nordicnorm

Responses from nordicnorm

Has anybody bought or heard a Chinese knock off amplifier?
I’ve bought quite a few Chinese audio components over the last decade. Mostly mid-fi stuff that I upgraded myself.My first foray was a Music Angel XD800 Mk3 tube amp. It cost ~$600. After upgrading it with about $200 worth of parts, it was an exce... 
What exactly is textural density??
Herein lies the difficulty in describing how our brains process sensory stimuliNo two people interpret this exactly the same.As a musician in an orchestra with 44 other instruments, we spend a lot of time working together to create a rich, multi-l... 
Solid-state preamp with tube power amp
As you've no doubt discerned from the above posts, it's all relative.I've been in this hobby for over 45 years. My $0.02 is that it is easier to build good sounding solid state components AT A CHEAPER PRICE POINT (e.g. sub $1,000) than it is tubed... 
Amp recommendation for Martin Logan Odyssey speakers
Have a look at Coincident  211PP Dragon MK. II monoblocks:http://www.coincidentspeaker.com/mpsip_amps.html (scroll down to the bottom of the page)$11,000 Output Power: 75 watts RMS - 300 watts peak (Triode) / Push-Pull Class A Output Imped... 
Preamp choices:Short list
The Coincident Statement Mk II Line Stage is worth taking a look at:http://www.coincidentspeaker.com/preamps.html Hand wiredSeparate power supply101D tubes$6,000A review: http://www.coincidentspeaker.com/review-statement-linestage-dec2016.html  
Best tube preamplifier for under $15k
+1 for Don Sachs' linestage. Every one of Don's preamps are customized/optimized to the customer's system.Tremendous value for the $$'s.  
Finally found THE SPEAKER!!!
If you’re looking for that kind of power, consider pro amps (Yamaha, Crown, Soundcraftsmen, etc.).I have a pair of Soundcraftsmen PM860 monoblocks (from the 70’s) that I’ve recapped. They put out 900W at 4Ω. Fed by a tube preamp, they sound wonder... 
Tube amp Friendly Speaker That Sounds like Klipsch Cornwall
Tannoy Prestige Gold Reference 
Tube Preamp to go with Bryston SST2 amp and Magnepan 1.7i speakers
A Don Sachs linestage meets your budget:http//www.dsachsconsulting.com/custom%20line%20stage.html His preamps are based on 6SN7 tubes. They are hand built by Don so he can customize them to match your amp’s impedance.Don’s a great guy and easy to ... 
Amp/Preamp Recommendations
+1 for Don Sachs gear.I have his 6SN7-based linestage.Don does very high quality work and his components are very high performers. 
Need a preamp, new or used.
Another recommendation for tubes. With your budget, you have a lot of good choices....  
Options for $1k or less DAC?
Lots of choices in the under $1,000 used marketplace.Schitt, Denafrips, Chord, Ayre, LKS,... take your pick. All are solid performers.It all depends on how it integrates with the rest of your chain and if you like the result. 
Speaker upgrade for classical music
I play trumpet in an orchestra (although I sometimes slum in Big Bands 😎🎺).The speakers that I have are Martin Logan Spires. They deliver what you are looking for.I power them with either solid state or tube monoblocks.My s/s monoblocks are Soundc... 
HDMI (i2s) recommendations for Denafrips Gaia -> Terminator
For I2S, length of the cable is the most critical performance factor. You want to go very short e.g., no more than 6 inches.Sure, a longer cable will work, but the I2S standard was designed to communicate PCM audio data between integrated circuits... 
DAC's Made in the USA
While I am only in my 60’s, I fret over the same auditory limitations as you (hopefully I’ll make it to my 80’s).I would recommend that you get an auditory test to see (objectively) what frequencies you can hear. Buying equipment that can resolve ...