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Old 08-23-2014, 07:24 AM
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prepress prepress is offline
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Default Curiosity is Dangerous

The primary reason for posting this is, frankly, to get it out of my system. I doubt it works, but maybe it'll help. I do wonder if anyone else goes through things like this, though.

In recent days, the cumulative effect of exposure to audio (and to a lesser extent video) through AA and other sources has set off a firestorm of curiosity; in a few cases curiosity is moving toward interest. It's not new, but the intensity is different. I've been struck with the following all at once. In no particular order:

Tuner. Replace my Magnum Dynalab MD 90 with a McIntosh MR88. Glenlee's great-looking MR88 photo in his FS thread pushed me near the edge on this. I have no complaint about the MD 90's sound, but the idea of having such a cool-looking component as the MR88 is appealing, plus I'd regain AM capability, something I lost when the MD replaced a Denon TU-800. HD radio would be in play, too. There's also a thought of trading up to the MD 105, MD's current top SS tuner. From time to time I've grumbled slightly at having to get up to change the station (the MD 90 is manual, of course) or missed AM capability. Not enough to do anything about it yet, but the curiosity's been there. Maybe either tuner will pull in a few more stations.

Power Cords. No real complaints about the WW cords I'm using, but the curiosity about Kimber PK10s has been around a long time. I was sorry the jacket colors changed to all black, but I wonder how much of a difference they might make, being 10AWG versus the WW's 12AWG. I certainly like the 12TC speaker cables and the Hero interconnects, although I did replace the Hero with AQ King Cobra a few months ago (curiosity again) because I thought it might have better bass performance based upon a direct comparison in my pre/power connection. A quite possible move is to replace the Aurora 5.2 cord on the preamp with an Electra 7 (still don't really like the Aurora jacket color). There is also curiosity around the Shunyata Venom HC, also 10AWG, for my 501s.

Interconnects. Replace them all with Transparent MusicLink Plus. I have a pair in my pre/power connection because I thought they were slightly better than the AQ in the bass. That comparison was a long time ago and it wasn't night and day. I'm curious as to what would happen if I switched the MLP with the KC on one component. To mitigate the cost I could go down one notch to regular MusicLink ($230 vs. $440 for 1.5m).

Turntable. All the raves and photos about the VPI Classic 3 stirred this up. I don't play records much these days, so it would seem to make no good sense to replace my HW-19MkIV (even at 22 years old). But there was a "whoa" factor when I saw a piano black one in a recent thread. And it would be a nice match with my speakers, which are piano black. The unipivot arm wand is detachable to make cartridge-swapping easier, which is essential. Any TT which will accommodate a SME 309 (with its detachable headshell) is another option. But again, I don't play records that much so the Classic 1 makes more sense if I did anything.

Speakers. This is beyond curiosity. There's a philosophical/theoretical angle to this one. My Mirage speakers are 21.5 years old and I've been debating pros and cons of replacing them before retirement, figuring that would be the biggest expense and the one I could least afford if they died very close to or during retirement. McIntosh XR200s are simply too expensive, but there are other options such as the Bryston Model T, Legacy Signature SE, Mirage OMD-28, and now Def Tech Mythos ST-L and Golden Ear Triton One. I don't like having to plug in my speakers, so the last two have a strike against them. But the form factors, especially with the Mythos, are a plus.

Preamp. This one isn't as strong as some of the others but is persistent. The C2300 was deemed a long-term experiment, as I'm a solid-state person essentially. I like what the C2300 does, but there is one thing I miss, which is the power factor. It doesn't, to my ears, have the same low-end weight as its SS predecessor or play as loudly. Fortunately, there are tone controls, and the bass is set to +3 on all sources. This helps. I've had flashes of replacing the 2300 with a C48, which some would consider a downgrade; but it would give me something important, and the reports from MORTIS on his C48 thread are encouraging.

Phono Preamp. The C2300 is considered to have a pretty good phono stage. Having an Aragon 47k already in the system, I continued to use it until recently when, as a clutter reduction move, I took it out of the system. But I have long been curious as to whether the Parasound JC 3 (now 3+) would be better than either, or how much better. I came thisclose to buying a JC 3 and then the 3+ came out. I balked at the extra $600 cost then, but have begun to reconsider it. Maybe it would re-stoke my record playing.

TV. The one unassailable piece of equipment in here was always the Pioneer Elite PRO-111FD plasma. Only in the last year did anything approach it. But I went to the Value Electronics flat-panel shootout last weekend and got my first look at OLED sets from Samsung and LG (Samsung's model was from last year; it isn't making any OLEDs now). There are still issues to work out, but the promise of OLED is incredible (infinite contrast ratio!). LG is working on 4K OLED, which will probably be bigger and more expensive than I can handle, but I've become a bit curious (uh oh) to see what happens. The PRO-111 is in no danger still, but might that change if the TV industry gets its act together?

The mitigating factor on all of this is my wallet, of course. I'm not rich, and retirement is too close (10 years, Lord willing) to go into real debt or deplete my resources on things that aren't very important in the ultimate sense. There is also the possibility of relocating, which wouldn't be cheap. Still, some of these things are doable; others are doable but will mitigate/eliminate others. If I moved from curiosity to interest to decision and, say, replaced the TT and tuner, I'd have to give up the speaker idea or eliminate the higher-priced possibilities (Model T). VPI, Transparent and Legacy are scheduled to be represented at the NY Audio Show next month; maybe I dare go check them out.

The easy thing might be to not expose myself to audio and video for a day or two; if subsequent re-engagement isn't as intense, then good. All of this may be a case of appetite, not hunger. I hope.
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SOTA, Grado, SME, Van den Hul, Gingko turntable setup; Pioneer Elite LD, BDP; Sony OLED TV; Magnum Dynalab tuner, antenna; MIT S-video cable; Pangea HDMI cables; DVDO video processor; McIntosh SACD, preamp, power amps; Telefunken Black Diamond preamp tubes; Kimber IC; Transparent IC, PC, SC; Mirage speakers; PS Audio, Shunyata PC; Audio Additives RCA caps; Furman power conditioning; Sanus: racks

Last edited by prepress; 08-26-2014 at 04:42 PM.
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  #2  
Old 08-23-2014, 07:50 AM
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UNSOLICITED ADVICE FROM AN INVETERATE UP-GRADER WHO HAS QUIT!


After years and years of succumbing to my own curiosity, I have, at long last, decided that "enough is enough" and, to help me with my "sitting still" stance, I collected all the "rave reviews" on the stuff that I own, and when a bug bites, I just read over the original reviews to remind myself why I have what I have.

For example, you seem determined to do something about your speakers. At one point along my trek, I owned a pair of Mirage M-3si speakers and they are one of the ones that I wished for a long, long time, that I hadn't let go.

To that end, I just read again the Stereophile review on your Mirages from Nov 3, 1992, and got so excited that I'd probably buy again. This guy, Lemco, really loved the things. (And, as, I remember, I did too).

Mirage M-3si loudspeaker | Stereophile.com

You have great stuff . . . just be sure you are really improving things by making changes.

Hold your breath and count to 6 million or something!!



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I have a record player and a cd player and some other stuff that sounds pretty good.


MAIN SYSTEM: . . . Audio Physic Caldera III Loudspeakers, Spectral DMC 30SL Preamp, Spectral DMA 250 Amp, Spectral/MIT interconnects and speaker cable, Basis Debut V Vacuum turntable, Walker Precision Speed Controller, Graham tonearm, [B]Koetsu Rosewood or Grado Statement 1 Cartridges, PASS - X-ono Phono Stage, Esoteric K03 CD/SACD Player, Lexicon RT-20 Universal Player, Exact Power EP-15A & SP-15A power regeneration and conditioning devices. Symposium Acoustics Svelte pads & RollerBlock Jr's under speakers. ASC Tube Traps, Arcici Suspense Rack System, OPPO and Cambridge Streaming Devices.


DOWNSTAIRS SYSTEM: . . . Sonus Faber Guarneri Memento Speakers, JL Audio F112 Sub, McIntosh MA7000 Integrated Amp, McIntosh MVP871 Universal Disc Player, OPPO BDP-105 Blu-Ray Player, VPI Scoutmaster with periphery ring clamp, VPI SDS Motor Drive, Koetsu Pro IV, or Clearaudio Discovery Cartridges, Mark Levinson No. 25s phono stage, Wadia 170i Transport with a Meridian Bitstream 203 DAC, VPI HW-17 Pro Record Cleaning Machine, Five Richard Gray RGPC 400 devices scattered around the two systems, Arcici Suspense Rack System, Discovery Essence and Essential Cables, 14,000 ± LPs .
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Old 08-23-2014, 08:42 AM
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prepress prepress is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AudioNut View Post
UNSOLICITED ADVICE FROM AN INVETERATE UP-GRADER WHO HAS QUIT!


After years and years of succumbing to my own curiosity, I have, at long last, decided that "enough is enough" and, to help me with my "sitting still" stance, I collected all the "rave reviews" on the stuff that I own, and when a bug bites, I just read over the original reviews to remind myself why I have what I have.

For example, you seem determined to do something about your speakers. At one point along my trek, I owned a pair of Mirage M-3si speakers and they are one of the ones that I wished for a long, long time, that I hadn't let go.

To that end, I just read again the Stereophile review on your Mirages from Nov 3, 1992, and got so excited that I'd probably buy again. This guy, Lemco, really loved the things. (And, as, I remember, I did too).

Mirage M-3si loudspeaker | Stereophile.com

You have great stuff . . . just be sure you are really improving things by making changes.

Hold your breath and count to 6 million or something!!
Nice photo!

I saw your Oppo 105 thread and could really identify with the "fixed income" line. I'm still working, but in a sense I'm on a fixed income also (no raise in several years, either).

I re-read the Mirage review a while back when I first started considering a change; thanks for the reminder. I should read it again. I had decided to leave the Mirages alone, but the exploration of alternatives idea came back. I never answered the philosophical question underneath it all, either. As for the 5Hz deeper bass the Bryston Model Ts would provide over the Mirages, I don't know how significant that is. I finally recycled the magazine with the PRO-111 review a short while ago. But that's so burned into my memory it's not an issue.

I'm certain the turntable and tuner changes would be improvements. Possibly the interconnects. Any speaker change would make a difference; whether it's an improvement would depend. The rest I'm not sure of.
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SOTA, Grado, SME, Van den Hul, Gingko turntable setup; Pioneer Elite LD, BDP; Sony OLED TV; Magnum Dynalab tuner, antenna; MIT S-video cable; Pangea HDMI cables; DVDO video processor; McIntosh SACD, preamp, power amps; Telefunken Black Diamond preamp tubes; Kimber IC; Transparent IC, PC, SC; Mirage speakers; PS Audio, Shunyata PC; Audio Additives RCA caps; Furman power conditioning; Sanus: racks
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Old 08-23-2014, 09:54 AM
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You've got too many places in NYC to go and listen . . . Need to move back to Tennessee where you can join me in an audio wasteland (the really "good" dealers in Nashville have long since departed).

If you can't hear 'em and can't see 'em, you may not want 'em.
__________________
....



I have a record player and a cd player and some other stuff that sounds pretty good.


MAIN SYSTEM: . . . Audio Physic Caldera III Loudspeakers, Spectral DMC 30SL Preamp, Spectral DMA 250 Amp, Spectral/MIT interconnects and speaker cable, Basis Debut V Vacuum turntable, Walker Precision Speed Controller, Graham tonearm, [B]Koetsu Rosewood or Grado Statement 1 Cartridges, PASS - X-ono Phono Stage, Esoteric K03 CD/SACD Player, Lexicon RT-20 Universal Player, Exact Power EP-15A & SP-15A power regeneration and conditioning devices. Symposium Acoustics Svelte pads & RollerBlock Jr's under speakers. ASC Tube Traps, Arcici Suspense Rack System, OPPO and Cambridge Streaming Devices.


DOWNSTAIRS SYSTEM: . . . Sonus Faber Guarneri Memento Speakers, JL Audio F112 Sub, McIntosh MA7000 Integrated Amp, McIntosh MVP871 Universal Disc Player, OPPO BDP-105 Blu-Ray Player, VPI Scoutmaster with periphery ring clamp, VPI SDS Motor Drive, Koetsu Pro IV, or Clearaudio Discovery Cartridges, Mark Levinson No. 25s phono stage, Wadia 170i Transport with a Meridian Bitstream 203 DAC, VPI HW-17 Pro Record Cleaning Machine, Five Richard Gray RGPC 400 devices scattered around the two systems, Arcici Suspense Rack System, Discovery Essence and Essential Cables, 14,000 ± LPs .
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Old 08-23-2014, 10:09 AM
Pider Pider is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AudioNut View Post
You've got too many places in NYC to go and listen . . . Need to move back to Tennessee where you can join me in an audio wasteland (the really "good" dealers in Nashville have long since departed).

If you can't hear 'em and can't see 'em, you may not want 'em.
I agree with Julian. Not only too many places to go see, touch, hear the latest and greatest, but you also live in a consumer feeding frenzy environment. The fast paced world of NYC can be deleterious to one's inner sense of peace and harmony.

I suggest every time you start to be tempted, head to the other side of the continent, which I believe New Yorkers believe are the Poconos. There you will find birds, and bees, and grass, trees, peace, harmony! And freedom from temptation.

It's not AA; it's where you live.
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Old 08-23-2014, 10:55 AM
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Read and be calmed, then move to Wyoming...



Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, "Desiderata"
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Old 08-23-2014, 11:00 AM
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I look at it this way reviews and such are done to sell things be it audio or not, I don't let them decide for me what to get. In fact the reviews I read is to learn about something I have or plan on getting.
I tend to gravate to the tried and true components and not the latest rage so I'm not a target for "New Sales"


Some components actually hold value better than others and can be better than a new component at a cheaper used cost. McIntosh amps and 2 channel Preamps would be high on my list with this in mind. Depending on the time you use and take care of a used Mac piece you can maybe get your money back on a resale.

Turntables was one component that I used to buy all the time it's mechanical and I like things like that. But I finally found one I like and would be hard to beat even though it's 30 years old in design. With TT it has a lot more to do with all it's various components, setup and delivery to the preamp. I love the SOTA Star Sapphires and ended up buying three of them. Again you can still get these new or a lot cheaper used and are in demand on the used market.
Some turntables elevate in cost more for their artistic build and statement they make more than any function and sound quality they produce.


Now the biggie you can run around chasing the newest best components available to man and still not be happy.

Ask yourself this when you're out and about though the day, week, month where is the best sounding music you hear?

Do you have a dedicated room built around your system? I'm not talking about a room in your house that you use as a listening space. A room built purely to optimize the sound of an audio system with optimal dimensions and sound treatment.

My room sucks and my system sounds better than most any I hear on a regular occurrence.
I also know I have reached the point of limited returns in dollars to sound quality with the limitations of my environment. It's all about what you do with the equipment not that you own it. Most of us would be far better off building a room better suited to SQ than chasing cables, IC, amp and speaker swaps.

Last edited by 427; 08-23-2014 at 11:04 AM.
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Old 08-23-2014, 02:19 PM
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prepress prepress is offline
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In Nashville (I'm from there, by the way) there is HiFi Buys on Nolensville Road, the only high end dealer I know of there now. I bought my one pair of Transparent interconnect from them back in December 2012. Too bad Nicholson's went out of business; I liked them.

I just came back from grocery shopping, the gym, and a too-big lunch. I realize that the decision to buy anything is mine, regardless of what I see on AA, in The Absolute Sound or Sound & Vision. All along I've insisted audio is an interest for me, not a hobby, and I want to maintain that assessment. My "common sense" gene needs some building up. Some of the changes mentioned aren't about audio, or even curiosity; some are about style and design or a sense of completeness. Replacing the C2300's WW Aurora with an Electra is one example. And the research I do to size up potential replacements for pieces I have can be dangerous, as well. Maybe I shouldn't research anything I'm not actually considering buying.

All these ideas came on at once except for the speakers, which I'd been debating for a while. I need a deep breath, to pray, to play something. Maybe all of these. I have some work to do for church tomorrow, that's a good place to start.
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SOTA, Grado, SME, Van den Hul, Gingko turntable setup; Pioneer Elite LD, BDP; Sony OLED TV; Magnum Dynalab tuner, antenna; MIT S-video cable; Pangea HDMI cables; DVDO video processor; McIntosh SACD, preamp, power amps; Telefunken Black Diamond preamp tubes; Kimber IC; Transparent IC, PC, SC; Mirage speakers; PS Audio, Shunyata PC; Audio Additives RCA caps; Furman power conditioning; Sanus: racks
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Old 08-23-2014, 02:25 PM
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There is always a danger that the quest for a specific goal mutates to mere addiction to hunting. But your post reads like you maintain a healthy introspection, so follow your own advice - give it a rest for a bit and later, if you still want it and obtaining it is still prudent, go for it. And don't feel like the lone ranger. I keep ratcheting around media servers, cd players, dacs, and surround processors.
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Old 08-23-2014, 02:56 PM
HiFiCrossFit HiFiCrossFit is offline
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This is something I do that might be helpful. I, probably like most of you here on AA, spend many hours reading forums and reviews. I have a document I have created that lists everything I own and it's worth. I also have a list of everything I want to add to my system in the order I want it added. Each item on this list has received hours and hours of thought and reading. I have systematically chipped off piece by piece on this list and it has been extremely rewarding. When the list is complete I truly believe it will be a system that I could spend the rest of my life with. Sure I'm just as curious and hungry for cool things as the next guy but I have always had the ability to know exactly what it is I am looking for and have learned to be very content when I get there. My end goal is to depart from thinking about my gear at all and spend all my energy collecting and listening to music.
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