rrgordon

Responses from rrgordon

Nirvana cables...anyone with experience?
The recent review in Stereophile describes the difference between the newer S-X and the lower priced S-L. I own both S-L interconnect and speaker cable and find it is among the most musical sounding cable I have heard. While the S-L may not be a 3... 
What CD has the best production/sound?
Produced by Patsy Cline's producer, Owen Bradley, and recorded with all tube equipment, "Shadowland" is probably k.d. lang's best sounding CD. There's nary a dud on this great collection, which features Kitty Wells, Loretta Lynn and Brenda Lee on ... 
Listening Room: Diffusion vs. Absorption
No experience with the pieces you mention, but I have two suggestions. Use wood wall paneling instead of fiberglass. In a 10x12 room I once used, I found it was the difference between ho-hum and magic. Wood paneling, though not often mentioned, I ... 
Ever Get Tears of Joy?
Oh, yeah... tears of joy, as well as tears of frustration. Playing Glory for Tomorrow from Patrick O'Hearn's River Goanna Rise CD can bring tears to my eyes. I've come to expect the frustration, but the moments when everything clicks makes the tri... 
Muse 8 tranport + 296 DAC, the best?
I owned the 296 combo for several months and found them to be very difficult to match cables with using the single-ended output. I can't recommend them unless you are using a balanced setup. To me the soundstage was reproduced in a miniaturized fa... 
How good are Kef Reference 4's
I auditioned KEFs top speaker at the time over one year ago. Though largely a matter of personal choice, I was stunned how much better they were than the comparably-priced ProAcs. What the KEFs do very well is produce a full-range sound with world... 
Best female vocals on CD
Thanks Joe for starting this essential thread. I recognize many greats, but only recently discovered Eva Cassidy. She is a remarkable artist with clarity and power. Her posthumous album, "Time After Time," released this month will last long in my ... 
Interconnects between DAC and Pre
Nirvana is now selling a higher-res version of the terrific S-L interconnect for the source to pre connection. I also highly recommend a half meter of KCAG as a more affordable alternative when speed and detail are called for. Whatever you do, kee... 
Celestion SL700 - matching amp?
I owned the SL700's for a few years and found that they do take some power to get the best bass response possible - which can be very good. As you probably know, they are a sealed box with low sens (84dB sens). The trick I found was not to use the... 
Cable for Thiel CS6 - Krell FPB600
Tried my Nirvana SL speaker cable on a pair of CS6s I auditioned with music from Jeff Buckley's Grace album. The way those speakers handle electric guitar--full-bodied and coherent, was amazing. The speaker cable wasn't bad either, besting the sto... 
SPEAKERS FOR MY NEW LISTENING ROOM
Buy used if you want to have money leftover for a pair of bass traps. Do you know the Brentworth TypeIIIs? A rare pair is on auction now and well within your price range. Because you have a large room, you could get the most from their excellent b... 
Biggest Sonic Improvement
I had to hear for myself what SACD sounds like, so I drove an hour to a dealer. It took less than 5 minutes to realize that SACD represents the biggest sonic improvement I've ever heard from a single change or am ever likely to hear--short of virt... 
Nirvana Interconnects and Speaker Cables
It's no fluke, Nirvana is not only a great sounding cable (expansive soundstage, good extension, full harmonics, natural midrange warmth), it is one of the most musical products period. I've compared it favorably to Cardas Golden Cross, Discovery ... 
Has anyone found Audio Nirvana?
In ten years of building 3 systems, I reached the end of the line with each only after much trial and error. My first best included Celestion 700SLs in a 12x10 room, VTL 100monos, Kinergetics KCD40, XLO Type 5 speaker, and KCAG- This system define... 
PowerSnake Owners Unite!
How long do KC owners feel it takes to really hear the Snake open up? I ran my computer with it for over a week. Putting it back on my CDP yielded maybe 75% improvement over fresh out of the bag--a smooth velvety sound with much better bass pitch ...