The thread starts: I am just wanting to know if I’m the only one at the age of 16 that is dumping all my money into powering up my vintage Hi-Fi setup in my mancave? I’m certainly quite the odd one out in my school as the only thing I like is classic rock, anything […]
Month: February 2020
Found 170 results
“It’s interesting (to me) that you guys really enjoyed the Avantegarde speakers because myself and a friend (who normally loves horn speakers) were entirely underwhelmed by them. Personally, I was too aware of odd colourations and they just didn’t have the immediacy, or intimacy, that I associate with really good horns. Perhaps if they had […]
Hi, I just was thinking that I usually listen to music with the volume pot at 9 o’clock, rarely more. And was wondering if something could be done technically to the amp to have better sound quality.I mean, if I take an amp, find a way to lower its output gain, I’ll be able to […]
The thread starts: Can anyone explain why high end audio seems to be forever stuck as a cottage industry? Why do my rich friends who absolutely have to have the BEST of everything and wouldn’t be caught dead without expensive clothes, watch, car, home, furniture etc. settle for cheap mass produced components stuck away in […]
Paul McGowan writes: I think one of the very basic problems with people’s opinions on class D amps is the hierarchy of labeling – I mean, as a child if you get an “A” in school you’re pretty happy; get a “D” or an “F” and you’ll probably be having a conversation with your parents. […]
Paul McGowan: Pluck or strum a stringed instrument and you get sound from the vibrating strings amplified by the attached hollow box. As we have mentioned earlier the sound of that plucked string depends certainly on the type of string, its length, tension and sound of its mechanical amplifier, but more so on how that […]
Has anyone compared both of these integrateds? I own the 505UX and like it a lot but am looking for more solid state slam & punch. I actually borrowed the 550AX Class A amp for 1 month about a year before I purchased the 505UX. The only thing I remember about the 550AX was […]
Paul McGowan writes: Can we ever hope to achieve a two-channel experience with music so real as to fool ourselves into believing there is an actual musician playing in front of us? I mean sure we can close our eyes and imagine a live event is happening, but in all the years I have never […]
Paul McGowan: Our chief engineer, Bob Stadtherr, always likes to remind us that every project has two phases: the first 90% and the second 90%. It always brings a smile. But he has a point, one you can probably relate to in your own life. You get through the first 90% of your task and […]
A few weeks ago I was in some leadership classes at work that were taught by an PhD Industrial Psychologist. It was very interesting and I learned a lot. He was very knowledgeable about what is going on inside the brain during different actions and thought processes. One example was that the act of throwing […]
Thread started in 2013 “I have to confess to never having had the pleasure of listening to The Sony XL 88 D (The D stands for diamond cantilever) which was reportedly the most expensive cartridge available in the 80’s. A recent blog update by ‘Audio 16’ (A recommended blog for Western Electric fans and […]
From the archives: Sony has developed a new storage tape that is able to hold up to 185 terabytes (TB) of data per cartridge. Created with the help of IBM, Sony’s technology allows for tapes that can store the equivalent of 3,700 Blu-ray discs. The tape hold 148 gigabits (Gb) per square inch – beating […]
I’ve played with every concievable passive pot, Bournes, Alps Blue Velvet, Alps Black Beauty, Penny&Giles, Dact Switched resistors, and transformers. Nothing has beat the sound of a series/ shunt LDR arrangment in the attachement, it has no contacts in the signal path, I believe that is the secret. The only stipulation that all these passive […]
Paul McGowan writes: He’s given more to our industry than most and always surprises and delights with his innovative approach. His tiny cube amplifier, his miniature room shaking subwoofers and to the point of this post, his amplifier shootout. I remember back to 1985 when several reviewer challenged Carver to build a solid state power […]
Paul McGowan: I mentioned yesterday that preconceived notions and old biases die hard – and sometimes stay with us forever. It’s something we’re never going to fix as it is simply human nature. But what we can do is educate ourselves as to what caused the opinions to be generated in the first place and […]
I’m thinking of having a play with a single ended amp as I have not had one for donkey’s years, and fancy either 300b’s or 845’s so which is best? Dip in and out HERE
I fancy putting together a small secondary (as my Well tempered amadeus will stay as my main vinyl spinner) turntable collection, yes in an ideal world i would like an LP12, 301, 1210, TD124 etc but we all know these are not the bargains they once were so funds wont allow this. Any recommendations for […]
While reading through the many threads on Vinyl vs. CD, I thought it might be interesting to see what CD transports/players Vinyl fans use when not listening to their analog rig? Please click HERE to continue
So, just starting out on a very limited budget and needing a turntable, the first thing I did was check ebay. I know, probably not the best move but I am a beginner and on an extremely tight budget. After settling on a Bang & Olufsen 4004 turntable (brand due to my dad’s old […]
Paul McGowan writes: I wonder how much it matters to most of us to know and understand what’s going on inside a piece of audio kit. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly enjoy sharing my bits of knowledge with you about design, how things work and why – and frankly am always appreciative of even […]
I really like Luxman’s from the 80’s, they were there when the “audio-bug” bit me as a teenager. I bought my first Luxman gear with earned money in ’84! This was a kit with some swedish made speakers, branded with the Luxman logo but they actually looked very much like Snell E/III, only a little […]