smholl

Responses from smholl

Meze 99 Classic or Focal Spirit one S?
I had the Meze 99 Classic. Sounded ok.. But...not very comfortable for me. They fit on the ear vs around the ear. HiFi Man Sundara or Ananda MUCH more comfortable. Just my 2 cents.  
Bluesound Node N130
Yes, same with my N130. My Burson Composer DAC will not lock on signal with coax. Tried a few different cables. Toslink works (and sounds) fine. Coax out worked fine when I had my Topping PRO 7DX though. I guess some DAC's are pickier than others.  
gold note ph-10 placement
I have placed my PH-10 and PSU-10 side by side with 4" separation. PSU on left side per manual. Per manual: To achieve the best performance DON'T place the PSU-10 on TOP of the PH-10 but on its LEFT SIDE. Avoid placing the PSU-10 too close to the... 
Favorite Live Concert Recordings
Any YESSONGS fans out there?Never a great recording to begin with, but the music is unbeatable.Other than that... Peter Gabriel-Plays Live. 
Vinyl Records with free file download coupon code.
The recent Peter Gabriel live albums and US came with free FLAC downloads. 
PS Audio Stellar Phono
For about the same price check out the Gold Note PS-10 with its matching PSU-10 power supply. By far the best sounding phono preamp I have had over many years. Just another option for you to explore. 
Your Top 10...Are the majority from when you were a teen?
Though at least 60% of my listening is 50's/60's Jazz, when it comes to rock I still listen to the groups I favored in high school (1970's). YES, ELP, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Doors, etc. 
Albums you played endlessly growing up
Top 5:Yessongs - YESLamb Lies Down On Broadway - GenesisThick As A Brick - Jethro TullThe Beatles - The BeatlesSticky Fingers - The Rolling Stones 
Your favorite 'concept' album
I haven't seen my favorite mentioned yet, so here goes...Genesis- The Lamb Lies Down On BroadwayAlso as others have mentioned:ELP- Pictures at an ExhibitionSupertramp-Crime of the Century 
Wow an old album that rocked your world
Yes - Close to the EdgeGenesis - Lamb Lies Down on BroadwayJethro Tull - Thick as a BrickELP - Pictures at an ExhibitionRick Wakeman - Journey to the Centre of the Earth 
"All Things Must Pass"-Tower Records Documentary
I used to go to the Tower Records in Westwood Village, near UCLA.If I remember it was 2 story. Great jazz selection. 
Herbie Hancock best recordings
A few others I don't see mentioned: 1) Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea in Concert.Recorded during 1978 tour at various venues. Very well recorded.2) HH & Wayne Shorter 1+1. Piano and soprano sax.3) Headhunters- Funky period. 
What is the best phono preamp you have heard?
I have used numerous phono preamps over the past 20 years. But the internal phono board in my Classe CP-500 preamp sounds the best. Possibly because it is not outboard? I don't know. But very nice sounding.Figured I might as well contribute to a 1... 
CI Audio or King Rex PSU for Squeezebox Touch
I use a Welborne Labs PS on both my Touch and Duet. Great improvement over stock wall-wart. 
Buying Fewer CD's & LP's Because of Pandora?
I use Rhapsody to listen to entire albums. If I feel that I want to own the album at higher resolution, then I'll purchase the CD or LP. Rhapsody has definitely cut my CD/LP purchases at least by half.