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1: Cable Asylum, RE: I am Pangea Fan grrl #1, but I do not compare it to the expensive stuff (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-04-17, 06:52:55 (38.121.78.70)
I just got the Pangea 14SE cords for my Bryston BDP-1/BDA-1 combo. I haven't had a chance to do an A/B comparison yet. My first impressions (compared to stock cords) are that the sound is very detaile .......
2: Cable Asylum, RE: AES/EBU cable recommendation for Bryston BDP-1/BDA-1? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-04-16, 14:15:59 (38.121.78.70)
I just looked up the Stealth Varidig Sextet. $3600 for 1m AES/EBU. Now I know why you said "used" ;) That is too much. I have a cable limit of around 30% of the cost of the components. Since that incl .......
3: Cable Asylum, AES/EBU cable recommendation for Bryston BDP-1/BDA-1? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-04-12, 07:29:39 (38.121.78.70)
I just bought a Bryston BDP-1 and BDA-1 combination. It sounds great, but I don't have great digital cables for it yet. So far, I have: 1m RCA Harmonic Technology Platinum, with a RCA->BNC adapter add .......
4: Computer Audio Asylum, A really cheap one. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-03-24, 17:21:07 (173.32.146.28)
I don't have a 2.1 on my computer - just a 2.0 . I may be crazy, but sometimes I think my Labtec LCS 1060 speakers sound better than many real stereos, as long as the volume is kept low. Now, I do hav .......
5: Planar Speaker Asylum, RE: Maggies and high-end speakers (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-03-19, 20:09:43 (173.32.146.28)
Thanks Ben. It will be sad to part with the Maggies after 8 years. Perfect condition, cherry woods, and Mye stands. I'm loving what I'm hearing right now, though with the Revel Ultima Studio. There ar .......
6: Planar Speaker Asylum, RE: Maggies and high-end speakers (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-03-19, 14:57:30 (38.121.78.70)
Maggie bass is fine, if it doesn't go too low, and isn't played too loud. But, of course, you will want to those features in some music. I just moved away from Maggie 3.6s, to Revel Ultima Studio. The .......
7: Speaker Asylum, Found the Revel Ultima Studio (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-03-16, 08:10:16 (38.121.78.70)
In my quest for perfect sound, I've done some more work. Note to dealers: Stop letting people audition non-broken-in speakers! They sound terrible! I have added the following to my list of auditions: .......
8: Speaker Asylum, RE: b&w 800 diamond vs. 802 diamond (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-03-09, 09:40:22 (38.121.78.70)
I would be interested in more comparisons of these two. My dealer doesn't have the 800, so I can't compare. I am leaning towards the 802 diamonds so far. .......
9: Computer Audio Asylum, RE: Concept of "bandwidth" in non-linear systems: ill-defined. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-03-09, 09:36:59 (38.121.78.70)
While we worry about PCM sampling rates, most of the DACs in use today use 1-bit sigma-delta converters. Does anyone have comments on this 11-year-old paper, in which John Vanderkooy claims to prove t .......
10: Digital Drive, RE: Article on Samples Rates and Bit Depth and how more is not better (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-03-06, 10:56:09 (38.121.78.70)
>>You don't need a model of human hearing to determine whether, or not, the presence of ultrasonics matter in the replay of music. >>And the ideal reconstructor has been known for over a century. We c .......
11: Digital Drive, RE: Article on Samples Rates and Bit Depth and how more is not better (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-03-05, 22:45:34 (173.32.146.28)
This is a fairly well-written article, but in my opinion, is far too equivocal in it's statements. The writer assumes a completely-understood (and extremely simplistic) model of the hearing system. I .......
12: Speaker Asylum, RE: Best speaker for $15K ? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-02-27, 09:04:25 (38.121.78.70)
>Or - you could tweak the 3.6R's with new and much better sounding crossovers, add Mye Stands, along with a good sub (REL - JL Audio etc)and that system would IMO sound as good as if not superior than .......
13: Speaker Asylum, Best speaker for $15K ? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-02-26, 19:56:25 (173.32.146.28)
I'm auditioning speakers, trying to decide if there is an obvious speaker that can replace my Maggie 3.6s . So far: Revel Studio 2: Not fully broken in, and not in an ideal location (brick wall behind .......
14: Planar Speaker Asylum, Listened to B&W 802Di today (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-02-24, 21:24:06 (173.32.146.28)
Okay, I went to the dealer, and had a good session with the B&W 802Di . They were better than My Maggie 3.6s in most ways, but not all. I felt that male voice was just a touch "off", though female was .......
15: Planar Speaker Asylum, RE: Speaker vs room vs equipment vs system (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-02-24, 21:10:54 (173.32.146.28)
I listened to B&W 802 Diamond speakers today at the dealer. I have to say, I also wanted to turn those up, though when I did the sound became amazing. Perhaps the Maggies aren't so bad after all at lo .......
16: Planar Speaker Asylum, RE: Looking to leave the Maggie Fold? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-02-22, 08:13:03 (38.121.78.66)
I'm pretty sure that the sound has never degraded at any time, so I don't think the crossovers have gone bad. I may be overemphasizing the shortcomings, because of the overall feeling I have -- that I .......
17: Planar Speaker Asylum, RE: Speaker vs room vs equipment vs system (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-02-22, 08:01:56 (38.121.78.66)
My system profile is up-to-date, so yes I'm using the 150W Linar (yes, with Mosfet output -- quite a sweet sound). They are very high current (600W into 2 Ohms), and I found their bass drive better th .......
18: Planar Speaker Asylum, RE: Speaker vs room vs equipment vs system (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-02-19, 09:04:58 (173.32.146.28)
I tried a $3000 Blue Circle tube preamp in my system, and while it was dynamic, I didn't like the extra distortions compared to my Placette Passive Pre. I don't think it was a lot smoother, really. I .......
19: Planar Speaker Asylum, RE: Speaker vs room vs equipment vs system (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-02-19, 08:03:39 (173.32.146.28)
Thanks for the great reply! Yes, I intend to look at the B&W 803D and 802D soon. I will also give the Maggie 3.7s a try at the dealer (maybe bring in my amp). The funny thing is, the reason I got the .......
20: Speaker Asylum, RE: Insignia (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-02-18, 19:04:50 (173.32.146.28)
Back in my university days, it was considered that the Radio Shack Minimus 7 speakers (metal cabinets) was the best deal in audio. I think they were around $70 per pair. It wasn't long before they rai .......
21: Planar Speaker Asylum, RE: Speaker vs room vs equipment vs system (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-02-18, 16:06:43 (173.32.146.28)
My room is not optimal. It is big enough, but it has a 60" flat-panel sticking out into the room, on a scissor mount (up the distance of the Maggies). This will effectively cut out the center reflecti .......
22: Planar Speaker Asylum, Looking to leave the Maggie Fold? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-02-18, 12:21:00 (173.32.146.28)
I usually only focus on one hobby at a time, and audiophile listening has taken a back seat for a while. I took out some favorite LPs and DADs today, and tried them out with my venerable Maggie 3.6/Rs .......
23: Planar Speaker Asylum, RE: Good to see you're using your ears and (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2012-02-15, 15:59:18 (38.121.78.66)
I use a Placette Passive Pre for my Maggie 3.6s. I haven't heard another preamp sound anywhere near as good in my system (though I haven't tried the crazy expensive stuff). .......
24: Vinyl Asylum, RE: Did anything change in your rig? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2011-02-04, 15:17:15 (38.121.79.82)
I've always noticed the recessed vocals, but got used to it. Now, after listening to digital for a while, going back is a bit of a shock. The Benz L2 is incredibly sensitive to VTA adjustment. I woul .......
25: Vinyl Asylum, Help me with cartridge upgrade from Benz L2 (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2011-02-04, 09:26:14 (38.121.79.82)
You can check out my system in my profile. I haven't listened to vinyl for a while, and am getting back into it. What I noticed right away with my rig is how recessed the vocals are. I've adjusted VTA .......
26: Planar Speaker Asylum, RE: suitable headphones for a maggie lover? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2011-01-09, 11:04:56 (99.236.190.83)
Great reply! I've been reading about the Audeze LCD-2, and I like what I'm seeing. But, it is certainly hard to know without trying. My first attempt at auditioning came yesterday, with Grado GS1000 a .......
27: Planar Speaker Asylum, suitable headphones for a maggie lover? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2011-01-08, 20:21:24 (99.236.190.83)
I'm a long-time Maggie 3.6R owner, thinking of getting into headphone listening. While I'm sure I can get lots of headphone recommendations at head-fi, I am more interested in what Maggie-lovers find .......
28: Cable Asylum, Depends. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2009-03-15, 16:20:04 (173.32.146.174)
I am a reformed cable-aholic. I have literally thousands of dollars in interconnects and speaker cable, and a few hundred in power cords. It's easier to put in a new cable, than explain to the other h .......
29: Planar Speaker Asylum, RE: Explanation of Why Planar Radiators are Directional (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-05-02, 17:58:39 (99.236.29.202)
actually, I like the OP's explanation better. Yours has the potential to confuse air movement (i.e. wind) from high to low pressure, and sound waves, which have a fixed speed, though the air itself is .......
30: Vinyl Asylum, RE: Caution!! Rookie with rambling ?’s (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-04-30, 09:45:11 (192.190.75.16)
I'm sorry that I don't know the sound of your particular gear. But, being new to vinyl myself, I also sometimes miss the clarity of the highs on digital. But, I have since found that, although there w .......
31: Vinyl Asylum, before shipping ... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-04-30, 06:08:49 (192.190.75.16)
I think that is a "pick up only" type of unit, lol. I've used vibration isolation tables in optics research. They are expensive, heavy, and amazingly well designed. However, as you see here, you do ne .......
32: Vinyl Asylum, RE: what to upgrade next? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-04-29, 13:13:22 (192.190.75.16)
I think the Placette is going to be kept for a while. I have listened to a classical piece, directly from my previous DAC, and with the Placette in the chain (at no attenuation), and the sound was ide .......
33: Vinyl Asylum, but my Maggies are sacred ;) (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-04-29, 13:03:25 (192.190.75.16)
You have a point. Sometimes Maggies show their faults. There is a bit of dynamics loss in the midrange and bass. However, every time I get wowed by the better dynamics of a speaker in a showroom, I ev .......
34: Vinyl Asylum, RE: Want to be tranported into the music, (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-04-29, 10:37:44 (192.190.75.16)
headphones are an interesting idea. I looked into Stax, after seeing a used setup advertised. I think I do need to try something out in my setup. As for surround sound -- been there, done that. Yes, I .......
35: Vinyl Asylum, more presence, soundstage, and clarity/smoothness of highs (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-04-29, 08:58:22 (192.190.75.16)
Basically I want it all ;) I have already noticed an improvement in all of these areas when I upgraded to the Graham Slee Reflex. I want to be transported into the music. Clarity and smoothness of hi .......
36: Vinyl Asylum, RE: The Placette is a great passive... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-04-29, 08:03:53 (192.190.75.16)
I agree. I once sold my Placette passive to go another route. I regretted it immediately, and couldn't wait to buy up another on audiogon. I do NOT plan to sell again -- its a keeper. .......
37: Vinyl Asylum, what to upgrade next? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-04-29, 07:44:57 (192.190.75.16)
You guys can check out my system. For analog, I have: VPI scoutmaster (almost -- still has scout plinth) with JMW-9 Signature armtube, with periphery ring, center weight, and SDS motor controller. hom .......
38: Propeller Head Plaza, RE: Any component is snake oil unless it makes an audible difference other than SPL (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-02-22, 07:57:29 (192.190.75.16)
There are many problems with the resonators. 1) They are small, so likely do little. 2) Why does increasing cost of metal make them sound better? 3) Why would a deliberate resonance make the sound bet .......
39: Vinyl Asylum, RE: Maple Board (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-02-22, 07:43:49 (192.190.75.16)
Well, I have a component rack that, while stable, has MDF shelves that vibrate like crazy. Going to a sandbox, which is isolated from the shelf by squash balls, reduced my acoustic feedback by orders .......
40: Vinyl Asylum, RE: Best VPI scoutmaster upgrade? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-02-22, 07:36:15 (192.190.75.16)
The dual-motor is $1500, and the single-motor one is $1000. Is there much difference? I would expect its mostly the flywheel that makes the difference? Does it fit in the scoutmaster motor cutout? Is .......
41: Propeller Head Plaza, Virtual Dynamics selling snake oil? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-02-22, 06:52:33 (192.190.75.16)
Okay, I could post this in cables, because Virtual Dynamics is a cable company. However, this product is better discussed in a techie forum. The link to Acoustic System Resonators shows a product that .......
42: Vinyl Asylum, Benz L2 cartridge (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-02-21, 21:01:08 (99.236.29.202)
I have the Benz L2. I can go around and around with cartridges. I'm not sure I love the Benz, but it is enjoyable. I find vocals a bit recessed. You can check out my system on this site for associated .......
43: Vinyl Asylum, Best VPI scoutmaster upgrade? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-02-21, 19:56:31 (99.236.29.202)
I have a VPI "almost" scoutmaster signature table. I say almost because it started life as a Scout, and got upgrades, including: * JMW 9 signature arm * the black super-scoutmaster platter and bearing .......
44: DVD-Audiobahn, RE: Hodie 24/192Hz DVD-A Disc (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-02-08, 08:37:49 (99.236.29.202)
If you want a faster performance, try out CDs or LPs of Glenn Gould's performances. His moonlight sonata is a revelation (I haven't heard his Pathetique). It is much faster than usual, and has a uniqu .......
45: Hi-Rez Highway, universal player recommendations - under $2500 used (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-02-03, 22:34:02 (99.236.29.202)
I have a bit of cash to spend on audio. I've thought about turntable upgrades, but I would really like to get back into CD listening -- and the occasional DAD and SACD (stereo only). So, given that CD .......
46: Hi-Rez Highway, RE: Without multichannel you've only scratched the surface (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-02-03, 22:24:28 (99.236.29.202)
My problem, is that given the choice of listening to a mediocre multichannel setup, and a high-end stereo setup costing even less -- the stereo is far more enjoyable. Yes, I would love to have amazing .......
47: Vinyl Asylum, RE: Scout upgrade suggestions needed... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2008-01-30, 21:57:50 (99.236.29.202)
Its hard to say. I found the center and ring clamp made a big difference -- mostly for the better. The biggest upgrade I made to my table was a homemade sandbox. It was much cheaper than a Ginko. I ha .......
48: Vinyl Asylum, of course digital doesn't sound like music. It's only made of 1's and 0's ;) (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-04-20, 18:21:51 (74.109.8.140)
I remember going into a local record store 22 years ago (its still around, and I've moved back), and the proprietor told my friend and I how digital sounds terrible, because "you can't turn music into .......
49: Vinyl Asylum, I think Benz requires more load (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-04-07, 09:49:41 (74.109.8.140)
I have a Benz L2, and I run it at 1K, which is definitely not too high. For an LP or Ruby, which has an even higher internal impedance, I would expect 1K would be a minimum. 470 Ohms runs the risk of .......
50: Vinyl Asylum, VPI Scoutmaster/Signature Armtube/Benz L2 (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-03-15, 19:33:19 (74.109.8.140)
Great sound, though I'm always striving for better. .......
51: Vinyl Asylum, upraded power cables on Graham Slee PSU-1 ? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-03-08, 23:24:40 (74.109.8.140)
I have a Graham Slee Elevator EXP and Era Gold V phono stage. They sound great, but I do notice that the sound is degraded when I have my multichannel amp (near the PSU-1) on. I notice that not only i .......
52: Vinyl Asylum, Meant to put this under "What's spinning". Oh well :) (nt). (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-03-06, 16:30:35 (74.109.8.140)
. .......
53: Vinyl Asylum, Nylons, self titled. Why is their first album the best sound? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-03-06, 16:29:18 (74.109.8.140)
I have the Nylons first 4 albums. The original self-titled LP has the best sound. I believe it is a mixing thing, not a pressing issue (all the pressings are super-clean). The album Seamless has the t .......
54: Vinyl Asylum, I like your website (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-03-05, 09:19:52 (192.190.75.16)
Hi Teresa, Having become a recent vinyl convert (I sold my Bel Canto DAC2 for a Graham Slee Era Gold V phono stage), I enjoyed your website. I know a lot about classic rock, and am enjoying increasing .......
55: Vinyl Asylum, Your favourite phono cable (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-03-04, 14:06:12 (74.109.8.140)
I would like to get an idea of people's favourite phono cables (RCA-RCA or DIN-RCA). I just changed my phono cable to a Harmonic Technology Magic-Line One, which seemed to balance the spectrum well, a .......
56: Vinyl Asylum, Rega isn't great (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-03-04, 13:46:50 (74.109.8.140)
The Rega Fono doesn't add anything particularly objectionable to the sound. In that sense it can be described as a nice sound. However, it is limited in dynamics, low-level detail, and in soundstage. .......
57: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Oh, he'll return the negative.... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-03-02, 13:15:35 (192.190.75.16)
"One idiot sent my LP to someone else, would not even try to get it back, would send me a refund only after kicking and screaming and name calling (like it was MY fault), then left me a spiteful negat .......
58: Vinyl Asylum, look at comments, not percentage. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-03-02, 13:02:56 (192.190.75.16)
The ebay system is broken as far as percentages go, but it isn't supposed to be. There is only one reason (according to the rules) for leaving a neutral of negative feedback. That is, that after seeki .......
59: Vinyl Asylum, I can't take it any more ahhhhhhhh (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-02-28, 12:17:09 (192.190.75.16)
I have seen about 10 posts about how "slow" the VPI tables are. You also feel that any table that has any type of mass is bad -- hence your liking for lightweight platters and plinths. Your opinion is .......
60: Vinyl Asylum, Re: As I posted below.... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-02-27, 17:14:37 (74.109.8.140)
darn, you go to sleep and the thread gets huge. Sorry, I didn't see your post. I used to be an optics guy (among other things), and worked at AT&T Bell Labs (when it still had that name). I've built a .......
61: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Rega P5 with External PS vs VPI Scout ? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-02-27, 07:12:29 (192.190.75.16)
I can't comment on the Rega P5. However, the VPI Scout is a great table. I started with an "almost" Scoutmaster with signature arm. The plinth is still the original Scout. I have done 2 tweeks. One wa .......
62: Vinyl Asylum, Graham Slee Era Gold V and Elevator EXP -- first impressions (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-02-27, 06:31:39 (192.190.75.16)
I just got my new phono preamp toys last night. A Graham Slee Era Gold V and Elevator EXP. People can look at my system -- I have a Benz L2 cartridge, VPI ScoutMaster (Scout plinth) with Signature Arm .......
63: Vinyl Asylum, commercial products like this exist in the optics world (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-02-27, 06:07:21 (192.190.75.16)
In the optics world, paint-on cleaning products exist. They dry like a hard rubber, and then peel off to clean. The cleaning is supposed to be about as good as you can get. Usually, to get stuck parti .......
64: Vinyl Asylum, like apples and oranges (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-02-26, 11:14:10 (192.190.75.16)
I agree that digital has overall lower distortions. How our brain responds to sounds has nothing to do with measured THD, however. Vinyl simply sounds good on the majority of material I play, while CD .......
65: Vinyl Asylum, Jensen Cable TV Ground Loop Isolator (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-02-26, 09:14:16 (192.190.75.16)
Jensen VRD-1FF Cable TV Ground Loop Isolator I use it, and it works great. My analog channels work well, as do the digital ones. Also make sure you use good splitters. The Mondial stuff (in another po .......
66: Vinyl Asylum, 20% (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-02-26, 06:33:27 (192.190.75.16)
Well, only 1 of 5 have been NM as described. However, 2 of those sales were from non-professional sellers, who think their whole collection is NM just because the cat hasn't played the record with his .......
67: Vinyl Asylum, Does VTA affect bass or treble more? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-02-15, 18:24:46 (74.109.8.140)
I am using a Benz L2 cartridge on my ScoutMaster with signature arm, and I find that the VTA is very sensitive. I do hear a difference in the treble as I change it, but I hear a larger difference in t .......
68: Vinyl Asylum, Nice through 3.6s as well. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-02-09, 08:58:30 (192.190.75.16)
I run a Scout and Benz L2 through my Maggie 3.6s . Now that is awesome sound! Sure, the Maggies need everything else in the system to be top notch, but they sure sing! Sorry, no picture. I need to fig .......
69: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Contrary opinion- (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-02-07, 22:17:37 (192.190.75.16)
Well, I did say that Big Sky was one of my 2 least favourite songs on the album. It has very different sound and production to the others. And, I think it was the first hit single -- go figure. I woul .......
70: Vinyl Asylum, I have to believe that magnetism is extremely small (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-02-07, 21:01:29 (192.190.75.16)
How much magnetism is there in an LP? Is it even possible that the varying magnetic field on a spinning vinyl disk is even close to the magnitude of the problem of static electricity? I find this one .......
71: Vinyl Asylum, Scout upgrades sound worse? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-02-07, 12:36:53 (192.190.75.16)
I don't quite understand how improving the drive motor, adding an SDS, going to a thicker platter, and making the plinth more stable is going to rob music of its life. I have made only 2 changes to my .......
72: Vinyl Asylum, Still playing it (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-02-07, 11:21:40 (192.190.75.16)
My favourite songs are (in order) Somewhere Down the Crazy River Broken Arrow Fallen Angel (yeah, I thought that was Peter Gabriel on that track) Hell's Half Acre. The only songs I'm not crazy about a .......
73: Vinyl Asylum, Re: VPI Stainless Steel Periphery Ring question (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-02-06, 18:06:02 (192.190.75.16)
The motor is designed to take it, or else those of us that use the periphery ring all the time would be out of luck. As for the belt, it is used under user-defined tension anyway. If it stretches, you .......
74: Vinyl Asylum, saw Daniel Lanois live (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-02-06, 07:45:08 (192.190.75.16)
I haven't heard Acadie, but I did hear Daniel Lanois live last summer, at a summer festival concert in my small home town of Deep River, Ontario. He is friends with Malcolm Burn, a fellow producer and .......
75: Vinyl Asylum, spinning Robbie Robertson - is magic. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-02-05, 21:00:19 (74.109.8.140)
I'm on an LP buying binge (found a good used dealer, with 90% success rate for the quality), and just picked up a copy of Robbie Robertson, by Robbie Robertson. What an incredible sounding album! And .......
76: Vinyl Asylum, Neil Diamond, Beautiful Noise (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-29, 19:55:54 (74.109.8.140)
Don't ask me why -- I think I got it as a present when I was around 10. I don't know what happened to it, but I'm sure it wouldn't be playable now. However, nostalgia got me buying a used LP copy last .......
77: Vinyl Asylum, unbelievable (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-29, 19:29:28 (74.109.8.140)
I find it unbelievable that about half the posters think that shills are okay, because no-one is puting a gun to the winning bidder's head and forcing him to overbid for something he wants. Business w .......
78: Cable Asylum, VD Power 3 (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-28, 17:21:59 (74.109.8.140)
I like the Virtual Dynamics Power 3. If the OP can get a high-end model used (like Audition or David) it would be worthwhile as well. I found both excellent on my DAC. These give the most benefit on d .......
79: Cable Asylum, which sounds better? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-28, 17:07:40 (74.109.8.140)
Well, I was told by Guy at Placette that for his passive preamps, it is important to have low inductance cables, at least for the one on the output end (helps the bass I think). So inductance can have .......
80: Cable Asylum, It can relative to their higher end products. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-28, 16:59:34 (74.109.8.140)
>>As one increase the other decreases. How "high" is high? HT Magic Link Two: Capacitance per foot 36 pF Inductance per foot 0.27 uH HT Pro-Silway MkIII Capacitance per foot 20 pF Inductance per foot .......
81: Cable Asylum, capacitance and inductance for a phono cable. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-26, 22:33:12 (74.109.8.140)
For a phono cable from a TT with Moving Coil cartridge to a phono preamp, what is more important: low inductance, low capacitance, or doesn't matter (i.e. lamp cord will do ;) ). I'm thinking that cap .......
82: Vinyl Asylum, Coldplay "A Rush of Blood to the Head". nt (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-26, 22:04:53 (74.109.8.140)
nt .......
83: Vinyl Asylum, Harmonic Tech cables good for phono? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-26, 08:11:10 (192.190.75.16)
I'm using a Harmonic Tech Truthlink cable right now as the phono cable from my VPI Scoutmaster with Benz L2 cartridge, to my Lehmann Black Cube SE. I'm thinking of getting an upgraded cable (RCA, 1m). .......
84: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Enjoy playing in the sand.....and what about your feet? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-23, 20:08:00 (74.109.8.140)
Well, when I said the background seemed blacker, that likely wasn't an objective measure of noise, but rather a sense that there was more space around the instruments, and more inner detail. So, perha .......
85: Vinyl Asylum, Re: If you're interested - (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-23, 20:02:46 (74.109.8.140)
Awesome pictures. I liked the screed (now that I know what one is). When I next take the turntable off, I'll redo the settling. I know the sand isn't flat right now, which reduces performance. My TT i .......
86: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Great idea! A suggestion for further improvement... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-23, 14:29:13 (74.109.8.140)
>>Have you tried making a cut-out for the motor so it's better isolated from the rest of the turntable? Yes, I've got a cutout for the motor. However, there is some coupling to the main sandbox top th .......
87: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Good for you! (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-23, 05:30:25 (192.190.75.16)
Well, the platform isn't perfectly level on the sand. To fix that, I may have to put something on it, and tap with a hammer (not sure how much that will work though). But, to level, I just shift the s .......
88: Vinyl Asylum, about 20% (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-22, 20:56:07 (74.109.8.140)
I've got 1 out of 5 be NM now from ebay. It was a Japanese pressing of Alan Parsons Project "Tales of Mystery and Imagination". It played like new! I've had bad luck with my other 4. I'm now buying fr .......
89: Vinyl Asylum, Just built a sandbox! (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-22, 20:45:26 (74.109.8.140)
I've had my Scout (almost Scoutmaster) for a few months now. I have enjoyed vinyl, but I've had troubles figuring out anti-skate and figuring out the best VTA settings. I have felt that I'm not gettin .......
90: Planar Speaker Asylum, Mye Sound MG-3.6/R Speaker Stands (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-20, 23:07:16 (74.109.8.140)
Thanks for the review! I found that the stands made a huge improvement in imaging and spacial cues. It was like some smearing had been removed (insert generic window/grime analogy here ;) ). I noticed .......
91: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: DSD vs. PCM preferences. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-17, 17:02:08 (74.109.8.140)
My DAD disks sound amazing to me. I haven't heard SACD on a good source -- just a Denon 2910, and I wasn't impressed with the high frequencies, though the mids were awesome. Why are we quibling over t .......
92: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Placette volume control (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-17, 14:20:36 (192.190.75.16)
Placette has a remote-controlled passive volume control. It's expensive, but it is as sonically transparent as I've ever heard (just keep cable length to amp short). .......
93: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Magnepan MMG/Denon (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-17, 08:01:29 (192.190.75.16)
The truth is that Denon's sound okay as-is, with the internal DACs, when the speakers are easy to drive. However, they have 2 problems: 1) they sound thin when driving Maggies. 2) their analog inputs .......
94: Amp/Preamp Asylum, my Placette passive sounds the same as direct connection (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-17, 07:39:09 (192.190.75.16)
If you like the sound of not having a preamp, then you will like the sound of using a Placette passive preamp. Using a low-volume classical piece, I connected my DAC directly to my amplifier. I compar .......
95: Amp/Preamp Asylum, REVIEW: Linar 250i Amplifier (SS) (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-17, 07:15:57 (192.190.75.16)
Model: 250i Category: Amplifier (SS) Suggested Retail Price: $3995 Description: 150W/channel MOSFET high current amplifier Manufacturer URL: Linar Model Picture: View Review by aud .......
96: Vinyl Asylum, Room for Squares well recorded, but poorly pressed. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-16, 17:28:00 (74.109.8.140)
I have Room For Squares. I love the music! But, the pressing has a lot to be desired. It is quite noisy, and has surface scuffs. The liner had to be physically pried off the disk when I first opened i .......
97: Vinyl Asylum, ANTI-SKATE HELPED! (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-16, 17:21:29 (74.109.8.140)
Thanks John, This being a new (to me) turntable recently, I'm not familiar with how to use it. I did an extra twist to the tonearm wire, as per VPI instructions. I didn't realize that it was acceptabl .......
98: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Not sure I can change anti-skate (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-15, 18:54:27 (74.109.8.140)
Thanks John. The arm is stationary on the outer edge of the disk, and moves to the outside when on the inner tracks. So, qualitatively I do have some anti-skate. But it isn't clear whether it is enoug .......
99: Vinyl Asylum, Re: magic eraser (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-15, 18:52:27 (74.109.8.140)
I will look at the stylus, though I only have a 10x loup. I clean it with a dry brush, and with a Zerodust. I don't think it's dirty. However, there is no way for me to tell if it's worn. .......
100: Vinyl Asylum, Re: alignment (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-15, 18:48:22 (74.109.8.140)
I used the alignment tool that comes with the VPI Scout. I can only align the cartridge body, but the cantilever looks very straight. I don't see any issues with it. What would a slight alignment erro .......
101: Vinyl Asylum, Not sure I can change anti-skate (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-15, 09:23:59 (192.190.75.16)
This is what I thought. But, with the VPI signature armtube, and the Nordost wiring, I don't think I can twist the wire any. It is thick wire, unlike the regular wiring. A full twist of the wire will .......
102: Vinyl Asylum, Help -- distortion in right channel on louder passages (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2007-01-15, 05:45:58 (192.190.75.16)
I have realized that I have distortion in the right channel of my TT setup. My vinyl setup is: Benz L2 cartridge, VPI scoutmaster (except for scout plinth) with signature armtube. (for rest, see my sy .......
103: Vinyl Asylum, nice graphs. Dithering also does let you hear deeper into the noise level (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-12-03, 16:05:58 (74.109.8.140)
I think your graphs explain some of the reason why dither allows us to hear deeper into the noise floor of a CD. I always knew that dither was to prevent harmonics created by sampling error. Your grap .......
104: Vinyl Asylum, It may just be the disk (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-11-30, 12:05:41 (192.190.75.16)
I re-did the DD cleaning (with a new 1:1 dilution with pure water), this time not vacuuming until I had washed/diluted most of the cleaner off with distilled water (lots of brush rinses later). The no .......
105: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Disk Doctor Miracle Record Cleaner causes crackle? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-11-29, 12:30:50 (192.190.75.16)
the instructions for record cleaning machines come with all sorts of warnings about making sure the record is fully rinsed, and making sure the final rinse is done with a totally clean wand. Well, I c .......
106: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Disk Doctor Miracle Record Cleaner causes crackle? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-11-29, 12:26:07 (192.190.75.16)
>>Did they have noise issues before you cleaned? I can't answer that, as I cleaned them first. They may have, but the noise is of such a different character (harsh crackle, much higher amplitude than .......
107: Vinyl Asylum, Disk Doctor Miracle Record Cleaner causes crackle? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-11-29, 11:04:44 (192.190.75.16)
Sorry for the troll-like title (that's why the ?). I bought some DD Miracle Record Cleaner (or some such name), in concentrate form, and filled with distilled water up to the top. I then did something .......
108: Vinyl Asylum, Your situation sounds like tracking (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-11-28, 09:00:01 (192.190.75.16)
It sounds like you had tracking issues. If you check my system, I've got a pretty good one, although I just discovered last night that I was tracking a bit heavy (2.4 grams instead of 2.0 grams on my .......
109: Vinyl Asylum, I cleaned them (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-11-28, 07:53:36 (192.190.75.16)
I cleaned them on a machine before playing. I also brushed the stylus. So far, my entire collection is fine (but only goes back to 70s), and my parents 3 old disks show distortions. Ah, but the perfor .......
110: Vinyl Asylum, The Pavarotti showed it even on less played disk (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-11-28, 07:07:52 (192.190.75.16)
The problem with the theory of the disk being damaged (while possible for some of them) is that with Pavarotti's greatest hits, from 1980, it was a 2-disk collection. The second disk was barely played .......
111: Vinyl Asylum, Early classical LPs -- is it all distorted? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-11-28, 05:27:24 (192.190.75.16)
My parents brought me a few of their old records. I don't remember all of them, but one was a collection of Verdi choruses, recorded at the La Scala opera house in Milan. It was likely 40 years old? I .......
112: Vinyl Asylum, are UK or Japan 70s rock pressing better than US/Can. ? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-11-21, 21:10:12 (72.56.74.28)
I have a couple of Japan pressings of Alan Parsons (Tales of Mystery and Imag., I Robot). They both sound excellent, though the I Robot had a bit more noise than I expected. I notice that used Japan a .......
113: Vinyl Asylum, To LAST or not to LAST (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-11-12, 20:45:52 (192.190.75.16)
I am trying to decide whether to use LAST record preservative on my best new record acquisitions. I've checked the archives on this, but haven't seen a discussion recently, not any definitive answers. .......
114: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Did I destroy my MC cart? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-11-12, 13:15:50 (192.190.75.16)
I once had a repair place send me back turtable to me without the arm locked in place. Needless to say, the MC cartridge cantilever/suspension was damaged. It played, but the cartridge almost touched .......
115: Vinyl Asylum, Im frustrated by noisy second-hand LPs. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-11-12, 11:16:15 (192.190.75.16)
Good information Theresa. I'm going to have to check out those labels. I recently purchased a John Mayer LP on Columbia, and it isn't very good. The sound is passable, but not amazing, and the disk i .......
116: Vinyl Asylum, Re: what a gas (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-11-08, 12:11:44 (192.190.75.16)
Quote from the white-paper: "It's no exaggeration to say that with the Pebbles in place ordinary CDs now sound better than SACDs did before." -- Gabriel G., PhD LOLOL. .......
117: Vinyl Asylum, Underlying philosophy? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-11-08, 10:42:28 (192.190.75.16)
I didn't realize I had to study philosophy to understand an audio tweek. Seriously, the only philosophy behind this is that a fool and his money are quickly parted. Just read the add copy! It's suppos .......
118: Vinyl Asylum, Laughing all the way to the bank (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-11-08, 06:08:39 (192.190.75.16)
my estimation of positive-feedback just went down a few notches. It affects, though some sort of psychic force, how the listener reacts to the sound, but does not change the sound itself? I still hav .......
119: Vinyl Asylum, This company also markets smart pebbles (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-11-07, 12:49:40 (192.190.75.16)
Multiple plastic cover plates make your sound better. So do a tiny jar of colorful pebbles, placed anywhere in the room. Machina Dynamica is a company that produces placebo audio tweeks, with such aud .......
120: Vinyl Asylum, too expensive (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-11-07, 12:40:34 (192.190.75.16)
I buy stuff on ebay and elsewhere. Basically, gradings of VG or G are junk. You can't give them away. Only VG+ or better are saleable (and many non-professional sellers try to pass them off as "like n .......
121: Vinyl Asylum, and I was going to buy a $50 dustcover -- boy do i feel stupid (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-11-03, 18:50:45 (72.56.74.28)
A guy on audiogon was selling plastic platter dustcovers for $50. Okay, where do I know some plastic with a center hole, that even has some static properties to pick up any dust on the platter? Hmmm, .......
122: Vinyl Asylum, best top material for a sandbox? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-31, 18:42:47 (72.56.74.28)
I'm planning on building a sandbox isolation platform on the cheap for my Scout(master, kind of). My question is what is the best top for it, that the turntable will rest on? I will split the top obvi .......
123: Vinyl Asylum, keeping the 10000 er... 24- hour rule alive ... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-31, 18:25:48 (72.56.74.28)
I don't believe in the 24 hour rule either. As a scientist, it should be easy to set up sets of experiments where one album is played over and over and digitized. The second is played the same number .......
124: Vinyl Asylum, I think they look cool. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-31, 17:48:08 (72.56.74.28)
They sure change the look of the table! I like the idea of these feet, but I wonder if you won't get a similar effect by using Vibrapods under the standard feet? Or are these more stable yet damped fe .......
125: Vinyl Asylum, how about a sandbox? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-30, 13:35:33 (192.190.75.16)
I'm going to build a sandbox for my table. The level is adjustable by ... shifting the sand. Good luck. .......
126: Vinyl Asylum, Re: RFI and interconnects (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-30, 12:32:29 (192.190.75.16)
Yup, that makes sense. It is freaky how important twisting the wires is. You want the twisting to be as clean symmetric as you can make it - with each loop the same as the next. 2 wires should be bett .......
127: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Alan Parsons Project ("lasers") Stereotomy... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-28, 16:19:27 (72.56.74.28)
I love the percussion on "Beaujolais". Nice vocals overall too. Just finished spinning it :) .......
128: Vinyl Asylum, hey, VTA makes a big difference! (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-28, 16:02:34 (72.56.74.28)
I got a Benz L2 cartridge a few weeks ago. It just didn't work on my old Denon DP-45F. The VTA was way too low, and I couldn't adjust the azimuth. I couldn't get the channels to sound in balance, and .......
129: Vinyl Asylum, album covers that you don't want in your collection (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-27, 18:23:16 (72.56.74.28)
I must post a WARNING for those easily offended. But, I haven't laughed so hard in a while. Sorry if this has been posted before. I'm new here. .......
130: Vinyl Asylum, Glenn Gould's Moonlight Sonata, source (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-25, 21:31:28 (72.56.74.28)
The linked URL has a review of 2 LP editions, which I think both include this same recording. This recording is definitely a Sony version. There is: Sony SMK 52645 and Columbia ML-5130, also an Oddyse .......
131: Vinyl Asylum, has anyone made a high-end DIY solid-state MC phono pre? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-25, 12:56:27 (192.190.75.16)
I have a Lehmann Black Cube SE phono preamp, for use with my VPI Scoutmaster and Benz L2 cartridge. I'm enjoying the sound, but I get the impression that the sound is a bit slow. Dynamics are good, bu .......
132: Vinyl Asylum, Moonlight Sonata, performed by Glenn Gould (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-25, 11:56:04 (192.190.75.16)
I have a CD from Taiwan (Jimmy's "Then the Moon Forgot") that gives music to go along with a children's storybook. On it is Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, performed by Glenn Gould. It is an old recordi .......
133: Planar Speaker Asylum, You want low inductance. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-22, 16:28:51 (72.56.74.28)
Low inductance is what you are trying to achieve for best sound. However, you don't want to do it at the expense of excessive capacitance. I have tried CAT5 cables (but not on my Maggies), and they so .......
134: Planar Speaker Asylum, Different sounds. You will miss the Maggies. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-22, 16:20:06 (72.56.74.28)
I auditioned B&W N805s (not the new signature model though) before buying my Maggie 3.6s . I liked the B&Ws, until my friend brought over his MMGs!! I couldn't listen to the B&Ws any more after that. .......
135: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Should I upgrade? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-20, 19:59:19 (72.56.74.28)
It depends if the 3.6s have something that you feel is lacking in the 1.6s. I own 3.6s, and while I haven't heard the 1.6s, I have heard the MMGs quite a bit. The MMGs are easier to drive, and much fr .......
136: Vinyl Asylum, phase? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-20, 18:43:04 (72.56.74.28)
Well, I would guess you are right that vinyl has phase distortions. At the edge of frequency response, you always get phase shifts. But, cartridges go out to 50 kHz, and so do many speakers. However, .......
137: Vinyl Asylum, Tom is right on (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-20, 11:50:09 (192.190.75.16)
While I doubt Tom understands all the mathematics of digital sampling, he knows enough to be right. You can't use 44 kHz sampling frequency, and simultaneously preserve the frequency response, phase r .......
138: Vinyl Asylum, couldn't afford the ring (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-18, 18:15:38 (70.27.60.161)
I couldn't afford the ring clamp! I'll have to do it next year. I know, it's probably the best upgrade I could do. I should be able to get one new or off Agon in the future. Now I need a dust cover. I .......
139: Vinyl Asylum, how much are brokerage fees? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-18, 18:09:16 (70.27.60.161)
I know that UPS ground has a crazy brokerage fee (about 7% of the value declared, if I remember, plus a flat fee). But I think that Fedex Ground is much better? Anyway, it's coming by Fedex Ground. I .......
140: Vinyl Asylum, Just bought it. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-18, 17:07:42 (70.27.60.161)
Thanks -- I agree. I think that an isolation device is probably as much of an upgrade as the double plinth. I get the feeling the double plinth is literally just an extra MDF top plinth attached to th .......
141: Vinyl Asylum, Good price, but I can get a new Scoutmaster cheap too (just not signature arm) (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-18, 12:58:51 (192.190.75.16)
The price is good -- 1695 U.S. . That will be about $2100 Can by the time I get it. I can buy a new Scoutmaster for $2350 Can (tax in), but without the signature arm (a $500 option). So, for 200 or 25 .......
142: Vinyl Asylum, Scoutmaster with Scout Plinth -- any sound degradation? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-18, 12:16:04 (192.190.75.16)
I'm considering buying a Scout with Signature arm, that has been upgraded to Scoutmaster (upgraded bearings and platter, upgraded motor) except of course the plinth. How important is the heavier Plint .......
143: Vinyl Asylum, Post to the Planar Forum (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-17, 10:30:02 (192.190.75.16)
Perhaps 40 Watts is enough if you don't play loud? I'm not sure, as I'm not a tube person. I know that more power is better, but tubes can be a bit less than solid-state. Dynamics up until the peak po .......
144: Vinyl Asylum, What is the advantage of the Signature arm? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-17, 09:20:52 (192.190.75.16)
It looks like the signature arm has an optional mechanical anti-skate, an option of using damping fluid, and may have the Nordost wiring? Which of these actually make the arm better? .......
145: Vinyl Asylum, Is VPI ScoutMaster worth it over the Scout? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-16, 22:34:02 (70.27.60.161)
Well, my vinyl odysey continues. I'm looking at getting a new table (and then probably upgrading everything else all over again). I'm liking the reviews and the price of the VPI Scout. However, I can .......
146: Vinyl Asylum, What phono stage is good? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-15, 11:45:14 (70.27.60.161)
I know this is a subjective question, but which phono stage do you prefer over the Black Cube, and what is the sonic reason? Basically I want it all -- PRAT, soundstage, luscious midrange, smooth and .......
147: Vinyl Asylum, Benz L2 cartridge bass heavy. Is it VTA problem? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-15, 09:47:09 (70.27.60.161)
I have managed to fix the loading on my Benz L2 (around 1.5K now, but may push it up higher later) to get the harmonics about right. However, I the bass is just monster-strong. It overpowers the music .......
148: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Where do you get replacement flexible hose? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-15, 09:27:57 (70.27.60.161)
I just got a VPI HW16.5 the other day. I would assume the drain tubing is standard Tygon tubing, available at any Home Depot or similar store. I don't know the size, though, but they sell them by inne .......
149: Vinyl Asylum, don't use transmission line analogies for audio (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-14, 19:35:31 (70.27.60.161)
For audio frequencies, you can absolutely ignore transmission line thinking. Roughly speaking, an RF signal takes 1 ns to travel 10 cm in a wire (or fiber). You are talking hundreds of megahertz for r .......
150: Vinyl Asylum, Re: Thoughts on cart loading (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-14, 12:56:35 (70.27.60.161)
If you are trying to do quick-change tests, with someone else changing DIP switches while you listen (at the danger of getting some snaps in sound), then perhaps a volume shift can affect your percept .......
151: Vinyl Asylum, VPI HW 16.5 wand damage prevention? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-14, 00:01:27 (70.27.60.161)
Searching the archives, I noticed that some people were getting want damage from closing the lid on the wand, with it facing backwards (as per the manual). I fear this could happen to me too, as the w .......
152: Vinyl Asylum, got phono loading fixed, and bought VPI HW16.5 (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-13, 23:57:24 (70.27.60.161)
Well, I bought a used Benz L2 cartridge, and didn't like the sound on my Denon DP-45F turntable, with Lehmann Black Cube SE phono. The high harmonics were rolled off, and the soundstage was compressed .......
153: Vinyl Asylum, Alan Parsons ... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-13, 23:41:47 (70.27.60.161)
William Ellwood -- Renaisance Journey -- Escape Andreas Vollenvieder -- Down to the Moon Alan Parsons Project -- Gaudi Neil. .......
154: Vinyl Asylum, Did anyone see the turntable on last week's House episode? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-13, 15:01:01 (192.190.75.16)
I just got around to watching last week's episode of House (a great show by the way -- the only one I watch besides Battlestar Galactica). In it, music was used as a clue in the medical mystery of the .......
155: Vinyl Asylum, it seems my room setup is mostly at fault (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-11, 15:42:08 (70.27.60.161)
Right now the Benz L2 is playing too mellow for my liking. I've got it into a 470 Ohm load. I prefer more detail on the top end (but for the top end to be smooth). I think I will try a larger resistor .......
156: Vinyl Asylum, lowering anti-skate doesn't fix it (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-11, 11:59:45 (192.190.75.16)
Well, I adjusted turntable to 1 gram tracking and anti-skate, and manually added another gram by moving the counterweight. It doesn't fix my soundstage problem. So, I have to do some cable switching. .......
157: Vinyl Asylum, Re: channel balance problem (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-11, 08:31:40 (192.190.75.16)
Thanks! I should have thought of that, but I'm a real vinyl newbie, despite having this table for 21 years. I'll get a stylus force gauge today, and try this out! I'll let you know if it fixes things. .......
158: Vinyl Asylum, channel balance problem (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-10, 20:14:52 (70.27.60.161)
I just bought a used Benz L2 cartridge, and am trying to get used to the sound (much different than my Shure V15 MkIV MM). Overall there is much less distortion, though I liked a lot of things about t .......
159: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: I sense no harshness with the Bryston 4B-SST (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-04, 17:34:26 (70.27.60.161)
I guess I need to qualify my statement more. The Bryston SSTs are not harsh, so much as thin and bright sounding. I know the differences between amps probably measure as being very small, but there is .......
160: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: My thoughts on my move from the Magnepan 1.6 QR to the 3.6R (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-10-03, 16:30:16 (70.27.60.161)
Nice system! Mine used to be very similar, right down to the Bel Canto DAC2, the Bryston 4B-SST, and the Maggie 3.6s. I've still got the Maggies and the DAC2, but the Bryston had to go. Also, the Mye .......
161: Vinyl Asylum, Re: JICO replacement stylus for my ShureV15 IV...long (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-09-29, 20:38:55 (70.27.60.161)
I have a Shure V15 mkIV as well, though I may not try this upgrade, as I have a new cartridge coming. So far though, the Shure gives a very pleasing natural sound. How difficult is it to replace a sty .......
162: Vinyl Asylum, check out my system. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-09-29, 20:33:55 (70.27.60.161)
Just click on the (A) beside my name to see my system. I've got Magneplanar 3.6/R speakers, powered by a Linar 250i amplifier. The preamp is a Placette passive pre. Various high-end cabling. So, I'm p .......
163: Vinyl Asylum, used vinyl (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-09-29, 20:30:48 (70.27.60.161)
Yes, I think I'm going to borrow my brother's vinyl collection if I can. He hasn't had a table in many years. A nearby audiophile friend just told me he was getting rid of his collection of 400 LPs. I .......
164: Vinyl Asylum, Just became a vinyl convert (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-09-29, 18:30:07 (70.27.60.161)
I have an old Denon DP-45F turntable from college days, and it still works well to this day (a Shure V15 MkIV cartridge). But, I got lost in the digital world for a while. I got back into analog when .......
165: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Maggie recommendations (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-09-27, 19:25:16 (70.27.60.161)
You can check out my system specs -- I use my Maggie 3.6R for 2-channel and HT. You likely have a smaller budget. If you go with 1.6s, then perhaps a Bryston 3B-SST or 4B-SST amp would be okay. But, d .......
166: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: good powerful amp for Magnepan 3.6qr - Linar 250i (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-09-27, 19:13:06 (70.27.60.161)
I own the Maggie 3.6/Rs I Use a Linar 250i (recent Mosfet version), and am amazed by the sound. And, it is only 150 W/ch ! Of course, for $6600 or so, you could buy 2 of them and biamp. It isn't the t .......
167: Planar Speaker Asylum, Mye Sound has a brass cup for hadwood floors. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-09-27, 18:56:30 (70.27.60.161)
Doesn't Grant sell a brass cup specifically for this? http://www.myesound.com/Page3.html They are the left-most item in the picture on the left. They are fabric-backed, and are a nicely machined cup. .......
168: Planar Speaker Asylum, sighting of Maggie 3.6/R in Canada FS (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-09-27, 18:49:22 (70.27.60.161)
I'm not affiliated with this seller in any way. I just thought it was cool that someone was actually selling these. I own the 3.6s, and I wouldn't sell them for anything (save a 20.1). http://www.canu .......
169: Vinyl Asylum, Re: New turntable/tonearm/cartridge: please share your experience! (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-09-10, 13:23:48 (70.27.60.161)
As I'm a newbie to high-end analog, I can't help you with your selection. But, I can suggest that moving your old table to the Denon is going to be a waste of time. I tried using my turntable with my .......
170: Vinyl Asylum, What should I upgrade? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-09-09, 17:34:12 (70.27.60.161)
I'm a born-again newbie to vinyl. I just connected my turntable to my system, after many years of disuse. I just played (loud) my old Alan Parsons "Gaudi" album, and the title track "La Sagrada Famili .......
171: DVD-Audiobahn, Re: DVD Transports? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-05-26, 17:56:58 (70.27.60.161)
I use my DVD as a transport to my Bel Canto DAC2. It should work fine for DVD-Vs on most players (there is sometimes an option to set to ensure it works). I love the few DAD disks that I have (a few C .......
172: DVD-Audiobahn, 2 channel for music -- YES (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-05-26, 16:45:47 (70.27.60.161)
I enjoyed reading your article, Teresa. It reminded me how much I enjoyed my Pictures at an Exhibition LP -- and how I haven't heard it in 20 years, and don't have it on CD/SACD etc. I agree with you .......
173: Planar Speaker Asylum, Just tried out Mye Stands on Maggie 3.6s (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-05-04, 19:53:56 (70.27.60.161)
Okay, my Mye stands are up, and I've done a couple of hours of listening tonight. The music was: Holly Cole "Don't Smoke In Bed" Michel Buble "It's Time" John Mayer "Heavier Things" The stands came in .......
174: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: 3.6s are bass-shy until break-in (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-05-04, 19:24:43 (70.27.60.161)
> I'll wait the 500 hours. I have no rock music anywhere near my house. Even Dean Martin must have a string bass there somewhere in his band ! ;) Seriously, some of the best bass is with a string bass .......
175: Planar Speaker Asylum, Stealth Mye stands (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-05-04, 13:33:50 (192.190.75.16)
Hi Grant, I considered the stealth model, but frankly the bricks didn't seem like they would fit in with the decor ;) Now, if you sold a "designer" weight that seemed to look like part of the stand, i .......
176: Planar Speaker Asylum, 3.6s are bass-shy until break-in (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-05-04, 13:26:02 (192.190.75.16)
The bass panels need at least 100 hours on them to sound full (play rock music loud when you're not at home). Until then, the Maggies are a bit bass-shy. Also, there may be some mellowing of the high- .......
177: Digital Drive, Re: Singlemode or multimode (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-04-22, 09:14:18 (70.27.60.161)
Hi, Does your transport not specify what type of cable? ST is the connector type. They are used for a single-fibre cable (as opposed to the fibre bundle in a Toslink). The ST cable could be single-mod .......
178: Digital Drive, transport and DIP for Redbook -- please help with my sound (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-04-22, 08:26:39 (70.27.60.161)
Hi all, You can take a look at my system. Basically, I've got Magneplanar 3.6/R speakers, which reveal everything, and have some issues of their own, like a bit of a recessed dynamics in the midrange. .......
179: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: Placette (revised post) (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-02-13, 19:50:34 (70.27.60.161)
Thanks Robert! Now I know what I'll be doing when I upgrade the preamp. But, it sounds like about $5000 for the multichannel -- ouch. Still, it will be worth it. If you ever sell yours, let me know fi .......
180: Hi-Rez Highway, How do you like Pre6 with Maggie 3.6/R ? What player makes them sing? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-02-12, 18:56:51 (192.190.75.16)
Hi, I just looked at your system -- it's similar to mine. I also have a Bel Canto Pre6, and Maggie 3.6/Rs. One of the biggest problems I had was finding the right amp. I have a Linar 250i (newer Mosfe .......
181: Cable Asylum, A relevant thread (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-02-05, 19:32:51 (70.27.60.161)
Here is a relavent thread. I'll try to glean something from it, but not all answers relate to me (I don't want a sub-panel, for instance). .......
182: Cable Asylum, What are ideal parts list for dedicated line? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-02-05, 16:26:40 (192.190.75.16)
Okay, assuming I'm just going to be creating a dedicated line, with no separate grounding rod, what is the ideal parts list? I've got the Furutech high-end AC outlet FP-20A(R). I'm not sure if the gro .......
183: Cable Asylum, Re: Separate grounds are dangerous and illegal. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-02-05, 16:18:49 (192.190.75.16)
Thanks for the answer -- that's why I'm asking at this forum. Google searches seem to only give the code for U.S., but it seems that an isolated ground must have a direct connection to the ground on t .......
184: Cable Asylum, Dedicated AC line -- help needed (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-02-05, 09:26:14 (192.190.75.16)
I am planning on puting a dedicated AC line into my listening area. So far I have the AC outlet -- the highest-end Furutech 20A, with rhodium plating. It also has the ability to have a separate hot co .......
185: Speaker Asylum, Re: How are things coming with humm elimination? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-02-04, 06:56:44 (70.27.60.161)
I took the advice of a Sumiko representative, and disconnected the connection to the amp neutral. He said that the ground from the LFE channel would then be sufficient. This appears to work -- no hum! .......
186: Speaker Asylum, Re: You may have a fully differential circuit...... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-02-01, 14:32:36 (192.190.75.16)
I thought about that. However, if so the Rel sub has a balanced high-level input (which makes no difference). I'm almost certain I don't have a balanced amplifier output, thought the Linar 500 monoblo .......
187: Speaker Asylum, Re: Rel Subwoofer hum problem with both LFE and high-level inputs (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-02-01, 10:50:27 (192.190.75.16)
Thanks for the suggestion of removing the power ground. I've tried it, and that doesn't solve it. The problem is that the neutral output of the power amp, and the ground of the LFE channel, are gettin .......
188: Speaker Asylum, Rel Subwoofer hum problem with both LFE and high-level inputs (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-02-01, 07:38:27 (192.190.75.16)
I just got a Rel Stentor III subwoofer for my system. I want it to work for HT and for my stereo listening. It works great for both. However, when I hookup the high-level speakon connector from my amp .......
189: Planar Speaker Asylum, I'll go with a REL Storm III or similar (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-01-10, 19:19:38 (70.27.60.161)
Thanks for the replies. I have had success with subwoofer augmentation in the past, so I think I will take andyr's suggestion, and go with a Rel Storm III subwoofer (or are other REL subwoofers better .......
190: Planar Speaker Asylum, subwoofer augmentation for 3.6R -- need advice (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2006-01-02, 12:12:41 (70.27.60.161)
Hi guys, My 3.6Rs sometimes sound like they have enough bass on some songs, but not enough on others. I have a Paradigm PW2200 subwoofer for home theatre (you can look at my system specs). I have used .......
191: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: Bitter WOTW disappointment (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-07-08, 16:47:33 (70.27.60.161)
I am also a bit disappointed by the quality of the sound, and multichannel mix in particular. I have an old audiophile pressing on LP, and I loved the music. I don't have a turntable hooked up any mor .......
192: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: 2 channel system hurts my ears......long (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-05-28, 05:54:13 (70.27.60.161)
I can't comment on your electronics of the main system, but I can say that your Denon receiver is going to smooth out your sound quite a bit, removing dynamics and involvement (at least when using the .......
193: Hi-Rez Highway, Awesome album (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-05-11, 18:35:51 (70.27.60.161)
I have the LPs, though I haven't listened to an LP in a long time. It was an awesome sounding album (and great writing). I will look forward to getting the disks. Neil .......
194: Planar Speaker Asylum, don't like the Bryston (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-05-02, 23:11:52 (70.27.60.161)
I have used Bryston 4B-ST and 4B-SST, and neither have given satisfactory sound. I initially liked them because I didn't know better, but I often complained of a non-dynamic midrange, and too bright a .......
195: Hi-Rez Highway, that's great but ... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-04-28, 18:52:41 (70.27.60.161)
Hi Michi, That's great that good players don't have a noise problem in the audible range, but the ultrasonics still need filtering. Even if the noise is lower than CD at 20 kHz, how did it get that wa .......
196: Hi-Rez Highway, What about your modded 3910? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-04-28, 11:28:25 (192.190.75.16)
Alex, If the 2910 has all these digital challenges, what about the 3910? Isn't it the same thing, except with a few more power supplies, and an upgraded Burr Brown DAC? You and others mod the 3910 and .......
197: Hi-Rez Highway, SACD "should" die (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-04-25, 07:25:56 (192.190.75.16)
Sorry for the troll subject, but I'm semi-serious. From the beginning, SACD has been handled badly. Sony has made it expensive and difficult for player and processor manufacturers to transfer SACD dat .......
198: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: SACD sound quality -- follow up (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-04-22, 13:34:03 (192.190.75.16)
Thanks for the input. Can everyone agree that this is a fair statement? * As DVD-A and SACD playback systems improve, they should tend towards having the same sound. If this statement is not true, the .......
199: Hi-Rez Highway, SACD sound quality (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-04-19, 10:07:17 (192.190.75.16)
I have upgraded my system -- all except my universal Denon 2910 player. For SACD it is: Denon 2910 player Harmonic Tech Pro-Silway MkII interconnect, 1m RCA Bel Canto Pre6 Harmonic Tech Pro-Silway MkI .......
200: Hi-Rez Highway, I think I need to look for some Gould. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-04-15, 17:25:51 (70.27.60.161)
I have seen him play on TV, but the only piece I have by Gould is Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on a various-artist CD (probably from a Sony recording). I hear the humming part-way through, but it does .......
201: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Maggies 3.6R help for Newbie (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-04-12, 14:08:03 (192.190.75.16)
The maggies are not high maintenance. Once they break in, they are great. Your Bryston 4B-SST will be "okay" with them, but not optimum. I used that amp for a year, and am now very happy I switched to .......
202: Hi-Rez Highway, Denon 2910 (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-03-22, 17:55:48 (70.27.60.161)
The Denon 2910 is wonderful at video. It is merely "good" at audio, but that isn't so bad. I find the SADC playback quite acceptable. CD is a bit fat in the midrange and bass, and slightly bright up t .......
203: Amp/Preamp Asylum, They weren't all SSTs (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-03-21, 12:44:18 (192.190.75.16)
I have tried the Bryston 3B, 4B-ST and 4B-SST. The 3B was a 20-year-old regular 3B. I would hope the sound quality has improved since then. Neil .......
204: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: help with a new system (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-03-21, 09:55:43 (192.190.75.16)
The previous posters have useful suggestions. I have a similar problem in my room. One of my 3.6s is not close to a side wall, while the other is close to a 45-degree brick fireplace. Man, the sound s .......
205: Planar Speaker Asylum, amps for Maggie 3.6/R (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-03-21, 07:28:59 (192.190.75.16)
I have just acquired a Linar Audio 5x150 amp. I originally was going to use it for my surround speakers, and use my Bryston 4B-SST on the Maggie 3.6s. My problem is I'm liking the Linar on the Maggies .......
206: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Bryston SST vs. Linar and SimAudio? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-03-21, 07:17:56 (192.190.75.16)
Thanks. I have had both a 3B, 4B-ST, and now 4B-SST hooked up to my Magneplanar 3.6s . Each had a different sound. The 3B was dark and dull, the 4B was fairly dynamic, but harsh on the highs a bit. Th .......
207: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Bryston SST vs. Linar and SimAudio? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-03-20, 05:09:16 (70.27.60.161)
I was wondering if you guys could help me figure out the sound I am getting from 2 amps. I normally use a Bryston 4B-SST to power my Magneplanar 3.6/R speakers. I am trying out a Linar 5x150 amplifier .......
208: Hi-Rez Highway, Can anyone comment on these classical SACD releases? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-03-17, 11:59:00 (192.190.75.16)
I am trying to set up a cart of multichannel SACD classical disks to buy at Acoustic Sounds (I need $50 minimum). I enjoy baroque pieces, as well as anything with good solo or massed vocals. I am not .......
209: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Bryston SP 1.7 for surround music and HT? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-03-16, 10:26:25 (192.190.75.16)
I am considering buying a Bryston SP 1.7 as the center of my HT setup. I also listen to CD and multichannel SACD on the setup. Will this unit do a great job as an analog preamp on multichannel sources .......
210: Cable Asylum, Analog optical transmission very hard to do without distortion (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-03-12, 12:28:44 (70.27.60.161)
I have never seen or measured these cables -- nor have I seen measurements posted. However, the technology seems to me to be something you would use for long distance transmission, not a short interco .......
211: Planar Speaker Asylum, Is the diagram wrong? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-03-09, 08:23:10 (192.190.75.16)
Mart, I have a problem with the picture of the "modified" crossover. A the wire that goes through the fuse has disappeared. Surely this is only true if the fuse is taken out. Otherwise, it very much m .......
212: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Mundorf Siver/Oil (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-03-07, 14:15:29 (192.190.75.16)
Can you comment on the differences you hear in the sound? I would like to upgrade the internal crossover on my 3.6s and am trying to figure out what types of components to buy. Thanks -- Neil ::: TOPI .......
213: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Isoclean fuses (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-03-04, 13:59:44 (192.190.75.16)
I looked up Isoclean fuses. Do you mean you are replacing the stock Maggie fuses with these, or something upstream? I notice that the Isoclean fuses are slo-blo. Would anyone recommend using a slightl .......
214: Planar Speaker Asylum, my amp and system (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-03-04, 11:23:20 (192.190.75.16)
You can see my system by clicking on the (A) beside my name. I have a Bryston 4B-SST. I used to have a 4B-ST, and the change has removed some hash in the highs (though I think the 4B-ST had a stronger .......
215: Planar Speaker Asylum, Thanks -- good suggestions. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-03-04, 06:49:55 (192.190.75.16)
Thanks for the tips! I have decided that the first two things to do are 1) get Mye stands 2) do some room treatments. When I am done that, I will get into electronics tweaks. First will be the Caddock .......
216: Planar Speaker Asylum, Taming Maggie 3.6/R brightness (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-03-03, 06:50:41 (192.190.75.16)
I've done a search about brightness issues, but I'd like advice on what I currently hear. When I first got the Maggies, I had problems with harsh highs. I did break-in, and eventually changed all upst .......
217: Propeller Head Plaza, Fast switching between DACs not a good comparison? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2005-02-08, 07:14:07 (192.190.75.6)
I now have a setup where I can switch between my Denon 2910 DVD player, my Bel Canto DAC2, and my Denon 5800 receiver as a DAC source. I am using a Placette passive preamp. The DAC and DVD have identi .......
218: DVD-Audiobahn, Has anyone tried Parts Connexion DVD mods? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-12-21, 17:05:48 (69.193.113.46)
I am thinking of getting a modded Denon 3910 from Parts Connexion. Has anyone had experience with the sound of any of their mods? Mods more than double the price of the player, and it is difficult to .......
219: Video Asylum, Re: Ground Loop--Can I Do This (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-12-17, 18:38:15 (69.193.113.46)
The ground loop isolator should NOT destroy your signal. It is probably defective, or else isn't designed to work with the high frequencies of satelite. You should use one that is designed for satelit .......
220: Hi-Rez Highway, my 2910 is a bit lifeless on Redbook, but not too harsh (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-12-14, 19:27:31 (69.193.113.46)
I have a 2910 (second hand). I will definitely upgrade, but want to get my feet wet in the world of SACD stereo/multichannel first. The Onkyo SP1000 sounds great -- maybe there will be second hand one .......
221: Cable Asylum, nope (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-11-22, 11:39:48 (192.190.75.6)
serus, There can be errors in reading data off a CD, because of scratches, bad tracking, etc. That's why there is redundancy in the data, and error correction algorithms. But, the signal-to-noise in s .......
222: Cable Asylum, I agree (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-11-19, 14:25:56 (192.190.75.6)
Hi John, I've enjoyed some of your posts. You are correct -- the coiling of the cables should have negligible effect on inductance. That is of course because the cable has current going in opposite di .......
223: Cable Asylum, Reclocking isn't a panacea (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-11-19, 10:13:39 (192.190.75.6)
BNC connectors will result in less reflections. The mismatch for the small distance of the connector will excite a reflection, though not of a huge amplitude. Reclocking isn't a perfect solution. Most .......
224: Cable Asylum, forgot another property -- dispersion (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-11-19, 09:03:27 (192.190.75.6)
Oh, one more property of a fiber is * dispersion -- varying index of refraction with wavelength If the light source has multiple wavelengths (like LEDs do), the different wavelengths will propogate at .......
225: Cable Asylum, How Toslink cable can affect jitter (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-11-19, 08:36:02 (192.190.75.6)
This is a good question. I am not an expert on Toslink, but I am an expert on fiber optics, so I hope I can answer this. Toslink is a fiber bundle. There should be a specification for acceptance angle .......
226: Cable Asylum, Re: magnepans"too revealing of details" in the highs" stereophile magazine. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-11-16, 12:26:56 (192.190.75.6)
I have fine system synergy, thanks. The people over at the Planar Asylum had a good laugh over the Stereophile review of the Magneplanar 20.1/R. Too revealing of problems in the highs? Well, that mean .......
227: Cable Asylum, Re: magnepans and Denon...not a good match...better using bryston. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-11-15, 12:55:38 (192.190.75.6)
You didn't fully read my setup. I do use the Bryston for the amp on the stereo mains, regardless of which DAC I use. You are correct, a Denon receiver cannot power Magneplanars (well, MMGs don't work .......
228: Cable Asylum, Toslink and SPDIF also contain the clock (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-11-14, 19:07:23 (69.193.113.46)
Yes, the signal is digital data, but it also has embedded in the data the master clock of the digital system. The master clock is in the transport, not the DAC. Any accurate playback system must have .......
229: Cable Asylum, Glass Toslink tried -- and not liked (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-11-11, 14:04:00 (192.190.75.6)
This isn't a full review, but rather impressions after a few hours of listing to the Sound Prefessionals glass toslink cable. Equipment: 1) Denon 2910 DVD player 2) digital connection -- either Sound .......
230: DVD-Audiobahn, Best universal players under $2000 (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-10-30, 11:17:55 (69.193.113.46)
I just got the Denon 2910 DVD player. It has great video, and okay audio. The audio isn't quite up to the task of my Bel Canto DAC2, however. I'll post a review later when I've got more listening note .......
231: DVD-Audiobahn, I read about that rumor (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-10-24, 18:31:09 (192.190.75.6)
The rumor about Sony calling it quits had to do with speculation about the reason behind Sony cutting it's 10-million dollar SACD promotion budget. I'm not sure if that was consumer advertising or ind .......
232: DVD-Audiobahn, Re: DVD Video has won -- I agree. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-10-24, 18:19:03 (192.190.75.6)
I agree with Teresa, Dolby digital on regular DVDs is what SACD and DVD-audio has to beat. Almost any cheap theatre-in-a-box can decode it, and people can have surround sound on their favourite band c .......
233: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: My pre-amp vs passive test - help requested (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-09-28, 17:51:09 (69.193.113.46)
I hear some people get okay results with DIY. I wouldn't do without my Placette passive pre, though. It beat the preamps I tried, including high-end Blue Circle tube pres. As long as the passive-to-am .......
234: Cable Asylum, Sometimes sarcasm is more useful than rebuttal ;) [NT] (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-09-13, 12:48:51 (192.190.75.6)
. .......
235: Video Asylum, Can a Sony 51" TV be retrofitted with DVI? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-09-03, 13:59:56 (192.190.75.6)
I got a Sony 51" rear-projection CRT HDTV just before they started coming with DVI. Will Sony or anyone else retrofit DVI to it? I guess my reasoning is that: 1) It will give better quality image -- o .......
236: Video Asylum, Re: Difference between Y, Pb, Pr and Y, U, V DVD Component Input. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-08-31, 19:05:55 (24.102.94.111)
Hi, I've never seen a combination of Y Pb Pr and Y U V in analog equipment, but I do understand the colorspaces on computer. In computer they are "sometimes" identical. The problem comes with there be .......
237: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Bryston SST vs ST... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2004-02-06, 17:09:55 (24.112.116.180)
I switched from a 4B-ST to a 4B-SST on my Magneplanar 3.6s . I found that the bass was slightly less prominent on the SST, but I've since decided it is actually tighter and more acurate. But, there is .......
238: Cable Asylum, BC DAC2 (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-12-30, 11:39:53 (192.190.75.6)
The Bel Canto DAC2 is a great DAC. But, Bel Canto doesn't seem to be pushing it as much as their amps, and the company doesn't seem to have many distributors. I own one -- and I'm extremely happy with .......
239: Video Asylum, Re: Unusual experience comparing Toslink sound... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-10-21, 00:38:17 (192.190.75.6)
Glass toslink "can" be better than coax, but often isn't. It is the jitter in the transmitter and receiver modules (and the whole transport for that matter) that can determine the quality of the sound .......
240: Planar Speaker Asylum, sound is "loud horrible noise", not cut-out (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-10-06, 07:22:56 (192.190.75.6)
In case my post confused, I'm told that the sound is a loud horrible noise, not a "cut-out". I'm assuming that the user isn't just driving this too hard, but is getting clipping at a lower volume than .......
241: Planar Speaker Asylum, The amp was set to ground-defeat. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-10-06, 06:54:45 (192.190.75.6)
The switch was set on ground defeat, or the "up" position on the Bryston. -- Neil .......
242: Planar Speaker Asylum, cut-out on Bryston + Maggie -- HELP (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-10-05, 17:52:54 (24.112.116.180)
Hi guys, I just sold my Bryston 4B-ST to another Maggie owner. I think his is a 1.6 . I used it without problems on my 3.6s (I now own a 4B-SST). Well, he's having problems with the amp, in a way that .......
243: Cable Asylum, Re: Harsh? I don't undestand (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-07-28, 14:14:39 (192.190.75.6)
Hi, You need to read up on jitter sometime. All 75 ohm cables will be satisfactory at passing the data without bit errors. It is the accuracy of the crossings of the data that determine how much timin .......
244: Digital Drive, agree if he likes the 34 -- disagree otherwise (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-07-16, 18:16:41 (24.43.35.157)
If he likes the sound of the 34 he should stay with it. Yes, a better transport would help as an upgrade. But, if he isn't going to like it, even with the better transport, the DAC2 is a great DAC. If .......
245: Digital Drive, jitter is real engineering (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-07-16, 18:06:57 (24.43.35.157)
I've read John's references before -- they are actually quite good, but there are lots of sites that explain how jitter affects audio. It's one of the biggest killers of digital audio quality. It's al .......
246: Planar Speaker Asylum, What improvements do people hear with active crossover? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-07-03, 14:01:07 (192.190.75.6)
Hi Andy, Thanks for the link -- I read it. Much of the theory dealt with dynamic drivers (which Maggies 3.6s don't have), and the advantages of phase-linear crossovers. Well, in our active designs, we .......
247: Planar Speaker Asylum, large capacitors vs. banks. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-06-27, 05:52:02 (192.190.75.6)
You are creating a bank of 10 20uf for the midrange/tweeter? Isn't that going to be a whole lot more expensive than one 200uf? In the tweaks section, EAR uses just a 200uf there, and I think it was Pa .......
248: Video Asylum, placette can also wire 1 output as a HT-in bypass (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-06-26, 15:08:49 (192.190.75.6)
I use a placette passive pre in my system as well, and turn the volume up for the HT input. I didn't want to lose an input, so I asked Guy if I could get another one for an HT bypass. He said they can .......
249: Planar Speaker Asylum, which parts for Maggie 3.6 crossover upgrade? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-06-26, 10:47:59 (192.190.75.6)
Hi all, I have upgrade fever on my maggies. I've got the upstream components to where I like them, but I would like a bit more bass, and a bit more smooth and natural presentation (with improved dynam .......
250: Cable Asylum, it can get complicated ... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-06-20, 12:58:14 (192.190.75.6)
Hey, it's been ages since I participated in a Steve Eddy/John Risch argument. I guess I missed it, because I'm back ;) I haven't analysed your magnet-wire example, Steve, but you have a good point -- .......
251: Planar Speaker Asylum, amps warm-up, and ears change with listening (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-06-20, 08:04:53 (192.190.75.6)
Thanks for the replies, I've kept the amp on for days now, and I swear that the warm-up helped the sound. But, I also know that my ears have changed during those moderate-level listening sessions. You .......
252: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Bryston 4B ST vs. SST for Maggie 3.6 -- follow-up (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-06-18, 08:25:08 (192.190.75.6)
Here's a follow-up, I think that the bass is all there -- it just seems to have lost a tiny bit of slam. Turning my fill-sub on and up doesn't seem to help what I thought I'd lost. I think this is a p .......
253: Planar Speaker Asylum, Bryston 4B ST vs. SST for Maggie 3.6 -- initial impressions (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-06-17, 11:29:16 (192.190.75.6)
I just got a Bryston 4B-SST today, used, as a small "upgrade" to my system. I like the 4B-ST that I have, but I figured I could use a bit more power, and I had an upgrade bug. I tried it out for a sho .......
254: Digital Drive, Re: Why Does My DVD Player/DAC Combo Sound So Bad? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-06-16, 18:08:22 (24.43.35.157)
Hi, My guess is that your problem is the transport, the digital cable, and/or the power cords to the DAC. I have heard some people say that both the DAC1.1 and the DAC2 are similar quality sound. I fr .......
255: Digital Drive, video coax out?? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-06-05, 18:45:27 (24.43.35.157)
Hi, I think your post muddied the waters a bit. Yes, a DVD player usually has a coax digital out (for the audio stream, be it PCM, Dolby digital, or DTS), and a toslink optical digital out that gives .......
256: Hi-Rez Highway, A SAD is a DAD. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-06-05, 18:26:41 (24.43.35.157)
I have to agree with you -- the SAD of "Ink" is one absolutely amazing recording. I put the 24/96 stream into my Bel Canto DAC2, and I get out magic. On the first track, it starts with whistling -- yo .......
257: Hi-Rez Highway, agree in principle -- example is a bit wimpy (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-06-01, 20:35:42 (24.43.35.157)
Hey, I like the letter -- it's well written, and principled. I agree with you, but the example you chose seems like chump change. A banner add on a guy's web site is probably going to make $20/month. .......
258: Digital Drive, Re: bel Canto DAC 1 or Channel Island? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-06-01, 18:27:29 (24.43.35.157)
I can't comment on most of these, except by other's comments. As for the ART DI/O, those who rave about it have usually done modifications. The stock unit is supposed to be good, but I doubt it will b .......
259: Planar Speaker Asylum, Denon 5800 vs. 5803 (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-05-28, 21:10:02 (65.49.143.109)
Hi, It sounds like my system is similar to yours. I have a Denon 5800, and it was terrible for analog pass-through (even in pure-direct). The internal DACs weren't bad, but there was always a hash in .......
260: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: distortion - i tried the amp/preamp asylum to no avail... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-04-29, 09:59:31 (64.235.96.22)
If it is indeed the amp, then swapping the input channels, and output channels (separately) will prove it. I have to ask -- how capacitive are your speaker cables? I don't know anything about this amp .......
261: Planar Speaker Asylum, B&W Nautilus HTM2 (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-04-29, 09:01:32 (64.235.96.22)
I use the B&W Nautilus HTM2 with my 3.6s. They are not voiced the same, but they are similar enough that there isn't a problem. The HTM2 has a more up-front midrange. However, the tweeter is a great m .......
262: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: installing 3 subwoofers with a maggie 3.6 system? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-04-28, 19:27:40 (65.49.143.109)
I use a sub for HT, and also as a "fill" for my Maggie 3.6Rs (at different volume settings). The HT processor provides the 80 Hz crossover for the sub, and I just "add" it to the full-range Maggie sou .......
263: Planar Speaker Asylum, Can active biamping fix 3.6R midrange dynamics? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-04-28, 19:10:57 (65.49.143.109)
I have been considering active biamping for my 3.6s for a while, though it will be expensive to get the amps and crossovers. I like the speakers, but sometimes I get a bit frustrated by the perceived .......
264: Video Asylum, Re: THX Question (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-04-28, 17:13:42 (65.49.143.109)
There are a number of components to THX certification. One is the THX equalization. That's the most important, but a non-THX receiver might have a different name for a similar equalization feature (li .......
265: Planar Speaker Asylum, is biamping a solution to poor midrange dynamics? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-04-27, 18:47:35 (65.49.143.109)
I found about 200 hours necessary for break-in. However, the bass panel broke-in the most. The maggie 3.6s are rutheless to source material. You need a better CD player, and a decent preamp is a must .......
266: Video Asylum, We can't wait forever. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-04-25, 17:57:27 (65.49.143.109)
I'm wondering if some of these new advances in digital standards aren't wishful thinking. HDMI or Firewire will only become useful if they are widely adopted by the industry. It seems to me that firew .......
267: Video Asylum, best sounding 7.1 pre/pro for under $5000 ? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-04-24, 19:09:49 (65.49.143.109)
I'm looking for the best sounding HT 7.1 pre/pro for under about $5000 U.S. new (of course I would want it cheaper second hand). I currently use a Placette preamp for stereo, and it gives wonderful so .......
268: Video Asylum, Re: from 2 channel to Home Theater (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-04-24, 19:02:45 (65.49.143.109)
I had your problem exactly. You can look at my system to see what I've done. I have a Denon 5800 Receiver. It was supposed to be the highest-rated for sound! Well, the internal DACs do an okay job, bu .......
269: Propeller Head Plaza, How about debating the Virtual Dynamics claims? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-04-01, 20:17:57 (65.49.143.109)
I know this is changing the topic, but there was a very informative (if not proven) post to a Shunyata article recently. It was great reading, and was at least plausible. Well, I have a Virtual Dynami .......
270: Propeller Head Plaza, slight correction (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-04-01, 18:11:26 (65.49.143.109)
Actually -- my comment about a metal/oxide/different-metal interface having a diode-like property isn't quite correct. The metals should still equalize their fermi levels by exchanging charges at the .......
271: Propeller Head Plaza, you're making it confusing? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-04-01, 18:03:56 (65.49.143.109)
This all sounds fine, but it seems you are making it too confusing. Yes, the work functions of metals are different. By connecting 2 wires together, and puting it between a voltmeter, you measure 0 Vo .......
272: Music Lane, I have one to sell, really cheap -- are all XRCD's bad? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-02-02, 12:40:15 (192.190.75.6)
I have only 1 XRCD. It is Andrea Bocelli, "Romanza". If the sound quality was any worse, it would be banned under the Geneva Convention for cruel and unusual punishment. I don't know if it is the XRCD .......
273: Music Lane, Aselin Debison "Sweet is the Melody" / Short Review (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-01-30, 22:07:16 (192.190.75.6)
Aselin Debison is a 12-year-old female singer from Canada, with her second album release (actually recorded when still 11). Many of the posters on this board are into classical music, and this is Asel .......
274: Digital Drive, Would PS Power Plant make them sound better? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2003-01-30, 20:54:35 (192.190.75.6)
Hi Andy, Do you think a PS Power Plant like yours would make any difference on my Bel Canto DAC2? I've been wanting to try one out for a while now. It's a bit heavy to lug over to my place, though -- .......
275: Hi-Rez Highway, How about the money paid to promote new talent? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-12-16, 23:00:57 (192.190.75.6)
Remember the mantra that record companies had to charge high prices to promote new artists? I thought it was bull. Well -- I have seen evidence of it with an new artist that I am a fan of. It actually .......
276: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: need guidance with purchasing first set of maggies... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-12-13, 12:37:07 (192.190.75.6)
You've been given a lot of good advice on here. PLEASE don't believe for a minute that a Maggie 1.6 with Bryston pre and power amp is going to sound anything like a smaller maggie powered by your Sony .......
277: Digital Drive, Re: DAC Vs CD Player (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-25, 22:53:22 (192.190.75.6)
I think you could do fine either way. But -- I use a cheap DVD player and a Bel Canto DAC2 (about $1300). This combination is amazing. And, I don't have to worry about what happens when the transport .......
278: Digital Drive, Re: Upsampling, HDCD and old DAC all sounding the same (take2) (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-25, 22:44:32 (192.190.75.6)
Well, I was warned the the MF A3^24 was brighter than my Bel Canto DAC2, and I believe the Bel Canto has much better jitter rejection. Yes, transports make a difference, and so does the digital cable .......
279: Digital Drive, Re: which DAC can accept 24/192 input ? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-25, 22:36:33 (192.190.75.6)
DACs that accept 24/192 will be clearly marketed as such. My Bel Canto DAC2 does -- but the DAC1 doesn't. Unless you have a high-end processor like the Purcell dCS to do your upsampling, it is probabl .......
280: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Denon 3802 to Bryston 3BST (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-25, 22:09:18 (192.190.75.6)
In my Denon 5800 the receiver doesn't connect the ground pin of the power cord. The sources are usually grounded, though. The amp therefore shouldn't be. Flipping the ground-defeat switch on the amp i .......
281: Planar Speaker Asylum, DVD,DAC/Toshiba,Bel Canto/3750,DAC2/3,9 [nt] (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-25, 22:02:10 (192.190.75.6)
. .......
282: Planar Speaker Asylum, was bad when I heard them (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-25, 21:53:39 (192.190.75.6)
I auditioned the Ascents with a high-end CD player, but with a Bryston 3BST power amp. Others on this board say the amp was a mistake -- perhaps they are right. The sound was baaaad compared to the Ma .......
283: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Magnepan amplifier generalization (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-25, 21:41:40 (192.190.75.6)
Power amps (almost always) produce voltage output, not current output. So, when the signal says "put out 10V", it does. The Power is V^2/R like you have mentioned. Into high-impedence regions, the pow .......
284: Hi-Rez Highway, yawn (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-25, 15:13:30 (192.190.75.6)
This was just posted recently. The problem with IAR (where he finds sounds to justify his incorrect understanding of DSD) and this article is that "who cares about the theory". Both formats should giv .......
285: Digital Drive, Re: Upgrade Bel Canto DAC1 to DAC2 ? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-25, 10:55:44 (192.190.75.6)
Yes, the review is online -- I'm not sure which magazine, but google should find it. Yes, Bel Canto still recommends DVD players -- which I am using. But, you can really use anything. Their big market .......
286: Digital Drive, Re: Upgrade Bel Canto DAC1 to DAC2 ? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-24, 16:27:25 (192.190.75.6)
Well, the one review that compares the 2 said they were similar -- with the DAC2 just doing everything a bit better. I think there is substantial improvement in jitter reduction with the DAC2, making .......
287: Cable Asylum, The shield has 20+ Ohms resistance (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-23, 14:06:03 (192.190.75.6)
VDH "The First" has a very high shield conductor resistance, as it is carbon. I think it was 20 or more ohms for 1m. "The First Ultimate" used a thicker carbon shield, which reduced the resistance to .......
288: Planar Speaker Asylum, Have 3.6s -- but also have dynamics concerns (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-21, 11:48:12 (192.190.75.6)
I power 3.6s with a Bryston 4BST (see my system by clicking on my name). I love the sound, and usually recordings are the most important factor in the sounds quality at this point. However, compared t .......
289: Cable Asylum, then you might be missing out on better sound. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-21, 07:26:17 (192.190.75.6)
Dedicated lines? I've yet to do that, but may soon since it's cheap (except for the cost of the electrician). I haven't found a power conditioner that makes any improvement to power components -- they .......
290: Hi-Rez Highway, Then it's not just me! My XRCD is baaad. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-19, 18:19:40 (192.190.75.6)
I have bought one XRCD: Andreas Bocelli, Romanza. The sound quality is junk. Seriously -- they seem to have run the signal level right up to the top, and something REALLY bad has happened to the voice .......
291: Hi-Rez Highway, It's all in the implementation. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-19, 13:38:38 (192.190.75.6)
You have to contrast this with the old Meitner interview by Positive Feedback (which is no longer online for some reason). As a storage format, both should likely be fine. SACD can do a little more i .......
292: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: simple math on high freq SACD (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-14, 10:12:23 (192.190.75.6)
This picture is wrong. As Ted Smith said, the 1 and 0 mean move to the rails as fast as you can. But, the reconstruction filter of course prevents that. The bit patterns matter. If you have 141 bits f .......
293: Cable Asylum, Re: source, source, source (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-12, 12:45:44 (192.190.75.6)
If the pro-silways kill your synergy, then don't use them. I haven't heard the Pioneer 47AI, so I can't comment. I like the idea of a universal player, but to date, no player seems to be able to play .......
294: Cable Asylum, source, source, source (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-12, 11:25:35 (192.190.75.6)
The Cardas Neutral Reference isn't a great cord, though I like the Golden reference. I think the high-end is very good on the pro-silway IIs. I have also battled with "unlistenable" sound. It always w .......
295: Video Asylum, Denon 2802 Receiver (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-10, 20:41:47 (192.190.75.6)
I own a Denon 5800 receiver, which was the top-of-the-line a year ago, and was the top-reviewed receiver in a couple of magazines for HT. Unfortunately, it is not audiophile quality sound on stereo, e .......
296: Amp/Preamp Asylum, The Bel Canto Pre6 does interest me. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-08, 06:42:52 (192.190.75.6)
The Bel Canto Pre6 has been the most interesting so far. But, I've only started looking. The literature isn't really clear whether it can switch 8 channels at once or not. Even if it can't, 6 should b .......
297: Amp/Preamp Asylum, preamp or source needs changing (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-07, 21:29:43 (192.190.75.6)
I've been down this road already (check out the (A) by my name, and then check out my system). I have a Denon AVR-5800 receiver. It is top-of-the-line (or was a year ago). As an analog preamp, it stin .......
298: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Best 7.1 preamps or processors under $4000? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-07, 21:16:33 (192.190.75.6)
I have a good stereo setup, and an okay 7.1 home theatre, but want to upgrade to an amazing 5.1 multichannel audio setup, with the ability to put 7.1 through it for the HT. I use a Denon AVR-5800, but .......
299: Cable Asylum, Re: Well??C'mon, pick it apart technically!! (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-05, 10:52:12 (192.190.75.6)
I'll bite -- what what the technical gaff? What I didn't like about his analysis was the lack of a realistic speaker load. From what I remember (I read it before the weekend), the group delay vs. freq .......
300: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: FYI: The 9000ES was borrowed from friend for the review. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-05, 10:29:49 (192.190.75.6)
Your profile says you have the 333ES player for SACD. A lot of people on this board say that the 9000ES sounds better (from the search I did). How is it that you don't like the 9000ES but you like the .......
301: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: The Sony 9000ES with SACD also creams the Toshiba 9200 with DVD-A thru my AMC Tube Pre-Amp to my (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-05, 10:23:41 (192.190.75.6)
Theresa, Can you look up the board at my question above? I'm really hoping that the 9000ES would be good enough on SACD to beat out CD on a really good DAC. I don't think speakers have anything to do .......
302: Hi-Rez Highway, Oh, that price was 6 months old, not new [nt] (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-04, 22:51:59 (192.190.75.6)
. .......
303: Hi-Rez Highway, Sony DVP 9000ES -- for price, how is SACD and video performance? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-04, 22:32:43 (192.190.75.6)
I may be able to buy a DVP 9000ES for $1000 Canadian or less (about $650 US). Is this a good way to get into SACD? I am currently using a Bel Canto DAC2 for CD and DAD playback. I would want the SACD .......
304: Cable Asylum, Re: Any inexpensive biwiring suggestions? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-11-01, 07:13:27 (192.190.75.6)
Something like Monster XPHP would be fine for the bass (don't use it for treble!). It is usually $0.50/foot on Ebay, and is 12 gauge. However, for the treble, use something better, like Audioquest Typ .......
305: Digital Drive, One day try to compare with the DAC2 (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-10-31, 08:45:05 (192.190.75.6)
This was the DAC1, not the DAC1.1? It is known to have too weak a power supply, which can affect the bass, and can make it more sensitive to the power line. I haven't heard the DAC1, but the DAC2 is w .......
306: Digital Drive, That oboe pumping is probably the wind in the instrument (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-10-31, 08:30:44 (192.190.75.6)
Todd, I find it hard to believe that the sound you are hearing has anything to do with upsampling. I have some very good recordings with solo woodwinds, and yes, in soft passages you can hear a breath .......
307: Cable Asylum, Re: Professional Studio uses generic cable?! (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-10-31, 06:27:18 (192.190.75.6)
>>>>>>>> He said how can a cable make a difference if the internal cables of your equipment are of less quality that the cables connecting the components together because no company uses the Audio Que .......
308: Digital Drive, Try Bel Canto DAC2. Yes, upsampling can help (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-10-21, 21:27:45 (192.190.75.6)
Look at my review of the Bel Canto DAC2 on this site. I have heard only great things from others who own/heard it. I think that upsampling, along with better DAC chipsets are making CDs sound better. .......
309: Cable Asylum, Re: CABLE BREAK IN GUYS!! I DON'T BELIEVE IT HAPPENS. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-10-21, 20:42:37 (192.190.75.6)
I can neither confirm nor deny the phenomenon of cable break-in (I should be a lawyer ;) ) I can clearly hear most cable differences in my system, but any effects of cable break-in are either so slow .......
310: Cable Asylum, Re: Good story (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-10-21, 20:30:56 (192.190.75.6)
I read the story. It sounds hard to believe that the problem was so grievous. I think that the CD players of the past must have had terrible electronics for jitter in the CD pits themselves to be so a .......
311: Cable Asylum, Re: well, maybe 20 psec (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-10-18, 09:26:59 (192.190.75.6)
Admitedly, noise has to be modelled by taking into account the microscopic conduction properties. If I remember correctly, resistors have 3 types of noise. There is (a) current shot noise (a statistic .......
312: Cable Asylum, Re: Oh, I forgot: (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-10-18, 07:33:46 (192.190.75.6)
Okay -- it's in my reminder book -- "don't believe John E. on technical issues past ten picoseconds time ..." ;) I come from a semiconductor/opto-electronic physics background, though I'm pretty rusty .......
313: Cable Asylum, Re: Virtual Dynamics Basic Power cable (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-10-17, 18:45:26 (192.190.75.6)
I haven't tried the basic. Perhaps the Power3 would be a better choice (probably still on special). I like the VD power cords. Initially there might be slight perceived darkness, but after a few minut .......
314: Cable Asylum, They don't always. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-10-17, 18:31:36 (192.190.75.6)
As far as I can see, there are 3 (sometimes competing) factors in an after-market cable. 1) Shielding from RF 2) Low inductance, and low resistance (tight) connectors. 3) High frequency filtering. I s .......
315: Cable Asylum, Real issues? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-10-17, 15:19:25 (192.190.75.6)
I read the run-on discussion below. My comments can be summed up as: technically I agree with Steve Eddy and John Escallier. But Geeeez, I can't figure out why all the talk about drift velocity. Why d .......
316: Cable Asylum, Re: Did I get ripped? and cable thoughts needed. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-10-15, 13:49:02 (192.190.75.6)
Try AudioQuest Slate. It's a bi-wire cable for about $5/foot street-price unterminated. If you wanted it terminated, it will double your cost. But, for a cheap wire, it has a balanced sound, with a sm .......
317: Cable Asylum, States are good. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-10-02, 16:11:34 (192.190.75.6)
I use Slates for my center and side speakers (B&W Nautilus speakers) on my HT. I've heard them on a number of speakers as well. They are very nice, with a tendency to warm. They are essentially 2 Type .......
318: Cable Asylum, Re: How about 4VS? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-10-02, 16:02:14 (192.190.75.6)
I've tried the 4VS. The length was a bit long (20'), but it sounded really bad. The clarity was gone. I have listened to shorter lengths of 4TC on another system, and the sound was good. No, it's not .......
319: Amp/Preamp Asylum, about those 804s ... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-09-27, 21:38:36 (192.190.75.6)
I agree with a poster below that the 803s far outperform the 804s. In fact, I far prefer the sound of the 805s to the 804s. I find that the 804s have a very "pushed-in" midrange, that seems to have po .......
320: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Bi-Amping questions with B&W speakers (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-09-27, 21:31:13 (192.190.75.6)
I have the Denon AVR-5800, which used to drive Magneplanar 3.6s on L/R, and still do drive B&W HTM2 center, Nautilus SCM1 sides, and CDM-SNT backs. The Magies are harder to drive than the B&W. The B&W .......
321: Cable Asylum, Re: Harmonic Technology Interconnects not delivering (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-09-27, 20:50:08 (192.190.75.6)
I defy any engineer to explain how an interconnect with low impedence, connected to a low output-impedence source can possibly have a bass problem. I think it is electrically impossible. If you simply .......
322: Planar Speaker Asylum, Also -- were they broken in? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-09-27, 14:31:45 (192.190.75.6)
From your description, it sounds like they were at a dealer. The 3.6s need a minimum of 100 hours at moderately loud levels, and preferrably 200 to break in the bass panel. It also helps the mid panel .......
323: Planar Speaker Asylum, CD player + placement likely the culprit (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-09-27, 14:25:07 (192.190.75.6)
A cheap Marantz changer with that setup? I agree with Mart below. I have 3.6s, and I have gone to a Bel Canto DAC2. I also had to go to a Placette passive preamp. Now I can finally enjoy CDs (though D .......
324: Cable Asylum, Re: RF Interference (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-09-20, 11:06:49 (192.190.75.6)
It sounds like it's time to drop the cable company ... But, it sounds similar to a problem I had with my new big-screen Sony. One day I started getting snow and lines on most channels. It turned out i .......
325: Cable Asylum, Who can argue with a man who's last name is "Eddy" ;) <nt> (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-09-19, 20:09:16 (192.190.75.6)
. .......
326: Cable Asylum, Re: HAVE ANY OF U READ THIS ? i wonder what it could mean for cables ? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-09-19, 19:52:06 (192.190.75.6)
Unfortunately, they don't give enough details to fully understand the experiment, but by alternating various impedence cables, they are creating series of couples resonators. For a single wave, the tr .......
327: Cable Asylum, Re: Does it matter which components IC's connect? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-09-12, 09:25:30 (192.190.75.6)
By this and all your other posts, you seem to be a cable naysayer -- one of the "once I know the LRC there is nothing else to know" people. I agree with you -- LRC on a 1m interconnect should not affe .......
328: Digital Drive, Re: Short-list (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-09-11, 12:30:37 (192.190.75.6)
Read my review on this board on the Bel Canto DAC2. I have talked to others who own or have auditioned this DAC, and the universal response I got was that it is amazing for the price, and is far bette .......
329: Digital Drive, CD demagnetization: myth or CD damager? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-09-03, 13:11:50 (192.190.75.6)
I don't use a CD demagnetizer, but I do have a Radio Shack bulk tape demagnetizer here in my drawer that I might consider using one day. First the myth: Myth: A CD can become demagnetized. This is a m .......
330: Cable Asylum, Re: VDHUL MC GOLD HIBRYD (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-09-03, 10:15:56 (192.190.75.6)
I haven't tried the MC Gold, but you can find lots of posts on the first ultimate by doing a search on this board. The First Ultimate appear to be system-dependent in terms of whether they cause a har .......
331: Digital Drive, Re: Digital Dilemma: Sony 9000ES or Bel Canto Dac 1 (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-08-27, 14:52:53 (192.190.75.6)
I think that it depends on what you want out of your sound. If you want okay CD sound, or really want to start into SACD, get the 9000ES. The Bel Canto DAC1.1 (upgraded power supply) is supposed to be .......
332: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Amp/Preamp. suggestions for Maggie 3.5 (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-08-27, 14:28:33 (192.190.75.6)
I think either the Bryston or the Classe would be fine -- I use a Bryston 4BST, but others like the Classe for the "tubelike" high-end. Certainly the Bryston is merciless in the highs -- it doesn't hi .......
333: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: Chang Lightspeed for Hi Rez? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-08-27, 10:26:45 (192.190.75.6)
Power filtering is very component dependent. I bought a Chang 6400 ISO, which I used for a Denon 5800 AV receiver. Initially I liked the lower noise floor, but I soon realized it had sucked all the dy .......
334: Cable Asylum, I concur -- Bryston 4BST is resistant to PC changes (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-08-16, 07:43:51 (192.190.75.6)
I have tried 3 high end cords on my Bryston 4BST, and I can't reliably say that I heard a difference. Perhaps a really bad one would make it worse, but the "good" cords don't seem to make a significan .......
335: Cable Asylum, Re: virtual dynamics PC cord (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-08-16, 06:13:16 (192.190.75.6)
I have the "Audition" PC from VD, and it is going to have a lot more noise filtering than the Power 3 in this add. However, I believe this is a well made cord with some noise filtering. As for snake o .......
336: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: Should I use digital connection (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-08-13, 15:24:13 (192.190.75.6)
I have the Denon 5800, and from my experience, you are better off using the digital out from the player into the receiver. For music CDs, the quality of the digital cable matters, as the Denon is sens .......
337: Cable Asylum, Re: Interesting feedback from Wireworld's David Salz on Toslink (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-19, 07:40:48 (192.190.75.6)
My experience with Toslink is that I wouldn't give it the time of day on my receiver. It doesn't have any extra high-frequency nasties, but the soundstage is compressed front-to-back, and the life of .......
338: Cable Asylum, I hope you 2 don't write cable reviews (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-17, 11:09:19 (192.190.75.6)
I don't think I understand Romy's "digital" or your "clean" comments. HT cables don't give music? Everyone who likes them doesn't know what music is? It seems these 2 opinions are contradictory. How c .......
339: Cable Asylum, Re: A question.... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-17, 08:25:11 (192.190.75.6)
answer is -1 : what does that have to do with anything? .......
340: Cable Asylum, cold fusion and other pseudoscience (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-17, 07:29:47 (192.190.75.6)
I wish I was in on cold fusion -- they had their first conference in Hawaii I think, lol. I remember cold fusion, and I never believed a word of it (I was a grad student in Physics at the time). The c .......
341: Cable Asylum, Re: Please read this... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-16, 15:16:16 (192.190.75.6)
You have to be careful -- we aren't talking about a microwave signal here, where you could be solving a waveguide equation. My proof is simple -- take a circular coax cable with the center conductor s .......
342: Cable Asylum, Re: Please read this... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-16, 13:42:52 (192.190.75.6)
I read it .. and no-where does it mention anything about the magnetic field outside the coaxial cable. In fact, if you look at solution #3 to their problem, one can model the coaxial cable using an el .......
343: Cable Asylum, true , providing ... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-16, 11:29:15 (192.190.75.6)
This is of course only true if the center conductor is "exactly" centered in the shielding, there is no crush of the shielding, and the shielding is a nice symmetric smooth cylinder. There may be a di .......
344: Cable Asylum, could you elaborate on what you didn't like? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-16, 10:32:47 (192.190.75.6)
I have used pro-silway Mkii for a while now, and find them to work very nicely in my system. I've compared to Cardas Golden Cross, Golden Reference, Van Den Hul The First Ultimate, and a couple of che .......
345: Cable Asylum, The Dunlavy placebo test proves something? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-14, 08:27:35 (192.190.75.6)
Considering the size of the business, there is a shocking lack of scientific research available to explain how some speaker cables are inherently "better" than others rather than just different. Inter .......
346: Cable Asylum, wow -- someone with an original Snell E (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-14, 07:17:27 (192.190.75.6)
I bought the Snell E II in around 1984 I think. I just gave them to my brother 2 months ago. A bit bright, with not a low-enough bottom end, and maybe a scoop out of the midrange, but otherwise quite .......
347: Cable Asylum, are you for real? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-12, 14:27:06 (192.190.75.6)
You mean they dropped the lawsuit, just because of your letter? I'd like to believe it ... but I find it hard. As for apple.biz -- if it were an orchard selling apples, we would be similarly incensed .......
348: Cable Asylum, And how much time do you spend listening? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-12, 10:35:42 (192.190.75.6)
It's a bitch when your ears show that an overly simple model that you have just described (which will indeed show no audible effect) turns out to just be plain wrong when you listen to the sound. As a .......
349: Cable Asylum, Re: AudioQuest Type 4 and My System (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-12, 07:06:24 (192.190.75.6)
Well, with B&W Nautilus 805, the difference between Monster Z1 and Audioquest Slate (basically a bi-wirable type4 (2 bundles), with slight guage change, but wasn't tested in bi-wire configuration) was .......
350: General Asylum, Re: NAD T761 (or upcoming T762) vs Denon 3802 for HT augmenting a Krell Integrated? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-11, 13:02:49 (192.190.75.6)
I have a Denon 5800 receiver, and I'm using it in a similar manner to what you propose. I have the L+R going through essentially a HT bypass in my preamp to a Bryson 4BST. The rest of the channels are .......
351: Cable Asylum, Re: What's Your Vector, Victor? Over. (Or, The Dance of the Seven Vectors) (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-11, 10:24:10 (192.190.75.6)
[ kuribo ][ You deny there is static friction between the conductor and insulator, insulator and jacket? ] That part's obvious -- of course there is friction. [ kuribo ][ My comment was that there are .......
352: Cable Asylum, Re: I agree with the quotes -- but it doesn't tell me the price of tea in China (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-10, 18:16:43 (192.190.75.6)
[ They could have started with 0.25 kg, 0.5kg, 0.75kg, etc, and all of these weights would have similarly shown no strain in their test ] You'd think I could let this go, lol -- but I can't. Strain ha .......
353: General Asylum, Monsters Inc. and Monster.com did NOT get off the hook. They settled out of court. <nt> (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-10, 15:08:27 (192.190.75.6)
. .......
354: General Asylum, Re: Is Take Five Audio still in business? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-10, 14:58:04 (192.190.75.6)
The weekly specials page was updated on Monday. I've emailed them before, and they were helpful. .......
355: Cable Asylum, Re: What's Your Vector, Victor? Over. (Or, The Dance of the Seven Vectors) (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-10, 09:42:10 (192.190.75.6)
[ Try this: take a needle and thread. Stick the needle into a block of teflon, giving a friction fit not unlike a conductor in an extruded teflon jacket. Tie two business envelopes to the thread and h .......
356: Cable Asylum, you're lucky you don't call yourself "Monster Mike" -- you might get a summons ;) <nt> (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-10, 09:23:55 (192.190.75.6)
. .......
357: Cable Asylum, Re: monster cable lawsuit (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-10, 07:12:38 (192.190.75.6)
this is funny -- a company that sells cables, called "Monster Cable" is suing a company called "Monster Shop" that sells monsters, for copyright infringement on the URL monster.biz . It seems the othe .......
358: Cable Asylum, I agree with the quotes -- but it doesn't tell me the price of tea in China (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-10, 06:56:14 (192.190.75.6)
Yes, I agree with everything in those articles. The second one talks about damping due to motion, which can be a non-linear thing -- it can actually be less for small motions (all you need is velocity .......
359: Cable Asylum, Re: What's Your Vector, Victor? Over. (Or, The Dance of the Seven Vectors) (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-09, 21:54:48 (192.190.75.6)
So you are proposing another explanation for the IM measurements? I don't think an experiment would be needed to see if the other coil moves (let's call the shorted one the tweeter coil, complete with .......
360: Cable Asylum, just listen -- if you like what you hear, go away happy. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-09, 21:02:08 (192.190.75.6)
For me, and many on this forum, we've tried different digital interconnects. We've tried optical vs. coax digital interconnects. We've tried different DACs. You don't think digital interconnects make .......
361: Cable Asylum, Re: What's Your Vector, Victor? Over. (Or, The Dance of the Seven Vectors) (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-09, 20:45:16 (192.190.75.6)
I guess you are asking Jon for proof that electro-restriction is the cause of his measurements, and it is valid to do so given the small forces. But, likewise I challenge you to give proof that the fo .......
362: Cable Asylum, Re: What's Your Vector, Victor? Over. (Or, The Dance of the Seven Vectors) (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-09, 16:39:56 (192.190.75.6)
[ What you seem to be overlooking, is that there are now 4 pairs of wires moving, rather than just one. Yes, the magnetic field strength is down, and divided up 4 ways, and therefore the motion is red .......
363: Cable Asylum, Re: What's Your Vector, Victor? Over. (Or, The Dance of the Seven Vectors) (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-09, 16:05:40 (192.190.75.6)
cool analysis of the force -- and I can't find any fault. The whole reason behind using neato geometries is to reduce the inductance -- which occurs by reducing the overall magnetic field for a given .......
364: Cable Asylum, Re: One critical missed assumption.... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-09, 10:10:48 (192.190.75.6)
I've never looked up the transmission scheme, so you are right that we don't have a binary waveform, but an FM signal. The frequency for 24/96 is actually around 12 MHz, since the bi-phase encoding do .......
365: Cable Asylum, my math was wrong, but I agree with Jon (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-09, 06:48:11 (192.190.75.6)
Okay, my math was wrong -- the round trip time in a 1m cable (assuming the standard 2/3 c for signal speed in a 75 Ohm cable) is 10 ns, and I forgot the "bits", so a 24/96 stereo signal has a 1-bit ti .......
366: Planar Speaker Asylum, Holly Cole "Don't Smoke in Bed" <nt> (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-08, 19:08:05 (192.190.75.6)
. .......
367: Hi-Rez Highway, yes it was. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-08, 18:47:39 (192.190.75.6)
Yes, this was recorded before Chesky started using their 24/96 PCM recording equipment. However, I'll bet that it still sounds wonderful, and it is still from a reasonably high-res master. I have the .......
368: Digital Drive, yes, DACs have likely improved that much (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-08, 18:34:30 (192.190.75.6)
You are probably right that your MSB engages you more. DACs have steadily improved over the past 5 years. They are getting darn good over the past 2 years or so. I don't think your MSB is the be-all-a .......
369: Cable Asylum, impedance makes no difference? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-08, 18:01:12 (192.190.75.6)
I beg to differ about the impedence not mattering. Here's some math -- to be able to detect the signal without bit errors, we need to have our reflection damp down in less than the one bit worth of si .......
370: Digital Drive, does this mean that jitter makes no difference? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-08, 12:35:37 (192.190.75.6)
... or are you just saying that with YOUR transport, an external jitter-reducer doesn't improve the sound? I REALLY hope you aren't saying jitter makes no difference. However, I do agree that a bette .......
371: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: New member follow up question (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-07, 19:53:40 (192.190.75.6)
You mentioned looking at a B&K amp. That should probably sound nice. However -- you could consider looking at a used Bryston 3BST amp (don't go for the NRB or the original 3B -- they aren't as good). .......
372: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: New member question (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-07, 19:47:18 (192.190.75.6)
Your budget is constraining. The 1.6s will likely sound very good -- better than the MMGs. But, the MMGs give you a year to upgrade. If you think you may get more money within a year, you can upgrade .......
373: Hi-Rez Highway, it's about the music (mostly ;-) ) (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-07, 19:14:18 (192.190.75.6)
I vote that new posters take a "I'm a conceited jerk" test before being allowed in (especially if they have Ph.D's -- perhaps Chris can try it out on me ;-) ). If the test comes out positive -- we sen .......
374: Cable Asylum, just to jump in (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-06, 22:53:43 (192.190.75.6)
I've followed your posts here -- and yes, I don't think Jon has provided enough evidence to convince a scheptic. However, I think that the "static friction" argument is getting off topic. The wires ar .......
375: Cable Asylum, getting close. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-05, 17:27:37 (192.190.75.6)
Jeez, I think you 2 go around in circles sometimes ;) You are right Jon -- for low frequencies, the displacement of the wire mimics the electrical forces in-phase, and thus doesn't cause any harmonics .......
376: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Pre & Amp recommendation for 3.5s (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-04, 18:59:36 (192.190.75.6)
I use a Placette passive pre, with a 0.5m length of Harmonic Tech Pro-Silway MkII to a Bryston 4BST power amp. The Placette is under 1000 used, and the Bryston 4BST is a bit over 1000 used. The sound .......
377: Cable Asylum, Final analysis for all the money (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-04, 18:08:52 (192.190.75.6)
It would be better to post a bunch of pictures ... I've finally come to the following conclusions: 1) Steve was right about damping by itself not being a source of higher frequencies (I messed up that .......
378: Cable Asylum, now we're getting somewhere. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-04, 17:35:43 (192.190.75.6)
I'm glad I've been able to move this discussion along a bit ... even though I agree to one big mistake. Yes, the damping of the oscilator does NOT produce any frequency products, though it does cause .......
379: Cable Asylum, look at my comments inside the thread Jon <nt> (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-04, 10:26:17 (192.190.75.6)
. .......
380: Cable Asylum, I more agree with Steve on this one, but both are missing something (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-04, 10:24:12 (192.190.75.6)
I've followed this one, and while I don't deal with this stuff on a daily basis, I'm still a good enough physicist to understand your argument. As a physicist, I think of this more as a forced oscilat .......
381: Hi-Rez Highway, other Chesky artists ... Livington Taylor (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-07-02, 10:38:27 (192.190.75.6)
I have the 24/96 SAD/DAD of Livingston Taylor, "Ink". I don't know if it's on SACD as well -- they also have it on CD. This is a wonderful recording. It is more of a folk style, with 2 guitars, backgr .......
382: Digital Drive, used DACs -- make sure you get them at bargain prices (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-30, 19:34:21 (206.51.253.80)
The problem with a used DAC is ... not too many recent ones come up for sale. Lots of older models do, but they often don't sound as good as the newest technology. I use a Bel Canto DAC2, and it is wo .......
383: Planar Speaker Asylum, agree -- if only for bass (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-30, 19:22:05 (206.51.253.80)
The original Bryston 4B or 4B-NRB could be a good choice for bass-only. However, you REALLY want the 4BST or the new 4BSST (haven't neard the new one though) for midrange and treble. The ST and later .......
384: Planar Speaker Asylum, I say go for it, but be prepared for room treatment behind speakers (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-30, 19:00:55 (206.51.253.80)
The 3.6's aren't a bright speaker ... unless they have a poor placement or poor electronics on the front end. Yes, they can sound bright, but I don't think it's much different from the 1.6s. In fact, .......
385: Planar Speaker Asylum, I wasn't impressed by these speakers (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-30, 18:46:18 (206.51.253.80)
I only auditioned them for about an hour, with SS amps, and Rega (not sure which model) transport and DAC. They actually hurt my ears -- way too much distortion in the midrange and highs. But, they di .......
386: Hi-Rez Highway, Can CD layer on hybrid SACD play in all dvd players? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-30, 14:42:57 (206.51.253.58)
I'm asking this because I currently use a Toshiba SD3750 DVD-V player for my transport. If my buy hybrid SACDs with the intention of getting an SACD player in the future, would the CD layer play in my .......
387: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: I saw one for sale for $24.99 two days ago in a record store. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-30, 14:33:44 (206.51.253.58)
Hi Dui -- your profile doesn't accept email, but mine does, so can you send me a letter? I'll check out the other lead on Tuesday, and if it doesn't work, I would like you to check it out. This is a g .......
388: Hi-Rez Highway, Anyone know where I can get a copy? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-29, 17:10:21 (206.51.253.37)
I ordered this a few weeks ago from a Canadian distributor, but I'm sure now that it will never arrive, from what Teresa says. Is there anywhere that might have a stock of this 24/96 Classic Records D .......
389: Digital Drive, Re: upsampling? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-28, 09:09:30 (206.51.253.25)
>>>They have a point: our ears cutting off above 20kHz constitute reconstruction for any signal sampled faster than 40kHz. If you are saying that the high-frequency artifacts caused by other filtering .......
390: Cable Asylum, Re: Any opinion on Virtual Dynamic's flagship NITE powercords? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-28, 08:24:54 (206.51.253.110)
I haven't tried the nite. I have tried the Audition and Signature. Both of these cords on my DAC provide a deep soundstage and extended extreme frequencies. The noise and hash level is very low, and t .......
391: Hi-Rez Highway, That was a worthwhile read. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-27, 11:50:08 (192.190.75.6)
That link was very insightful. I haven't listened to SACD yet, but DAD/SAD high-res PCM has me excited. While I'm sure PCM and SACD differ in sonic signature right now, I don't think their signature i .......
392: Digital Drive, Re: upsampling? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-27, 09:34:31 (192.190.75.6)
Many CD players of the past did oversampling (even my 20-year old Yamaha CDX-1 did 2x or 4x, can't remember). That means that it interpolates samples in the time domain to fill in the higher frequenci .......
393: Cable Asylum, Re: High End Speaker Cables Kill Performance? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-27, 07:47:49 (192.190.75.6)
Bad speakers stay bad, no matter what cables you use ;) However, I must say that I do have Kimber Bifocal XL, and they are wonderful. My length is 4m, and they are fairly high capacitance. With my Den .......
394: Digital Drive, Re: I had the exact opposite experience 20 years ago (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-26, 13:35:40 (192.190.75.6)
>>>The sound of the $400 yammy kicked the crap out of my vinyl rig Darn, and my yammy was S**T, lol. I guess you got one from a good batch ;) My table was (and still is) a Denon DP-45F direct drive wi .......
395: Digital Drive, Re: Yes I do (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-26, 11:22:33 (192.190.75.6)
I'm not sure I understand the point you are making. Are you saying that properly recorded CD has all the frequency response it needs, and that a good enough CD player should be able to compete with a .......
396: Digital Drive, Re: digital that does layered depth (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-25, 20:40:30 (192.190.75.6)
The Bel Canto DAC2 is extremely strong on soundstage depth, especially with a good power cord. It isn't too much money either. You can read my review on the reviews page. Of course, a Sony XA777ES mig .......
397: Digital Drive, Yes I do (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-25, 18:44:11 (192.190.75.6)
Some CDs are just horrible. And, not one is what I would call amazing. My only foray into the high-res world is with a couple of SAD/DAD 24/96 disks, and these ARE amazing. CD just doesn't have a good .......
398: Planar Speaker Asylum, tube preamp isn't going to do it (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-25, 13:58:33 (192.190.75.6)
I would consider Mart's post below. I haven't tried his capacitor trick, but it's worth a try. I have had the same struggle with my Maggie 3.6 . The solution was to fix the sources, not the speaker. Y .......
399: Planar Speaker Asylum, What sonic advantages from biamp 3.6/R with line or speaker XO? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-24, 19:37:57 (192.190.75.6)
My system currently has a Bryson 4BST powering 4m of Kimber Bifocal XL cable (biwire) to a pair of Magneplanar 3.6/R. I don't want to pull apart the internal Maggie crossover, but am willing to try my .......
400: Hi-Rez Highway, center channel a bad idea in music (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-24, 14:24:09 (192.190.75.6)
You should read some of the articles on the Chesky site on why they do the DVD-A mixes they do. They do 2.0, 4.0, and 6.0 mixes. The 2.0 is stereo, the 4.0 is stereo + surround, and the 6.0 is stereo .......
401: Cable Asylum, Harmonic Tech Magic-one digital? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-24, 14:13:19 (192.190.75.6)
I use the HT platinum (RCA) -- it is very good. The Magic-one digital AES/EBU should be within your price range. .......
402: Hi-Rez Highway, stereo is nice, but out of a good DAC (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-24, 13:47:13 (192.190.75.6)
Yes, I like stereo, although the newer formats seems to be pushing towards 5.1 for the better quality mixes. The problem I have with no digital outputs should be the same as other people. I want to be .......
403: Inmate Systems, audioNeil's Maggie 3.6 + Bryston (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-24, 10:56:41 (192.190.75.6)
Audio Asylum Inmate audioNeil's Maggie 3.6 + Bryston System
Home
/ FAQ
/ News
Classifieds
/ Events
audioNeil's Maggie 3.6 + Bryston System
.......
404: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: My take on the DSD/DVD-A debate (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-24, 06:55:43 (192.190.75.6)
Okay "more analog-like" was probably invented by some marketing company somewhere, and I agree that DSD is hard to do anything with besides play it back -- except that the new recording format for DSD .......
405: Cable Asylum, is everyone friends now? ;-) (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-23, 23:14:07 (192.190.75.6)
As a scientist I used to (darn computers won me over in the job world these days) do a lot of questioning of theories with colleagues. It is natural to hash stuff out -- invigorating even. Sometimes w .......
406: Hi-Rez Highway, Seems like a very dated article (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-23, 22:25:26 (192.190.75.6)
Quote from article: "Some DSD groundwork material also suggests that the architecture is made cheaper by the elimination of some digital processing steps. This is downright funny considering the pric .......
407: Hi-Rez Highway, My take on the DSD/DVD-A debate (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-23, 21:42:26 (192.190.75.6)
Ted shouldn't have gone to town over the millisecond vs. microsecond mis-speak. Yes, you meant microsecond, but otherwise your math was just fine. But, Ted is right, and I think that Sony should be a .......
408: Hi-Rez Highway, I couldn't have generated more replies if I'd written a deliberate troll (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-23, 20:51:31 (192.190.75.6)
Thanks for the replies, guys (and Teresa) -- I thought the DAD versus other high-res angle hasn't been talked-to-death quite like the DVD-A vs. SACD has. There aren't tons of DADs out there, but I thi .......
409: Hi-Rez Highway, likely so (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-23, 20:41:10 (192.190.75.6)
I probably am wrong -- certainly you can't get the chips used from the Bel Canto literature, and yes, they do upsample to 24/192. I guess my (mis)impression was that any internal DAC chip (nothing to .......
410: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: SAD/DAD far superior to CD. Is SACD better again? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-21, 13:55:09 (192.190.75.6)
SACD edgy in the high end? Now I'm sure someone will post a reply to that ;) Seriously, I hate an edgy high -- that's why the DADs were so wonderful. But, perhaps the edgy high had something to do wit .......
411: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: SAD/DAD far superior to CD. Is SACD better again? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-21, 11:39:39 (192.190.75.6)
Well, I don't want to buy 2 of the same to do an A/B test, but I could (I bought a CD and want to return it to get the DAD instead -- now that would be a good A/B test if I kept both!) Hmmm, maybe for .......
412: Hi-Rez Highway, SAD/DAD far superior to CD. Is SACD better again? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-21, 10:30:09 (192.190.75.6)
I have recently purchased some Chesky CDs and SAD/DAD disks. The DADs are 24/96 DVD-V disks. I put the output to my Bel Canto DAC2. The Chesky CDs are nice, but they are nothing like the DADs. For ins .......
413: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: push-pull? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-20, 14:45:33 (192.190.75.6)
I don't know about the 20, but the 20.1 is push-pull in the bass (magnets on front and back -- not really push-pull since the field is parallel to the panel, but you get the idea). No, they kept the m .......
414: Digital Drive, Re: Feedback on the BelCanto DAC II anyone? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-20, 12:35:30 (192.190.75.6)
It's a great DAC. look at the reviews section for my comments. I would be interested in reviews from anyone else that has used it, though, as I haven't compared with other new high-end DACs. ::: TOPIC .......
415: Digital Drive, Re: BEL CANTO DAC 2? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-20, 12:32:14 (192.190.75.6)
Feel free to read my review. It might be better to ask a more specific question if you want many responses. What are you looking for in sound? What are you connecting it to? What price range would you .......
416: Digital Drive, follow-up (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-20, 11:36:35 (192.190.75.6)
Just to make sure I answered your question --- you MUST use a proper digital cable for the digital signal. A digital cable must have a proper 75 Ohm impedence to work. A regular analog cable will not .......
417: Digital Drive, Re: digital or analog interconnect for my dvd player (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-20, 11:31:39 (192.190.75.6)
If you want only stereo sound out of your DVD player, you can use the analog outputs to get analog stereo sound. If you want your receiver to process either stereo (same sound as your DVD analog outpu .......
418: Cable Asylum, I think a more specific question would help, but here goes. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-18, 20:12:40 (192.190.75.6)
I own a Virtual Dynamics "Audition" PC, and have tried their signature. Their design philosophy seems to be similar to Shunyata, but with probably totally different materials. Virtual Dynamics goes fo .......
419: Cable Asylum, just got virtual dynamics Audition PC (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-17, 18:52:27 (192.190.75.6)
I recently got the Audition PC (cryoed, 3 wires in parallel, 9 AWG). I got it for a good price (about $250 US) from a factory-direct sale. I like it so far, and bought it because of trying out their s .......
420: Digital Drive, will try to determine jitter rejection (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-17, 09:46:49 (192.190.75.6)
I don't have a DIP, but what I can do is try out the optical input, and my old terrible coax digital to see if they sound worse. At my friend's, he had a multi-thousand$ transport, and it sounded grea .......
421: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: I don't currently have a DVD-A player but my DVD-V does support 2-channel 24/96 PCM digital outp (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-14, 20:58:17 (192.190.75.6)
While this seems like an add -- thank you for posting (although you could always become a forum sponsor :) ) I currently use DVD-V as my source, with an external 24/192 DAC for great sound. In my opin .......
422: Digital Drive, Re: low end CDP or DVD/DAC? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-14, 20:41:05 (192.190.75.6)
This was asked recently. You can check out my review above on the Bel Canto DAC2. Until the high-res format wars die down a bit, I like the idea of a separate DAC. In the future, I see high end DVD/SA .......
423: Digital Drive, all 24/96 and 24/192 upsamplers reclock -- the question is does it sample-in the jitter? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-14, 14:51:11 (192.190.75.6)
For some readers, I just wanted to clarify upsampling and reclocking. There can only be one master clock in a digital system, and it is in the transport (until someone comes up with a 2-way communicat .......
424: Digital Drive, coax generally better (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-14, 14:36:28 (192.190.75.6)
My experience with my Toshiba 3750 DVD player is that the coax is better provided you don't use a junk digital cable. My understanding is that the Toslink is going to give you much higher jitter, just .......
425: Digital Drive, REVIEW: Bel Canto Design DAC2 DAC Processors (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-14, 12:59:04 (192.190.75.6)
Model: DAC2
Category: DAC Processors
Suggested Retail Price: $1395
Description: Upsampling 24/192 DAC2 Manufacturer URL: Bel Canto Design Model Picture: View
Review by audioNeil .......
426: Cable Asylum, Re: AudioQuest Type 2+ Speaker Cable? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-12, 18:56:44 (192.190.75.6)
Congrats on going for the Type4 and the Tara Prism 8 ICs. I would take a bet at almost any odds that you are going to hear not just a difference -- but a clear improvement. The Type4 will be the bigge .......
427: Cable Asylum, Re: AudioQuest Type 2+ Speaker Cable? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-10, 19:15:01 (192.190.75.6)
The Type2+ is a great cable for the price. It will make your highs sound wonderful compared to your Monster. I've tried B&W Nautilus 805's with Monster Z1 vs. Audioquest Slate (basically a slightly th .......
428: Cable Asylum, Re: speaker cables (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-10, 09:51:30 (192.190.75.6)
Monster Superflex Z? ARGHHHH. Seriously, fix this with a Chris VH CAT 5 Do-it-yourself cable for about $40 (or the TNT-triple-T on www.tnt-audio.com). They will outperform many cables into the hundred .......
429: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Painting noodles for sound diffusers?? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-09, 10:33:04 (192.190.75.6)
I use 8 noodles to diffuse the sound going to the outside of my left speaker. I have a fireplace, and the noodles "mostly" fix my problem of messed up imaging from reflections off it on one side of th .......
430: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: DVD-Audio watermarks. Can anyone else hear them? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-09, 09:59:58 (192.190.75.6)
Well, judging by the below posts, you may be right -- it may be what you are hearing. The article I read said that it was much less audible than the degradation found in MPEG2 audio encoding. So, that .......
431: Cable Asylum, 4TC is better than 4VS (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-09, 09:02:53 (192.190.75.6)
Go for the 4TC, not the 4VS for the highs. I was less than impressed with the sound of the 4VS. On the low end, it may not make much difference whether you use 8TC or 8VS. In fact, you could use anoth .......
432: Cable Asylum, Re: Surprising Low End IC Comparison (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-09, 08:57:38 (192.190.75.6)
Well -- rolled off means that I literally hear less of the high frequency detail. Whether it is actually a change in frequency response, or just dynamics, I don't know. But, it can cover up for bad el .......
433: Cable Asylum, What does THHN mean? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-09, 08:49:01 (192.190.75.6)
I'm afraid I don't know what THHN means -- that was probably my problem. Any hints? .......
434: Cable Asylum, ChrisVH Power cord -- where does the external ground wire come from? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-08, 19:31:48 (192.190.75.6)
This may sound like a dumb question -- but for the Chris VH power cord, he has the ground wire running on the outside of the Belden wire. Then internal shielding is connected only at the plug end, not .......
435: Cable Asylum, Re: Surprising Low End IC Comparison (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-08, 19:13:15 (192.190.75.6)
Welcome to the world of interconnects and high end ... lol Yes, interconnects do modify the sound. I have a Denon 5800 receiver. On analog in, the high end is hashy and not so nice to listen to, but i .......
436: Cable Asylum, 40+ foot speaker cable runs on B&W 805s (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-07, 11:41:21 (192.190.75.6)
Well, I have B&W Nautilus SCM1 speakers as surrounds (basically an 805 on it's side). I also auditioned the B&W 805 with several speaker cables. It needs good cable. No, you don't have to spend big bu .......
437: Cable Asylum, Power cords on DAC -- filtering noise or high frequencies? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-06, 10:11:44 (192.190.75.6)
I'm embarking on a quest for power cords for my system. I have a Bel Canto DAC2, and Placette passive pre, and a Bryston 4BST amp, and Maggie 3.6 speakers. Interconnects are Harmonic Tech Pro-Silway M .......
438: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: Teetering on the edge of the world of the upsampling DAC (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-04, 15:01:48 (192.190.75.6)
Yes, do a search of the digital asylum for various DACs. I love the Bel Canto DAC2 -- but I haven't heard the MF a3-24 yet -- but my dealer (who sells both) says it's fairly bright, which was no good .......
439: Cable Asylum, Amp might care about "C", but speakers shouldn't (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-03, 19:25:38 (192.190.75.6)
I have the Kimber Bifocal XL, and you are right in stating that the C and L should have no effect on the sound. The L isn't so high at all, and the C doesn't matter to the circuit LRC much -- just to .......
440: Cable Asylum, Re: Harmonic Technology Magic Interconnects (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-03, 19:15:15 (192.190.75.6)
I don't have the Magic -- I have the Pro-Silway MkII and the Platinum digital. They did not require much burn-in, but the clarity may have improved slightly with time (hard to tell). I can't imagine t .......
441: Digital Drive, Re: how to banish digital glare?? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-03, 12:32:23 (192.190.75.6)
Well, I had the same problem ... but with almost all content. It turned out it WAS my system, and it's been since fixed. But, there are some CDs that are just unrecoverable. I recently bought an XRCD .......
442: Digital Drive, Re: DVD and DAC (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-03, 11:59:53 (192.190.75.6)
The Bel Canto DAC2 will take any of the formats up to 24/192 I believe, but because of licencing/encryption reasons, the DVD-A digital-out won't come out at anything higher than 16/48 likely (or maybe .......
443: Digital Drive, Bel Canto DAC2 (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-03, 08:51:20 (192.190.75.6)
This board is probably getting sick of me recommending this, But the Bel Canto DAC2 is a wonderful DAC. I am currently using it with a Placette passive remote volume control, and the highs are wonderf .......
444: Digital Drive, Re: DVD and DAC (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-06-03, 08:44:03 (192.190.75.6)
This is exactly the route I took. I already need a DVD player for my home theatre, so instead of using 2 transports, I use the same one. The problem was that the DAC in the DVD player isn't that great .......
445: Tubes Asylum, Re: Kind of interesting......... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-31, 11:00:45 (192.190.75.6)
Ooops, I forgot to switch my speaker polarity -- that might help the bass a bit, but it won't change the treble. I heard the "hot" upper register in the showroom as well. It hasn't changed. It has to .......
446: Tubes Asylum, Blue Circle BC3 audition -- can someone explain my experiences? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-31, 08:53:09 (192.190.75.6)
I am auditioning a Blue Circle BC3 Despina, with Siemens NOS 6922 tubes. This is the first tube pre I've heard in my system (I heard at it the store last night for the first time). Can someone explain .......
447: Digital Drive, Now is a good time, unless you want to combine it with SACD (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-31, 08:40:21 (192.190.75.6)
I think that the newest DACs are very good. My Bel Canto DAC2 is wonderful, and works well with my DVD player. While it might sound a bit better with a gigabuck transport, I doubt I would hear much di .......
448: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Maggie 3.6 dependence on quality front end components -- experience (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-31, 07:15:06 (192.190.75.6)
Your page doesn't mention the resistor value to be used. And, can you explain what it does? It looks like you are doing something to the phase. Thanks. .......
449: Cable Asylum, fake and bad measurements don't count as science (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-30, 13:55:11 (192.190.75.6)
No, he couldn't have written a shorter patent -- it wouldn't have got approved. He needed the plausible theory at the beginning to lead into his BS at the end. His measurements are from an engineering .......
450: Cable Asylum, Bedini clarifier patent critique (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-30, 07:16:58 (192.190.75.6)
Here is a snippet of the theory section of the patent: ************** >In the third stage, the electrons reach the skin of the conductor, resulting in a marked decrease in collision frequency and viol .......
451: Cable Asylum, yup -- the other Bedini patent was a perpetual motion machine (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-29, 14:34:15 (192.190.75.6)
Considering that the patent office has had a standing rule for 100 years not to give patents for perpetual motion machines ... Bedini got one. That puts it in good standing with the clarifier. ::: TOP .......
452: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: Informative Meitner SACD interview at positive-feedback.com (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-29, 13:49:47 (192.190.75.6)
I found it as a useful counter to the IAR anti-DSD rant. Though I'm sure the reviewer at IAR heard what he heard ... it's just his explanantions that made no sense at all. I'm not sure where I stand i .......
453: Cable Asylum, I hope this Beldini patent isn't representative of audio patents ... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-29, 12:28:47 (192.190.75.6)
I've got too much time on my hands ... I actually read that patent. In the theory section (not knowing where they were going with it), they managed a good bit of BSBB (bull-shit-baffles-brains). It is .......
454: Cable Asylum, Re: Power Cord for Bryston Power amp (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-29, 10:31:06 (192.190.75.6)
I'm trying a Granite Audio cord on my 4BST. So far I haven't noticed a huge difference. My first impressions were a slightly more powerful bass, but perhaps not as much sweetness up top, and not reall .......
455: Hi-Rez Highway, Informative Meitner SACD interview at positive-feedback.com (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-29, 08:17:46 (192.190.75.6)
Many of you may have seen this before, but I found the below URL informative (only available as a google cached copy). Of course, it is very pro-SACD, but a good read. The argument against DVD-audio i .......
456: Planar Speaker Asylum, correct -- maybe bad RCA->XLR? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-28, 14:22:43 (192.190.75.6)
I'm not an audio engineer ... but you are correct. As long as the XLR cable is connected on pins 2 and 3, you will get sound. However, the gain on the balanced inputs of a power amp is probably not as .......
457: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: same thought was published in TAS (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-28, 11:43:56 (192.190.75.6)
I just read the TAS reviews from the [Review] page. It looks like their 3rd installment will tell us what components work well with the Maggies and which don't. Well, I found out the hard way -- sourc .......
458: Planar Speaker Asylum, Maggie 3.6 dependence on quality front end components -- experience (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-28, 08:53:19 (192.190.75.6)
I have had my maggie 3.6's for a few months now, and while I loved the uncolored sound, they haven't sounded as good as in the showroom. I've had digital hash, thin sound, poor imaging. I've been slow .......
459: Digital Drive, bass seems accurate (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-25, 14:25:55 (192.190.75.6)
I compared the bass vs. my Denon 5800's internal DAC. It appears to be about identical. So, I wouldn't worry about the bass, though it certainly doesn't have the artificial mid-bass "bloom" of my Micr .......
460: Digital Drive, Re: rate the bass? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-25, 12:13:22 (192.190.75.6)
I'm not sure ... I've mostly been playing material with little bass. It certainly doesn't have an overblown or overly strong bass. It sounds tight. But is it bass weak? I'll have to do more testing to .......
461: Hi-Rez Highway, My Toshiba does 24/96, but only if not copy protected ... are Chesky? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-24, 17:40:29 (192.190.75.6)
I looked in my manual, and it does do digital out of 24/96 (it's an option to NOT downsample). However, it also says it will only output the 24/96 on media that isn't copy protected. Do you know if th .......
462: Digital Drive, Re: You are correct (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-24, 10:38:33 (192.190.75.6)
Quote from your link: Audio Quality When using a fairly elaborated method these signals can be hidden from the human listener even if, strictly spoken, any addition of a signal to an audio signal is .......
463: Hi-Rez Highway, Chesky DVD stereo 24/96. Does this come out of DVD-video digital out? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-24, 10:21:35 (192.190.75.6)
I have a Bel Canto DAC2, which I would love to try on some high resolution music. I notice that Chesky has 24/96 stereo DVDs. While I'm sure this is going to play on my Toshiba 3750 DVD-video player, .......
464: Digital Drive, Re: Question; what good does compulsory watermark detection do? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-24, 10:06:49 (192.190.75.6)
Not sure about your example, but I disagree with Killer Piglet's response. The watermarking is in the music itself. It is designed to survive transmission by AM radio. It isn't filtered out at any sta .......
465: Digital Drive, Re: BelCanto DAC2 v Audio Aero Prima 24/192 v MFA324 ?? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-24, 09:28:13 (192.190.75.6)
You've probably seen my posts in the archives about the Bel Canto DAC2. I haven't heard the others, though my dealer says the MF a3-24 is brighter, and he doesn't like it as much except on a system th .......
466: Planar Speaker Asylum, about 9dB for double perceived loudness. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-21, 20:52:58 (192.190.75.6)
The 10db, or 10x power for twice perceived loudness is a bit of an approximation. I think it's more like 8x or 8.5x power, which is about 9db. Seems like splitting hairs -- but the 10x is too round a .......
467: Tubes Asylum, new to tubes -- Which tube pre-amp for newbie? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-21, 19:24:30 (192.190.75.6)
I am looking for a tube preamp for my system. Here it is: Toshiba DVD player Harmonic Tech Cyber-link Platinum digital cable (1m) Bel Canto DAC2 HT Pro-Silway MkII interconnect (1m) [ insert pre-amp h .......
468: Digital Drive, Try Bel Canto DAC2 (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-21, 18:54:13 (192.190.75.6)
I've had my Bel Canto DAC2 for a week or 2 now, and I love it. The tonal balance is very similar to vinyl, but it actually blows away my vinyl (I don't have the most expensive table). There is ample s .......
469: Digital Drive, noise shaping ... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-21, 18:40:03 (192.190.75.6)
correct me if I'm wrong, but noise shaping is only required for DSD-type DACs. For standard PCM, you may do some sub-least-significant-bit dithering, but not noise shaping. The noise shaping is so tha .......
470: Hi-Rez Highway, nearfield storage (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-21, 08:41:03 (192.190.75.6)
I'd love to see a scientific paper on this, but yes it is possible to get higher resolution by doing nearfield tricks. The real trade-off is always signal-to-noise. You can only get higher resolution .......
471: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: Blue light lasers (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-20, 19:48:45 (192.190.75.6)
>Scientists aren't sure exactly why the crystal fails, so for now it's difficult to attack the problem head-on." Well, scientists do know why they fail -- what they don't know is how to make them so t .......
472: Hi-Rez Highway, frequency doubling. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-20, 19:41:39 (192.190.75.6)
I've been out of the business for a while, but what you're talking about is a frequency doubling crystal. It has a non-linear index of refraction, and it can emit light at an off-angle at twice the fr .......
473: Cable Asylum, demagnetizing CDs (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-20, 18:22:50 (192.190.75.6)
Yes, the CD demagnetizing idea is really used, and has little or no theory as to why it would make any difference at all. Yes, the metalic layer on a CD is aluminum, which is non-magnetic. So, what do .......
474: Digital Drive, in shootout they liked the one that sounded the worst ... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-17, 18:33:27 (192.190.75.6)
I was confused by the HD shootout -- they clearly made the Bel Canto DAC sound like it was great, but didn't like the price. They said the NohR tube CD player sounded similar. I have the Bel Canto DAC .......
475: Cable Asylum, That post was me -- I guess my ego told me I was the whole asylum ;) [nt] (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-17, 17:58:26 (192.190.75.6)
. .......
476: Digital Drive, Re: Bel Canto DAC2 (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-16, 08:15:07 (192.190.75.6)
Well, I haven't seen the spec sheet for the AD1896, but the Bel Canto literature describes it as performing as a digital PLL during the conversion process. Hence, they have 2 PLLs, one analog in the r .......
477: Cable Asylum, Re: sometimes i wonder if anyone knows anything about wire???? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-15, 12:10:28 (192.190.75.6)
I can't figure out if this post is genuine or just a troll. But, for the benefit of the doubt, I just want to ask -- where did you get your great knowledge about cables? None of the explanations you m .......
478: Digital Drive, Bel Canto DAC2 (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-14, 19:35:33 (192.190.75.6)
I just got the Bel Canto DAC2. It is very analog sounding. The tonal balance is very similar to my table, but gives better sound. There is no high-frequency hash, or grain, and soundstage is great. I' .......
479: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Magnepan 3.6 and 20.1 (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-13, 20:14:15 (192.190.75.6)
Yes -- I have the Bryson 4B-ST / Maggie 3.6 combo as well . It works wonderfully! However, I'll bet a 7B-ST would be even better with 500 watts. You'll never use the power, but somehow the high powere .......
480: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Bryston 7B-ST meltdown (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-13, 20:03:57 (192.190.75.6)
Wish I hat a 7BST -- but I do like my 4BST. It will be fixed, no problems, no questions asked. One of my friends had an old 3B blow when doing bridging in a professional setup. They brought it into th .......
481: Digital Drive, Got the Bel Canto DAC2 today (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-13, 18:12:54 (192.190.75.6)
I just got the Bel Canto DAC2 -- been listening to Holly Cole (Don't Smoke in Bed CD) to try it out. It's an analog recording, and "almost" sounded okay on my old Denon. Well, I'll let it break in, bu .......
482: Digital Drive, Re: As long as transports are electro-mechanical and have moving parts... (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-10, 19:33:22 (192.190.75.6)
Not sure I agree with you about the transports. Yes, they make a difference now -- but they shouldn't in the future. There are only 3 things in digital audio -- bit accuracy, noise, and jitter (and no .......
483: Digital Drive, jitter (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-10, 12:47:52 (192.190.75.6)
Yes, it appears that bad cables add a particularly nasty type of correlated jitter that can make the sound harsh (I don't know why). Random jitter usually just dulls the sound, which isn't as objectio .......
484: Digital Drive, Just ordered the Bel Canto DAC2 (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-10, 12:00:38 (192.190.75.6)
I'm in Waterloo -- and it would be great to try out the DI/O. However, to test it properly, it would probably have to be with a better pre-amp than the Denon 5800 receiver. I'll have to live with it f .......
485: Digital Drive, Actually, only thing they had against Bel Canto was price (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-10, 07:09:46 (192.190.75.6)
I read the complete thread over at Harmonic Discord. In their shootout, they said the Modded ART DI/O was bright and fatiguing. That does NOT sound like what I want (though I don't think it had all th .......
486: Digital Drive, Re: Bel Canto DAC2 -- will this cure my digititis? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-09, 13:59:29 (192.190.75.6)
Well, it's $1599 Canadian for a short time -- which is less than $1000 US. As for giving it a listen -- it's unfortunately 1000 miles away in Saskatchewan, Canada. I'm going to have to take the dealer .......
487: Digital Drive, Re: Bel Canto DAC2 -- will this cure my digititis? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-09, 13:10:56 (192.190.75.6)
Well, according to the dealer at Everest Audio, who stocks both the MF a3-24 and the BC DAC2, the Bel Canto has much more of an analog sound, while the MF sounds very bright and digital. Since I alrea .......
488: Digital Drive, Bel Canto DAC2 -- will this cure my digititis? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-09, 07:41:06 (192.190.75.6)
I have a severe case of digititis. 80% of my CDs are unlistenable for any period of time because of harshness. This is even after improvement with better cabling. My current system is: Toshiba 3750 DV .......
489: Digital Drive, Re: DIGITAL CABLE FOR CDP TO DAC (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-07, 20:00:03 (192.190.75.6)
You should be able to get a Harmonic Tech Cyber-link Silver for that price on the street. I auditioned it, and it was very good, though I bought the slightly more expensive Platinum. .......
490: Cable Asylum, differences are subtle and system dependent (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-07, 08:52:52 (192.190.75.6)
You mention that cables don't make the same sort of differences that equipment does. If that is true for you, then I envy you in a way -- you can work on upgrading your components. I've never heard 2 .......
491: Tweakers' Asylum, what mods are you doing? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-06, 19:10:26 (192.190.75.6)
Sorry -- but I don't really want to pull apart my stage 3, and I'm not sure it would be the same inside anyway. But I would like to ask what mods you are doing, and how you expect it to impact the sou .......
492: Digital Drive, Re: Technical explanation the benefits of expensive high-end CD transports (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-03, 20:03:47 (192.190.75.6)
One of the links on John's page is http://www.jitter.de They are trying to sell something ... but their information is correct and well explained. Phase locked loops are being used. They are the most .......
493: Digital Drive, It is being measured -- and your ears can hear it too. (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-03, 19:50:08 (192.190.75.6)
I actually like Stereophile's jitter tests. However, they are a bit like a kid with a new toy. It would be easy to put some simple tones of digital data onto a CD, and then play it back and measure th .......
494: Power Forum, Re: Chang Lightspeed (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-02, 21:20:26 (192.190.75.6)
I bought a Chang 6400 ISO, and returned it after a week. I had my DVD player, and Denon 5800 Receiver (running as a DAC as well) into it. At first, I loved the sound, because it was so different, and .......
495: Digital Drive, my $0.02 -- but most of it learned from J. Risch's links mentioned above (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-05-01, 20:19:45 (192.190.75.6)
I don't like the Levinson explanation either, because NOBODY in their right mind would send the data stream as grabbed from the laser directly any more. At the very least, it's put in a FIFO buffer, a .......
496: Digital Drive, I'll bite (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-04-30, 21:13:09 (192.190.75.6)
I have a Micromega stage 3. First, the transports on the "Stage" series of Micromega CD players (there are stages 1 through 6 now. 4 is just an upgraded 1, 5 an upgraded 2, 6 an upgraded 3) are lemons .......
497: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: My left 1.6 is 3 -> 4 DB weaker than my right, what should I do? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-04-29, 21:14:44 (192.190.75.6)
Like Wasteh202 said, swap speakers (unplug from cables and physically swap them) to see if they are the problem. If the problem stays with the side of the room, and doesn't switch with the speakers, t .......
498: Planar Speaker Asylum, Re: Best interconnects for "air" with Maggie 3.6? (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-04-29, 20:27:45 (192.190.75.6)
Don't know the Monster's sound, but I doubt it's optimum. Interconnects are a great way to mess up the high frequencies. Don't use Cardas interconnects -- they won't give you air -- too warm for the 3 .......
499: Cable Asylum, Re: Van den Hul the First Ultimate, the Second, The Integration Hybrid (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-04-29, 19:43:10 (192.190.75.6)
I haven't tried the hybrid, but I've been told the second has similar sound to the first ultimate, perhaps better. It is certainly much better shielded. It has carbon fibers for both signal paths of t .......
500: Hi-Rez Highway, Watermarking survives MP3 and AM-radio (0.00)
Posted by audioNeil on 2002-04-29, 13:26:53 (192.190.75.6)
Supposedly watermarking has been heard by those comparing with/without. It is true that watermarking is supposed to survive MP3 and AM-radio and FM-radio broadcast. It was designed that way. That mean .......
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