soix

Responses from soix

London Grammar?
So give us a few examples of music that you do find “engaging” inquiring minds want to know @dougsat Well, something with a halfway decent melody helps as does some evidence of actual musicianship.  Nondescript synth mood music that sounds like... 
London Grammar?
Gave some of their most popular tunes a listen and not for me.  I found the music to be minimalist and not very engaging or interesting, which leaves the songs heavily dependent on her vocals that I found just lilting and likewise not very interes... 
Marantz vs. Arcam
I got to compare their top AVRs about five years ago with B&W 805D3s with my reference recordings, and the Marantz was warmer and fuller sounding but with less treble detail and air while the Arcam was overall more clear and neutral so they we... 
Sam Ash closing
Guitar Center bought Musician’s Friend about four years ago, which is probably keeping them alive.  
Marantz AV7705 AV Receiver: HDMI out to external DAC
Use high quality cables to an audiophile grade power amp (Luxman, Gryphon, etc) just like you would with your T+A.  I doubt your T+A would beat out that Marantz if you applied the same ethos with the latter. Well, the Marantz is a $2400 A/V pre... 
Streamers under $1500
The Innuos Pulse Mini comes with their excellent Sense software, and adding a separate LPS (Teddy Pardo, etc.) down the road for not much more $$$ will give you a big performance boost.  Best of luck.  
Vandersteen Aficianados please step inside (Quatro)
Great speakers and certainly tube friendly.  Enjoy!  Verity will be greatly missed.  
Those rare albums that are great on first listen.
Some just off the top of my head that are well recorded and a good listen… - MA Recordings Sera Una Noche - Tony Falanga Soul of the Bass - Patricia Barber Companion - Keb’ Mo’ Slow Down - Norah Jones Come Away With Me    
Can you tell the difference between a $200 and a $200,000 guitar?
How do we know the differences are real without measurements and/or a blind test?  Ehem.  Personally I’d take the $2000 guitar with no cracks and a pair of Joseph Audio Perspectives over the $20k guitar, but I’m just a dumb drummer so what do I kn... 
Marantz AV7705 AV Receiver: HDMI out to external DAC
@blisshifi can obviously tell you more, but it’s unlikely the HDMI output from a mass market AVP is compatible with the HDMI input on the 2500 as the Marantz probably only outputs Dolby/DTS signals the 2500 likely won’t process and is why you’re n... 
Wifi ethernet jack recommendation
There may be some advantages of using a Mesh system over a Wi-Fi extender if your system is far from your router and/or your Wi-Fi is shared by others, and some people seem to think it sounds better but I have no insight there.  If it’s in budget ... 
Newbie Q about DACs - built in or separate?
While the DA2 is apparently a big step up over the DA1 it’s hard to imagine you can’t do significantly better with a separate DAC especially as there are so many excellent options out there these days.  Certainly worth exploring.  
Need a modern Class A monoblock, preferably half or compact chassis
seems steep for a 17 year old design that may need capacitors and ??? They were built in 2021 so only a few years old.  BTW the price is in Canadian $ and would equate to about $7200 USD and is probably negotiable.  Doesn’t have a standby switc... 
Need a modern Class A monoblock, preferably half or compact chassis
These incredible amps are well worth a look if seller will sell in the US… https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/650100222-clayton-audio-m200-custom-class-a-monoblock-amps-simple-elegance-massive-class-a-current/  
Speakers On Wheels?
I’d try these Herbies Gliders before resorting to wheels.  They make it easy to slide your speakers around, and many people also report significant improvements in sound as well.  I think they offer a return policy so not much to lose in trying. ...