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tom b. 57

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Posts posted by tom b. 57

  1. Welcome to the forum.

    I have owned Heresys, Lascalas, Belles and continue to own Cornwalls, and in my room and the type of music I listen to,(which is a wide variety of genres), I have preferred the Cornwalls.

    I like the other models I have owned, but, the Cornwalls seemed to reproduce all the different genres of music well, where the others seemed to favor certain genres more than others. That may be attributed to my room, equipment, placement of speakers, or, my hearing.

    Try to find resources,(other forum members, perhaps), in your area to check out the different models.

    Tom

  2. "Not bad for 8 and 10 years old though. Got to give them the sickness early onSurprise LOL "

    I agree, my 5 year old Granddaughter has had a pretty decent system for a year now.

    She loves it. Parents, well, thats another story.

    Sometimes they don't appreciate Grandpa burning cds for her.

    I love it. LOL!

    Tom

  3. Does anyone have experience with this turntable?

    I have been researching a bit online and it has kind of got me thinking about buying one, but, without hearing it or knowing anyone that has, I am very hesitant about making the plunge.

    $1,400.00 is a pretty big purchase for me.

    I'm not having any luck finding a dealer in my area with one I can listen to and examine.

    Tom

  4. I have a pair of Vandersteen 2C's that I like quite a bit.

    I have them in my front room with my Cornwalls.

    They can't do everything that the Cornwalls can do, but, I don't expect that from them.

    I won't compare them to a Klipsch Heritage product because that is the old apples and oranges thing.

    They are a good sounding speaker, but, I don't think I would pay $400.00 for them.

    I got mine for $225.00 with stands and they are in very good condition.

    Where mine are placed I get plenty of bass, but, the highs tend to be rolled off a bit.

    All in all they are a pretty well balanced speaker, in my opinion anyway.

    The overall sound is in my opinion too different from the sound of Klipsch Heritage speakers that I have owned to try to do any meaningful comparison. I have owned Heresy's, Lascala's, Belle's,and I still own my Cornwalls. There are things I like about the Vandersteen's that compel me to keep them hanging around.

    Tom

  5. The first five albums did it for me.

    Starting with Physical Graffiti, I felt they changed direction somewhat and their music just wasn't the same.

    I like some of the later stuff they did, but, not with the intensity I remember exhibiting with their earlier works.

    I seen them in Seattle in 75' at the Kingdome. Terrible acoustics, but, man what an experience.

    Tom

  6. The Zu mod is a noticeable improvement in every area. Detail and soundstage especially. You send the cart to them and they will do their thing. One thing to keep in mind is their cartridge has 5 or 6 more grams of mass I think. Major upgrade, and the best $200 you will ever spend in audio.

    Mike

    Thank you for your response Mike.

    I received the DL 103 yesterday and have been listening to it quite a bit and am happy with what I hear.

    I am tossing the idea around of buying another and sending it directly to Zu for the upgrade.

    Since my last posting I have contacted Zu and asked them exactly what they do and how I will benefit. It is tempting to go forward with the Zu mod on a new cart. and then compare the diff. when it is done. I will toss this idea around for awhile.

    Thanks, Tom

  7. Well, I ordered a DL 103R from Comet on May 20th and they still haven't received any from Denon, so, I got impatient and ordered a DL 103 from them, since they have them in stock.

    I hope it will be a good moving coil cartridge experience.

    What exactly does the Zu Audio upgrade do for these cartridges and what is the added expense?

    Tom

  8. The 12B is a line stage preamp with phono section. The stand alone 22B phono section would be a better performer for LP's (at least to some degree) from its dedicated power supply rather then sharing a power supply with the line stage preamp.

    Thank you for clarifying that.

    I was kind of thinking that the stand-alone phono preamp should perform better.

    But, I am not a seasoned tech. Just a music and audio gear lover and my lack of technical knowledge is always an issue.

    Tom

  9. Tom,

    Sorry never heard that one. But I'd bet it out performs the Belleri handily. If you get one and want it tweaked up send her on in for a special deal but wait until late in the summer. I bet it's full of cheapo parts that could be upgraded for better perfomance. It has to be at the price point. I love messing with something new now and then.

    Craig

    Craig, I will certainly keep that in mind.

    Thank you.

    Tom

  10. Also, replacing the single tube on the Bellari didn't seem to make any sonic difference, whether using a Chinese tube or a vintage Amperex Bugle Boy. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.

    Of course the phono stage in the Cary blows away the Bellari phono, and at a cost of 10X more, it should!

    That's because the tube really doesn't do all that much in the Bellari ! The Bellari phono pre is more "Solid State" then "tube".

    Craig, what do you think of the Yaqin phono preamp?

    I thought I would ask you since you are one of the experts on the forum.

    Do you know anything about this unit?

    Tom

  11. I am using a Yaqin MS-22B (Chinese) phono preamp I picked up on Ebay from a more reputable Canadian seller and am thoroughly blown away. The price was under $200 shipped. I do have it paired with a tube amp, but it might be worth a try.

    The Yaquin is sounding like it might be a relatively inexpensive way to check out if tube phono preamp mated to ss amp and preamp will benefit my desire for sonic enhancement.

    I did a little research and found that most people have nothing but positive remarks about this unit.

    This is certainly food for thought. The price is right, ( seeing that I am a bit of a cheapskate).

    It about killed me to spend $200.00 on a Denon cart. LOL

    Thanks for the suggestion.

    Tom

  12. I am tossing around the idea of a tube phono preamp.

    The issue I am stuck on is, how much will I benefit sonically if everything else (amp,preamp) is solid state?

    I enjoy my Scott 299D's phono section now that the Scott has had a lot of the caps replaced and matching tubes installed, but, that is in the secondary system.

    My main system is a Phase Linear 400 and an Audio Refinement Pre-2 PSP.

    I am currently using a Creek OBH-8 phono preamp. It sounds good, but, I know it aint The Sh**. If you know what I mean.

    Any thoughts, comments or ideas on this subject?

    Tom

  13. I finally brokedown and ordered the DL 103R from Comet yesterday. Yee Haw!

    It is on back order. Boo Hoo!

    I've waited this long, I guess a few more weeks won't kill me. Pulling the money from my wallet almost did.

    I don't know why it is so difficult for me to spend a little on a cartridge. Maybe because I know it has a certain short life expectancy compared to other parts of my analog system. Just haven't put my finger on that one yet. Could also be the size of the piece, I guess, maybe.

    Tom

  14. Two bills for a MC is a flat out steal. It's worth the extra dough so don't chintz out. Do a search here, at AK and AS and you will get the same answer I'm giving you.

    Open that wallet, the moths are probably eating up the money anyways.

    Yeah, I know.

    Old habits die hard

    Tom

  15. I've had both and although it's hard to describe I prefer the 103R over the 103. If you're getting it from Comet Supply they are a gigantic steal at those prices so spend the extra dollars.

    Comet is where I plan on purchasing one from.

    I'm just such a tightwad when it comes to these things. I actually cringed when I put out $100.00 for an Ortofon red.

    I have been craving an mc cartridge since I got a taste of an older Ortofon mc a couple of years ago, but, it was old and soon after getting it the sound started to degrade because of the stylus being so worn.

    Tom

  16. I think that if you get an opportunity to listen to some Frazier MK IV's or any other Fraziers for that matter, you will be pleasently surprised.

    I never heard of Frazier speakers until a few years ago and now I own two pair, MK IV's and what I believe are a pair of MK VI's in some very cool 50's or 60's style cabinets.

    Very nice pieces of furniture that sound great.

    Tom

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