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Thread: The Audiophile Thread

  1. #2151
    Member Jerjo's Avatar
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    If it was obvious it wouldn't be a subject of debate, would it.
    On Hoffman or Audiogon they could get in an argument over the sonic differences between having your lava lamp plugged into the same power source as your preamp. In PE terms, everything is a Yes thread.
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

  2. #2152
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zeuhlmate View Post
    Class A (solid state) - generally has more power with less watts, is more detailed and dynamic - and gets pysically warmer and uses more electricity.
    But generally you need loudspeakers easily driven, or a big Class A amp, and they are usually very expensive.
    There are a few chinese brands that makes affordable Class A solid state like JungSon JA88D-09
    Read about this one http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/JungSon.htm
    I think that class A tube mystique is due to the fact that tubes take voltage and covert it to current and can drive very low impedance including reactive ones. However MOSFETs in my new Pioneer receiver are effectively solid state tubes and are much better at driving 4 ohms than previous gen. That’s not Class A, it’s some variant of class D.

  3. #2153
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Beware of any advice from someone trying to sell you something.

  4. #2154
    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    There's your clue right there.

    If it was obvious it wouldn't be a subject of debate, would it.
    Correct. Add to that that listening is very subjective, preferences and tastes vary, and is not simply a summation of a series of measurements.

  5. #2155
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    Quote Originally Posted by moecurlythanu View Post
    Correct. Add to that that listening is very subjective, preferences and tastes vary, and is not simply a summation of a series of measurements.
    A design based on one person’s subjective opinion is a POS.

  6. #2156
    Some amps, like Parasound, have both - "pure" A + AB.
    "Always ready with the ray of sunshine"

  7. #2157
    Member Zeuhlmate's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by strawberrybrick View Post
    Some amps, like Parasound, have both - "pure" A + AB.
    Parasound is good value for the money!

  8. #2158
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zeuhlmate View Post
    Parasound is good value for the money!
    Why? And why is Class A,A/B considered great compared to what?

  9. #2159

  10. #2160
    Member Zeuhlmate's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Firth View Post
    Why? And why is Class A,A/B considered great compared to what?
    Parasound is good soundquality, reasonable priced, can drive most speakers.
    Its not important what class type it is. Its important that the poweramp matches the loudspeakers, and that you like the sound of it.
    Its a multifactor thing, amps, speakers, CD, turntable (direct, belt, arm, needle etc), cables, speakercables, you can tweak the sound by changing every device in the chain.
    Make a budget, go to a store, spend a day, use the ears bring your preferred CD's or Vinyl.

    I started in the 1980'ties with some expensive speakers that exposed the crappy amps I had, and from there I frequently changed everything else, several times.
    I still have those speakers but have bought new woofers for them.

  11. #2161
    Member Jerjo's Avatar
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    Yes, I am aware of the importance of matching speakers and components. When we bought our main system we spent hours in the listening room, with a stack of CDs and some vinyl.

    That was about fourteen years ago and by this time next year I should be shopping. But I have research to do first.
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

  12. #2162
    Quote Originally Posted by Jerjo View Post
    Yes, I am aware of the importance of matching speakers and components. When we bought our main system we spent hours in the listening room, with a stack of CDs and some vinyl.

    That was about fourteen years ago and by this time next year I should be shopping. But I have research to do first.
    You may want to think about doing some of your research, shopping and listening at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 10/2/20 - 10/4/20.

    Many rooms (about 100+, I believe) of audio equipment, at all price ranges, and a lot of great deals can be made. Not too many dealers and manufacturers want to lug a bunch of equipment back to their shops or warehouses after the show. Getting 40% discounts on show demo gear is not unusual.

    https://www.audiofest.net/
    And if there were a god, I think it very unlikely that he would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence - Russell

  13. #2163
    Member Zeuhlmate's Avatar
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    Several hifimagazines has a best of *year* product, in different price categories online. Like this https://www.whathifi.com/awards/2019
    It can take some time to read these reviews, but it can be usefull. Also if you buy second hand stuff.

    I generally like Stereophiles reviews, even though much of it is over my budget.
    If you buy second hand, you can save a lot of money, and devices without moving parts (CD, Turntable, tapedecks) usually last for many years!
    I mostly buy second hand. Lastly a tube preamp (ear 864), that is as new, but costed 1/4 of the inital price.
    https://www.hifishark.com/ - but watch out - there are crooks out there, if its cheaper than 'average' and they dont have paypal, its probably fake, and you lose your money.

  14. #2164
    Quote Originally Posted by simon moon View Post
    You may want to think about doing some of your research, shopping and listening at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 10/2/20 - 10/4/20.

    Many rooms (about 100+, I believe) of audio equipment, at all price ranges, and a lot of great deals can be made. Not too many dealers and manufacturers want to lug a bunch of equipment back to their shops or warehouses after the show. Getting 40% discounts on show demo gear is not unusual.

    https://www.audiofest.net/
    Seconded. I discovered both Neat speakers and Lumin streaming DAC products by attending Axpona in Chicagoland.
    "Always ready with the ray of sunshine"

  15. #2165
    Quote Originally Posted by Jerjo View Post
    That was about fourteen years ago and by this time next year I should be shopping. But I have research to do first.
    I'm approaching a decade with my PSB Synchrony speakers. They will be re-releasing that line of speakers next year... but I'd be hard pressed to justify the money; I'm more than pleased with what I've got.
    "Always ready with the ray of sunshine"

  16. #2166
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    Quote Originally Posted by strawberrybrick View Post
    I'm approaching a decade with my PSB Synchrony speakers. They will be re-releasing that line of speakers next year... but I'd be hard pressed to justify the money; I'm more than pleased with what I've got.
    Not familiar with those speakers, however I have found that the most important speaker characteristic is how the sound eq and dynamic range holds up over space, or spatially. If they do, then my receiver will make a great EQ with high resolution which is applicable spatially. I now wonder since Polk has introduced a new flagship which cancels out Interaural distortion between left and right speakers, better than those old SDA versions, how important that is. The ears will tell hopefully.

  17. #2167
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    https://www.soundunited.com/Have you heard of this new company:

    Sound United includes Denon, Marantz, Boston Acoustics, and HEOS by Denon (under D+M Group); Polk Audio; and Definitive Technology.

  18. #2168
    Member Zeuhlmate's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by strawberrybrick View Post
    I'm approaching a decade with my PSB Synchrony speakers. They will be re-releasing that line of speakers next year... but I'd be hard pressed to justify the money; I'm more than pleased with what I've got.
    My Snell A 2's are about 40 years old - but has new woofers (my son blew them) - I dont think technology on loudspeakers have improved much the last 30 years.

  19. #2169
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zeuhlmate View Post
    I dont think technology on loudspeakers have improved much the last 30 years.
    Big speakers haven't advanced one inch in thirty years.

    Little speakers, OTOH, sound remarkably better due to active electronics and better materials.

  20. #2170
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    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    Big speakers haven't advanced one inch in thirty years.

    Little speakers, OTOH, sound remarkably better due to active electronics and better materials.
    True - I have a pair of Micromega Myspeaker (Myamp inside) for my pc, and its dramaticly better than all the plastic crap you can get in a PC-shop. Even the bass is reasonable.
    https://micromega.com/en/products/my...-myamp-inside/


    Review: https://www.theabsolutesound.com/art...inside/?page=2

  21. #2171
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    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    Big speakers haven't advanced one inch in thirty years.

    Little speakers, OTOH, sound remarkably better due to active electronics and better materials.
    Not true. There are large speaker systems with built-in active crossovers and self eq that account for the acoustics that they exist within. This is relatively new. A similar approach is the Apple Home pod even though it is small.

  22. #2172
    Member Jerjo's Avatar
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    Little speakers, OTOH, sound remarkably better due to active electronics and better materials.
    In my office system there's a pair of 80s Infinity bookshelf speakers. I replaced the tweets and drivers (the drivers were rotting) and the difference was startling. I've got my PC feeding into a Schitt DAC and then to a Yamaha amp - it all sounds far better than it should.
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

  23. #2173
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    Just upgraded my speakers to a pair of KEF LS50W. Pretty much thrilled across the board at how they sound, whether spinning vinyl (using Furutech GT40 preamp) or high res audio from my NAS or via TIDAL. Handles local low res streaming from any of the iPhones/iPads in the house like a champ as well. Price is usually $2500/pair, KEF’s holiday sale is $1799/pair. They’ve been superbly reviewed by audio magazines/websites/blogs and are very well considered even by the difficult-to-impress folks over at the Hoffman forums. The nice thing about them (for my purposes) is they are fully powered and wireless capable, so no need for a big amplifier and no cables cluttering up the living room. Everyone’s needs are unique/different of course but these were just exactly perfect for our needs and while not super-high-end (that’s gonna have to wait until the kids are out of college and a bit more self sufficient) they are high end enough to hear the difference. Certainly a HUGE step up from my Emotiva monitors and Sonos P5 setup.
    Daily jazz vinyl reviews on Instagram @jazzandcoffee

  24. #2174
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    I’m excited about this new Polk design:

    https://www.audioholics.com/tower-sp...-legend-series

  25. #2175
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    Passive SDA circuitry for stereo or 2.1 operation sure, but in a 5.1 setup with DSP receiver or preamp? Unnecessary. My Polk SDAs sounded like any other (good) speakers in a 5.1 system.

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