larryi

Responses from larryi

What's that tube you have there?
The only way to find what works best in your setup and to your own taste is to try different tubes -- different brands, vintages, and different tubes for different positions in the amp (driver, input tube, phase splitter). Also, the "flavor" of ou... 
Graham Phantom vs Triplaner
A friend of mine has both a Phantom and a Vector arm on a table drilled for two arms. He has both a Titan i and a Transfiguration Orpheus cartridge. Both cartridges sound terrific on either arm. I would characterize the Phantom and the Vector as v... 
tube preamp w/ solid state amp
There is nothing inherently wrong with running tube preamp/linestage into solid state or vice versa. Some tube linestages have a high output impedance and should be matched to a linestage with a high input impedance. That is typically the case wit... 
Reference DACS: An overall perspective
I've heard the EMM and Esoteric in a familiar system (but not at the same time) compared to a system with the Audionote DAC-5 signature DAC (sorry can't recall the transport). On strictly redbook material, the Audionote was distinctly more musical... 
tube Watts vs solid state Watts
I suspect that part of the perception that tube watts sound louder than solid state has to do with people being deceived into thinking they need WAY more power than they actually do need.Solid state can deliver a lot of power cheaply. So, makers o... 
Time between playing the same LP
One other thing to consider is that some of these rules might be directed at the general public using cartridges that can barely track a groove even at 6-10 gms of downforce. In that environment, the stress placed on the groove is considerably hig... 
Listening for tube degradation
Hi Pryso,I don't mean to suggest that a tube tester, particularly one that can be obtained cheaply, is not a worthy investment. Certainly for my friend, finding out that a rectifier he had not ever used was shorted was very useful information.My o... 
Time between playing the same LP
Whether a record is damaged by immediate replay has NOTHING to do with heat, and dissipation of heat. I've seen studies on this too. According to the articles on the studies, the stylus deforms the groove, which then snaps back into roughly the or... 
What's your favorite remake of a song
Okay, I've been posting both amusing and serious covers. In the seriously good category, I like the entire album of covers of Carpenters songs: "If I Were a Carpenter" by various alternative rock artists. I particularly liked Redd Kross' cover of ... 
Listening for tube degradation
The easiest, and most reliable approach is to always have at least one new set of replacement tubes in reserve. Every year or so, replace the tubes with the new set and see if the sound has changed markedly for the better; if so, it is time to rep... 
What's your favorite remake of a song
Let's not forget the covers of "Stairway to Heaven." I like the Dolly Parton version. Even better is the curious "hybrid" version that takes the lyrics from the opening to Gilligan's Island and sets them to Stairway. It's called "Stairway to Gilli... 
Amp Basics: Tube Preamp w/Solid State Power Amp.
Elf73,Apart from compatible sensitivity and output impedance of the linestage vs. input impedance of the amp, there are other "mystery" compatibility issues that can only be figured out by trying the components together. I have heard quite a numbe... 
Help,Allaerts or Transfiguration
Hi Goldeneraguy,I have not had the opportunity to hear the Linea. I got the Emotive Audio linestage first, and then went looking for a phonostage. In any event, I would not have the room for the Linea, which has a monster-sized power supply unit (... 
Help,Allaerts or Transfiguration
Goldeneraguy,I am not certain of which iteration of the Vector I have, except that I know it is not the latest. I've been told that the reason to upgrade to the latest is for the better tonearm wiring. I would probably also opt for the VTA adjustm... 
What's your favorite remake of a song
What about those songs where the original version is far less popular/known than the cover?Examples:"Sister Morphine" came out on the Rolling Stone's Sticky Finger album in 1971. I like the Marianne Faithful version more, but when it was released ...