drewdawg999
Responses from drewdawg999
| Budget amp that will give Magnepan 3.6Rs better depth of soundstage Give nice Class D a try? You can get a Hypex NC502MP based amp new for that much. It's 500 watts which your Maggies will enjoy, especially for transient peaks. Suggested brands would be VTV and Audiophonics. I use a March P502 with my MMGs, and th... | |
| Magnepan .7 Alternatives At that price point for a DAC, you’re squarely in Topping and SMSL territory. Looked down by many here, but I like them, they’re in my modest wheelhouse. Just got a SMSL DO100, an entry level DAC, but I must say it sounds mighty fine, fully transp... | |
| What is the “World’s Best Cartridge”? Koetsu also has models that can be upgraded to diamond cantilevers for $4000. Some swear by the Etsuro Gold as the world's best cartridge, though it's also the most expensive. | |
| Suggestions for an SUT for Ortofon vintage MCs? I got a Phasemation T-300 not too long ago and it's been a great pairing with my old Koetsu Black. It's 1:20 ratio or 26 dB gain, dead quiet, lowered my noise floor to nothing. Noticeable gains in sonics, especially in clarity and bass drive. Thin... | |
| Turntables A table comparable to the P10 is the Michell Gyro SE, though that was surprising to me. I have the Michell and it's wonderful, both sonically and looks-wise. I also have a hot-rodded P3 that performs like a P6 or better and though I still love t... | |
| Where did you buy your first audio gear? My first quality gear I bought from the man, Brooks Berdan in SoCal. It was a Rega P3, Rega Mira integrated, and Vandersteen 2ce Sigs. That was 20 years ago and I still use the table and speakers, upgraded to separates though in that time (Rogue... | |
| Class D for Repatriated Merlin TSM MMI I have a March Audio P502 and it's been doing wonders for my inefficient Vandys and Maggies, with 500 wpc into 4 ohms of brute force power. Tremendous detail, clarity and drive. Many choices for Hypex and Purifi but I prefer March for build qualit... | |
| Direct Drive You can also check out the Technics SL-100C, brand new in the US market, save a couple hundred bucks. No phono stage, but don't really want a built-in one anyway. Cheap cartridge but the stylus is upgradeable to something decent. It intrigues me a... | |
| Looking for good recordings of female vocals I have not yet tried... Some great stuff here, grooving to Linda Ronstadt and Sophie Zelmani. Don't think I saw any mention of Joan Baez, great acoustic folk or with a band in the '70s. Also love Aimee Mann, such a great songwriter. And in the guilty pleasures categor... | |
| What's the 911 on re-tips? +1 for Steve Leung at VAS. Sent my old Koetsu Black to him which he repaired and re-tipped. Couple hundred bucks, not totally cheap but reasonable considering the skill of the micro surgery required. It's sounding outstanding, perhaps as good a... | |
| Amp Search and Upgrade @dadork Cool, that's doable, totally worth the trip for this size investment. My local hifi dealer is 20 minutes away, in Pasadena, and they have it. Wish I were in the market at that price point, save a grand if you go for the package deal. I hav... | |
| Amp Search and Upgrade Been checking out Peachtree Audio and it looks pretty good. The GaN400 and preDAC package is $4500, not too bad, saving a lot if you buy power amp and pre together. The GaN400 is Class D though, but it's brand spanking new technology and puts ou... | |
| Competitive class D amp suggestions Well I have a March Audio P502 and it is awesome, based on a Hypex module. Much more clarity and resolution than my Class AB amps, with powerful driving bass. It's since been discontinued as March has gone all Purifi, but you may not need that m... | |
| best amp for a Maggy 1.7i I've had good results with a Class D Hypex based amp, the March Audio P502 (discontinued), driving my MMGs. It puts out 500W per channel and enough current with I believe 27A. I think the NC502MP module is a good match, so offerings from VTV, Au... | |
| Need help choosing a new DAC Hey there @terrapin77. Am very curious about your thoughts on your new DAC and how much difference the big step up makes. I'm a fellow SMSL user, though a little beat down the line at the Sanskrit 10th mkII. It's cheap but it's great, does DSD ... |