November 30, 2000
Subject: Linn Sonek CD12
More than once in the past six months I've gone back to
read your Stereophile review of the Linn Sondek CD12. What has haunted me (along
with the dream of such lovely sound reproduction) is the logic you laid out for investing
in a high-end CD player. I have lots of CDs and whatever else happens with other formats,
I'm likely to keep listening to them for a quite a while. So, I've been
thinking…maybe someone will post an ad for a used CD12 at somewhere under $10k.
Maybe. Or maybe there will be another player more likely to arrive on the used market that
comes close enough to that sound but retails for under $10k. Would it be the Levinson
No.39? If you have a suggestion, please take a moment to let me know.
Thanks very much,
Gib Robinson
Hi Gib:
At the moment, the No.39 would be my pick under
$10k for sure, but I liked what the Bel Canto DAC1 did in my system, and I'll be writing
up the Perpetual Technologies PA-3 very soon. As the great Grace Slick once sang:
"Life is change. . . How we differ from the rocks . . ."
ATB...Wes
November 28, 2000
Subject: Conrad-Johnson MV55
I remember your Conrad-Johnson Premier 11A review from Stereophile,
so I think you might have an answer to my query. I own MartinLogan Sequel 2s driven by a
CJ MV55 power amp and Audio Research LS-3 preamp. The C-J sounds just lovely, but is
barely enough power even in my 12' by 18' room, and I am also tired of changing power
tubes every 3-4 months, since I do hear the highs roll off, being very sensitive to that
kind of thing. Is there a solid-state amp out there that will not make me miss the
lushness and harmonic rightness of my MV55? Thanks in advance for any advice you may
offer.
Erminio
Dear Erminio:
Ask a tough one, why don't you? You might try
Conrad-Johnson's MF-2250 -- 125W and lots of current. It's severely underrated by people
who don't know how well C-J "gets" solid state.
ATB...Wes
November 25, 2000
Subject: Turntable owner's manual
You seem like a real hi-fi nut, so I'm hoping you might be
able to help me out. I'm looking for an owner's manual for my Phillips 877 turntable and
not having much luck. Any ideas? Please e-mail me at IzBri.aol.com if you have any
suggestions.
Thanks,
Brian
Hi Brian:
Sorry, but I don't respond offline. Your best bet
for older equipment manuals is some of the classic used high-end stores, such as Stereo
Exchange in New York. They have file cabinets full of manuals they've forgotten to send
with the gear. Even then, it’s a long shot.
Good luck,
ATB...Wes
November 25, 2000
Subject: Question for ya
I was searching around the Web over lunch and came across
onhifi. I really miss your reviews in Stereophile! It's still a great magazine, but
not the same...
Anyway, onto my question, My buddy and I have been doing
some playing around with CD Players. He's a solid-state guy and I'm a tube guy. I've laid
down the cash on a Mesa Baron, Alón Lotus SEs, VTL 2.5 preamp and MIT 750 Bi-Wires, but I
just can't get into vinyl. I like CD's too much. Furthermore, I'm really into a wide range
of music, so I love the idea of 300-disc changers. My buddy says to drop the VTL and get a
high-end digital preamp and the changer would sound great just used as a transport.
I want to stay with the tube preamp, so I've been
researching outboard DACs that might pair up with my Sony 300-disc. I had good luck with
an Audio Research DAC1 that I've been reviewing. So my question is, Would I be better
suited giving up on this passion for the perfect audiophile 300-disc changer, or stay the
course?
Any insights you may have would be appreciated.
Bruce Turek
Hi Bruce:
As you've already seen from my Sony Megachanger
review, I'm with you on the multi-disc players, especially when used with a fine DAC like
the ARC DAC1. And, while there are higher-quality preamps than your VTL, it ain't exactly
chopped liver either! Let your friend go his merry way alone and give in to your dream of
hi-rez digital from a changer. I'm sure he'll get it someday -- probably while visiting
you and spending so much more time listening than playing with the hi-fi!
ATB...Wes
November 20, 2000
Subject: Too much space
I know that you've already dedicated a lot of time and
space to subject of speaker placement, but I have a problem that is rarely addressed: too
much room. I live in a loft, which means I have one big room for everything I do (cooking,
eating, sleeping, working, sleeping, etc.). It's basically a 30' x 40' rectangle but one
of the long walls pops out and back in about five feet along its length. Right now I have
the speakers placed about 11' apart and 4' from one of the short (30') walls, and I sit
about 8' from the speakers.
What is the best way of dealing with this much space? I
like the sound of my system, but I wonder if it is matched well to this much space. It
consists of ProAc 2.5s and a 150Wpc Plinius 8150 amp with a Wadia 830 CD player and a
Revox turntable.
Thanks,
Matthew Bernbach
Brooklyn, NY
Hi Michael:
The way you have your system set up means you're
listening primarily to the speakers' direct sound with little in the way of reinforcement
through side-wall reflections. This might well be the best way to go with a room the size
of yours.
Your room would certainly allow you to use much
larger speakers (and a lot more watts, I'm sure!), but if you're happy with your current
system -- and I would think you are -- I wouldn't feel a need to change.
One no-cost change you might enjoy trying just for
the heck of it: move your listening chair closer to your speakers and toe them in so the
tweeters point to your opposite shoulder. This kind of nearfield listening makes for a fun
change sometimes.
ATB...Wes
November 19, 2000
Subject: Subwoofers
I have an Aiwa NSX-A767 shelf system. It has excellent
bass, but it doesn't have a built-in subwoofer. It also has about 160 watts, which is more
than enough power for my small room. I was looking for a reasonably priced powered
subwoofer for it, and I was wondering if the Aiwa TS-W60 can work on this system. It's an
8" driver and a built-in amp, I think. Will my system run it? Where can I get a price
on it?
Thanks.
Jason Panasuk
Hi Jason:
I went to Aiwa's website, but couldn't find much
info on the NSX-A767. However, it appears that Aiwa does uniformly include subwoofer
outputs on its shelf systems. I'd think the TS-W60 would be a great companion piece for
your system. You'll have to do your own research for the best price, but it can't hurt to
start at J&R, which seems to do well on price, while also being a stable company that
won't go away after processing your charge card.
ATB...Wes
November 18, 2000
Subject: JMlab Utopia speakers
I see reviews on the JMlab Utopia series but have not seen
reviews on their other lines. Do you have any experience with the Electra series? If so
what do you think of the Electra 920s or 915s.
Thank you for your time,
Mike
Hi Mike:
I had a pair of DM-920s for review some time back
and liked 'em a lot. I thought they were very well balanced tonally. Some folks might want
higher output levels than they are capable of producing, but I was living in a new,
paper-walled apartment complex and they played as loudly as my conscience allowed. At this
remove, it's hard to be specific, but I'd put them on the forgiving side of things --
clinical they are not! And thank God for that!
Happy listening,
ATB...Wes
November 16, 2000
Subject: Shall I do this?
I'm contemplating the possibility of replacing the cables
used internally in the Dynaudio Esotar-driven speakers I have with Mogami cables from
Japan. I have a three-way driver speaker setup with a Carver True Subwoofer. I was
thinking about Siltech FT 12 cables inside. What you think?
Also, I have a pair of Monoblocks from PSE, the Studio Vs,
and a PSE Pre Amp, but also I have a Krell KSA-250, which I intended to employ for the
lower frequencies and the PSE's for the upper frequencies. Again, what you think?
All of this with the intention of biamping. Would you
please help me sort this out? I'll certainly appreciate your kind and honest expert
advice!
Cheryl
Hi Cheryl (maybe? You didn't sign your
letter):
Go ahead and replace the internal cable on your
speakers if you wish -- it'll make you feel involved with your own speakers in a way that
just buying them never will. But you're not talking about much cable either, so I'm not
sure how much difference it will make. Also, keep in mind that any modification will
probably lower their resale value and void any warranty, no matter how big an improvement
you make in their sound.
You don't say which speakers you're modifying, so I
don’t know whether or not they're biwirable, which they must be if you want to
passively biamp them. I can't say whether the PSE/Krell combo will work because I'm not
familiar with the Studio Vs -- I can't even tell you if they have the same output. But
since you have them, it's worth a listen, at the least.
Good luck!
ATB...Wes
November 1, 2000
Subject: Sony CDP-CX400
If you want the Sony CDP-CX400 cheaper than $279, go to JandR.com and they will apparently match
the lowest price that you find (try speedandsound.com, $228). Also, I noticed that you wanted more than
eight music groups. Why do you try using an artist as a music group and select ARTIST
mode. This will give you up 200, I believe. Just thought I would help.
On a side note, I recently purchased an ODL HT-2 Power amp
(exact same thing as the Odyssey Stratos) and gave it a two week test drive. It said it
was rated at 150Wpc, but my NAD T760 at 60W ran neck and neck with volume level and sound.
Can you help?
Eddie Triche
Hi Eddie:
Thanks for the info on pricing. And you're right,
of course, I can use the ARTIST field instead of a TYPE field. I guess I need to think
outside the box more.
As to your amp comparison, I have two observations.
One is that NAD amplifiers have a special circuit that allows them to increase their peak
output to about four times their rated output. But you're probably not hearing that -- at
most volumes, you're not using very much wattage, so you probably never really challenged
the NAD: It was running watt-for-watt with the ODL HT-2. But if you listen for long
periods to the two amps, you'll derive a good idea about their individual sounds.
Rapid-fire switching can only tell you so much.
ATB...Wes
October 26, 2000
Subject: New audiophile questions
I am fairly new to this audiophile stuff. My wife wanted to
buy a CD player for the bedroom. We started off with a budget of $400, and right now I am
close to $2000 and looking for more. Right now I have:
- Acurus A150 amp
- Musical Fidelity X-Pre preamp with separate power supply
- Rotel CRD975 CD player
- NHT 1.5 speakers
The system sounds quite good -- used mainly for music. It
is in a fairly big room -- 25' x 27'. I was using 12-gauge Monster speaker cable when I
saw this Monster Reference-series cable (comes in a brief case for $160) at the local
dealer. I am trying that at home right now -- still breaking in. Interconnect cables are
basic Monster cable (3' pair at $30). Here are my questions:
What should I spend money on first:
- A power conditioner -- if yes any recommendations?
- Better interconnect cables -- I like detail, soundstaging,
and body to vocals. Not big on bass. Would like to hear low frequencies, though.
- Better speaker cables?
- A subwoofer -- something like NHT SW2?
- A digital-to-analog converter?
Most of the music I enjoy listening to has a lot of vocals,
and I love it when I can fill the room. One of my favorite CDs is the soundtrack from The
English Patient. I also listen to a lot of stuff from India, which has lot of vocals.
In particular, female vocals are different than in Western songs -- they are just plain
sweet and feminine. I don't like for them to get bright. Also, I want to hear what
composer wants me to hear.
Thanks for your time.
Regards,
Sanjay Gupta
Hi Sanjay:
Cables can make a big difference in sound, but I'd
always look first to electronic components to change the sound I was getting. Since bass
isn't your biggest issue, I'd probably change my DAC first and then add a subwoofer.
Adding a sub is going to have a huge effect on your midrange and top end, too. Power
conditioners are never a bad idea and, in some cases, can be a vital element of the
system, not merely a safety measure. After you've made your substantial changes, you're
ready to hear what cables can accomplish.
Hope this helps,
ATB...Wes
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