pawsman

Austinpop, Did you hear the Spatial Lumina? It's garnered a lot of good buzz- pawsman

I'd recommend Richard Strauss' "Dance of the Seven veils" on Reference Recordings Label; about 10-15 seconds into the track, there's a huge dynamic peak, up from a very low level. Pretty impressive.

Since I'm committed to the physical Redbook CD format, this seemed like the ultimate player for me. It's a CD player/High-end DAC/Preamp with a constant speed CD player that feeds the signal into a buffer, has an internal clock that keeps jitter low, upsampling capability to 512 DSD & 768k PCM, uses the ESS 9028, and has a high quality Preamp. I just got it in a couple of says ago, and I'm impressed; I listen exclusively to Classical orchestral and solo piano music, and this player nails it. I put on several CDs of the RCA Film music series with Charles Gerhardt (Franz Waxman & Erich Korngold), it's the best sound I've gotten from these CDs. Worth taking a look at if you're committed to the Physical CD format- pawsman

It's funny, Crutchfield says it doesn't come with a remote; Audio Advisor says it does. I suspect AA is just wrong, if I had to guess. You could always call the AA toll free number and ask- Greg K.

Hear Here, Just looked at the M50.2 at Audio Advisor; they say it does include an IR remote- pawsman

Anyone tried the Brooklyn Class D amplifier? It's shipping now. I'm thinking of buying the Combo pair, Brooklyn DAC & Amp. There is special pricing for the 2 together- pawsman

The best Analog format by far was pre-recorded Reel to Reel tape (just IMO). I too am amazed it's still a topic in 2017- pawsman

I picked up a Crown XLS 2500 on closeout for $299; it's the best buy I've ever made in my many years in this Hobby. I drive a pair of Selah Audio ported Veritas (5 ohm/83db sensitivity) and have no problem achieving SPLs as loud and dynamic as I'd ever want to hear (with mainly classical music). At a weight of 10.5 Lbs., it puts out 440/775/1200 wpc into 8/4/2 ohms; it's has almost unbelievable power for such a small amplifier. The highs ARE slightly different than other (Class A/B) amps that I've owned; I'd describe the highs as better damped and more accurate that the other amps, but still with plenty of extension and air. Many Class A/B amplifiers I've heard have a slight sheen/resonance/brightness in the highs (crossover distortion?) that I don't hear with the Crown- pawsman

Almaraz Records Analog Golden Age Operas/Decca Remasterings The March/April Fanfare had an article on the "Analog Golden Age" Decca operas remastered on CD from the original master tapes (in 24/192k digital) available from Almaraz Records in Mexico, produced by Victor Suzan Reed of Decca Mexico. I ordered the Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci recordings with Mario Del Monaco, conducted by Tullio Serafin and Francesco Molinari Pradelli respectively. The Cavalleria Rusticana was absolutely splendid, both performance and recording; it was the most enjoyable listening experience I've had in quite a while. The Fanfare reviewers say it's the best these operas have ever sounded (with all the multiple formats and releases they've had since 1959/60). Del Monaco's tenor voice sounded powerful and full range, and the orchestra has the amazing Decca sound (engineered by Roy Wallace) that brings back memories of a live concert. Decca was the best of the Classical recording labels (just IMO) and it really shows here. I was so impressed, I ordered the Puccini Blu-ray disc, with 6 complete Puccini operas on one Blu-ray, played back in Hi-rez 24/192k sound. Decca Mexico did an incredible job with these. I also got in the Carmen with Joan Sutherland/Thomas Schippers/Suisse Romande orchestra which was very good also. Only available from Almaraz Records: https://www.almarazrecords.com/collections/theanaloggoldenage?locale=en The cost is almost unbelievably low, due to currency translation from the Mexican Peso; Definitely worth checking out- pawsman

Crown's engineers developed Drivecore in conjunction with Texas Instruments; it's their own proprietary technology. As far as I know nobody else uses it.

After reading Andrew Robinson's blog re: the Crown XLS series (Crown's version of Class D called drivecore), I decided to try the XLS 2500 about a year ago (on closeout for $299 at Musician's Friend, superseded by the XLS 2502 for $599). This amplifier was a little powerhouse, with 440/775/1200 wpc into 8/4/2 ohms, and weighed in at 10.5 lbs. It came with a 45 day trial, so I was covered in case I didn't like it. (I mean, some people pay more than that for the power cord du jour). In short, I loved it; very powerful, with smooth, grain free highs, and powerful bass. The sonic picture was weighted ever so slightly to the midrange, with the highs slightly laid back, and less prominent (no lack of detail and resolution though). It's the best buy I've ever made in my many years in Audio- pawsman

Sergei Nakariakov is the best classical trumpeter I've ever heard, and his recordings for Teldec are phenomenal. The "Carmen Fantasy" (based on the Franz Waxman work for violin & orchestra) is my personal favorite (Teldec 4509-94554-2). He recorded this as a teenager, and his virtuosity is incredible as is the sound quality. See his website at: http://www.nakariakov.com/ “Sergei Nakariakov plays the trumpet the way the rest of us breathe – if we are lucky” San Francisco Chronicle pawsman

Thought the Board would enjoy an interview with the Grand Old Man of DACdom (by Michael Lavorgna): Q&A With Mike Moffat, Schiit Audio | AudioStream pawsman

I've been listening to my Bimby for about 1 1/2 weeks now, and I've found a few CDs where the Mega Combo Burrito filter really made a huge difference. Two are Reference Recordings CDs: Arnold overtures RR-48CD. You know the cliché about a soundstage spread out in front of the listening room; with this CD it's really there, in the middle of the Sussex Overture where you have separate instruments answering each other, you can pick out the individual instruments that pop out of the sonic fabric with great depth and dimensionality. The spatial cues are amazing. Also, RR 47CD, Robert Farnon's music is very good. One of the Classics Film Scores Series that RCA did: Sunset Boulevard (CD 0708-2-RG) is recorded in Dolby Surround. The spatial cues on that one are very nice as well- pawsman

The Selah Audio Tempesta, a 3-way with a 7" Scanspeak Illuminator midbass, a 3" Accuton mid, and a RAAL 70/10 ribbon tweeter. A great all-around performer with good clean bass down to the upper 30's (w/room gain). One of the best Monitors out there for under $5000; Rick Craig at Selah does a great job- pawsman