jmcgrogan2
Responses from jmcgrogan2
| Do I have to brand match preamp and amp? No, you do not have to match brands with preamp and amplifier.Your Ayre V-5xe has an input impedance of 100Kohms, so matching it with about any preamp on the market should not be a problem. | |
| If your system were a car! I would have to say a Jeep Wrangler, because it is mostly American made (VPI, ARC, Pass Labs, Playback Designs, etc.) and it is versatile on-road, off-road (analog + digital). | |
| Help with next upgrade Maybe im wrong but I can’t see how it would benefit Pass Labs to stick an XP-12, XP-17 and an XA-25 into the INT60 at a $6K differential. Well first of all, I don't believe that the INT-60 has a phono stage, so you can eliminate the XP-17. So... | |
| Opinions: Used BAT VK-51SE or New VK-23SE My recommendation would be to get a BAT VK-300SE (plentiful in the $2000 range) That's why. $3025 is about 50% more than the going rate for one of these units. Now if you want to pay 50% more for a certification and/or MM phono stage, that's fi... | |
| Stereo Guy - Need advice on HT integration ^^^ @bdgregory is correct. The HT passthrough is a feature on a stereo preamp that allows you to use your stereo speakers and amp(s) as front mains in a 5.1 HT setup. If you do not plan to use your JE amps in the 5.1 setup, there would be no reas... | |
| Who thinks $5K speaker cable really better than generic 14AWG cable? @cleeds , +1, well said! | |
| Opinions: Used BAT VK-51SE or New VK-23SE Well all 4 that I listed, BAT, Pass Labs, Coda, and McIntosh are on the warmer side of neutral, as is the Accuphase that you mention.Accuphase E-470 are certainly rare on the used market, but they do pop up once in a while for around $5-6K. While ... | |
| Opinions: Used BAT VK-51SE or New VK-23SE Any particular McIntosh or Audio Research preamps you can suggest in my range? What is it that you are looking for? Point us in a general direction.Are you looking for more resolution, or more musicality?Normally you have to decide which directi... | |
| Buy and upgrade an ARC Ref 75 to 75SE OR buy a new/used 75SE? Personally, I would just buy a used ARC Ref 75SE, as it would probably cost you less money, and most of the components would be newer.Recently, I just bought a ARC Ref 5SE and sold my ARC Ref 5.ARC quoted me $3500 to upgrade the Ref 5 to a Ref 5SE... | |
| Help with next upgrade Why not sell the XP-12 and Rogue Cronus Magnum 1 then just buy a Pass Labs INT-60 or INT-30A?I would NOT ditch the TT, and while I can understand your frustration setting up a turntable, in my experiences, it gets easier as you get more experien... | |
| Stereo Guy - Need advice on HT integration Are you planning to use your Avalon Times driven by your JE amps as front mains in your HT setup?If so, I would suggest looking for a nice stereo preamp that has a HT processor throughput (many good ones do), and using a HT receiver for your surro... | |
| Opinions: Used BAT VK-51SE or New VK-23SE @mattmiller , ahhh, now I see why you were calling Nordost and Morrow cables "neutral" on that other thread.I do believe that they would sound very good with warmer components like McIntosh and Dynaudio. The upper midrange/ lower treble emphasis o... | |
| What interconnect would I put from my cd to my preamp? If you want to keep things neutral (I like cables that get out of the way) I would look at Nordost or Morrow Audio. IMO. Very interesting how one person's "neutral" is another person's "colored".Anyway, I would wait until you have upgraded your ... | |
| Speaker Jumpers - Same Brand as Speaker Cables? Neal, as with any other audio related question, ask 10 different audiophiles a question, and you will get 11 different answers. ;^)For my $0.02, I will say that overall, I have had more success with higher quality single run of speaker cable with ... | |
| Who thinks $5K speaker cable really better than generic 14AWG cable? ^^^ +1 hifiman5!I was smitten with Nordost twice, and went down that path twice.What I learned was that Nordost makes great cables to demo your gear with, and they do sound impressive. However, I always found my listening sessions growing shorter ... |