robertd

Responses from robertd

Personal amp evolution
SAE Integrated (from 1980 to 1995)Acurus A150 (1995 to 1998)Golden Tube SE 40 (1998 - 2001)McCormack DNA 0.5 (2001 - present)Spectral DMA 100 (next) 
Pass Labs or Audio Research Solid State Amplifiers
Audio Research LS3B preamp just rocks, but it's not as refined as some other preamps out there. I have one and I used it till I went with a passive control unit, to get that spooky last drop of info on Jazz and classical. It had tons of attack, a ... 
Do you own/have you heard the new Thiel 1.6?
I own them. I first heard them with an Arcam CD Player/integrated amp. Noticed very natural percussion sounds. Next time I auditioned them with Arcam FMJ CD Player, McCormack pre and power amp, and I compared them to the Proac 1.5 sc. It was surpr... 
SPECTRAL 100/DMC 20 preamp comments....
I just heard the spectral 100 with the dmc 30 and thiel 1.6 loudspeakers. It was absolutely amazing!! Could be the best setup I've heard. My next step is spectral, without a doubt. I feel really greedy doing this, but hey, I've never been so sure ... 
what did I do? channel hiss in McCormack DNA 0.5.
The amp was on when I changed cables. I tried switching the left cable into the right channel and vice versa, and I still got the hiss from the left channel, so I think it's in the amp - and I tried another amp the other day, and the hiss was abse... 
Great music in bad commercials - what can you do?
I guess my beef is not that the artist sells it, but that the artist is dead, like louis armstrong, nico, or nick drake, and the music is thrown into a commercial without their permission or consultation. For example, Janis Joplin singin' about a ... 
Best Male Singers of the 20th Century
Tom Waits. Chet Baker.David Bowie - the best all round singer, performer and innovatorNick Drake - do yourself a favor and listen to himLeonard Cohen - spooky spooky spookyElvis Costello - his voice is just amazing, and his lyrics ain't bad 
Thiel 1.6 vs Proac 1.5
Mezmo, I listened to the meadowlark kestrels at the same place you did, and I found them better than the Audio Physics and the jm Labs. A great package - no glaring shortcomings. For a while when I lived in NYC they were on my short list, along wi... 
Thiel 1.6 vs Proac 1.5
I listened to them side by side, in a mccormack arcam system, went with the thiel. I was expecting the proac to be more forgiving than the thiel, but it wasn't. The thiel bass was better defined, and I think the thiel was more detailed. I'm breaki... 
Most achingly-beautiful music
Bach's cello suite no 2. "Famous blue Raincoat" by Leanoard Cohen. "Fly" by Nick Drake. 
Proac Respnse 1SC vs 1.5 vs B&W 805N
Soix,I thought the B&W midrange was amazing. And I heard it driven with a dna 0.5. It doesn't have the extension of the Proacs, and I think the proacs are very natural and involving. Have you had a chance to compare the dna 0.5 rev A to the st... 
Rega Planet compare to Arcam FMJ-CD 23
I compared the rega to the Arcam Alpha 7 and Alpha 9. I remember the Alpha 7 sounding better, even though I wanted to prefer the Rega due to it's superior design values. The alpha 9 (early version of FMJ 23) was even nicer than the 7, but I wasn't... 
Arcam alpha 7 upgrade/alternatives/useds for 1000
Thanks, guys. By "sweet", I mean unfatiguing, and I'm not sure if I'm using it right. I'm not up on audiophile jargon. I'll look into the bel canto 
Wadia 850 and Spectral DMA 150 matching without pre-amp
I know you're never supposed to use the spectral power amps with non spectral pre amps. The wadia might be acting like a preamp, sending a signal in to the power amp, but it ain't the "spectral" signal that the amp needs. What do others think abou...