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hobbes2702

hobbes2702 13423

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Just now, jimmyjazz said:

It's worth trying.  It's not voodoo, the benefits can be real, if subtle.  I know I don't have to say this, but I will -- the speakers have two sets of inputs with metal straps shorting the inputs together (right now), correct?

I know they come with those. I haven’t  actually seen the ST-Ls that I’m getting yet and the friend I’m getting them from is a bug audio guy also so I imagine they are still there. 

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dcbc
dcbc

Just brought this home.  It belonged to my parents.  Under my breath, I call it the "Beautiful Monster."  It's a 1959 Heath & Brown, Hollywood Regency style credenza, modified to house a hifi syst

Pescado_Rojo
Pescado_Rojo

Santa came on Saturday. Wall mounted my 65” TV and sound bar to free the top of my entertainment center for the turntable. I have a mild depth issue, but it’s not terrible. If it bothers me, I’ll cut

BoomMF
BoomMF

There's been a development. Back when I was in college there was a home theater/hifi store on Burnet, just north of Anderson, whose name I can't recall, but I vividly remember the first time I sa

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Paul Wesley

Paul Wesley 3313

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Posted
3 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Which model?  I'll venture a guess that it's probably more of a nostalgia repair than truly "worth it", but it shouldn't be a big expense.  They were pretty simple, but good amps.

I'd probably take it to Austin Stereo on Burnet, although Tapehead is supposed to be good, too.

It's not nostalgic to me... It was basically given to me and I used it for years to power a pair of NS-10.  Those speakers are now being powered by a Bryston that's not mine... so at some point, I'm either going to have to fix the Phase Linear or buy something else.

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NYCH1

NYCH1 17

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I haven’t listened to my stereo setup in over a year (equipment went into storage while wife and I waited for a new home build in a one bedroom apartment). We just moved in a week ago. While things are still in disarray, Charlie Watts passing compelled me to hook up the amp/pre-amp/cd player so I could listen to Exile On Main Street. 

2FA569F5-115B-43D0-97BB-F3245C4F3ED2.jpeg

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NYCH1

NYCH1 17

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Posted
18 minutes ago, NYCH1 said:

I haven’t listened to my stereo setup in over a year (equipment went into storage while wife and I waited for a new home build in a one bedroom apartment). We just moved in a week ago. While things are still in disarray, Charlie Watts passing compelled me to hook up the amp/pre-amp/cd player so I could listen to Exile On Main Street. 
 

edit (forgot to list equipment)-

Music Room: Marantz SA8000 SACD/CD player, Proceed AVP pre, Proceed Amp 3, Sonus Faber Concerto speakers, Clearaudio Concept wood turntable w/ Clearaudio MC cart, Musical Surrounding phono pre, Bluesound Node (yet to listen to it), Transparent/Audioquest/Monster cables

2FA569F5-115B-43D0-97BB-F3245C4F3ED2.jpeg

 

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VABuckeye

VABuckeye 2481

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9 hours ago, NYCH1 said:

 

Nice setup.  When I upgraded to my current setup I gave my son my Tag McLaren AVR32, Anthem 225wpc 2 channel and and my old Denon turntable from back in the day.  He got a pair of Klipsch towers (would not have been my choice) and I gave him an SVS sub as a housewarming gift.  Nothing like a vintage $5k preamp to build your new system around.

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Chad Fuck

Chad Fuck 18134

Posted
Posted
17 hours ago, NYCH1 said:

I haven’t listened to my stereo setup in over a year (equipment went into storage while wife and I waited for a new home build in a one bedroom apartment). We just moved in a week ago. While things are still in disarray, Charlie Watts passing compelled me to hook up the amp/pre-amp/cd player so I could listen to Exile On Main Street. 

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Nice football.

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NYCH1

NYCH1 17

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Man, I don’t want to go another year without a record player (although I forgot how often you have to get up on 45rpm versions). Jimmyjazz called it on the Sonus Faber- great for acoustic music, not quite as good on rock. I’m breaking in Monitor Audio Silver 300 speakers for a media room (will be an all Monitor Audio speaker Dolby Atmos setup). I violated my own code and bought these w/o an audition. They seem a tad bright in the treble, but I’m used to 20 years of the laid back Sonus Faber sound signature. Overall, I’m impressed with the ‘slight used’ purchase. These were cheaper than what I paid for the SF back in the day. 

AFE281C1-F3C2-477C-A019-9DF6F19D8322.jpeg

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LFS

LFS 58

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random question: anyone else ever own the carver pre-amp w/ sonic holography??

very late 80's / early 90's.

worked surprisingly well on some recordings.

all my old gear was 'standard fare' adcom, nakamichi, sony es, snell acoustics, etc.

 

 

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 47102

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5 hours ago, LFS said:

random question: anyone else ever own the carver pre-amp w/ sonic holography??

very late 80's / early 90's.

worked surprisingly well on some recordings.

all my old gear was 'standard fare' adcom, nakamichi, sony es, snell acoustics, etc.

Yup.  It's basically a process where out-of-phase information is fed from left to right and right to left.  It's closely related to a legit stereo mic technique called "mid-side".

Used in moderation it can create a bigger, less precise soundstage.  Go too far and it's nauseating.

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NYCH1

NYCH1 17

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I connected the Bluesound Node 2i to the stereo system. The internal DAC is pretty good based on listening to Tidal MQA and Amazon UltraHD tracks (will look into an external dac in the future). Down the road as my wife and I contemplate an RV retirement life, I could be satisfied with this setup plus a decent set of bookshelf speakers. I just pray that my son doesn’t Goodwill my collection of records and cds (a fair # of audiophile cds and records: MoFi, Analogue Production, Tone Poet, DCC)). My strategy will be similar to VABuckeye- gift some really nice stereo equipment to him vs. selling it on Audigon or through the Austin Audiophile FB group.

 

One question: Is there a way to play Amazon tracks via voice commands through an Amazon Echo to the Bluesound (not sure my wife has the patience to open the Bluesound app to access Amazon music)?

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LFS

LFS 58

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On 8/27/2021 at 2:51 PM, jimmyjazz said:

Yup.  It's basically a process where out-of-phase information is fed from left to right and right to left.  It's closely related to a legit stereo mic technique called "mid-side".

Used in moderation it can create a bigger, less precise soundstage.  Go too far and it's nauseating.

... and speaking of sound stage - for the money - and not much required - the spica tc 50 and the angelus were unreal.

- the erstwhile audiophile

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VABuckeye

VABuckeye 2481

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A really good poster on the Music Board of Tigerdroppings had his entire system destroyed by water damage.  System as in a $300k+ setup.  Tons of McIntosh gear and a lot of other very high end stuff.  His insurance adjuster comes on Monday morning so cross your fingers for a fellow audio gear head.

Some of the damage.

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hobbes2702

hobbes2702 13423

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4 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Were they McIntosh speakers?  I'd be surprised if a normal collection of electronics could get close to $300K, but exotic speakers can definitely ring the bell.

I think I see a Mc tube, pre/pro, 2 power amps, and a couple other things. That grouping probably is maybe $50k but I have no clue on those reels or the speakers 

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 47102

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That Ken Fritz system might sound great -- multiple kilowatts driving hundreds of drivers almost couldn't sound great at some level -- but I seriously doubt the level of "engineering" he put into his one-off designs is legitimate.  I mean, design takes iteration.  One has to build, listen, evaluate (using analysis) and tweak.  The science isn't so fully formed to do otherwise.

There is no way he could have nailed massive line arrays and the world's heaviest (and most expensive) turntable right out of the gate.  He seems to get that, he acknowledges that he pretty much has to tell himself it's the best system he's ever heard.  I hope he loves his system and his room and I hope he uses it all the time, because he clearly spent millions on something that could have probably been had for 10% of that amount.  That said, I'm not gonna tell a guy how to spend his money.  Good for you, Ken.  That's some serious dedication . . . passion . . . obsession.

(Personally, I'd prefer a $20K stereo and a million dollar music collection.)

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dcbc

dcbc 14644

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1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

That Ken Fritz system might sound great -- multiple kilowatts driving hundreds of drivers almost couldn't sound great at some level -- but I seriously doubt the level of "engineering" he put into his one-off designs is legitimate.  I mean, design takes iteration.  One has to build, listen, evaluate (using analysis) and tweak.  The science isn't so fully formed to do otherwise.

There is no way he could have nailed massive line arrays and the world's heaviest (and most expensive) turntable right out of the gate.  He seems to get that, he acknowledges that he pretty much has to tell himself it's the best system he's ever heard.  I hope he loves his system and his room and I hope he uses it all the time, because he clearly spent millions on something that could have probably been had for 10% of that amount.  That said, I'm not gonna tell a guy how to spend his money.  Good for you, Ken.  That's some serious dedication . . . passion . . . obsession.

(Personally, I'd prefer a $20K stereo and a million dollar music collection.)

Would have been nice to see it in action, even though the sound would have suffered through my PC speakers.

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Buzzrock

Buzzrock 15136

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On 3/9/2021 at 3:13 PM, VABuckeye said:

It arrived.  This simplifies my setup to the point that I now have an extra audio system sans speakers.  This does everything I need.  Phono input, HDMI ARC input, Hi-res streaming and 380 wpc into my 6 ohm Dynaudio speakers.

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NAD Masters is a funny name.

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Bogeywon

Bogeywon 2548

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1 hour ago, hobbes2702 said:

Don’t know much about them but I do see that they pivot in their socket which is, IMO, incredibly important for in ceiling speakers. Let us know once it’s all setup

My guy is really honest. He’s doing a house right now with 20 speakers throughout the house. My whole set up after equipment wires labor ect about 2000-2500

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Bogeywon

Bogeywon 2548

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On 11/15/2021 at 6:06 PM, Bogeywon said:

It’s starting! Doing home theatre sound in the basement ceiling speakers sub center speakers! This is what runs it all9FB664D8-FA4F-44D3-9905-9ED249064C23.thumb.jpeg.fa06d7c9d3b31cc94c8f9b989c38a150.jpeg97CEB1BF-62DA-425D-8C96-BF0B79461E16.thumb.jpeg.dbf210f06e3d3e2e751ed34532679dd9.jpeg

What’s a good record player to pair with this receiver. I’m lost. I’m buying things based on my sound guys opinion which I’m cool with cause he’s honest and I’ve seen his work. But he’s not really sure on record players. 

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hobbes2702

hobbes2702 13423

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9 minutes ago, Bogeywon said:

What’s a good record player to pair with this receiver. I’m lost. I’m buying things based on my sound guys opinion which I’m cool with cause he’s honest and I’ve seen his work. But he’s not really sure on record players. 

Does the receiver have a phono output or no?

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dcbc

dcbc 14644

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11 hours ago, Bogeywon said:

So I’d like to buy a good one and be done. Meaning If I have to spend a little more but be good for a few years that would be ideal

Their cheapest is $199.  They have upgraded options.  I don't have any experience with them, but they appear to be pretty good, and I saw them used in several hi-fi console rebuilds over the past several years.

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TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 32060

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Posted (edited)

Pro-Ject is a fine brand, Austrian I believe.  They seem to be kind of associated with the "resurgence" of vinyl.  The high-end turntable makers never stopped, but seems like the "mid-fi" makers dropped turntables for the most part like 20 years ago?  Pro-Ject started offering inexpensive mid/hi-fi turntables before a lot of other brands got back into it.

Also, something to consider.  LPs are kind of a pain in the ass in terms of storage and listening.  I have always preferred their sound, though.

BUT, your system, with a 7-channel amp/receiver and reliant on in-ceiling speakers and set up for multi-room play, is kind of the antithesis of vinyl LPs.  

The paradigm vinyl setup is a tube amplifier or non-digital/vintage solid state amp/receiver, two channel, with vintage or vintage-type floor or bookshelf speakers.  The difference between vinyl and CD-audio (digital whether compressed (mp3-type/streaming) or not, is subtle and best appreciated on a "vintage style" setup as described above.

I'm honestly not sure you should plan to screw with vinyl with that set up.  Not that there's anything fundamentally wrong with your setup, it's just not the typical vinyl setup.  And what I mean by that, is that the receiver is all about signal processing, which is sort of inherently digital.  While LPs and turntables are analog.  When you take the analog signal from a turntable and digitize it and process it all to hell, the subtle difference gets lost.

Most multi-channel AV receivers have a 2-channel mode.  I confess that I don't know what happens in 2-channel.  The multi-channel is definitely processed all to hell (Dolby, etc.), the 2-channel may be more of an analog "pass-through," I just don't know.  If you ran turntable through multi-channel, I'm fairly certain that the charms of vinyl would be completely lost.  Not sure about 2-channel.

Now, if you already have a vinyl collection, fuck me and proceed.

Edited by TwiceHorn
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VABuckeye

VABuckeye 2481

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1 hour ago, TwiceHorn said:

Pro-Ject is a fine brand, Austrian I believe.  They seem to be kind of associated with the "resurgence" of vinyl.  The high-end turntable makers never stopped, but seems like the "mid-fi" makers dropped turntables for the most part like 20 years ago?  Pro-Ject started offering inexpensive mid/hi-fi turntables before a lot of other brands got back into it.

Also, something to consider.  LPs are kind of a pain in the ass in terms of storage and listening.  I have always preferred their sound, though.

BUT, your system, with a 7-channel amp/receiver and reliant on in-ceiling speakers and set up for multi-room play, is kind of the antithesis of vinyl LPs.  

The paradigm vinyl setup is a tube amplifier or non-digital/vintage solid state amp/receiver, two channel, with vintage or vintage-type floor or bookshelf speakers.  The difference between vinyl and CD-audio (digital whether compressed (mp3-type/streaming) or not, is subtle and best appreciated on a "vintage style" setup as described above.

I'm honestly not sure you should plan to screw with vinyl with that set up.  Not that there's anything fundamentally wrong with your setup, it's just not the typical vinyl setup.  And what I mean by that, is that the receiver is all about signal processing, which is sort of inherently digital.  While LPs and turntables are analog.  When you take the analog signal from a turntable and digitize it and process it all to hell, the subtle difference gets lost.

Most multi-channel AV receivers have a 2-channel mode.  I confess that I don't know what happens in 2-channel.  The multi-channel is definitely processed all to hell (Dolby, etc.), the 2-channel may be more of an analog "pass-through," I just don't know.  If you ran turntable through multi-channel, I'm fairly certain that the charms of vinyl would be completely lost.  Not sure about 2-channel.

Now, if you already have a vinyl collection, fuck me and proceed.

The receiver still has a stereo mode for sure so no big deal on the ceiling speakers as I believe Bogey stated that the fronts are not ceiling speakers.  Denon also has (used to have) a 5 channel stereo mode but I'd stick to direct or stereo mode when listening to music.

The other possibility is to get something like the Bluesound Node 2i and use a hi-res streaming service for music playback.

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TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 32060

Posted
Posted
9 minutes ago, VABuckeye said:

The receiver still has a stereo mode for sure so no big deal on the ceiling speakers as I believe Bogey stated that the fronts are not ceiling speakers.  Denon also has (used to have) a 5 channel stereo mode but I'd stick to direct or stereo mode when listening to music.

The other possibility is to get something like the Bluesound Node 2i and use a hi-res streaming service for music playback.

Fair enough.  Just something to consider.  With two freestanding front speakers and 2-channel mode, that's probably OK.

That receiver seems to have all the streaming stuff built in.

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Bogeywon

Bogeywon 2548

Posted
Posted
23 minutes ago, VABuckeye said:

The receiver still has a stereo mode for sure so no big deal on the ceiling speakers as I believe Bogey stated that the fronts are not ceiling speakers.  Denon also has (used to have) a 5 channel stereo mode but I'd stick to direct or stereo mode when listening to music.

The other possibility is to get something like the Bluesound Node 2i and use a hi-res streaming service for music playback.

The way my basement is set up it’s all ceiling speakers. 3 fronts 2 backs 1 at the bar 1 in bathroom

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 47102

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Posted

Some of the better mid-fi turntable brands would be Pro-ject, Music Hall, and Rega.  I would make sure your receiver has a phono input and if so, don't go with a turntable that has USB digital output, because you're paying for something  you don't need.  Denon and Marantz probably don't suck, either.

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Bogeywon

Bogeywon 2548

Posted
Posted
27 minutes ago, Bogeywon said:

For the u-turn Turn table can I buy the one for $199 with my receiver listed above? Or do I need a pre amp? Isn’t that what the receiver is for? Sorry new to this 

Sorry last question is it really a big difference between this and the step up with the acrylic?

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