theduke

Responses from theduke

Review: Benchmark Dac 1 Pre Preamplifier
My experience is the same. The Benchmark will break-in in a day or two. 
FM Antenna Godar vs. Magnum Dynalab
The humble,simple,CCrane FM Reflect dipole works best for me. 
Great films where music is a central theme.
From the above posts it seems there aren't many true film music lovers here. So, maybe that's why no one mentioned something as obvious, profound, and influential as Bernard Herrmann's score for Alfred Hitchcock's "PSYCHO" 
Which components are "stupid good"?
The little Sony HD tuner, now, sadly, out of production. Will Sony please offer another model. Or, please, will someone license this technology and get a similar product on the market! 
What did you own in the 60's?
Nov.1969. Purchased from Lafayette Radio in Newark, NJ.Lafayette LR-500B receiver Garrard 40B turntable with Pickering V15/ACE cartridgeKLH22A speakers 
Terrible/Inappopriate songs ...
I'll get my head chopped off for this but don't you think "Within You Without You" just doesn't fit on "Sgt.Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band"?I think Lennon/McCartney had to throw one to George to appease him. The album would have been thematically... 
Benchmark VS Mark levinson 36 DAC ?????????
In his May 2004 follow-up to John Mark's July 2003 column on the Benchmark DAC1, John Atkinson stated "I find it surprisingly difficult to hear differences" to the Levinson 30.6 dac. For what it's worth, I don't find the DAC1 bright or harsh. I've... 
Are you too old to be an audiophile?
Maybe the question should be "Are you to young to be an audiophile"?When you attend a hi-fi show all you see are middle aged balding white guys who are 15+ pounds overweight. And this includes me! 
Most expensive Audio disapoinment?
Regarding Koss ESP/950 electrostatic headphones. They finally figured out what the design defect was. I'm on my second pair. The first just plain wore out after a few years and Koss replaced it with a refurbished unit under their "no questions ask... 
RIP - Richard Brown, BEL
I used to have the original version of the BEL 1001. I'm wondering what are the differences between Mk.I and the subsequent versions? 
True Headphone AMP?
Are headphone junction boxes still available? 
XLR to RCA output conversion on Benchmark DAC1
No, do not use a Y connector; it will compromise sound quality.I had SignalCable make up a set of their Silver Resolution interconnects XLR to RCA with pin3 float. It works beautifully. It's said that DAC1 xlr output is superior to rca output.Whil... 
cd recorder options
Wanna go Cheap? Under $225. Try the latest model TDK cd recorder now available. I bought one a few models back (about 8 years ago). It's still functioning perfectly! 
John Barry & James Bond Music
The best Bond movie, "From Russia With Love", also has one of the better Bond soundtracks. What is particularly good about it is that you can hear Bond themes like "The 007 Theme" and the "James Bond" theme in their original unadorned versions.The... 
John Barry & James Bond Music
"Body Heat" is another good one!