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Posted (edited)
14 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

I'm a banana plug fan but bare

We all had you pegged as such. ;)

 

But for 10 feet @ 8 ohms, we're talking 12x overkill for 12 gauge versus 8x overkill for 14gauge and almost 5x overkill for 16 gauge.  It's all overkill and I'd wager that nobody can tell the difference between 12, 14, and 16 gauge.  Your point about price is well-taken.  But if, for example, someone has a roll of 16 gauge speaker wire already lying around, I'd just use it and not worry about it.

Edited by dcbc
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Posted
9 hours ago, dcbc said:

It's all overkill and I'd wager that nobody can tell the difference

this is true for most audiophile equipment

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Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, stc said:

this is true for most audiophile equipment

This is the part where I confess that I used 14 gauge speaker wire for a few different runs (preamp to amp, and amp to speakers), the longest of which was approximately 6.5 feet.  It terminates in these gold-plated, spade-fork, banana-plug adapters for Mcintosh.  But the truth of why I bought the adapters is more for ease of connection than anything else.  I just didn't want the nut-connectors loosening and didn't like the idea of the wires themselves being crimped down.  Just a matter of neatness in the setup.  

Edited by dcbc
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Posted
On 10/11/2024 at 9:48 PM, hobbes2702 said:

Let’s set the very top end of the budget at say $750.

Forgive my ignorance. I know less than zero about turntables and vinyl audio. 

Maybe too late for you, but the fluance rt85 is supposed to be a great option in this price range, it comes with an Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge - RT85 Reference Turntable with Ortofon 2M Blue Cartridge and Acrylic Platter - Piano Black | Fluance

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Posted
25 minutes ago, dcbc said:

This is the part where I confess that I used 14 gauge speaker wire for a few different runs (preamp to amp, and amp to speakers), the longest of which was approximately 6.5 feet.  It terminates in these gold-plated, spade-fork, banana-plug adapters for Mcintosh.  But the truth of why I bought the adapters is more for ease of connection than anything else.  I just didn't want the nut-connectors loosening and didn't like the idea of the wires themselves being crimped down.  Just a matter of neatness in the setup.  


I ran all my shit in 14ga. Two runs were 30-35 feet.

I also picked up a bulk pack of tool-less banana plugs as well. 
 

Slide wire in, snap shut, done. Worked out really well.

 

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Posted
8 minutes ago, thunderlounge said:


I ran all my shit in 14ga. Two runs were 30-35 feet.

I also picked up a bulk pack of tool-less banana plugs as well. 
 

Slide wire in, snap shut, done. Worked out really well.

 

For anyone shopping wire, be sure to dig into the description to make sure you're getting copper if you're paying for copper.  Lots of copper-clad aluminum speaker wire out there.  There's nothing wrong with it apart from its being 60% less efficient than copper wire.  This is why you see "lamp cord" recommended.  But if you end up with CCA, you're basically getting a gauge higher than you're paying for if it was regular copper wire.

  • 1 month later...
Posted

Still haven't figured out the IR repeater stuff, but I'm more than pleased with the SVS setup.  Their stuff kicks ass and that sub is just a monster. Anyone who needs more than one of these in a room is a psycho. It shakes the whole fucking house when I want it to.

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  • 3 months later...
Posted

My Marantz 2252b is slowly dying and a stereo tech advised against pouring too much $ into it.
So now I’m looking at new integrated amp and speakers.
I like a warm sound, rather than neutral, something that also does well at lower volumes.
Marantz 30 or 50, advance Paris a10 (I haven’t heard but sounds intriguing), maybe Yamaha?

Speakers that interest me kef r3, wharfedale linton.

Anyone got a system they really love? Opinions on the pieces above?

Posted

My SVS setup is awesome. Receiver I’m neutral on, so far its been fine (onkyo rz50)

Not 30 minutes ago was watching a show, and there was a knock at the door off camera.

For a split second I thought some asshole was knocking at my door. 

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Posted
My Marantz 2252b is slowly dying and a stereo tech advised against pouring too much $ into it.
So now I’m looking at new integrated amp and speakers.
I like a warm sound, rather than neutral, something that also does well at lower volumes.
Marantz 30 or 50, advance Paris a10 (I haven’t heard but sounds intriguing), maybe Yamaha?

Speakers that interest me kef r3, wharfedale linton.

Anyone got a system they really love? Opinions on the pieces above?

It’s crazy to me that a stereo tech said that it’s not worth fixing a 2252b. That’s an heirloom piece, honestly. Is he trying to get you to sell it to him??
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Posted
1 hour ago, nycHorn said:

My Marantz 2252b is slowly dying and a stereo tech advised against pouring too much $ into it.
So now I’m looking at new integrated amp and speakers.
I like a warm sound, rather than neutral, something that also does well at lower volumes.
Marantz 30 or 50, advance Paris a10 (I haven’t heard but sounds intriguing), maybe Yamaha?

I'm not sure what vintage you're looking at, but I've been running a Yamaha A-S701 integrated amp for a few years, and I don't miss my separates (various combinations of Conrad-Johson, McCormack, Bryston, etc.).  In my mind a good amp is a good amp and if it colors the sound it's not really very good.  That said, it should have enough grunt to get to whatever volume level you desire without going off the rails.

Posted
9 hours ago, Anton Chigurh said:


It’s crazy to me that a stereo tech said that it’s not worth fixing a 2252b. That’s an heirloom piece, honestly. Is he trying to get you to sell it to him??

That was my first thought. I've had way crappier amps repaired.

Posted

Maybe he doesn’t want to work on it, he deals in higher end stuff. He basically said that the volume control power source is in rough shape and they don’t make them anymore. And that it’s a matter of time before it just goes out and can’t get the parts to repair it.

I’m taking it for a second opinion elsewhere. I’ll never sell it, but now I have the itch to upgrade my system.

I have a friend who works for Sound United and could get me a new marantz at a discount. I just am not a fan of how the new ones look.

Posted
1 hour ago, nycHorn said:

Maybe he doesn’t want to work on it, he deals in higher end stuff. He basically said that the volume control power source is in rough shape and they don’t make them anymore. And that it’s a matter of time before it just goes out and can’t get the parts to repair it.

I’m taking it for a second opinion elsewhere. I’ll never sell it, but now I have the itch to upgrade my system.

I have a friend who works for Sound United and could get me a new marantz at a discount. I just am not a fan of how the new ones look.

Don’t know where that you’re located but there is a highly regarded repair spot in Plano, TX. Metzger Vintage Audio and they only repair vintage units.

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Posted
3 minutes ago, The Original CaliHorn said:

Don’t know where that you’re located but there is a highly regarded repair spot in Plano, TX. Metzger Vintage Audio and they only repair vintage units.

Anyone have a rec for non-vintage audio repair in DFW, preferably the D end?  I have an NAD receiver that needs the CD player replaced among other things.

Posted

Ordered a NAD C 3050 amp and a Wiim Pro Plus streamer. I wanted to do a side by side test with the marantz.
Good lord, even with the speaker cracking and cutting out at low levels, the Marantz mops the floor with the NAD.
The streamer/dac has made a huge difference though - I’d previously been streaming thru an old Apple TV that had an optical out and used a basic dac from
Amazon to get the signal to the marantz.

Next up I think I might try to audition some new speakers and see the difference.

But the NAD is going back for sure.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

What do you do with retired speakers these days? I was finally able to get a mount for my Mythos 10 CLR so I have no use for the old Mythos 7.
I used to have the 7 in the acoustic cabinet because the Mythos 10 can’t stand without its mount and didn’t fit in the cabinet. 
 

Posted (edited)

loudspeaker / altavoz / haute-parler (stand) spikes, anyone?

discuss.

 

Edited by LFS
(stand)
  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Many moons ago, I dabbled in the very very low end of what some might call "hi-fi."  Had a system with a Denon receiver, some Klipsch speakers, NAD (and later Philips) CD player, etc.  But then along came a kid, buying a home, etc., and the stereo stuff basically went by the wayside.  If I'm listening to music these days, it's typically in my vehicle.  

Well, I'm ready to jump back in (a bit).  I'm now trying to set up a simple 2-channel system in an office space (room is roughly 12' by 12') with lots of hard surface -- noise carries like crazy in both the room and the house in general.  I figure I'll mostly stream (Spotify and Amazon Music) off my phone, but I also want to have CD and vinyl capability.  I think I still have my old Philips CD player and/or a Sony Blu-Ray/DVD/CD player packed away somewhere, so a CD player is not really needed at this point.  What I'm looking at are integrated amps and bookshelf speakers.  At some point, I'll need to get a turntable, because I do have a vinyl collection from back in the day.  I'm trying to keep the total under $1500, which shouldn't be too difficult.  

So . . . I'm looking for recs, thoughts, suggestions, etc.  Re: the amp, I'm interested in models that have Bluetooth and/or DAC for purposes of streaming, so I've been looking at the NAD D3020 v2 and the Cambridge Audio AXR100.  They both have DAC and Bluetooth, and the price is about the same, but I'm kinda leaning toward the Cambridge because 100w > 30w.  

As for the speakers, there seem to be a ton of options.  Was looking at the KEF Q150 and Polk ES15 (both about $300/pair), but then started reading about the Fluance XJ8S at only $180/pair.  Normally I'm spending the most $$ out of my budget on speakers, but I'm reading some reviews about how the Fluance sounds better than the Polks.  If I can get similar (or even better) sound for $120 cheaper, I'm all for that.  But if there's one component that I want to make sure I get right, it's the speakers.  

The turntable will likely come a little later, but I'm wide open.  Reading good things about some of the Fluance tables as well as other makers, but the Rega Planar I is tempting even though it's more than I really want to spend on a turntable for this type of small-room, 2 channel setup.

Thoughts?  

 

 

Posted

Of those options, I would go with the Cambridge amp and KEF speakers all day every day.  I have heard disturbing things about NAD's quality control in recent years.  KEF is a highly reputable company, Fluance is one of the newer kids on the block and I just think I'd go with the old guard.

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