steveaustin

Responses from steveaustin

For Basis TT owners does the VPI SDS work?
Jumping in on a thread that's over a decade old, but thought I'd add my $.02 on my experience using the VPI SDS with my Basis 2001, in case others find it helpful. I have the old, analog SDS with the separate 33 and 45 dials up front, and the volt... 
One or two subs
I use two REL Strata II subs ... more even bass response to be sure, but I can't overstate how much more effort and fiddling it took me to get two subs sounding 'right' vs. just dialing in a single sub. In my room, the secret ended up being to hav... 
Cary SLI-80 capacitor problem questions
I recently had a positive experience with Cary's Service Dept. (they added a mod to one of their older AES pre-amps for me, bench-tested it and then 'listen-tested' it for a few more days :) and they have a pretty well-thought-out and -executed RM... 
Keith Jarrett Trio in Seattle
Has his 'strangling a dying animal' (quote from some review I read years ago) singing-along-to-his-playing subsided any in recent years? I have quite a few of his lps/cds, I love almost anything he's done with Jack DeJohnette behind the drum kit, ... 
Fake Cardas: Myth or Reality?
Elizabeth brings up a good point on the Kimber - the fake 8TC cables look like dead ringers for the real thing (to me, at least). But the $2000+ 8AG you see for sale (oftentimes, but not always, from sellers in SE Asia) *does* indeed look a bit su... 
Fake Cardas: Myth or Reality?
I've thought the same thing. The Kimber site also has a blog entry talking about fake Kimber cables being sold on eBay and Audiogon. And the pictures they have of the fakes? They look totally indistinguishable from the 'real thing' to me (as in ..... 
Oppo 95 setup question -- complete Noob question
Late to the party here, but I think you've got it backwards on the Wadia interface - using the L/R analog outputs utilizes the $0.10 DAC in the Wadia, but digital out bypasses it and send it unscathed (jitter not withstanding) to the higher-qualit... 
Where to put best tubes in AR Ph3-SE
I had one of these, and as I recall, the one tube is a cathode follower, and has less of an impact on the sound than the "front" two tubes.I'd try to go with some (matched) premium tubes in those positions first. 
Danny Boy - Recommendations
Instrumental version: Bill Evans (w/Shelly Manne - dr & Monty Budwig - bs) on 'Empathy' lp (Verve). 
Dynaudio Contour 1.1 vs Totem Model 1
ProAc 1SC's would be a match made in *heaven* with that amp. The ProAc's LOVE tubes, and present a very agreeable, easy load on a lower-powered tube amp.They don't show up used all that often, but when they do, they can be had in your price range ... 
Wilson-Benesch A.C.T. 0.5 arm azimuth
Thanks Triode and Isanchez for weighing in.Triode, I see looking at your system that at one point (in '09?) you were indicating you ultimately planned to upgrade your source. Did you? Or did you decide the W-B works for you after all? Thanks again... 
Wilson-Benesch A.C.T. 0.5 arm azimuth
Thanks very much guys for your comments. "Way higher" was probably an overstatement, but what kind of 'audiophile' would I be if I didn't overstate tiny differences from baseline? ;-)"Canted" - a much better way to describe. Just didn't want the n... 
Hum problem
Be aware that isolation devices can introduce little gremlins that will mess with some channels if you have digital cable. I had a Time-Warner tech come out when I first moved in because I wasn't getting several channels that I should have been - ... 
"Crack" sound in left speaker tube amp
Did you switch the tubes in the left channel with the right channel tubes to eliminate the possibility of the tubes being the problem?I think a "crack" or "clack" -type sound can also indicate an A/C 'leak' within the amp, though I'm not sure if t... 
Phono Pre?
I 'downgraded' from an Audio Research PH3 SE (nice, but a little sterile and lean for my tastes) to a much-less-expensive AES (Cary) PH-1 phono stage. Not as quiet as the Audio Research, but more lush, vivid and fleshed-out sounding in my opinion....