swklein

Responses from swklein

Cary 306 SACD power cord recommendations
I can't speak to the 306 per se, but my earlier generation Cary cpd glows when used with an Elrod 2 Signature power cord (indeed, most things do). Oh, yes, and I've found that Synergistic cables go well with the Carys... 
Cable isolators ???
I use a set of audiophile cable insulators to lift my speaker cables off the carpet. They make enough of a difference that the day I put them in, my wife came home from work while I was listening to a well-recorded CD of jazz vocals and the first ... 
Musical Fidelity and Sonus Grand Piano too bright.
I've heard the Grand Pianos with an Audio Research 100.2 and Transparent cabling and liked it very well indeed. The MF electronics are probably not ideally matched to the treble of the speakers. 
Best palindrome
My favorite palindrome, by far, and about music: although whether better attuned to heavy metal or Scriabin, I don't know: Satan, oscillate my metallic sonatas. 
Most transparent, detailed Audio Research Preamp
Well, depending on taste and budget, SP9 MK III, LS3, LS16 Mk I or II, LS25 Mk 1 or 2. All are (to one degree and another) all of the things you're looking for-- although they all sound different from one another, and the LS16 and LS25 models are ... 
turntable recommendations under $1500
If you mean you don't care for the "plump" sound of a Linn, and it's a pre-Cirkus table, you might want to consider that mod. Tightens the sound right up. 
Best full orchestra recordings?
My favorite is the XRCD of Reiner conducting Bartok's "Concerto for Orchestra." Hard to beat for interpretation and sound. 
Which Solid State Amplifier is Making you Happy?
Audio Research 100.2. 
So my wife says to me this morning
Ah, wives and their abilties to hear. I bought a used Audio Research PH3SE a little while ago, and was experimenting with different power cords using my wife's favorite LP. When I put on a used Elrod EPS-2 Signature the difference was so pronounce... 
Are expensive cables worth it?
When your equipment is revealing enough that cable differences are significant rather than marginal, then the cost is worth it. And the most expensive cables aren't necessarily better than cables from the middle of the line: you have to listen. In... 
Advice on Cary CD Players or other options.
Yep, the Cary 303/200's a keeper. Try Synergistic cables with it (I found this is by far the best match). The Elrod ESP2 Sig is a great power cord match, although pricey: TG Audio's SLVR works well, too (although it provides a different kind of so... 
Thiel 2.3 vs 2.4 the real difference
The tonal balance is quite different between the 2.3 and 2.4. The 2.3 still has the older Thiel hyper-analytical sound; the 2.4 retains the best aspects of that sound but leavens in a degree of warmth missing from older Thiels. Certainly worth a l... 
Spanish Guitar
By "spanish guitar" do you mean flamenco, folk music, or the wealth of classical music for guitar by Spanish (and Latin American) composers? If the last, there's a wealth of material in the Naxos Guitar Series: every one is wonderful, and strongly... 
best recording of Diana Krall ?
Another vote for "Love Scenes"... 
Rothwell In-Line Attenuators?
Dare I put in a dissenting report? I tried a pair, and in my usage noted, as advertised, a reduction of gain. But I also noted a slight veiling of the sound, particualrly in the upper frequencies-- I was conscious of their presence in the system, ...