yyzsantabarbara

Responses from yyzsantabarbara

Dust Settled Consensus- is the Benchmark AHB2 an Audiophile Amplifier?
I liked the AHB2 very much when I got it. It was very clear, clean and noiseless, but when the Coda 16 arrived it made the AHB2 sound thin, anemic and lacking weight. I now have tube mono blocks so maybe I like distortion. I totally agree with ... 
Dust Settled Consensus- is the Benchmark AHB2 an Audiophile Amplifier?
@ricevs I just sold a KRELL Duo 175XD (175-watt Class A) amp that I know will not be ideal for the Blades in my Livingroom. The room is rather open with a 25+ foot ceiling. The AHB2 monos which have more power than that will also not be really pow... 
Dust Settled Consensus- is the Benchmark AHB2 an Audiophile Amplifier?
@ricevs I do remember reading about this GAN 1 amp now. Now that you have compared it to the Voyager, I will believe what you say. Ric's mod of the Voyager was great. It was almost like the AHB2 for my ears, with more power than the stereo AHB2. S... 
Dust Settled Consensus- is the Benchmark AHB2 an Audiophile Amplifier?
@decooney The Benchmark DAC3B | RAAL-Requisite VM-1a tube headphone amp | RAAL-Requisite SR1a earphones or CA-1a headphones are an incredible combo. The DA3B is magic with this headphone amp. Other warmer DACs, like my Musetec 005 DAC, do not matc... 
Dust Settled Consensus- is the Benchmark AHB2 an Audiophile Amplifier?
@kijanki I discussed with John Siau (AHB2 designer) and also Tom Thiel (Jim’s brother) about the AHB2 monos on the CS3.7’s. I do not think you can find more knowledgeable folks on the amp and speakers. Anyways, they said it would work and Tom like... 
Dust Settled Consensus- is the Benchmark AHB2 an Audiophile Amplifier?
From my experience the AHB2 should not be used with speakers that go into 2 Ohm and I feel it does not provide thunderous power with speakers it even matches well with. When I demoed the Magico A3 speaker I took along a single AHB2 stereo amp and ... 
Dust Settled Consensus- is the Benchmark AHB2 an Audiophile Amplifier?
For me it has. It is the only amp I have left after the following amps came and went in the last 2 years: - CODA #8 - Parasound A21+ - NAD M22 V2 - D-Sonic M3a 800s - CODA CSiB integrated (from 2019 not latest) - LSA Voyager 350 GAN (modifie... 
Nearly all manufacturers do not advertise/exhibit their product measurements? Why?
@mitch2 I need to get a second preamp and I was deciding between the HPA4/LA4 and the Holo Serene. Alpha Audio NET - Review Holo Audio Serene Level 1 preamplifier – Tastefully Serene (alpha-audio.net) Holo Audio Serene Preamplifier - Analog Com... 
Has anyone compared the Coda CSib to a Jeff Rowland Continuum S2?
I had a 2019 CSiB (so not the latest) and a CODA 07x and CODA #8. The separates were easily better than the 2019 CSiB. Coda states that the new 2020+ CSiB is very similar to the separates I owned. I sold the 07x because it imparted a bit of warmt... 
GREAT NEWS! The Coda Technology new #16 amplifier will arrive this week
@jaymark The Voyager only became a strong contender for me after the mods. I do agree it needed more strength in the lower end. Interesting comment on the SPL Elector. I remember reading about it and telling myself to keep it in my mind. However,... 
100% USA designed & made DAC
Most of my gear was American made, Benchmark, KRELL, and CODA. I sold the KRELL and CODA recently but will be buying another KRELL amp soon. It was a coin flip between the CODA #16 and a KRELL XD amp. I like my Benchmark DAC3B a lot though it is ... 
What is Your End Game System?
@lalitk All comments are pertaining to my findings. I am not speaking of a general consensus. We all hear differently. Though to my ears the Fibre Optical cable was the biggest improvement in my streaming setup. Adding a FMC in front of the Fibre... 
How to connect a Aqua LaScala Optologic DAC to 2 amps
You need to make sure your DAC can support it. For example, my Audio Mirror Tubadour II SE could not (I asked the designer and listened, it was bad). My Benchmark DA3B (to 2 preamps) and my Musetec 005 (also to 2 preamps) had no issues. I believe... 
What is Your End Game System?
One last point. My FM tuners pickup my 2 radio stations with way better  quality than the streams of the same stations. It is not even close.  
What is Your End Game System?
@kota1 I learned that I can fit any speaker (within reason) into a small room. Though you will not get 100% of that speakers ability to shine, as in a bigger room. So a big speaker can be fit into a small room without fatigue. It took room treatm...