steveaudio

Responses from steveaudio

Experiences Selling Stuff On Audiogon?
Years ago, back in the late '90's & 2000's, I did a ton of buying & selling on audiogon. That's when it seemed waaaay easier to buy & sell used gear, & just keep changing your system w/o losing too much in $ terms.I've done a lot o... 
Anyone compared the Cary 303-200 CDP with the Ayre C-5xe? Also C-5xe transport failures?
oldears, I hear you about the C5xe with the MP update (altho I've never actually heard one). The unit I've been considering--the seller lowered his price to $2100. Which I could totally afford.georgehifi, good to hear your comments about the Cary ... 
Anyone compared the Cary 303-200 CDP with the Ayre C-5xe? Also C-5xe transport failures?
chayro, you may be right--or at least that's one way to look at it. I've just had an urge to get a C-5xe for some time, & they don't seem to come up for sale very often. Also the one I'm considering has the mp upgrade already. I was hoping tha... 
What is your favorite budget audio component?
Bryston B100-SST integrated at around $1500 used. I like it so much that I actually sold my CJ MF2500A power amp after I bought the Bryston, & may sell my pre-amp as well 
How important is component “aesthetics” to you?
Probably the 2 "prettiest" components I've ever owned are my Cary SLP-98 pre-amp (in "jaguar red" with black faceplate), & my former Merlin TSM-M's (also in red).The SLP-98 also has the advantage of having a separate power supply, so that the ... 
Cary Audio: Tube preamp (SLP-98) paired with (SA-200.2) solid state amplifier?
Removed the stock harsh sounding stock EH 6SN7s tubes, started rolling. Settled on a quad set of NOS Sylvania 6SN7GTs. In the same manner as occurred with my heavily upgraded SLI-80 integrated tube amp, all of the sudden the veil came off the n... 
My Audio Research experience
I used the amp for the rear channels of my home theatre system which I only use occasionally because I travel a lot for work and I mainly listen to music...........Especially when I could have bought a small car for the original cost of the amplif... 
Cary Audio: Tube preamp (SLP-98) paired with (SA-200.2) solid state amplifier?
I've owned an SLP-98 for maybe 10 years now & have been very happy with it. Using it with a SS CJ MF2500A amp. Personally I wouldn't call the SLP-98 particularly "tubey" sounding. Depends on what other preamps you're comparing it to of course.... 
When is it to hot to cut the grass?
I'm in Mass., & it's been 90 degrees+ here. I've been going out in the a.m. & mowing for 20-30-40 minutes a day. Since I have almost 1/2 an acre, it takes a while, but that's OK.Today, afterwards, I found the film "Tree's Lounge" (Highly r... 
Reason for selling is...
*The seller has a significant information advantage over the buyer; just wait until cars from NY and NJ start showing up in used car lots. That being so, it seems to add insult to ignorance to give a reason for the sale, since buyers have no indep... 
Analog setup - do it your self or hire a pro?
*Is it better to drive my turntable to my local expert, or to learn this myself?*You said you had had "trouble adjusting the weight on the cartridge, and getting the anti skate right" on your Rega P1. So....how ARE you going to learn it yourself? ... 
Reason for selling is...
*Look, just assume buyers aren't stupid* (Glaucon)"Why are you selling" is one of the biggest (& dumbest, IMO) questions. I don't know what buyers are trying to accomplish with that: Hoping that the seller will blurt out; "It's a horrible POS"... 
Mo' money. Mo' problems.
"I suppose I could settle for something more practical like a BMW 335 twin turbo 6 speed manual coupe in black/black." (Brownsfan)Since this thread seems pretty OT anyway, I'll venture a suggestion to Brownsfan: if you're worried about ongoing mai... 
B&W Matrix 802 Series 3's 4 sale-price ?
Big question: can you reasonably ship them? Have the orig. boxes? I sold mine a few years ago for $1200 for a local sale. And then bought Totem Mani-2's, & "never looked back"; way happier. If I still had them (the B&W Matrix 802 S3's), I ... 
Thoughts on replacing an ageing pair of B&W N804s
I don't know the answer to your specific question. However, I have owned 5 different B&W's over the years, & never really satisfied with any of them. I finally ended up with Totems, & Spendors; & I'd recommend many models of those....