Ron’s New System

[Jimford]

When the question turns to hybrid amps . . . my answer is Absolare Hybrid Monos.

Lamm M1.1 with nos Telefunken from the early 60s. Fantastic My house in a few weeks.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Lamm M1.1 with nos Telefunken from the early 60s. Fantastic My house in a few weeks.

I like those hybrids too!

 

[cjfrbw]

Were those 833's fired up for a vid with the Clarysis/Pendragon hybrid? I couldn't see the lights on in anything so far, thread citation?

I guess the standard Pendragon is in the mothballs of rumination?

 

[Ron Resnick]

Were those 833's fired up for a vid with the Clarysis/Pendragon hybrid?

I enjoyed auditioning the TB3/1000 (833) SET amps very much! I love the crystalline transparency and "see-through" quality and "breath of life" of the SETs.

I have always said that high-power SET is my "alternative fantasy amp."

No, no hybrid. I have the Clarisys there and I have the Pendragon.

 

[tima]

My takeaway is simply that people really have little to no idea what they're listening to on these video recordings, and that various assumptions and innocent mis-attributions often drive the sonic report

The person making the video has a direct understanding of what they are hearing.

I assume that a video does not sound equivalent to what is heard in-room and I also assume the video maker would not post the video unless he believed it was reasonably representative of the in-room sound.

 

[Ron Resnick]

The person making the video has a direct understanding of what they are hearing.

We sure hope so!

I assume that a video does not sound equivalent to what is heard in-room

I agree.

and I also assume the video maker would not post the video unless he believed it was reasonably representative of the in-room sound.

Fair enough to make that assumption. I have not made that assumption.

I have vacillated between thinking that videos are not at all representative of the in-the-room sound (except for my caveated situation about only one thing changing between video A and video B) and thinking that relative tonal balance (and only relative tonal balance) can be discerned from videos.

 

[tima]

Some people enjoy system videos and find them useful. If you make a video of you system and the video sounds nothing like you system and you choose not to post it, well okay. Some people reject them out of hand.

I'm of a mind that unless you have made a system video, or several -- preferably your own system -- you're not really in a position to understand their virtues or flaws. Rejection of system videos based solely on technical grounds is akin to commenting on gear you haven't heard.

 

[Gregadd]

And yet, my positive comments on the Gryphon Diablo were perfectly acceptable. A speaker I have never heard live.
I assume videos are submitted here for comment. The weight to be given to my comment should of course reflect my exposure to the product,

 

[Ron Resnick]

My "stepchild" digital system (LampizatOr Baltic 4 and Innuos PULSEmini and LTA linear power supply) has been performing such serviceable work (Don and JimFord were enjoying it enough last weekend to listen until 2:15 AM) that I have decided to give that leg of the source triad a boost: I have purchased from puroagave* an Innuos Phoenix USB re-clocker.

*Thank you, Rob!

 

[MRJAZZ]

My "stepchild" digital system (LampizatOr Baltic 4 and Innuos PULSEmini and LTA linear power supply) has been performing such serviceable work (Don and JimFord were enjoying it enough last weekend to listen until 2:15 AM) that I have decided to give that leg of the source triad a boost: I have purchased from puroagave* an Innuos Phoenix USB re-clocker.

*Thank you, Rob!

Don't go down to far into that "Digital Rabbit" hole.....you may not find your way back..-... ( BTW, a decent DDC, or the digital USB Phoenix re-clocker that you purchased are a good " bang for the buck"...should clean up , and smooth out your digital playback)
Cheers....

 

[Ron Resnick]

Don't go down to far into that "Digital Rabbit" hole.....you may not find your way back..-...

Thank you for the admonition. I definitely am not going there!

( BTW, a decent DDC, or the digital USB Phoenix re-clocker that you purchased are a good " bang for the buck"...should clean up , and smooth out your digital playback)
Cheers....

I will see (ah, hear)! The MSRP of the Phoenix is 3X the MSRP of the streamer so it will be interesting to learn if I hear a difference.

Al M feels strongly about these re-clockers.

 

[morricab]

Thank you for the admonition. I definitely am not going there!



I will see (ah, hear)! The MSRP of the Phoenix is 3X the MSRP of the streamer so it will be interesting to learn if I hear a difference.

Al M feels strongly about these re-clockers.

I have been using a reckocker for about 20 years now with my digital…it has never failed to improve the sound. I currently use the same one as Al, the Mutec. Is it the best one? Don’t know. There is a dealer here with a Denafrips Gaia for half price that I will try.

 

[Ron Resnick]

I have been using a reckocker for about 20 years now with my digital…it has never failed to improve the sound. I currently use the same one as Al, the Mutec. Is it the best one? Don’t know. There is a dealer here with a Denafrips Gaia for half price that I will try.

Good!

Since my streamer is an Innuos I figured I would just keep it in the family.

 

[jep123]

Good!

Since my streamer is an Innuos I figured I would just keep it in the family.

I have only good things to say about the Innuos reclocker and have used it with my Zenith Mk3 streamer. The latter has been working flawlessly for more than 4 years now.

JP

 

[PeterA]

Ron, I will be curious to read how your upgraded digital will compare to your vinyl playback in terms of emotional involvement and time spent listening to each format. And which your visitors prefer.

 

[Ron Resnick]

I have only good things to say about the Innuos reclocker and have used it with my Zenith Mk3 streamer. The latter has been working flawlessly for more than 4 years now.

JP

That's a good report, thank you!

 

[Ron Resnick]

Ron, I will be curious to read how your upgraded digital will compare to your vinyl playback in terms of emotional involvement and time spent listening to each format. And which your visitors prefer.

Me too!

In general I listen to titles in their native recording format. If I have an analog recording on vinyl and on digital, I generally will play the vinyl (e.g., Sarah McLachlan Fumbling Toward Ecstasy Freedom Sessions). If the native recording is digital I typically will play the digital (e.g., Sarah McLachlan Surfacing).

If I have enough listening time to listen to all or most of a reel of tape then:

-- if I have an analog title on tape I play the tape;

-- if I have an analog title on vinyl but not tape I play the vinyl; and

-- if I don't have an analog title on tape or vinyl I play it on digital.

So a sonic improvement in one source is not going to change my format playback listening time allocation. (Yes, this implies that I don't believe that someday I am going to prefer the sound of a majority of analog recordings on digital playback over analog playback.)

 

[PeterA]

Me too!

In general I listen to titles in their native recording format. If I have an analog recording on vinyl and on digital, I generally will play the vinyl (e.g., Sarah McLachlan Fumbling Toward Ecstasy Freedom Sessions). If the native recording is digital I typically will play the digital (e.g., Sarah McLachlan Surfacing).

If I have enough listening time to listen to all or most of a reel of tape then:

-- if I have an analog title on tape I play the tape;

-- if I have an analog title on vinyl but not tape I play the vinyl; and

-- if I don't have an analog title on tape or vinyl I play it on digital.

So a sonic improvement in one source is not going to change my format playback listening time allocation. (Yes, this implies that I don't believe that someday I am going to prefer the sound of a majority of analog recordings on digital playback over analog playback.)

Do you prefer the sound of an analog recording on vinyl or the sound of a digital recording on your digital playback? Or are they close enough that you simply pick out what you wanna listen to and go with that format?

I think this is Mike Lavigne’s approach. He listens to whatever music he wants to listen to in its native format as the driver and it appears that he ends up listening to Digital about 80% of the time. Do you do the same?

 

[Ron Resnick]

I do prefer the sound of an analog recording on vinyl or the sound of a digital recording on your digital playback? Or are they close enough that you simply pick out what you wanna listen to and go with that format?

I'm afraid I do not understand.

I think this is Mike Lavigne’s approach. He listens to whatever music he wants to listen to in its native format as the driver and it appears that he ends up listening to Digital about 80% of the time. Do you do the same?

I listen to Sarah McLachlan's Surfacing on Qobuz.

I listen to my London Grammar album on Qobuz (I think it is a digital recording.)

I think the Eva Cassidy stuff is digitally recorded, but I listen to that on vinyl. (So this is an exception to my native format general rule.)

Anette Askvik's Liberty must be a digital recording but I listen to this album on vinyl. (So this is an exception to my native format general rule.)

Jennifer Warnes' Famous Blue Raincoat I listen to on vinyl. (So this is an exception to my native format general rule.)

Mazzy Star's So Tonight That I Might See may very well be a digital recording. I hear very little to no difference between vinyl and digital on this one.

Off the top of my head I'm not sure what else I listen to regularly which is a digital recording.

I have on tape every single one of my favorite jazz titles and every single one of my favorite classical titles. I have on tape a lot of my favorite rock and pop titles. If I were to "weight" by importance to me of the title by the number of such important albums I have on tape I have a great majority of my favorite rock and pop titles on tape.

Very generally I'd say I listen about 50 to 55% to tape, 40 to 45% to vinyl, and 10% to digital (mostly for tracks I don't have on vinyl or tape).

If you told me I could keep only one source between vinyl and tape, I would keep the tape machine rather than the turntable.

 

[PeterA]

I'm afraid I do not understand.

Sorry, I edited my post to make it more intelligible.

Do you prefer the sound of an analog recording on vinyl or the sound of a digital recording on your digital playback? Or are they close enough that you simply pick out what you want to listen to and go with that format?