arena

---------------- On 5/18/2003 10:37:34 PM DeanG wrote: you can still hear the grain and hash ---------------- Well I don't really hear any grain and hash, the upper extremes are just a little harsh or piercing, but only on certain recordings. ---------------- On 5/18/2003 10:37:34 PM DeanG wrote: The problem is not your source -- it's your freaking cheap *** piece of crap receiver. ---------------- Would you recommend a modern integrated amp, or a vintage tube amp? What specific brands and models do you have in mind? Thanks again.

---------------- On 5/18/2003 9:19:18 PM talktoKeith Wrote: Purely for 2-channel use, I would buy a Scott integrated amp and a pair of older used Klipsch speakers of your choice. ---------------- I will most likely end up with a tube amp after I settle on a good cd player. I'm completely satisfied with the RP-3s for now. Maybe a few years down the road I'll go with some heritage Klipsch, but I'll stick with the RP-3s until then. ---------------- On 5/18/2003 9:07:31 PM DeanG wrote: A $260 receiver is probably not the best thing to use on a pair of RP-3's. ---------------- I agree, the RP-3s are the only part of my current system that I don't plan on upgrading, but if I'm going to start upgrading I figured I should start at the source. Does anyone have any experience with a Sony SCD-C222ES? Thanks again.

---------------- On 5/18/2003 8:21:36 PM paulparrot wrote: I would recommend you get yourself a Sony SCD-CE775. P.S. I wouldn't use the word "neutral" to describe the Planet!!! ---------------- I'll definately look into the SCD-CE775. By "neutral" I meant a little on the lifeless side compared to the Sony. Guess I should have been more careful with my choice of words, usually neutral refers to a flat frequency response, and it seemed the Rega has a bias towards the low end. Any more suggestions? Thanks again.

I was looking for a dedicated cd player to replace the Sony DVP-NS700P DVD player I was using, which I felt was too harsh in the treble region. Based on recommendations from this board and audioreview.com I purchased a Rega Planet 2000 off audiogon.com. It arrived a few days ago, and after 75 hours of continuous burn-in (I don't know if I really believe in burning components in, but better safe than sorry I guess) I did a some A/B comparison between the Planet and the Sony. I'm running a pair of Klipsch RP-3s through a Harmon Kardon HK3370 Reciever, by the way. I was skeptical that there would be a significant difference between the two players, but if anything I thought I would be able to convince myself the Rega sounded much better, having paid $525 for it. I'll skip the comparisons regarding imaging soundstage etc. Though these things are important I was most concerned with tonal differences. Here's what I found: Highs/Treble: Here the Rega seemed an improvement over the Sony. For the test cds I used 'Homogenic' from Bjork and 'Different Class' from Pulp. Both are great recordings with which I am very familiar. The highs on the Planet sounded a little more clear, defined, distinct, and articulate than the Sony. However, the difference wasn't as notable as i expected, and much of the harshness in the Sony was also audible in the Planet, especially on The Rolling Stone's 'Miss You'. The snare on this track sounded harsh enough to be distracting on both players. Lows/Bass: Here, surprisingly, the Sony clearly outperformed the Rega. On the Sony DVD player, the bass on Weezer's 'Say It Ain't So' was definately present, but tight and restrained, exaclty as I feel bass should be. When I switched over to the Rega, however, I literally couldn't believe my ears. The bass sounded surprisingly bloated, exagerated, and sloppy. Really the best way to describe it is "flatulent". I'm not really a big fan of overdone bass, but I don't think even the most obsessed bass fiend could prefer the Planet's interpretation of the song over the Sony's. The Rega's emphasis or exageration of the bass made me somewhat skeptical of the player in general. Perhaps the engineers at Rega baised the Planet towards the low end in order to better simulate the warmth of analog or vinyl. However, this simulation struck me as somewhat unnatural. Mids/Midgrange: After listening to several cds I found that the midgrange on the Planet was somewhat smoother and more detailed than the Sony, but somehow seemed less present, especially on Bob Dylan's 'Time Out Of Mind' and Led Zepellin's '1', two of my favorite discs. Though the midrange of the Sony sounded less refined than the Planet, it was somehow "there" in a way that the midrange on the Rega failed to be. After the A/B comparison, despite the sweetness of the Rega's highs, there is no way I could prefer it over the Sony DVD player given its exagerated bass and apparantly absent midrange. This might all be a matter of personal taste however. Perhaps I prefer the more aggressive or "in your face" sound of the sony over the restraint or understatement of the Rega. Even though the Sony seemed to suffer from the very slightest distortion across the sound spectrum, it was just there in a way the Rega wasn't. I won't be keeping the Rega, but I'm not too worried about getting my money back out of it on Ebay. Perhaps someone will prefer its more neutral, restrained, or refined sound. But I'm wondering if any of you can recommend a player that combines the aggressive, "in your face" sound of the Sony with the smoothness of the Rega's treble? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Yeah I know what it stands for, but what is it exactly? What about an SACD results in an improvement in sound quality above redbook? Thanks.

---------------- On 5/7/2003 1:20:11 PM Colin wrote: Although I do not know what you have for loudspeakers... Wanna make a big change in your existing system? Add a good sub. ---------------- Klipsch RP-3s Harmon Kardon HK3370 Sony DVP-NS700P The RP3s have an integrated 10 inch sub powered by an internal 440 watt amp. Bass extends all the way down to 27hz, so no need for an external subwoofer. NOSvalves: If I pick up a used vintage tube amp in good condition off ebay/audiogon for $200-$300, how much would you charge to rebuild it? Also I've heard tubes can be extremely expensive to replace. Seems like a tube amp comes with a lot of "hidden costs". Don't get me wrong, I'm open to tubes, my friends all run their vintage guitars (orig 65 fender jaguar, orig 63 mustang) through tube amps, and would never even consider solid state, but even they look at me funny when I mention I'm thinking about picking up a tube amp for my stereo. Thanks again.

So are you all in agreement that my 500 dollars or so would be better spent on a Rega, Amc, or Adcom cd player, or an external DAC, than on a tube amp that will be expensive to purchase, have rebuilt, and maintain? I've never heard a Rega, but if everyone says they sound warmer or less-digital than other players, it seems more likely that the Rega is rounding the signal off or cutting something out that other players aren't, rather than including something the other players can't pick up. Granted what the Rega leaves out or cuts off makes the player sound better, but it seems like I'd rather have the entire signal present, and chalk up the unpleasant aspects of the sound to the weaknesses inherant in digital audio. As paulparrot said, if the Rega's "output sounds 'better' than the input" than some internal eq-ing is involved, which is undesirable as far as I'm concerned. I hope I'm wrong, I'd love to get a Rega, I'm just nervous about why exactly they sound better than other players. Can anyone clear that up? Thanks again

I'm running a pair of Klipsch RP-3s through a Harmon Kardon HK3370 reciever. From what you say and what I've heard from others it sounds like the Rega colors or rolls off a lot of sound from cds in order to make them sound "less-digital". Is this really what this player does? This kind of altering doesn't exaclty sound desirable to me. So you think I would get more sound improvement from changing to a vintage tube amp instead of upgrading my cd player? I'm open to the possibility of tube amps, but am concerned with hiss, hum, and increased maintanence. How much would a tube amp cost me? I was looking at the Scott 299, but at around $200 for the purchase and at least $300 for a rebuild, it would eat up all my graduation money, leaving me to play my cds off a Sony DVP-NS700P DVD player. Is there a cheaper tube alternative that sounds as good as the Scott? Or should I keep looking to upgrade my cd player? Thanks again

I've been posting a lot in the last few days about deciding between a cheap Sony multidisc changer and a more expensive player such as the Rega Planet. The Rega will cost me about $300 more than the Sony, so before I spend that much more of my graduation money, I want to be sure that if I buy the Rega I will be able to hear a significant improvement in sound quality. I'm a little skeptical about how much better the Rega could be, it seems like a cd player is a cd player to me. Then again, it's hard for me to believe all the acclaim surrounding the Rega is hype and delusion. Basically if I would enjoy listening to the Rega more than cheaper players I'd be willing to spend the additional money to get one, I just need to know how much better the Rega will sound. Thanks.

---------------- On 5/5/2003 12:35:00 AM cyclonecj wrote: I have a Sony 300 disk changer, & love the sound. It is only slightly less quality than my Adcom. They make the exact same version in standard (like mine) or the ES model. ES is said to have all the highest quality everything in it. This might be a good option for you. Remember, its not just the DAC that is important. There's lots of other electronics before & after the DAC. ---------------- Which model 300 disk changer are you using? Also ES isn't really an option for me. My budget is limited to about $400. Everyone seems to rave about the Rega Planets. Where can I purchase one used or for a discount (besides audiogon.com which I already know about)? Thanks again.

---------------- On 5/3/2003 10:15:28 AM Audio Flynn wrote: An older stand alone DAC is an unappreciated option. My MSB LINK II blows away most CD players up to $ 700. ---------------- Audio Flynn: I'm considering a mass market Sony 300 disc changer. Is the only sound quality difference in this unit verses others due to the DAC? Can I get both the convenience of a multidisk changer and the sound quality of a more expensive player by purchasing the 300 disk Sony and using an external DAC? Thanks.

I'm looking for a replacement for the Sony CX90ES that malfunctioned recently. I've grown accustomed to the convenience of a 200+ disc changer, but sound quality is obviously the priority (which is why I bought Klipsch speakers). My budget is around $400, and I'm considering a Sony CDP-CX355 300 disc changer, but I was wondering if would I notice a significant improvement in sound quality by purchasing a more advanced single disc player. The two alternatives I'm considering are a Rega Planet original or a Cambridge Audio D500SE. So would I notice a significant improvement in sound quality in the D500SE or the Rega Planet over the mass market Sony? Also, since I would have to buy an older Rega Planet unit (most likely a 98 or 99), would I be better off with the Cambridge Audio D500SE, which is a newer unit (2002) and employs more advanced technology? I'd like to get a replacement as soon as possible. Thanks in advance for any advice.

---------------- On 5/1/2003 12:09:27 AM MBM135 wrote: Used Rega Planet original. Can't go wrong--just make sure the previous owner took good care of it. ---------------- Would I notice greater sonic improvement with the newer (2002) Cambridge Audio D-500ES or with an older (1998-1999) Rega Planet Original? Thanks again

Thanks for the suggestion, but I can't seem to find the AMC on audioadvisor.com. So far I'm looking at the Cambridge Audio D-500 and the Adcom GCD-575. Does anyone have any experience with these units, or other suggestions? Thanks again

---------------- On 4/30/2003 7:39:47 AM Strabo wrote: The bass tightness will also depend on what amp is driving the speakers. You may be hearing differences in the amps. ---------------- oh yeah, i forgot, we are both using identical amps: harmon kardon hk3370s. as to the room size, my room is 11.5 feet wide by 20 feet long, ceiling 8.5 feet high. my friends room is about half that size (same ceiling). as to the size of the subs, i was under the impression that the additional 110 watts in the rp5 amplifier would help negate the fact that it was pushing a larger woofer. so if internal compression helps control bass travel for tighter bass, why allow bass pressure to "escape" through a port or passive radiator? just to squeeze out a few hz on the low end or a few more spl? thanks again for all the info.

I was using a Sony CX90ES 200 Disc CD Changer as my source until the loading mechanism developed a minor problem. So I opened it up and started taking things apart, and now it doesn't work AT ALL. Are there any cd players available for <$300 that will offer significant improvement in sound quality over the Sony DVP-NS700P DVD player I will be using in the mean time, or is this unit satisfactory? (I am running Klipsch RP-3s with a Harmon Kardon HK3370 reciever by the way) Thanks.

sorry to go a little off subject, but i bought a pair of rp3s off ebay over a year ago, and absolutely love them. my friend was so impressed he bought a pair of rp5s off ebay a few months ago. initially i expected to be more impressed with the bass response of the rp5s, which extend down to 25hz, vs the rp3s which only go to 27hz, as i though one or two hz at this low frequency would be really noticable. however, when i actually heard the rp5s, the bass didn't sound as tight as the rp3s, but instead sounded loose and less controlled, even "coughy" or thuddy in the lower frequencies. when i realized the rp5s employed ported bass (after hearing them i went over to the cabinet to check things out), i attributed this decrease in bass quality to the ported cabinets. is this a reasonable assessment of the situation? if so it seems that porting a cabinet is kind of like "cheating" a few extra hz at the bottom end, so that porting is a compromise between bass extension and quality. is there any truth to this? if so perhaps passive woofers are the solution to this problem.

---------------- On 4/29/2003 6:21:18 PM edwardre wrote: I hear things from all over the place, not just 2 sources. Any live performance yields multiple points of sonic wavelength origin. ---------------- i totally agree, all i'm saying is that the imaging of truly hifi 2 channel speakers (i run klipsch rp3s) provides a far more realistic soundstage than anything decoded into 5.1, which always sounds forced or unnatural in comparison, at least in my experience.

booo until i have 5.1 ears i will always prefer 2 channel, especially for floyd. maybe i should just wander back into the 2 channel forum...

anything stones

if i do decide to go with cornwalls, what type (I or II) and year should i be looking for? which drivers/crossovers are generally considered to sound the best? thanks again

thanks for all the input. seems most of you are recommending heritage klipsch (cornwall) and a vintage tube amp (scott 299, eico, etc). while i'm completely open to switching out my ss amp and rp3s, i'm actually quite satisfied with how the rp3s sound. so i'd really like to hear what tube powered cornwalls sound like before i exchange my rp3s for them. i posted a few days ago about where i could audition heritage speakers and tubes but the post just sank. i live about an hour and a half north of los angeles if anyone in the area is willing to let me hear their heritage system. it would really help me make the right decision. also, if i go for a scott 299, what is the difference between the b and c model designations? thanks again

in about a week i'm going to have some graduation money at my disposal (assuming i actually manage to graduate). i'm thinking of "investing" it in some audio upgrades. "saving" money has never really been an option for me. i tried it once or twice but it didn't take. anyway, as of today my system consists of two klipsch rp3s powered by a harmon kardon hk3370 reciever. i use a sony cx90es cd player as a digital source. monster cable m1.4s biwire and m950 interconnects (better safe then sorry i guess). i'm thinking of either looking into a tube amp or going with a seperate preamp and amplifier. i'm not oppossed to getting a new cd player, but i've grown accustomed to the convenience of a 200 disc changer and i think i would get more improvement out of changing the reciever anyway. my budget is around $500-$750 depending on how generous my relatives are feeling. if anyone can recommend specific amps or cd sources that sound great for the price, let me know. thanks in advance for any suggestions.

according to kurt vonnegut, in the year 6000 or so, the world will be so overwhelmed with cultural relics and antiques that museums and archives will be over running the entire planet. the solution? everything from the the years 0 to 2000 will be destroyed and replaced by a single sentence: "after the time of christ there was a brief period of re-adjustment that lasted roughly 2000 years" peace in the middle east

On 4/18/2003 11:44:33 PM MBM135 wrote: Yeah, tragic the museum didn't get protected but as an active duty military leader I wouldn't want to have to write a letter to the parents of one of my troops stating he/she died in my care while guarding a museum...sorry... I would be pissed if my son/daughter bit the big one guarding a statue as the Museum Police. no one said that the museum should be defended against an armed attack, simply guarded against the looting that took place in the absence of any kind of protection. the looting was an entirely non-violent crime of opportunity. a few soldiers or a tank could have easily been placed as guards to eliminate that opportunity, with virtually no risk of injury whatsoever.