nedhoey

Responses from nedhoey

New to Preamp - Preamp suggestion around 10k
I suggest you take a look at Thomas Mayer's 10y Line Preamp. https://www.vinylsavor.com/ His tube gear is hand built by him to custom order with numerous options available. He is a very experienced world class engineer and designer. The parts an... 
Is there anything better than live recordings?
A famous musician once compared studio recording to live performing as building a ship in a bottle vs being in a rowboat on the open sea.  I'll listen to nearly any quality of live recording if the performance is compelling enough. The studio set... 
My 30 Watt class A is louder than my 100 Watt Class AB?
mwood: I'm assuming your preamp has a resistive volume control. If that's the case. the "higher" the volume setting the less resistance. That's preferable for better sound. It's been the case for decades that many home audio preamps have much mor... 
Tube-Curious/Pre-amp
Since you are in the UK, May I suggest:   The first link is their blog where they post about designs and new developments. The second is a shop that represents them and should have gear to audition. Very fine components, well desig... 
Tube vs solid state (with all apologies)
If you can build tube amps then it seems that is the direction to go. Make your own. Maybe look at https://www.diyaudio.com/  and google "DIY audio" to find sites with kits, or parts and circuits. Lots out there. Since you can build your own,, I b... 
So damn hard deciding which tube preamp to buy!
Well it isn't actually that hard. Just pick one of these:https://www.vinylsavor.com/en/products/line/It will be built to order just for you. You can specify what and how many inputs and outputs, chassis style, finish, choice of wood. Thomas even m... 
Recommendations for speakers that sound great at lower volume levels.
High efficiency speakers, which also have a flat and higher impedance. A number of these will be a wide band single driver design. The tricky part is that there are very very few smaller size high efficiency/high flat impedance speakers made. To a... 
Single driver speakers. Are they worth considering ?
One particular factor is a very difficult to accept reality. The range of heard frequencies declines with age. Modern noisy life certainly has exacerbated that too. By age 60 everyone has lost some significant degree of high frequencies. If you ca... 
Best tube preamplifier for under $15k
Lots of choices to consider. I would suggest checking out the Thomas Mayer 10y Line Preamp. I think this is one of his best known products. Each unit hand built to your specs by him personally. You can select for what combination of inputs and out... 
Pure Class A SS vs Tube Amp
Just keep in mind that a 100db speaker plays 100db volume with 1 single watt of input. With a speaker like that, 90+% of audio preamps and amps provide either more gain than makes sense for the system or more power than you could ever use and prob... 
Highest BUILD quality tube amps?
No mention yet of Thomas Mayer? Ok he is in Germany and not well known in the US. But if build quality is the question, then his work must be included. Every aspect is of the very highest quality down to all solid silver hand wiring. Yes they soun... 
BEL 1001 service in 2013?
Ok thanks.Actually, I'm the original owner. Bought it back in '93. It wasn't in use from about '98 to '09, when I downsized from a BAT VK500 - Wilson Watt/Puppy 7 system to the BEL into Proac Response D2's. I'm quite happy with this arrangement, s... 
BEL 1001 service in 2013?
Thanks for the responses.Zd542, that did occur to me but I thought I would at least see what options were out there for "factory" type service. Particularly if something more serious developed someday.Along those lines, I'm not an electronics tink...