Argh. Damn. I didn't even consider that I was in your neighbourhood, Stan. :doh:
Sorry. Next time! :)
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Jerry, your findings match mine exactly and is why I leave my Chord switched on permanently. I use all-silver cabling (balanced) and silver speaker cables and my system is incredibly transparent without being bright.
As I said in another thread, the Chord needs clean throughout the chain.
Thanks Martin. :)
I think my Chord amp is still coming up to speed - every day I'm sure there are still incremental benefits. From what you say, I think mine still has some further smoothing to do - I still can't use my 5N purity silver cabling - the system is still a bit undernourished tonally when I try it - too clean! I'll try them again in a day or two and see if that has changed - but in the meantime my somewhat fruity sounding Cambridge Audio (!) Azur balanced cables are doing just fine. A balanced connection between my Theta DAC and the Chord amp is definitely the way to go, ime so far.
.... Listening to Bruckner's 4th symphony late last night (Muti/Berlin Phil/EMI) at pretty much realistic levels ... a huge orchestral presence and, oh, those horns! ...magnificent! :eek:
Which Jochum set? DG or EMI? I thought the EMI/Dresden set was OK but I preferred the earlier DG. The DG Jochum 9th is my 2nd fave recording of the work, after Lennie Bernstein (also on DG) (I have about 25 Bruckner 9th recordings, I think! I'm a Bruckner nutcase. :mental:).
It's the EMI boxed set but I have six other ninth recordings, including the DG Jochum, which is magnificent. I was lucky enough to see him live once at the Albert Hall many years ago. He was conducting the Vienna Phil, resting against a stool, and commanded them with an iron grip.
It's a fantastic price. The retail price of my power amp now is eye watering and you rarely see them on the used market.
I just cannot get on with gear that needs shedloads of time to come on song. I suspect that in pro circles, these things are powered 24/7 so the warm-up issue doesn't apply. The Bryston preamp I had was like this - flat, bright and veiled until at least 24 hours had passed, by which time it went through a transformation. My Croft is there (better?)within minutes
I used to have gear left on all the time and when I went to valves, the power bill dropped by at least £15 per quarter - and this was twenty years ago...
Yep, I know what you mean, Dave.
And the Chord isn't merely "OK" when cold - it is harsh and bright. Luvvly-jubbly now it's warmed up though. :)
Must admit that I have heard a Bryston pre at a dealer dem (he just plugged it in and used it cold). I wasn't impressed to say the least - but he made no mention of a need for warm-up so I just dismissed it! :doh: Perhaps as big a mistake as those who think that Chord is bright and harsh.
The Chord does give off a fair bit of heat (which is very welcome at the moment!) so it can't be cheap to run 24/7. But .... it does have a very transparent and lucid sound, and I can understand why the brand has a loyal band of followers. As I mentioned previously, the detail retrieval is the best I have heard, but not etched or hyped up. Definitely an enjoyable component and a "keeper" for me, within the bounds of my definition of the word! :eyebrows: