john dozier

You might want to split off the speaker section of this area as it appears that the headphonistas have taken it over lock, stock, and 3.5mm connector. Regards

The Paradigm Signature S1v3 uses aluminum in just such a way. Regards

Sheffield Labs, the LA Phil recordings. CD redbook only, but what sound!

Sola has been around for years. Very good rep. If it meets your needs go for it. Regards

It is not that difficult, using a single point stereo microphone. I have made many at the Spoleto Festival USA and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. The problems start when the instrument is closely miced or two spaced omni mics are used. You either get a "clangy" sound or " wodgy" stereo (as the Brits would term it). Neither of these is believable. I have done all of the above when circumstances dictated. Recording engineers do not always get to pick the venue or the desired soic outcome. When they do. there is no excuse for not presenting a "real" piano sound. Regards

The Tascam also has feet for desktop or stand use. Regards

The Tascam CD200. It is a pro unit especially designed for cd only. I do find it is improved though by the addtion of the Audio-gd digital interface. It is a very rugged rack mount unit and should go the distance. $250. Regards

While Canare makes a true 75ohm rca, you would need to use both the male and female connectors to be certain of a 75ohm interface. Thus I always prefer a BNC. Be careful though as there are both 75 and 50 ohm BNCs. BTW the rca connector was developed for three reasons: 1. Cheap 2. Cheap 3. Cheap. Regards

Go balanced when possible. Get Blue Jeans Cable to make them up. I see no need to spend more. There is more snake oil in the cable business than in old western movies. Regards

Some capacitors, for example, have very long break-in times. Teflon is one of the best dialectrics (if not the best) and requires break-in times from 100-400 hrs. This is because the caps are made of two layers of teflon film. Both layers have micro pores (think Gortex) and the double winding eliminates possible breakthrough of the signal. The layers are also tightly wound and "loosen" as a signal is passed through them. Hope this helps

The Anedio D2 also has a great HP amp as well as a SOTA Dac. Regards

+1 for Brick Wall surge protectors. I would not be without mine. None of the "powerline conditioners" even come close to the protection afforded by these products. Regards

I cannot speak to the Dacmagic, but having had both the Anedio D1 and D2, I can say that depending on the transparency of your system, I believe you would find a substantial improvement. I find the D2's PRAT, imaging, and tonal rightness to be superior to anything I have heard before. I have not heard some of the megabuck DACs, but for anything under $5000, the D2 is at least the equal and IMHO superior. Customer service is also superb and there is always the 30day trial. Unfortunatley they are sold out but the next batch shipping on the 28th. The entire world is backordered. Regards

It is suggested that bi-wiring may be problematical due to differences in cable length being audible. I suggest instead that differenced in propagation between the high and low sections of the xove will mask any differences in cable length.

I still think you should look at and listen to the Paradigm Signature 1, v3. With their dedicated stands and in gloss black the WAF is very high. They do not produce low bass, but I find them sufficiently wide range for classical listening. If you are a bass fanatic, you may need to add a sub at some point. Regards