December 31, 2000
Subject: Digital cables
Hi Wes!
I talked to you via e-mail a few months ago regarding the
Musical Fidelity AC3R preamp. I did buy one, and I love it! It is a very good match with
my McCormack DNA-1 Rev. A and Thiel 3.6es. The system, along with help from some Acoustic
Zen Satori speaker cables (check 'em out -- you WILL NOT be disappointed!).
Here's my latest question: I recently got a Marantz 630 CD
recorder. I am planning to make lots of dubs from my Arcam Alpha 9 to the Marantz. The
only digital out that the Arcam has is a RCA-coax. In the manual it says it is 75 ohms.
I'm confused regarding which cable to use. (Bear with me as I've always been a one-box
digital sort of guy!)
I see cables that are RCA terminated but are labeled 110
ohms. I thought that S/PDIF was 75 ohms/RCA and that AES/EBU was 110 ohms/XLR. Anyway, I
don't really care what is what, but what type of cable should I use to get the best
performance from these two boxes?
Digitally challenged in Colorado,
John Zurek
Hi John:
No, you're right, the proper S/PDIF impedance should
be 75 ohms; try to find a cable that meets that spec for the lowest jitter possible. If
you live in an area where there's a thriving pro audio scene, you may do best by going to
a pro-sound or music store like Sam Ash. You should be able to buy high-quality pro cables
at extremely reasonable prices.
ATB...Wes
December 30, 2000
Subject: Musical Fidelity A3CR power amp
If I use the Audiolab 8000A as the preamp and Musical
Fidelity A3CR as power amp to biamp B&W DM603 speakers, will this combination have the
same gain for both connections?
Thank you very much,
Alvin
Hi Alvin:
No, probably not, since the Audiolab is rated for
60Wpc and the MF for 120Wpc.
ATB...Wes
December 28, 2000
Subject: Speaker purchase
I am considering buying an integrated amp for the ProAc One
SC or Audio Physic Spark speakers that I also intend to buy. I thought about buying from
either Arcam or Musical Fidelity. Both have similar amps at comparable US prices. However,
when I researched into the original prices in British pounds, I noticed that the
"conversion rate" for the MF is, by far, more favorable. Is the direct marketing
of the MF the only reason for this? Should it play a role in my decision?
Always liked to read your reviews.
Dan Eshel
Hi Dan:
Tough choice between MF and Arcam. I've used both
and have enjoyed both. Yes, I believe that direct marketing, with its total elimination of
a level of distribution, is pretty much the sole reason for the price differential. What
you get with the Arcam is a relationship with a local dealer, which, in the best of all
possible worlds, generates some value-added components to the mix.
Having a local dealer has certain advantages -- you
can freely audition the gear before buying and you have someone nearby if you experience a
problem. Most dealers offer on-site service and give loaners when you need repairs. On the
other hand, Audio Advisor gives you a 30-day money back guarantee, so you can audition at
home for the cost of shipping the unit to and from your house -- and you get a much
cheaper price when you do buy.
If you have access to a good retailer and you are
the kind of audiophile who will want to buy additional units as time goes by, establishing
a relationship can be extremely important. The showroom can be a place where you will get
to hear, say, the differences between SACD and DVD-A. Or one set of speakers and another.
But if you live where you don't have a dealer that
carries what you want, or one who isn't pleasant to deal with, then you should
consider the mail-order option. You'll get a price break that compensates for the added
inconvenience of shopping at a distance and you'll still be getting a quality product.
ATB...Wes
December 26, 2000
Subject: Interconnect help/advice
I am new to this hi-fi music arena, but am trying to get a
base level established. I have the following:
- Rotel RB-981 amp
- Rotel RC-995 pre
- Sony CXP-400 (The CD jukebox you reviewed -- I liked the
idea of no storage racks and I'm waiting for the format wars to settle a bit.)
- B&W 602
- MIT 14ga inwall cable bi-wiring the speakers
As for interconnects, I have some MIT Terminator 2s from
preamp to amp and a set of Monster XLN from CD to preamp (a car audio interconnect).
I could use some help and suggestions as to whether it is
best to add another set of MIT Terminator 2 from CD to preamp (and then from tuner to
preamp) or to use a different type of interconnect based on the sonic qualities of the
aforementioned equipment. I really don't know if other stuff would sound better or what to
do to establish a reference standard.
Also, any ideas on reasonably priced cables?
Thanks,
Eric
Hi Eric:
Ask me hard one, why don'tcha?
Nothing is more guaranteed to generate audio debate
than cable choice -- unless it's cables, such as the MIT, with boxes on 'em. Art Dudley
once said something along the lines of "Cables are like religion -- everybody's
convinced that only he has the right answer and that everyone else is wrong."
Let's start with the simplest question: should you
use same cable throughout or use different sounding cables to "tune" your
system? Speaking only for myself, I find it confusing to try to juggle many
"tuning" elements, so I generally stick with a single cable choice for my
"important" connections -- stuff like hi-rez sources such as CD, DVD, turntables
and the preamp/power amp connection. Since high-quality cables tend to be expensive, I'm
generally less concerned with uniformity with sources such as satellite dishes, cassette
decks, and VCRs, where I use cheaper interconnects.
So, to directly answer your question, I'd get a
second MIT to match your first.
As to reasonably priced cables, look at the
DiMarzio M-Paths I just reviewed or at Musical Fidelity's Nu-Vista line, or AudioQuest
Sidewinder and CV-4 -- all are honestly priced cables I've had direct experience with and
have enjoyed.
ATB...Wes
December 24, 2000
Subject: Speakers
Been reading your column and recommendations for many years
and have always found your "format" quite enjoyable and enlightening.
As a true lover of music I am always striving for the best
possible and enjoyable sound. Preferences lean to jazz and classical.
I'm listening to Thiel CS2.3s through a Krell integrated
(150Wpc) and Rega Planet CD player. Have some old Spendor SP1s in the basement that I
listen to when exercising. They still sound great, albeit very different from my Thiels.
Anyway, some of my friends highly recommend ProAcs in place
of my Thiels. I wonder if you could possibly explain to me the different characteristics
of my Thiels compared to ProAcs. Should I consider a change or stick with what I have? I
guess I never seem to be totally satisfied -- a real problem when searching for great
sound.
What do you think -- leave well enough alone or start
looking again?
Louis Dubrow
Hi Louis:
Your problem is definitely related to what you're
listening to all right -- it's those friends of yours that seem to be the problem!
Seriously, I don't get the strong impression that
you're not happy with your current setup. That's cool -- you've got a nice system there.
It's true that ProAcs will sound quite different from your Thiels, but if you're basically
happy with the 2.3s (and I think they're a lot of speaker for the money, so why wouldn't
you be?), then I'd look to my source for better sound. An upsampling DAC or one of the new
SACD or DVD-A players will get you into the realm of higher-resolution digital sound and
that's a difference you can take advantage of with a speaker like the Thiels. And keep in
mind that Pioneer is promising "universal" CD/SACD/DVD-A players by late spring.
ATB...Wes
December 20, 2000
Subject: Advice
Hi Wes, I came across this site from the SoundStage!
website, and I am writing to seek your opinion. I am in the middle of setting up a
music/home-theater system, but with music as my main priority.
I am thinking of getting either the MartinLogan CLS IIz,
Quad ESL-989 or R645 Newform ribbon speakers as my main speakers. Do you have any opinion
on the musical performance of these three speakers.
I am looking at purchasing the Cinepro 3K6SEIII Gold amp,
rated at about 400 watts into six channels to drive the speakers, and the Lexicon
MC-1 as the preamp.
Any suggestions/comments would be very much appreciated.
Regards,
Kaneson
Hi Kaneson:
I'm sure that any of the speakers you have chosen
will sound great, although I haven't had a chance to audition the Newform ribbons, yet.
However, planar speakers tend to be reactive loads, which can place an amplifier under
quite a bit of stress. Single-chassis multichannel amplifiers may not be the best way to
go with those speakers. You'll have to audition the combinations together to determine
whether or not they work well -- and use a wide range of material.
Good luck!
ATB...Wes
December 13, 2000
Subject: L-shaped listening room
Congratulations for doing a great job. I have enjoyed
reading your reviews since you were at Stereophile. My question is: I have an
L-shaped room -- what's the best way to set up my 5.1 system? (I use it both for music and
home theater.)
[sketch omitted]
Is there any program that can help me optimize my setup? I
know the optimizer from RPG, but it only works with rectangular rooms.
Thanks for your advice.
Thien Nguyen
Dear Thien:
L-shaped rooms can be a real problem -- and no, I
don't know of any software for rooms that doesn't presume a rectangle. If you're not
happy with your current sound, I'd try rotating the room 90 degrees. I'd try aligning the
front channels along the wall with the "ell," as well as the opposite wall and
choose based on sound.
The big problem, if you choose to use the wall with
the "ell" as your front wall you will be getting L-R balance adjusted properly.
Go to the opposite wall and your biggest problem will be subwoofer placement.
ATB...Wes
December 3, 2000
Subject: NAD C540 problems
About six months ago I purchased an NAD C540 CD player
because I thought it sounded wonderful, superior in fact to the far more expensive Adcom
and Classé models I auditioned at the same time. NAD CD players seemed to accrue
universal raves in the press, so I was puzzled not to see a mention of this model
anywhere but in HiFi News, the British magazine, which rated it highly.
Subsequently, it ceased being able to read discs and I
started getting a NO DISC message every time I attempted to play a disc. I took it back to
the dealer, who's a repair person, and he told me that the problem was due to dust. Since
the unit is underneath my amp I found this hard to believe.
It worked again for about two weeks and then it ceased
functioning again. I do not live in a particularly dusty environment so my question is,
are you aware of problems with this particular model?
Thank you,
Philip Allen
Hi Philip:
I like NAD's CD players and think they offer great
sound for a very reasonable price. It's possible that the 540 is one of those
"haunted" models that happen every now and then -- Rotel had one not too long
ago -- where every sample seems to fail in the field for unspecified reasons. If so, I
haven't heard about it.
However, you say you have the CD player
"under" the amplifier and that might offer a clue to your problem. The amp's
proximity to the CD player may result in it running hot, which might cause the logic
problems you've encountered. It's never a good idea to stack equipment, so try to place
the two components on separate shelves. Failing that, at least try to get some airspace
between them.
Thanks very much,
ATB...Wes
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