rlapporte

Responses from rlapporte

Cars. What does the typical audiophile drive?
A 1971 911 race car for track only. 3.2L, normally aspirated, full cage, carbon fiber body, fuel cell, etc. Runs GT-3S in PCA. I have owned 7 - 911s over the years and this is my favorite.Daily driver- 2000 BMW 540i sport, 6-speed.Wife-Excursion w... 
Purist Audio & Stereophile
I could not agree more with the above posts. Advertising dollars, equipment loans, willingness to submit products for evaluation, etc., all enter into magazine ratings and recommendations. You won't find Transparent Cables mentioned in Recommended... 
Which components knocked you out on first listen?
In sequence, Quad 57s in the early 70s the Linn LP-12 in the later 70s, and then WAMMs at a Vegas CES in the mid-80s. The WAMMs are still my favorite. BTW, Dannylw mentioned a Stax 45w amp (the DA-80) which I still own, and that was the first soli... 
Best blues guitarist, Clapton or Green
Green and Clapton recorded some great material, as did many of their inspirations. Like others, I find it difficult to select a best blues guitarist. However, if forced to select, I believe Clapton is the single greatest and that the studio Layla ... 
Top Ten Speaker Cables of all time?...
Transparent Opus for those who can afford. I had an opportunity to listen to these speaker cables through a pair of approximately $4,000 Respons speakers at Transparent about two years-ago. With non-networked cables, the Respons speakers sounded l... 
Preamps: Bryston vs Classe
I cannot speak to the sonics of their preamps, but think it would be useful for those with experience with the two products, and companies, to opine about reliability issues as well as sonics. Bryston is know for great reliability and warranty pol... 
Well Tempered Labs out of business?
This is addressed in the latest (March) Stereophile. George Stanwick of Stanalog has taken over the product. www.stanalog.com. Long live the Well Tempered. A great product. 
Do You Remember Your First CD Player?
These are memories best forgotten. Those who do remember may need to seek treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder! I remember the first one I heard in Boulder Colorado through a pair of Acoustat 2+2s. I was friends with the staff there, and w... 
Newbie, looking for giant killer front end
I want to second the motion made by Natnic. Check out he Well Tempered Tables. I have been familiar with them and followed their evolution ever since Bill Firebough first introduced the arm in the early 80s at Vegas CES and I mounted them on VPIs.... 
Difference between polarity and phase w/sub
I am not familiar with your equipment but have usually found polarity switches to operate in the preamp section to alter the polarity (as described by Swampwalker) for the output of the preamp. Rowland, among others, used to use this to deal with ... 
Ever popped a circuit breaker with audio gear?
Large power amps can trip breakers, especially when they are just being turned on. The current demands may exceed the limits of the breaker during this powering-up phase, even if the amp does not over-tax the breaker while playing. I had this prob... 
Manley Steelhead or others?.....
You are correct that the Aesthetix is higher maintenance but is a wonderful unit. It is also a little noisy but beautiful sounding. The Manley is wonderful, reliable, flexible, and like many tube units, improved with NOS tubes. I have not seriousl... 
Is there a knowledgeable VPI Rep out there?
I used to be a dealer for VPI and always found Shiela and Harry to be very helpful and friendly. They are a small company so it might take a little time to actually access one of them. Harry would likely be the best source for technical questions.... 
Krell FPB 200, comments?
Listen carefully before you buy. I have not been as impressed with the larger FPB amps that I have heard, especially in the deep bass (something Krell was known for). The KSA 250 may still be a better amp and had a powerful bottom end. I'm not sur... 
Clements audio speakers?
I used to sell their hybred ribbon speakers in the 80s. They seemed to disappear, reappear and then I lost track of them when I left the retail end of audio. During the 80s, I remember them selling both a bookshelf and floor standing model. The la...