gimmeheadroom
-
Posts
12 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Forums
Events
Gallery
Posts posted by gimmeheadroom
-
-
22 minutes ago, polizzio said:
I had a nice cassette deck with Dolby noise reduction. I too recorded my own collections, had a case full of Maxell cassettes. "Is it real, or is it Maxell" commercial. Funny I got rid of it 6.5 years ago when my house was flooded but I can still see a vivid image of the front of the unit in my mind. Had a unique green label on the cassette door.
I have made a few cd coasters in my life time too
When you break those cds by hand, they can sometimes become serious shrapnel.
gimmeheadroom, so where do you purchase or acquire your FLAC recordings from? A favorite vendor or source?
Sorry about the flood
I have been through a few and they're bad.
Dolby is better than nothing sometimes. I can say dbx was like night and day from Dolby. Dolby killed some of the high-end while dbx just drops all the hiss and noise into a black hole.
I ripped all my CDs to FLAC and I bought some highres files online for things I wanted where I couldn't buy the SACD affordably or at all. I don't really have any place I can recommend for online highres because most of the shops are either for Europe and won't sell to America or verse visa. I also had several friends who worked or owned record shops over the years I was a collector so I worked out a lot of deals
-
On 5/9/2019 at 10:11 AM, polizzio said:
I just don't get it. Must be that old school nostalgia feeling. I had cassettes in their heyday. (some 8 track cassettes early on in my life). Had a really nice Panasonic deck, made my own recordings. Ditto vinyl, had approx 250 rock albums in impeccable condition in the era of 1970-1990. But when cds became available, I jumped on that format and abandoned my vinyl. I gave away my albums to friends and sold a few. No more tape hiss, no more crack and pop. I now have a collection of about 400-500 cds.
The typical specs of cd recordings excel by a huge margin compared to cassettes and vinyl, dynamic range and distortion. Even in today's mp3 world with compression, cd recordings are still one of the best widely available cost efficient for musical purity at home. I do mp3 recordings too, at 320 kbps data rate. Got a few WAV and FLAC files that are > 500 kbps. Bluetooth for music transfer, no thanks......if you like data compression times 2.
To each his own. Guess I'm not a very nostalgic kind of guy. What am I missing here?
Maybe it was timing. I didn't have an audiophile setup but I had some good vinyl equipment. The first CDs I heard were so digital sounding, so horrible with so many artifacts and unnatural sounds, I swore off digital for more than 20 years after that time.
A good cassette deck with a dbx box sounded far, far better than any CD through the 1980s and early to mid 90s (if my memory is still ok
) until the DACs started getting better. Tape hiss is absolutely absent with this combo. Even then, buying a CD player with a good DAC was much more expensive than a good analog tape combo... and for a long time you couldn't record anything on CDs. So CD is not directly comparable to tape, since tape served more purposes. Like @jwc said if you had good tape equipment you could make a nice collection for your car or portable. It wasn't until fairly recently that CD duplication on a PC was painless enough. For me, anyway. I do remember burning music CDs in the mid-late 1990s. I had a good PC but it made a lot of coasters
I don't use MP3 at all. Almost all my collection now is FLAC and SACD rips. I guess I'm less nostalgic than you
I can't see the point in ripping anything to MP3 since FLAC is so well supported and has been for a fairly long time.
-
10 minutes ago, polizzio said:
I recently purchased a SVS SB-3000. I had a SB-2000 before that for approx 45 days. Very happy with the SB-3000, it is powerful but super clean. Three things I wanted to point out, SVS has a 5 year warranty which covers everything stem to stern. Many sub manufacturers only do 2 or 3 years on the amp because that's what will fail. And they (manufacturers) know when most fail, hence the shorter warranty period.
Second, you can watch the SVS outlet on their main page. They offer 50-100 dollar discounts on the SB-2000 and 3000 there. Customer returns/open box units = same full warranty. Ebay too, I purchased the SB-3000 from an SVS authorized vendor on ebay @ a $100 discount over SVS. Go figure.
SVS customer service is unrivaled. 60 day return policy and they pay return shipping. And on line chat for help with any details or setup.
I first purchased the 2000, then returned it and purchased the 3000. Both are really strong output units, just the 3000 has 4-5 db more of output.
Btw, I have owned an Infinity sub (my first), a Klipsch, 2 Rythmiks (F-15 and a FV-15HP), and now the SVS. I was going to purchase another Rythmik (Brian Ding founder) but the SVS warranty persuaded me. And Rythmik offers 60 day returns but you have to pay return shipping cost and a 100 lb sub, that can add up. Can't say enough good things about SVS support from my brief experiences so far.
PSA (power sound audio, Tom worked for many years for another company then started his own business) offers some good sub values too with a full 5 year warranty. Never owned one but guys seem to love em on AVS forums. I'm just not crazy about foam suspensions on transducer cones. Had to abandon a pair of really good Boston Acoustic tower speakers after the surrounds disintegrated after approx 20 years. They looked like brand new but all the foam suspensions crumbled and fell apart. Could have re-foamed em (suspension kits) but I cut my losses at that point.
Thank you for this information and especially about your experience with SVS. I take the AVS forum posts with a grain of salt since most of those guys are heavy into home theatre and don't seem to have the same priorities guys with 2 channel setups have. I may actually go with the SB 1000 for a few reasons. But I'm still looking over all the choices.
-
9 minutes ago, HDBRbuilder said:
If I was you, and living in a typical European-style apartment complex, I would NOT get a sub-woofer, even moreso if I was NOT on the ground floor! You MIGHT want to opt for something smaller than normal if you decide to do so anyway! Or if you DO NOT go that route, you will need to find some way to ensure the bass soundwaves remain in the air without passing through the floor, ceiling and walls...or at the very least, MINIMIZING that! The problem with lower bass is that it is not your ears which actually pick up the sound...it is YOUR BODY MASS which does it, to include your FEET when standing! There are ways to reduce what others will hear from a sub-woofer, but it depends on the subwoofer design to determine what you have to do to minimize the "pissed-off neighbor" factor! The further away you can get from a "downward-firing-only" design, the better off you will be!...unless you are on the GROUND floor...but that in itself STILL poses a major "pissed-off-neighbor-factor" problem!...with MORE neighbors being involved!
Thanks for your comments. I don't play either of my systems loudly which is another reason I need bass reinforcement for this system. I'm hoping my foam and tile setup will work plus that corner of the building is an outside corner and I think if any sound does go down it will hopefully not disrupt anybody. I will probably speak with my neighbors before I buy anything.
-
Just now, sixspeed said:
For the R26's I think you'd be VERY happy with the REL T7i or even a T5i. If you can swing it of course.
I used to use SVS subs back when I had a full blown B&W HT setup 5-6 years ago. Had a PC-12 NSD. But now that I've tried REL in the last year + I wouldn't want anything else.
IMHO they are built better, more solid, higher quality and have the best Wireless (Arrow System) and High Level input method in Subwoofers. That high level input being fed by your amps binding posts will sound much better than the low level on the SB2000. There will be more detail, more bass nuance and just a tighter and cleaner bass tonality over the SVS... afterall its getting the same full bandwidth signal as your mains are.
The T series does HT really well too, probably better than low grade ported subs. But the REL T series are more music oriented subs. My main system is a hybrid HiFi Stereo/4CH HT w/ Stereo REL T9is. The T9i's are just incredible. And they only need half volume.
I can highly recommend the T7i on a personal level as I own one in my secondary system in my basement. Of course price isn't cheap, and it will be more expensive for you being in Europe.
You'd probably be very happy with the T5i also.
Hi, thanks for your post! I am also looking into REL but the ones I saw on local sites seem to have down-firing drivers or down-firing passive drivers which I want to avoid. I will look at the ones you mentioned.
I get the point about high-level input being superior but the Yamaha minisystem I need this for has a weak amp and is driving JBL Control 5s. The R-26Fs are in another room and the bass is good enough that without a direct comparison to using a sub or not, I'm fine with the way that system sounds. I mentioned them in the post just to point out I have some kind of plan for isolating the sub from the floor and wondering if it will be effective enough. Sorry for any confusion in what I wrote.
This is for a secondary system in a room which is far from ideal. I don't think it's worth spending too much on this system. The main point is to reinforce the weak bass since the primary speakers are passive monitors on stands.
-
Quote
Wow that is quite the markup. 😨 Maybe buy one SB-2000 now and if you like it save up for another. I wonder if you call them they might give you a discount, there are dealers here in the U.S. that give significant discounts off MSRP on Klipsch and SVS products. Also, if you're on Facebook join the Klipsch Owners group, there might be people in that group who are located in your country who could help you out, there are about 10,000 members in the group.
Thanks
I am antisocial (don't use social media) so I'm not on facebook. But I appreciate your suggestions and thank you for the help!
There are some other brands here like Emotiva, Velodyne, etc. which seem to have offerings in similar price ranges. I'll look around further. I have time since I probably won't make the purchase until towards the end of the year.
-
1
-
-
27 minutes ago, TMatt said:
I just did a quick search on SVS's distributor page and it looks like these guys sell SVS in CZ. http://www.highend.cz/
<facepalm> Thanks, I did see that. But I forgot it quickly for some reason
I'm home sick with the flu so my brain is not cooperating today.
The SB 2000 is $699 on Amazon in America, $1044 USD equivalent at the highend.cz shop
It's hard being an audiophile in Europe
-
Just now, TMatt said:
What kind of budget are you working with? Any of SVS's sealed woofers: SB-1000, 2000, 3000 would work well for you I'm sure. You could go dual SB-1000s or SB-2000s so that you don't have to crank up an individual subwoofer and your bass will be less localized and fill your room better compared to a single sub. Look into SVS's isolation feet as well, they screw into the bottom of most subs and reduce vibrations in the floor with their rubbery sound absorbing material.
Thanks, yeah I was looking over the REL and SVS sites this afternoon and I thought the ones you suggested would be good. Looks like we don't have an SVS distributor in Czech Republic so I'll either have to order it from Germany if they will ship here (the site lists only Austria and Germany so not sure) or find it locally somehow.
I would like to spend between 500-750 Euros on this, ideally although I could go a bit higher if it made a difference... so dual is out of the question but I appreciate your comment about duals being better in my situation. That sounds very wise and it didn't occur to me.
I am kinda not clear on my long-term goals for this system because it's a difficult room. There are heaters and cabinets, windows and doors along most of the walls. I plan to stuff the sub under my work-at-home desk which is in a corner. I cannot think of another possible position in this room because of the way it's laid out.
-
Hi,
I have a pair of Klipschs for my main system but I need a subwoofer for a secondary system. It's a Yamaha minisystem driving a pair of JBL Control 5s on stands. The JBLs are really good but lack bass, as expected. It's a good-sized room which is a living room / kitchen open space. The floor is wood veneer, and I have no carpeting. Listening here is mostly midfield and casual.
I'm going to eventually upgrade the whole system but will probably keep the Control 5s for this since they fit in the space and I like the sound. The detail on stuff like cymbals and snare brushes is amazing.
I live in an apartment building in a country where people are extremely quiet and noise averse. We have laws prohibiting noise during certain hours of days and weekends. The building is fairly solid but there is a big guy upstairs and I hear heel strikes on the floor. So I want to be sure I'm not tormenting my downstairs neighbors. If you have experience that there is no workable subwoofer setup in this kind of situation that would be good to know.
The Klipsch R-26Fs I have for my main system are sitting on home-made sandwich of acoustic foam and ceramic floor tiles. I rarely play the system loudly but so far I have no complaints. I can do a similar isolation setup for the subwoofer if I can find floor tiles or blocks big enough. I'd like a front-firing subwoofer with a good amp. My main musical interests are jazz, acoustic, and classic rock. It's a pure 2 channel setup, no home theatre. I strongly dislike ported speakers (I know, the R-26F is ported) so looking for a sealed system.
I'm not limited to Klipsch although I'm very happy with the R-26Fs I have. Open to suggestions on any suitable products.
Thank you!
-
1
-
-
Late to the party here but I did buy a pair of R-26Fs last year. I'm driving them with a Musical Fidelity m5si integrated amplifier. I know it's dramatic overkill but the sound is fantastic. The Klipschs sound wonderful and are extremely efficient. I don't think I've had the volume control more than 20% and the output from the speakers is huge and spacious. I paid a lot for these relative to what you have to pay in America (I'm in the Czech Republic) around 600 Euros I think, but I'm extremely pleased.
-
1
-
-
On 4/12/2019 at 11:57 AM, jwc said:
I would love to hear about your gear and why you are still doing it.
I have moved around a lot and have a bunch of components in storage I can't get to, including a nice 1980s Harmon-Kardon 3 sendust head deck and a dbx NR unit. I used to make a lot of tape copies of LPs to save wear and tear on the albums.
Lately I got into minidisc. I had a portable years ago and liked the format. I bought two component decks recently, a TASCAM CD + minidisc deck new and a used but like-new Sony somethingorother off ebay.
I like minidisc a lot more than cassette. True, in theory analog tape can sound better than digital, especially a compressed format like minidisc, but I think minidisc has enough advantages over tape (any kind of tape) for me:
- The minidisc is protected inside a case even when in use, so it is more durable than tapes. We have all had the disaster where something went wrong and a prized cassette or open reel or even 8-track (yeah, I'm old enough to have recorded these back in the day!) starts spewing tape and is lost to history
- Editing capabilities on minidisc decks are outstanding. You can split and join tracks and delete unwanted portions of recordings in almost any combination. Especially when making mix tapes this is priceless. Much more flexible than any cassette or open reel
- Titling: minidisc format allows you to title the album and individual tracks
- Recording: good minidisc decks can go from pause (standby)-> record much faster than commercial tape equipment. You never have to miss the beginning of recording. And some even buffer the input for some amount of time (ex. 5 seconds) so even if you want to start recording manually by hitting the record button, you never miss the beginning of what you want to record.
- Playback: playback is programmable on a minidisc deck like with CDs, so you can group or play songs in any order you want. And you can cue to any point and have it start seamlessly. This is used in broadcast and sometimes live performances
- Multiple format inputs and outputs: most decks include optical, coaxial, and analog inputs and outputs. This is great for all occasions
Good minidisc decks are now cheap since nobody wants them and minidisc media is expensive since nobody wants them. It's a dead format but still quite useful. Unlike DAT where the gear and tapes are expensive and almost unobtainium, you can still find minidisc gear in top shape or even some new stuff from TASCAM, TEAC in Japan or NOS around the world and it is quite reliable.
What I use minidisc for now is making copies of albums, copies of radio shows live off the air, and the way it is set up I can record anything that goes through my system, either analog or digital.
When you break those cds by hand, they can sometimes become serious shrapnel.
I have been through a few and they're bad.
I can't see the point in ripping anything to MP3 since FLAC is so well supported and has been for a fairly long time.
Who is still playing or recording cassettes?
in 2-Channel Home Audio
Posted · Edited by gimmeheadroom
Yeah 220-something. I wish I could get at mine but I have moved so much that most of my stuff is in storage in various places 😕
I think cassette is cool from a retro point of view but I can't get into them any more. Just too many things to go wrong and good blanks are too expensive now.
Edit: I think this is the one I have
Mine was 110VAC although I now live in Europe so even when I get it back I am not sure how useful it's going to be. Will still look nice sitting in a rack with my HK deck and other 1980-isms.