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JohnMH

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  1. You're not wrong, Paul. The original large advent loudspeakers are great. I have two pairs. On one pair I redid the foam surrounds. That was a little scary, but worked out fine. Other pair is completely original. Cheers, JohnMH
  2. And it's cheap enough that it doesn't get the wife's attention. Not sure she's even aware of it.
  3. I've been using the SM Audio passive volume control and it works great. To clarify - it accepts balanced inputs via a Neutrik combo connector (XLR or 1/4" TRS), unbalanced via 1/8" stereo TRS, and I think unbalanced via 1/4" TS into the combo inputs as well. Outs are 1/4" TRS or 1/4" TS as well as 1/8" stereo TRS. It has good channel balance, it's very smooth operating, has a mute switch, and no sonic downside I can detect in my modest systems. Perhaps a moot point for the OP, but others may be interested in a good cheap passive vol control with lots of connection options. Best wishes,
  4. +1 I voted speakers, but Baxtus has it even more right. In fact, the music, recording & mastering are probably even more of a factor than the speakers / room and setup.
  5. 3 meters (9.8 feet) - the stock cable on AKG702 seems good for me. Kind of long for a portable source perhaps, but good with fixed sources.
  6. I'm a B&W fan myself. Have a pair of Matrix 801 Series 2. Since B&W seem to be used quite often in recording work, including some of the BIS recordings (Minnesota Orchestra), I still think this is not a bad choice and could probably be improved with active crossovers. I look with great interest at the work of Seigfried Linkwitz and am wondering about his new dipole speaker LX521. I've never heard his designs, but some think this is the way to go. Linkwitz Lab - Loudspeaker Design Has anyone around here heard the Linkwitz Orions? The LX521 is probably too new for many to have heard it, although I think he was at RMAF with it.
  7. Looks good. I've ordered the SACD along with the Beethoven Vanska cycle per Musicophiles recommendation. Oh, and Some Stockholm Chamber Brass Ensemble (a random choice, but I'm a brass guy). All BIS SACDs. Thanks!
  8. Voted for the Dragonfly because I have one and have listened. I'm not familiar with Audirvana Plus or the Chord, so I'm not fully informed. Loaned my Dragonfly to my brother. I've made this mistake before. Wondering if I'll ever get it back.
  9. I actually prefer for the portable device to allow management of music files just like any other files. I've never used random play or playlists. My poor man's player, the Sandisk Sansa Clip +, acts just like a USB stick or other standard storage for purposes of loading it up. FLAC player on my wife's older iPod (v3, I think) must be attached to an iTunes running computer to transfer music as far as I can tell. So I think A&K got this right. But $700? Hope it sounds really good. I'll be trying my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 with the Dragonfly or with ODAC and O2 amp instead.
  10. Barry D. observes "In my experience, distance to the floor will impact the apparent soundstage height upon playback. In the real world (i.e., apart from electronic reproduction of audio) we are used to that floor bounce. Changing its arrival time (by changing mic height) changes what is perceived in the recording. For this reason, I've always avoided having mics high up (as we so often see). Aside from the fundamental changes in tonality that result (particularly with string instruments but will all others as well), such placement always results in the feeling of "looking down" toward the performance." Interestingly our Fine Arts Concert Hall here at UW is constructed so the audience seating is mostly above the performance stage. Only the first few rows closest to the stage are near stage level. If you're mid house or behind you are well above the stage & performers. Makes for excellent sight lines to see the performers. The "house" microphones are a stereo pair suspended from the ceiling above the 5th or 6th row from the stage, so well above the performers. Not sure if I've ever listened to a recording made on these, but I'm sure you're right, that's probably a common way of doing it to get them out of the way, so to speak.
  11. Checking this out. Saw Musicophile's heads up on the Album of the Evening thread. I'm curious if there are any comments on the multi-channel 5.0 SACD versions. I'm torn between the SACDs and the hi-res downloads. From the booklet for a couple of the Beethoven symphonies: Neumann microphones; Stagetec Truematch microphone preamplifier and high resolution A/D converter; MADI optical cabling; Yamaha 02R96 digital mixer; Sequoia Workstation; Pyramix DSD Workstation; B&W Nautilus 802 loudspeakers; STAX headphones Looks like the A/D is PCM, so the SACD is a conversion. Also from the booklet: The music on this Hybrid SACD can be played back in Stereo (CD and SACD) as well as in 5.0 Surround sound (SACD). Our surround sound recordings aim to reproduce the natural sound in a concert venue as faith fully as possible, using the newest technology. In order to do so, all five channels are recorded using the full frequency range, with no separate bass channel added: a so-called 5.0 configuration. If your sub-woofer is switched on, however, most systems will also automatically feed the bass signal coming from the other channels into it. In the case of systems with limited bass reproduction, this may be of benefit to your listening experience. The mic preamp and A/D info: Standalone Converter Looks like good stuff.
  12. Musicophile said - "I actually have the redbook box. It is true that the eclassical offer is for the individual albums, but at $7 per "disc" you really get a decent deal for hires." Yes, works out the same at about $40 for the 5 disks - or the 24 bit FLAC. Thanks again Musicophile.
  13. This is definitely tempting. I can't find it on eClassical, just the individual disks seem to be there. The cover you show seems to be BISSACD1825/26. I'd really like to try this on SACD. But I wouldn't mind trying a hi-res download, too. Thanks Musicophile. edit: I see it's on backorder at arkivmusic.com. Price is attractive at about $40.00 for 5 SACDs.
  14. Indeed. My brother and I were quite careful with these vinyl transfers and they have been stored in cool, dry conditions - an advantage to living in Wyoming. One of many advantages, actually IMO. Unlike many pre-recorded tapes, ours are not too loud and maintain the original vinyl's dynamics. Apparently, I avoided baking them in a vehicle too much as well.
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