a lot of variables, and some get very noticeable results. One size does not fit all, so there’s not an absolute single correct answer whether or not there are immediately audi... | |
| How does a speaker blow out? Organ music can be pretty demanding, but it seems something’s amiss. I’m running a pair of KT66s in triode that produce in the 10-12 watt range, and am able to power 89db sensitivity speakers fairly loud in a large space, Granted I haven't fed the... | |
| Optical Phono Cartridges I got to hear a DS Audio DS-W3 a couple of weeks ago. It was on the front end of a very impressive system that sounded darn good to me. It's not new technology, but it was new to me, and is the latest in advancements for it. | |
| DIY Amp Tubes4Hifi.com has the VTA amps ST70, ST120, ST35, and M125 monoblocks. I’ve built two of the VTA 70 pcb mods into my old Dyna 70s, and got great results and good support. http://www.tubes4hifi.com/amps.htm | |
| McIntosh preamps What kind of sound difference or improvement are you looking for? | |
| Previous Ownership...does it matter to you? Lying is not right, but I’m far more concerned about the merits of the piece itself, condition, function, price, and availability. | |
| 8-10k budget suggestions please I think your 804s could sound really good on a decent tube amp. I’d consider looking into Prima Luna, Rogue, Willsenton, Nighthawk, or even VTA by Tubes4hifi.com I’d also consider upgrading some crossover components in your 804s....better caps, b... | |
| What sound diff. can I expect from PrimaLuna EVO 400 pre and power amps VS an EVO400 int. The specific tubes being used can be a variable if they're not exactly the same. I definitely prefer to stay with all tube, but I suppose it depends somewhat on what speakers you're driving. Switching to SS will sound different. | |
| HIFI Speaker active crossovers ... Like everything else, there are outstanding and poor examples of each type, and there are pros and cons to each. Many crossovers have to address multiple issues as well as the basic function of blocking low or high frequencies. The execution of th... | |
| Really expensive systems that sounded great? Some of the best sounding systems I’ve heard were pretty high dollar, some only on the "expensive" side (😁), but were assembled by extremely talented people. Understanding system synergy, acoustics, electrical interactions, and the influence of th... | |
| Tube or solid state "However, my hard-core audio friends (20+ people) have almost all made the transition to a predominantly tube system during our shared 20-30+ years of audio journey. Maybe that tells something." This is an interesting comment, in that I not onl... | |
| What is the current retail cost of your reference system? Replacement cost would likely be in the range of $20K-$25K, depending on how you price replacement for items no longer made. Speakers comprise about half of that. My electronics have lots of DIY upgrades, but would still be near $5K to replace. M... | |
| Stereo image off-center In my experience, when the sound stage shifts dramatically something is hooked out of relative phase. | |
| Building a new system after many years away, need some suggestions ... ! Everything improves in incremental steps over time, but physics and marketing doesn’t really change much, so things aren’t vastly different IMO, other than that outboard phono stages and DACS are more plentiful than ever, and there are more digita... | |
| Inter Connects - What I know and don't know If paying more means better sound, a good many manufacturers would be happy to upgrade your $60 cables by charging $300 for the same thing. Dielectric materials and metallurgy have more impact than gauge. |