Reading through some of the threads it seems that the absence of a remote control on a pre or integrated is a ‘deal breaker’ for some here. These are my experiences. A couple of years back, at a private listening session with a maker (anonymous ‘cos it really doesn’t matter who because the thread might […]
AUDIO: Ask us
A dialogue between audiophile enthusiasts
Found 571 results
Having owned quite a number of speakers and equipment over the years. This isnt an argument that active speakers are always better, but its interesting that they just arent more popular in the home, and yet are ubiquitous in the studio. The “BBC monitors” of today are rarely used in hifi. With an increasing number […]
The thread starts: Hey everyone, I am looking for some cheap tweaks, i just got done putting in a inner tube under my componets as an isolation device, and it works great. What else would you reccomend?..i am also thinking of an inner tube under the spkrs, with some sort of device to keep them […]
The thread starts: I am currently on the lookout to upgrade my existing speakers Rega R5. I currently run them with a Rega Dac/NAC52/Supercap/NAP135’s. The current room did not suit my previous speakers as the room is very hard, suspended floors and vinyl floor covering. I have recently auditioned Proac Response D18, decent bass but […]
What is the general consensus? And why? Dip in and out HERE
I was thinking today about the younger generation , Will they ever get to hear decent quality audio ? Most youngsters now days only use mobile phones for everything. My daughter looks forward to our weekly listening on a Friday night she is amazed at the superior quality on all formats. 8 track R2R and […]
I lived in Manchester in the mid 1990s and looked in the ad paper Loot and saw a Linn Sondek with Lingo and ekos for £50 , I immediately phoned at 9.30am thinking I’d be first in but a caller had already seen it and was on his way to buy, I was gutted […]
There are a few threads running at the moment that have rekindled a quandary that has long frustrated and bemused me .Why are one man band maverick designer manufacturers often ridiculed by the audio press and vocal public(us on forums) these people often move completely away from accepted norms in audio and make unique products […]
Paul McGowan writes: It’s no surprise that vinyl and digital are different. Different mastering techniques, playback equipment, recording chain (often), bandwidth, dynamics. So it should be no surprise that a system optimized for one, doesn’t sound as good playing back the other. Music Room One, for example, has been optimized for digital audio reproduction. Michael […]
42 people express their opinions HERE
Paul McGowan writes: For the past few days, I’ve been in Japan visiting dealers, riding the Bullet Train (200 mph), and enjoying this wonderful culture and its incredible people. Yesterday I was in the country’s second largest city, Osaka. The day before, the far north. What a treat. I will definitely put together a short […]
Paul McGowan writes: Modern analog designs leverage common circuit ideas. Few are original. Complimentary outputs, vbe multipliers, diff pairs, current sources, current mirrors, etc., were all original designs that became commonplace. One of the most talented, creative, and radical designers of all time is Bob Widlar. Widlar invented the basic building blocks of linear ICs. […]
I’ve owned a few but there are still many integrated amps/brands I would like to hear, for example Gryphon, Plinius, MBL, Pass Labs to name a few. I’m interested to hear from owners what attributes drew then towards specific amps. I’m more interested in SS than typical valve options (that’s not to say that […]
Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere, but I did a search on where to start and drew a blank Due to unforeseen circumstances, ill health and a relationship breakdown, I find myself unable to work for 6 months and the need to move from a house to a flat. This means I need to […]
Paul McGowan writes: Buying decisions are tough enough even if money’s no object, but when you’re on a limited budget—as many of us are—how do you make the tough choices of where to put your hard earned funds? The side of our personalities that want immediate gratification looks for the biggest bang for the buck. […]
Hi chaps, I am planning on treating my room after hearing the control that Guildford audio gained with a lot of bass traps. Anyway. Where do I start with all this? Was thinking about writing to GIK acoustics for advice. What manufacturers should I consider – who makes decent (room friendly) treatments? I can’t have […]
Paul McGowan writes: We have two channel systems with dedicated left and right speakers, yet often we’re told it’s just fine to use a single subwoofer in mono. I’d like to suggest this attitude is wrong. The single-sub advocate’s logic goes something like this. “Low frequencies are essentially non-directional so it shouldn’t matter if the […]
In my opinion, the speaker is by far the most important part of the audio system. After all, it is the only part you hear. OK, the other stuff really matters a lot, but without a great speaker… No go. I am a bit ‘speaker-obsessed’ I guess, and now I am wondering: What are the […]
Paul McGowan writes: Whatever happened to the format wars? We lost sleep over FLAC vs. ALAC, DSD vs. PCM, MQA in competition with everything else. Did our playback equipment suddenly get so good that these various formats now perform with varying degrees of excellence rather than acceptability? I can tell you that playback of 44.1kHz […]
Hi there. I heard this phrase before and was wondering, what does it mean and how do you do it? Any specifics would be appreciated. Thanks in advance! 38 responses so far
The thread starts: I am currently pretty satisfied with my system the way it is right now. I am not in the market for any new purchases right now, mainly because I don’t have the discretionary income to make big changes. However, sometimes I get the urge to want to go into a hifi store […]
“The term neutrality is pervasive in the world of audio. We often use the word when describing a component or a system, and most audiophiles agree on the definition: A neutral component or system neither adds nor subtracts from the music it seeks to convey, allowing the signal to flow through unencumbered, faithfully reproducing whatever […]
Paul McGowan writes: Head amps are devices used to separately amplify moving coil cartridges to the same level as moving magnets. They can be built from active electronics with power supplies or simple step-up transformers. They are needed because moving coil cartridges typically have outputs thirty times lower than their moving magnet brethren. Why they […]
Just wondering, is there something in the design, materials, or fabrication that makes old tubes sound better than those being currently produced? it seems nearly universally held that old tubes are superior sounding to those made today – is there something specific about the old tubes that make then sound better?” Dip in and out […]