ekobesky

Responses from ekobesky

Herbie's mat with NAD 533
Adam, mats are kind of a personal preference. And they really don't make or break a turntable. The problem is, you could end up spending $300 or $400 trying different mats and that's money you could have spent on a cartridge.Step 1: Get the glass ... 
Herbie's mat with NAD 533
Does the 533 still have the stock platter? If so, your best bet would be to upgrade to Rega glass for about $60 before swapping mats. 
Playstation3 's Blue-Ray vs Stand Alone Units
Thanks, Mekong. I wish I had known that was going to be the case a few months ago. I would have gone with the PS3 instead. I don't think I'll be buying any audio-only Blu-Ray discs, though. I have a few too many DVD-As laying around collecting dus... 
Playstation3 's Blue-Ray vs Stand Alone Units
Oh, and to answer the question you actually asked...using the HDMI output to an Onkyo receiver and Infinity speakers, I couldn't tell much difference in the audio tracks on movies and music videos but the store did not have any audio-only discs so... 
Playstation3 's Blue-Ray vs Stand Alone Units
I found the Blu-Ray image quality on the discs I tried similar with both the PS3 and standalone units.The problem is, the PS3 only outputs 480p with standard definition DVDs and does not upscale.Since 98% of my collection is standard DVDs, it made... 
Monster CX-2 spk cable, worth the bother ??
Unlike a lot of cable manufacturers, MonsterCable is still around because they make a good product and know how to market it successfully. They'd be foolish not to expand their product offerings to the home theater/iPod crowd. It's called smart bu... 
Adcom GTP-450 w/B&K REF 4430 w/Klipsch RF-63's
The main problem with using a receiver as a preamp is that it is really three components in one box sharing a common transformer and power supply: a tuner, a preamp and an amp. There's just a lot of STUFF in there and a lot of opportunity for nois... 
Monster CX-2 spk cable, worth the bother ??
Why waste time asking when you can simply hook it up and listen? I've always been of the opinion that a good system will sound good with good old-fashioned lamp cord...but it will sound better with well-matched, sensibly designed cables. I'm also ... 
Systemdek IIX possible upgrades help needed.
Pending your answer to Viridian's question, I would say that the Rega cartridge line in general doesn't offer the best value. You could probably find a better cartridge in the same price range from Benz Micro, Denon, Clearaudio, etc. -- again, dep... 
power conditioner with off switch
I use tube amplification so having a power conditioner that (a) cuts the mains power completely and (b) offers sequenced on/off cycles is a must. I've had a simple, cheap Rotel RLC-900 (about $200) for years and though I'm sure there's better out ... 
Down-firing subs and downstairs neighbors
Your neighbors will want to kill you. I've been down that road. In fact, even with a slab of granite under a front-firing sub that I bought to replace the down-firing sub that nearly got me evicted, the sound traveled down the corner of the buildi... 
Record cleaner
You know, Audio Advisor still sells the Record Doctor II manual record cleaning machine for about $200 I think. I have one and love it -- best money I ever spent on a vinyl accessory. The best part is, the resale is exceptionally good and they ver... 
Record cleaner
I would use those only with a vacuum record cleaning machine. There are other cleaners that are designed to work without a machine so if you're not planning to buy one, you might want to look into Last Record Cleaner, Allsop's Orbitrac or Premier ... 
Warren Zevon
I do. Apparently it's out of print -- I didn't realize that until I searched just now. Send me an email. 
Cambridge 640, 740 and 840
Audio Advisor should allow you a 30-day money-back guarantee. I've heard the 340, 540, 640 and 840. For me, the 640 is the sweet spot in terms of value. However, given that Cambridge products in a certain "series" (340, 540 and 640 being one and 7...