tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.comments2024-02-10T01:29:45.461-05:00Putting Curtains in the Man-CaveBromo33333http://www.blogger.com/profile/06324737411878539999noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-18851600908108961832015-12-10T11:00:26.835-05:002015-12-10T11:00:26.835-05:00Good for them. This looks like a Music Hall 2,2 wi...Good for them. This looks like a Music Hall 2,2 without the paint job. It has however made any turntable that looks like a Pro Ject drop prices by half. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00304215294604325651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-47595694470796539552015-11-15T11:48:25.895-05:002015-11-15T11:48:25.895-05:00Thanks for the nice comments! We really are at a ...Thanks for the nice comments! We really are at a point, too, where there isn't a lot of motivation to do anything but tinker some. Unless there is some big life change or other, we can't see making big changes at this point. <br /><br />THe urge to system build and tinker has been satisfied in helping friends, and our kids get started. The rest of it? Listening to music which is why we got it in the first place! :-)Bromo33333https://www.blogger.com/profile/06324737411878539999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-12674532011805296982015-11-15T11:39:34.386-05:002015-11-15T11:39:34.386-05:00Love your solution! The key is to find a way for ...Love your solution! The key is to find a way for it all to work out for the whole family -- sounds like you guys did it without breaking the bank! Too often people end up with a dusty diorama of a stereo that rarely gets used. My wife, when we were dating, had me drag the stereo to the living room, and that's how it all started for us.<br /><br />We also built a few systems with a combo of used and new in a couple of other areas, and as kids have moved out (we're empty nesting now!) one or other of the systems became their starter systems. Bromo33333https://www.blogger.com/profile/06324737411878539999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-2067936229381378022015-11-15T10:10:39.701-05:002015-11-15T10:10:39.701-05:00Nice rig. I see why you don't want to change c...Nice rig. I see why you don't want to change change things. I am too at a stage where I am tweaking what I have, rather than large changes. I found that changing speakers. especially brands or designs quickly opens a rabbit hole to more upgrades or changes to make the system sound right again...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06264408489692520736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-31512945645764093212015-11-15T09:54:50.192-05:002015-11-15T09:54:50.192-05:00We resolved this conflict by adding multiple syste...We resolved this conflict by adding multiple systems around the house and having more than one seat in the "mancave". We have teenagers who want to do their own thing, but also "come by to see us". To be able to capture those rare moments we have three systems. One in the finished basement, hooked up to the TV, game consoles, but featuring a nice vintage Dual brand tt with a modern cartridge. Here the teens can spin vinyl with their friend or hook up their iPones via mini plug. The living-room system uses the Pioneer bookshelf speakers a nice receiver, the same model Dual tt and Bluetooth capability so that the "kids" can share their tunes or listen with us. The "mancave" has those panel speakers I can't live without - they just sound so much better. We did put a sofa in there so that my wife and I can go read, surf while listening to music. Once in a while we have one of our sons join us and we put bluetooth in, connected to a tubed DAC if they wan to share or sometimes they just listen to what we have put on. This set up works for all. Frankly this set up grew over time and much of it is set up with used components that we bought on Craigslist or e-bay. This way we did not have to compromise on the trips we want to take.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06264408489692520736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-61865655301250117182015-01-21T16:21:39.621-05:002015-01-21T16:21:39.621-05:00Oh what we wouldn't give for 24/96+ Sonos! We...Oh what we wouldn't give for 24/96+ Sonos! We're so deeply invested in the system, that it is unattractive to switch at this point, and with the CD-level of streaming, it might just find a niche in our stereo system, after all, we jumped into the audiophile madness with just CD a decade ago!<br /><br />We have been kicking around the idea of recording needledrops digitally. Might be fun to try out something from you guys and what we eventually piece together if and when we get serious! <br /><br />Keep it up - I don't think there is a service out there that quite offers your type of service - I can tell you that as we empty our CD closet into your warehouse in the coming months the extra space in our modest house will be much appreciated!<br /><br /><br />Bromo33333https://www.blogger.com/profile/06324737411878539999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-37942286531107865552015-01-21T11:55:41.801-05:002015-01-21T11:55:41.801-05:00Hi there - John from Murfie here. Great in-depth r...Hi there - John from Murfie here. Great in-depth review of these different services!<br /><br />I just wanted to point out that Sonos itself does not support higher than 16/44.1 resolution. It is a frequently requested feature, however, so hopefully they add it someday. While Murfie is limited to CD resolution for CD rips, we do offer high-resolution 24/192 downloads of vinyl. And you can stream the full-resolution audio on supported players.<br /><br />If you'd ever like to try our vinyl service out, please do get in touch!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-67720369016698468372014-10-17T14:07:16.105-04:002014-10-17T14:07:16.105-04:00Thanks for the correction! I'll note it above...Thanks for the correction! I'll note it above.Bromo33333https://www.blogger.com/profile/06324737411878539999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-56478893271297968312014-10-17T02:45:38.066-04:002014-10-17T02:45:38.066-04:00A correction: the 2009 digital transfers were made...A correction: the 2009 digital transfers were made at a full 24/192. However, Apple/the surviving Beatles/whoever have only allowed downsampled 44.1 versions to be sold. Hopefully, that will change in the future.regnaD kciNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11338778904862148243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-64599456414826736792014-09-02T08:09:00.819-04:002014-09-02T08:09:00.819-04:00Hello Brent
We will be demonstrating the Unlimite...Hello Brent<br /><br />We will be demonstrating the Unlimited Mk IIs in room 1025 at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest from Oct 10th to 12th. We have dropped the price of these from $13,500 to $9,500, as we have changed how we will work in the US and will have a show special price for orders placed at the show.<br /><br />Other news: the Unlimiteds have just received an Absolute Sound Golden Ear award.<br /><br />Hope to see you and any other Man Cavers who can make it at the show. All the best, Robert Kelly, German Physiks.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05912174633623225645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-60479116631171152602014-03-12T15:43:08.261-04:002014-03-12T15:43:08.261-04:00I did engage the dragonfly D/A yesterday with Senn...I did engage the dragonfly D/A yesterday with Sennheiser 650 headphones to listen to a gorgeous rendition of Brahms Requiem by the Berlin Phil and Choir. Bliss. Wardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02414198550493495245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-79491189302729901842014-02-12T13:19:37.565-05:002014-02-12T13:19:37.565-05:00I totally agree, but you would expect me to say th...I totally agree, but you would expect me to say that. I have noticed at shows that people are increasing aware of omnidirectional loudspeakers and appreciative of what they can do. This is encouraging. <br /><br />I hope you do make it to Axpona.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05912174633623225645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-17620319478696127912014-02-10T12:12:30.786-05:002014-02-10T12:12:30.786-05:00If we can make it out to Axpona, you can bet we wi...If we can make it out to Axpona, you can bet we will be looking you up - there is something completely magic about omnidirectional speakers, especially the Walsh-style omnis!Bromo33333https://www.blogger.com/profile/06324737411878539999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-28814190970443225652014-02-10T09:35:51.944-05:002014-02-10T09:35:51.944-05:00We have played these speakers at the Rocky Mountai...We have played these speakers at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest for the last couple of years and if we do the show this year we will use them again. At present our participation at the show is yet to be confirmed.<br /><br />I am afraid our present US distributor has not been very active in setting up dealers for us which makes it hard for interested customers to get a demonstration. I apologise for this. We are looking for a new and more pro-active distributor.<br /><br />There is a very informative review of the Unlimited by Dick Olsher in the Feb 2014 issue of The Absolute Sound. The review should be published on their web site soon.<br /><br />We will be at the Axpona Show in Chicago in April. We will have a 5.1 system with Aix Records and Vitus Audio and will use the Borderland (2 models up from the Unlimited) for the rear and centre and the front channels will be our Emperor model. We will also have a custom sub-woofer. This will be quite a big system and we hope to see you at the show.<br /> Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05912174633623225645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-65568719611682439482014-02-08T13:02:08.763-05:002014-02-08T13:02:08.763-05:00Thanks for the clarification - we are in absolute ...Thanks for the clarification - we are in absolute lust for those speakers as an idea, but have had a fair amount of difficulty actually hearing them. I suppose the are on our "audiophile bucket list."Bromo33333https://www.blogger.com/profile/06324737411878539999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-32896950371927851162014-02-08T11:05:03.556-05:002014-02-08T11:05:03.556-05:00Hello Brent. I work for German Physiks. I unders...Hello Brent. I work for German Physiks. I understand your concern about the vulnerability of the titanium foil driver to straying hands. We have a version of our DDD driver that uses a carbon fibre diaphragm and this is much more rugged as you can see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EO4VXfBYFs. The German Physiks model you have illustrated, Unlimited Mk II , is only available with the carbon fibre DDD driver. If you have any questions please drop me a line via our web site at http://www.german-physiks.com/contact.html. Robert Kelly. German PhysiksAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05912174633623225645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-61666609628379356232014-01-21T16:25:13.428-05:002014-01-21T16:25:13.428-05:00You know, you make a good point. It is usually a ...You know, you make a good point. It is usually a losing bet to assume technology will remain essentially static ... even in audio these days. Google Glass may be the clunky prototype of things to come!Bromo33333https://www.blogger.com/profile/06324737411878539999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-7682973232096976732014-01-20T17:14:03.292-05:002014-01-20T17:14:03.292-05:00Our (grand)kids will likely be using some form of ...Our (grand)kids will likely be using some form of "transparent" head-gear that leaves eyes and ears open to their social space, while allowing AV immersion on demand. Best of both worlds, and no longer an "either-or" proposition. As you imply, socialization is key to a shared media experience, and I think we'll achieve that with increasingly lightweight and innocuous head-worn devices, perhaps 2030-2035.John Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05642239691210008441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-89438460947453020642014-01-20T12:58:51.063-05:002014-01-20T12:58:51.063-05:00I think it was inevitable when the new owners turn...I think it was inevitable when the new owners turned the "keys" over to the new head of engineering who clearly has his own thoughts on the matter. It sounds like they went away from the time/phase alignment, too. I think they did what they did since they want a series of new products quickly, too. I think the difficulty of the integration of the sound drove the ridiculously long development cycles that Thiel was famous for. Pretty clear the new owners wanted to churn out products. With this reveal, if true, it might be why Kathy Gornick and the old Marketing Director both left.<br /><br />I hope the link is wrong about that, but fear it isn't. But ... other speaker companies, Snell comes to mind, changed radically after the death of the founder. One of the main distributors in Europe bought the rights to the original Snell designs and formed a agreement with a Japanese company and became ... Audio Note UK.<br /><br />So if you are a fan of the time and phase alignment that Thiel was famous for, you will either have to go to another company (such as Vandersteen), get into Electrostatics (such as Quad or Martin Logan) ... or see if someone doesn't pick up the old designs. Or if the new Thiel models don't get market acceptance - they may just dust off those designs and trying to improve on them.<br /><br />The only constant is change.Bromo33333https://www.blogger.com/profile/06324737411878539999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-68744244940042118952014-01-17T18:43:21.385-05:002014-01-17T18:43:21.385-05:00Bad news on the CS3.7 replacement:
http://www.ste...Bad news on the CS3.7 replacement:<br /><br />http://www.stereophile.com/content/new-high-order-blood-thiel<br /><br />Based on the design details, plus the new designer's comments, it seems like future speakers will be "Thiel" in name only. Better grab the last of Jim's handiwork while you can!<br />regnaD kciNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11338778904862148243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-43908741390998753712014-01-13T09:56:32.805-05:002014-01-13T09:56:32.805-05:00We have the HDTracks version in 24/96 FLAC, the An...We have the HDTracks version in 24/96 FLAC, the Analog Productions SACD, the Analog Productions 45RPM Vinyl version as well. You could say we like this album quite a lot!<br /><br />The SACD and FLAC are subtlety different but very close. The vocal presence on the FLAC version seems "an inch" back from where the SACD places it. You could argue one way or the other as to which one was "the best" - and some of the differences are small enough that it could be as simple as our disc player vs DAC. Which one do we prefer? The "LP" version actually. The heft and weight of the voice is slightly more "there" than any of the digital ones we have, and given the whole album is supposed to be duets by Ella and Louis, the more of a spotlight on them the better in our estimation. <br /><br />But for demoing gear, we take the SACD along always - it has a CD layer as well as an SACD layer so it will easily be played, and frankly all 3 version we have are more or less without fault.Bromo33333https://www.blogger.com/profile/06324737411878539999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-12557689496380987832014-01-13T05:12:57.966-05:002014-01-13T05:12:57.966-05:00I notice you mention a FLAC version of Ella & ...I notice you mention a FLAC version of Ella & Louis, as well as an SACD. From what I understand, there have been four SACD reissues of that album (U.S. Verve, a later Japanese Verve with a different mastering, an SHM-SACD, and an Analogue Productions SACD). Which one do you have? And is the FLAC version the 24/96 from HDtracks? How would you compare it to your SACD (whichever version it might be) in terms of sonic quality? Thanks.regnaD kciNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11338778904862148243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-32380451754883599742014-01-11T21:24:26.589-05:002014-01-11T21:24:26.589-05:00I'm going to go with the "just say no&quo...I'm going to go with the "just say no" on the RCA (known to those of us in the '70s as the DiscWasher). As I understand it, the problem is that the brush fibers are too short and thick to reach the bottom of the groove -- so, instead of cleaning the dust off, it simply mixes it with the cleaning fluid into a mud-like paste and pushes it down into the groove deeper than where the brush will go...and where it will be ground by the stylus into the groove walls at high pressure the next play, damaging the groove and messing up the stylus. Avoid like the plague.<br />regnaD kciNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11338778904862148243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-56417614286637956322013-12-28T16:18:32.479-05:002013-12-28T16:18:32.479-05:00The dealer we bought the speakers from told us tha...The dealer we bought the speakers from told us that he's driven the CS3.7 with lower power tube amps and class A successfully. We have to take his word. All we have found is the more power on tap, even at lower volumes, the speakers tend to really open up.<br /><br />I suppose all I am saying is if you like the sound now, if you could put more power behind it, we'd bet you would like it even more.<br /><br />Oh, and we love Sugden - though they have not been distributed in the US for a long time. <br /><br />We have demoed the QB-9 and think it is a spectacular DAC if a USB will work for the setup (alas, it doesn't for us - since our servers and computers are located in a different room that we use Ethernet to distribute.)<br />Bromo33333https://www.blogger.com/profile/06324737411878539999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766665848240173772.post-24003592014908465172013-12-28T15:33:17.679-05:002013-12-28T15:33:17.679-05:00Thanks for your answer. In fact, as you do, I own...Thanks for your answer. In fact, as you do, I own a pair of 2.4 (for sale now) and a new pair of 3.7.<br />My source is an Ayre QB9 usb dac I love (did you try that one ?) , with a Mac mini, and my amp is a Sugden masterclass IA4 of only 33 watts but in class A. American speakers and source with UK amp, all this in France. <br />When I read your impressions about the 3.7, I immediately recognized what I felt after the 2.4. I performed a lot of comparative listenings between those 2 nice speakers. I found the 3.7 maybe a bit easier to drive. , Efficiency is better (90db), nicer bass, more defined and extended, more punchy than the 2.4 that is maybe a bit more concentrated in mid-bass area. In all areas, a lot more energy dispatched by the 3.7. Would be happy to try an Ayre amp one day. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02053522461106797840noreply@blogger.com