chocaholic

Responses from chocaholic

When were the best tube amps made?
PrimaLuna comes to mind as a company that has combined the best of modern technology with the best of vacuum tube sound quality. Their autobias has taken the mystery out of maintenance and brought tube rolling to the market for those who would oth... 
Qobuz hell
I also dropped Qobuz. Had nothing to do with SQ, so my streamer selection is irrelevant. The UI was far worse than Tidal and Spotify, so I’ve stuck with those. Finding a selection, an album, a good playlist, etc is a big part of the experience and... 
Is there anything better than live recordings?
Friday Night in San Francisco is among the greatest live recordings ever, and in frequent rotation here. The SQ is excellent but the crowd interaction with 3 of the greatest guitarists on the planet make it even more impactful. And closely behind... 
Need advice for upgrading my analog setup
@ghdprentice Is it possible that his existing phono stage may benefit from a better performing table setup? I ask because your suggestion would indicate that you believe his current preamp is “maxed” out and is incapable of sounding better if fed ... 
Need advice for upgrading my analog setup
Too bad he didn’t pay $5k for his $700 phononstage. His system would sound so much better to him that way. You guys rock!  
Need advice for upgrading my analog setup
@j-wall Once again you seem to read things that are not there. From his original post: “Oh and I'm using a Darlington Labs MP-7 phono preamp that I'm happy with and don't plan on replacing.” How you’ve interpreted that as a request for phono pre... 
Need advice for upgrading my analog setup
@j-wall Mr. jaywall, I’ll have to respectfully disagree with your incorrect assumption. What my experience tells me is that a price tag is not an upgrade criteria. Rather, the perceived SQ and enjoyment in your own listening room is far more logic... 
Need advice for upgrading my analog setup
No disrespect to others, but kindly disregard the advice of those who suggest that the amount you spend on a component (phononstage) should serve as the reason to replace a phononstage you already enjoy. Having been playing with these toys for 40 ... 
Rolling KT150s in Primaluna hp integrated
Reviving an old thread as I’m considering this very upgrade. I notice many reference buying their KT150’s on eBay. Meanwhile Upscale passionately states that their tubes are somehow blessed with a veritable dose of unobtanium and are well worth th... 
Can I connect multiple sources to an external DAC
To over-clarify…you’ll no longer use your preamp to select digital sources. The only source will be your DAC (and your phono preamp if you’re spinning records).  All digital sources will be selected via the DAC.  
Finding (calculating?) speaker and amp impedance
@barts Sorry…I should have been more clear. My wife went to visit her mom this weekend…about 2 hours from his location. She picked up my amp on her way. I married a good woman!  
Finding (calculating?) speaker and amp impedance
@barts I was referred to a gentleman on AudioKarma that specializes in vintage Sansui. He stripped boards, removed all old corrosive glue, completely recapped in addition to countless other parts, extensively tested, adjusted bias, burn-in, more m... 
Finding (calculating?) speaker and amp impedance
Good timing for this topic. Using a pair of Focal Aria 936’s with a PL HP Integrated and all is good. But…I just had my 45 year old Sansui AU-717 fully restored and it’s in transit as I type this. Per Stereophile’s review, these speakers drop to a... 
Want to add vinyl to my system.
@mijostyn You posted something I’ve never heard before….VPI and Linn are junk. Obviously I find this surprising considering their overwhelming market success and my own experience. Care to explain your rationale for such a statement?  
Favourite Guitarists
Tommy Emanuel.