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Thread: Bake Off At Mine

  1. #31
    Join Date: May 2012

    Location: Toulouse, France

    Posts: 6,562
    I'm Kevin.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bigman80 View Post
    Nope, it was scoffed at or at the very least dismissed.

    And no, are you telling me you couldn't hear the improvement between a Sony ES amplifier and your Firebottle stuff? Neither are crap, but the improvements are noticeable. Same as with a cable. That's the point I was making. The changes are comparable with changing a component.

    For a cable to make a difference of that level, the system need to be capable of displaying it. Macca's is.

    Also the same comment made by Macca without any prompting. From a cable sceptic too!!!!!

    Sent from my VKY-L09 using Tapatalk
    No, I could not tell you I could hear an improvement between a Sony ES amp and the Firebottle stuff. I have never heard a Sony ES stereo amp. Apart from that mere technicality, I have heard small differences when changing equipment, as well as bigger changes. It depends on the synergy in the system. When cables get to a certain level, the changes are pretty minor. If your cable is the one I think it is (and there is not much choice for one that fits in a KLEI harmony) then I have already tried it. It is a good cable, butI prefer a different cable, and also different plugs.

    Part of my original change to the Air was that performance to my other amps was very close. Selling my other amps allowed me to upgrade other parts of my system. I don’t regret my choices one bit, but would be surprised if a cable made a bigger difference. People that have heard my system have said it sounds good and is nicely balanced. Your opinion could be completely different and that would not bother me one bit. After all, I built my system based on my tastes and space constraints.

    The comment about having a system capable of revealing a change in cable at a certain level makes me giggle. It is almost implying that my system is not capable, although I know you probably don’t mean this intentionally. I would be interested to know what cable you replaced with your cable. As Macca is a cable sceptic it probably wasn’t particularly good?

    You must be doing something right with your cable though, as the majority of the feedback seems positive, but as with everything there are a few exceptions.
    Kevin

    Too busy enjoying the music....

    European loan coordinator for Graham Slee HiFi system components..

  2. #32
    Join Date: Oct 2008

    Location: Glasgowshire

    Posts: 9,656
    I'm Gary.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Macca View Post
    I agree, But I don't just own a decent transistor radio with a good 'tone' , and neither do you.- I like the fun involved in getting it technically better than that even though I acknowledge that 'Brown Sugar' is a killer stone groove no matter what's replaying it.
    Your brain fills in the tone...
    Especially getting into the car to go home on a wet Sunday afternoon driving home from a girlfriend thats just dumped you for a Spanish waiter she met on holiday.
    Turn on the radio for a bit of solace and The Cars "Drive" comes on...

    (Not that thats ever happened to me of course....*cough*)


    Enjoy a bit of "technically bettering" m'self, all I'm saying is you can still enjoy the music without all the hifi schennanigans.
    AC POWER
    Hardwired 10kVA balanced mains powering entire system
    AMPS
    Meridian 557 power Amp (Modded) / PS Audio BHK Preamp (Modded)
    SPEAKERS
    Wharfedale Evo 4.4
    DAC
    PS Audio Directstream (Modded)
    TURNTABLE
    Pro-Ject X8 balanced output via XLR / Ortofon Quintet Blue cartridge
    PHONOSTAGE
    Pro-Ject DS3 B balanced Input (TT and Phonostage powered by Pro-Ject Power box RS2 linear psu)
    DIGITAL
    OPPO 203 (Modded: Linear PSU, i2s output to Dac) - Roon Endpoint, HDMI input used for all things Streaming/ PS5 /AppleTV ... also good for movies apparently?
    MUSIC PLAYBACK
    Tweaked AP-Linux based Roon Server into Oppo 203 as Roon endpoint
    Ipad Roon Remote.
    Apple Music/ YouTube via AppleTV, fed to Dac via Oppo HDMI input/i2s output to Dac.
    SPEAKER CABLES
    Biwired: Duelund DCA10GA (Bass) Duelund DCA16GA (mid & treble) Duelund 12DCA used as jumpers (On
    "Blackcat Cable" Chris Sommivigo's advice - yup, even with biwire it sounds better - and it does)
    INTERCONNECTS
    All Balanced: Ghost+ recording studio XLR cables

  3. #33
    Bigman80 Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by CageyH View Post
    No, I could not tell you I could hear an improvement between a Sony ES amp and the Firebottle stuff. I have never heard a Sony ES stereo amp. Apart from that mere technicality, I have heard small differences when changing equipment, as well as bigger changes. It depends on the synergy in the system. When cables get to a certain level, the changes are pretty minor. If your cable is the one I think it is (and there is not much choice for one that fits in a KLEI harmony) then I have already tried it. It is a good cable, butI prefer a different cable, and also different plugs.

    Part of my original change to the Air was that performance to my other amps was very close. Selling my other amps allowed me to upgrade other parts of my system. I don’t regret my choices one bit, but would be surprised if a cable made a bigger difference. People that have heard my system have said it sounds good and is nicely balanced. Your opinion could be completely different and that would not bother me one bit. After all, I built my system based on my tastes and space constraints.

    The comment about having a system capable of revealing a change in cable at a certain level makes me giggle. It is almost implying that my system is not capable, although I know you probably don’t mean this intentionally. I would be interested to know what cable you replaced with your cable. As Macca is a cable sceptic it probably wasn’t particularly good?

    You must be doing something right with your cable though, as the majority of the feedback seems positive, but as with everything there are a few exceptions.
    I certainly wasn't suggesting your system isn't good enough to reveal any differences, Kevin, as we both know how good the FB stuff is.

    Fair enough on the SonyES thing, that was the first time I heard the difference so I used it as the example.

    The cables Macca uses come from a brand we cant discuss on here so I'll leave that there. Synergy is definitely a thing but he had equipment from the same brand yet when the cables were swapped it was an obvious effect.

    There is a lot of scepticism towards the effect cables can have. People change valves and the "improvements" are generally more accepted yet say a cable makes a difference and it's knocked back as expectation bias.

    Just frustrating when it's so bloody obviously apparent!

    "You must be doing something right with your cable though, as the majority of the feedback seems positive, but as with everything there are a few exceptions"

    I'm very pleased with how they have been received, thanks.

    Sent from my VKY-L09 using Tapatalk

  4. #34
    Join Date: May 2012

    Location: Toulouse, France

    Posts: 6,562
    I'm Kevin.

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    Ah, if I remember correctly the cables replaced use a base cable that you do not like.
    Kevin

    Too busy enjoying the music....

    European loan coordinator for Graham Slee HiFi system components..

  5. #35
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: A Strangely Isolated Place in Suffolk with Far Away Trains Passing By...

    Posts: 14,535
    I'm David.

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    The Krell has an input sensitivity of 1.3V for full output. Ok for a CD source, but an old tuner or many phono stages will be pushing it only to medium levels unless the preamp has some gain - may be enough, but I'd respectfully ask it be borne in mind. Also, the Krell circuit is, in this generation (not the earlier ones) I understand, fully balanced from the input and despite it having RCA sockets, it's a bit of a bodged input I gather and the amp won't give it's all if used that way I feel by all accounts - one reason (financial) why I felt to pass it on, as a good used properly balanced preamp would have been expensive (I'd still like to try an ML28 one day as it was judged seriously good when it was current and better than US equivalents from Krell and ARC)

    https://www.stereophile.com/solidpow...WXIpc7MJt5z.97

    I hope macca gets the chance to try a good quality properly balanced preamp one day with the Krell 50S (if used 24/7, the Bryston BP25 I had would be good and mine had a good phono stage built in too - the Meridian 502 was great sounding as well I remember and more 'spacious' sounding than many on the couple of samples I tried once)
    Tear down these walls; Cut the ties that held me
    Crying out at the top of my voice; Tell me now if you can hear me

  6. #36
    Bigman80 Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by DSJR View Post
    The Krell has an input sensitivity of 1.3V for full output. Ok for a CD source, but an old tuner or many phono stages will be pushing it only to medium levels unless the preamp has some gain - may be enough, but I'd respectfully ask it be borne in mind. Also, the Krell circuit is, in this generation (not the earlier ones) I understand, fully balanced from the input and despite it having RCA sockets, it's a bit of a bodged input I gather and the amp won't give it's all if used that way I feel by all accounts - one reason (financial) why I felt to pass it on, as a good used properly balanced preamp would have been expensive (I'd still like to try an ML28 one day as it was judged seriously good when it was current and better than US equivalents from Krell and ARC)

    https://www.stereophile.com/solidpow...WXIpc7MJt5z.97

    I hope macca gets the chance to try a good quality properly balanced preamp one day with the Krell 50S (if used 24/7, the Bryston BP25 I had would be good and mine had a good phono stage built in too - the Meridian 502 was great sounding as well I remember and more 'spacious' sounding than many on the couple of samples I tried once)
    Sorry, Wrong thread!

    Sent from my VKY-L09 using Tapatalk

  7. #37
    Join Date: Apr 2015

    Location: Central Virginia

    Posts: 1,736
    I'm Russell.

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    I truly enjoyed your review of this equipment! I’m not sure what Sony ES CD player you’ve got there, but it looks exactly like the 608ESD I had for 30 years. I went to shop for a new CD player several times and never felt the need to upgrade it, it was better than most of the newer, highly acclaimed stuff. Only after 30 years it got sensitive, easily skipped, from both footfalls and scratches. Previously it had NEVER skipped ever, for any reason! I priced fixing it, and decided to just buy something else, and gave it to a friend who is still using it. It just does bass right!

    And your impressions of different preamps on the Krell have convinced me I need a new preamp. I know mine is not up to snuff, but maybe don’t know how much. I kept it become of all the great features, and lots of inputs, a Parasound Halo 3, not a real high end preamp. But not bad either. I’ve been shopping for years, time to pull the trigger.

    Cables sound different! No doubt, but will they be better? Depends on the associated equipment, I don’t think any cable can be better than another comparative cable with every single piece of gear, so many variables at play here.

    I also dig all the music you cats were spinning! Excellent choices. But you didn’t tell us what kind of alcohol was being consumed? And if there wasn’t any, well shame on you. A proper attitude adjustment is required for serious listening.

    Russell

  8. #38
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,770
    I'm Martin.

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    The Sony is an EX505ES, I think it was second or third from the top of the ES food chain back when it came out.

    Actually forgot all about it until you mentioned your Parasound pre-amp but I have a Parasound CDPi1000 I could have used instead. I sort of prefer it to the Sony actually, or some of what it does anyway.

    No boozing I'm afraid. It was the middle of the day and Ollie had to drive back home.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  9. #39
    Join Date: Apr 2015

    Location: Central Virginia

    Posts: 1,736
    I'm Russell.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Macca View Post
    The Sony is an EX505ES, I think it was second or third from the top of the ES food chain back when it came out.

    Actually forgot all about it until you mentioned your Parasound pre-amp but I have a Parasound CDPi1000 I could have used instead. I sort of prefer it to the Sony actually, or some of what it does anyway.

    No boozing I'm afraid. It was the middle of the day and Ollie had to drive back home.
    Parasound has some nice gear, their JC 2 preamp is Stereophile Class A, (I always hated their rating system), they’ve got a huge rack sized phono pre that’s also highly acclaimed. And even this Halo 3 is built tank tough.

    Unfortunately I don’t drink as much as I used to either, it usually results in higher volumes! Last time I had a friend over for drinks and music I continued to drink after he left, worst hangover I’ve had in a long time. But the stereo was magic that night!

    Russell

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