Post by: Bogie on November 29, 2006, 08:13:11 AM
It's hooked between the SACD and the Rotel, and I'm thinking that I like it. Tried a DAC a few weeks ago, but it didn't play well with SACD...
http://cgi.ebay.com/6J1-Tube-Sound-Buffer-Processor-CD-DVD-Signal-Upgrade_W0QQitemZ130052438448QQihZ003QQcategoryZ12050QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Post by: The Rabbi on November 29, 2006, 08:16:04 AM
But glad you're enjoying your purchase.
Post by: Sindawe on November 29, 2006, 08:58:33 AM
Yea, I had to see the linked item to know what he was talking about as well. Hope you enjoy your new toy. To my ears, "warm" = fuzzy. Guess I'm too attuned to digital tech to appreciated the older stuff.
Post by: Headless Thompson Gunner on November 29, 2006, 09:02:12 AM
I do kinda dig the glowing blue Greek characters on the side...
Post by: Brad Johnson on November 29, 2006, 09:07:47 AM
Quote
Once again I feel like I am the only person on the planet who doesn't have a clue what any of that means.
It's a gizmo that bangfrazzles the sine wave loop from the hoopledanger. It converts the wave to a past participle and circlestats it throught the high-frequency gingbob. It comes out as a pure waveform that can be interpoloopled by the modulation guzzbuster and fed into the final amp, creating a sonic energy so pure that you risk internal organ damage just from thinking about it.
Brad
Post by: mtnbkr on November 29, 2006, 09:15:34 AM
Chris
Post by: Bogie on November 29, 2006, 09:22:39 AM
And with the maggies, it was a significantly cheaper way to get tube analog into the signal line than a pair of 100-watt-plus tube monoblock amps...
Sindawe, I've tried "all digital" and all the other fun stuff... Just sounds compressed and sterile. Of course, good recordings really help - The remastered Brothers In Arms from Dire Straits is excellent... Tried an outboard DAC a few weeks ago, but I think it sounded kinda harsh...
My favorite preamp is a solid state Marantz (from the seventies...), but the Rotel I'm using now is just so much more convenient. The amp is a VERY nice Hafler DH-200, and the speakers are Magneplanar MMGs...
Nothin' at all fuzzy about this... and the tubes glow in the dark!
Post by: HankB on November 29, 2006, 09:24:46 AM
It removes excess cash from the pockets of audiophiles Chris
To the audiophile, knowledge of the dollars he's spent improves the quality of the sound in direct proportion to what he Chris On the subject of tubes . . . I remember as a kid I used to repair our old B&W console RCA TV. I'd yank the tubes, put them in a box, and ride my bicycle down to Walgreens where they had a tube-testing machine. I'd plug the tubes in, one by one, set the machine, and see if it was "good" or "bad."
The cabinet under the machine had a good supply of vacuum tubes, so I'd pick out the one that needed replacement, and pay for it up at the register. No fuss, no bother.
Today they 1) wouldn't let a kid anywhere near a machine like that; and 2) have to keep the spares locked up.
Post by: Nick1911 on November 29, 2006, 09:26:45 AM
I mean really? It seems like that's quite a profit margin selling a few vacuum tubes, some discreet components, a big transformer and an LED is a pretty package. I could build 2 of these with crap I have in my junk box!
Audiophiles amaze me in what they will spend large sums of money on.
I suppose it's better then out right scams.
Post by: Brad Johnson on November 29, 2006, 09:29:58 AM
Of course and i-pod that was tube-based (i-tube?) would be 20 feet tall, 100 feet long, weigh a couple hundred tons, and would only store and play one song at a time. From punch cards.
Brad
Post by: mtnbkr on November 29, 2006, 09:40:11 AM
Quote
So, what you're saying is that I can make an absurd amount of money selling people outdated technology?
Some of that outdated tech has a great sound. I'm no audiophile, but my grandparents' old Magnovox console stereo has a wonderful rich sound I've not heard from a modern (yet consumer level) stereo. Could be the electronics, could be the wood construction, could be magic gnomes...Chris
Post by: Brad Johnson on November 29, 2006, 09:43:30 AM
Brad
Post by: Bogie on November 29, 2006, 09:52:15 AM
Let's see...
This gizmo was $142. The Marantz tuner and preamp set me back about $200ish, or the Rotel $75 (hey, I like bargains...). I've got $300 in the amp. The Sony SACD/DVD is new technology, and was about $250. The maggie MMGs were $550 delivered, and I've got about another $400 in a pair of plate amps and 15" subwoofers (in 0.7Q sealed boxes) under the maggies. I've got another Hafler P230 amp ($180 purchase from a guy who rebuilds them) sitting and I have been considering getting a $300 pair of MMG-W speakers for the sides/rear (the Rotel will do the four channels...).
So we're talking about $1,800ish for a stereo. Which is a bit more than if you went to BoxMart, and bought a Bose... But not all that much more. Unless, of course, you buy a "high end" Bose... In which case I really feel sorry for you... BoxMart also sells stuff like Martin Logans, etc., but you're gonna drop at least what I did... If not more...
Downstairs, in The Bunker, I've got a stack of Crown amps, and a Behringer EP2500 running the four subs. Movies are good...
When I shoot, I wear earplugs _and_ earmuffs.
Post by: richyoung on November 29, 2006, 09:53:13 AM
You should see what some guitar guys will pay for "directional" cables - that they then put an AC signal through! Hundred of dollars a foot for some cables - as if the electrons "know" what they are flowing through....
Post by: 280plus on November 29, 2006, 09:55:51 AM
Post by: Brad Johnson on November 29, 2006, 09:59:41 AM
Quote
You should see what some guitar guys will pay for "directional" cables - that they then put an AC signal through! Hundred of dollars a foot for some cables - as if the electrons "know" what they are flowing through....
Hit some of the high-end home theater forums sometime and look for posts on speaker cables. It get's downright nasty sometimes! Let's just say that objective electronics testing has established that there is no humanly discernable difference between mega-zoot electro oxy monster copperlux octo-shielded stuff and regular old zip cord, although there are folks out there who swear by their mother's soul they can tell the difference just by holding their hand over a spool of it.
Brad
Post by: Nick1911 on November 29, 2006, 10:01:55 AM
Quote
My "outdated technology" sounds one heckuva lot better than a lot of new stuff...
Rock on. Someday I'd like to experience the difference of tube sound.
Really, I'm just surprised that something as simple as a 2 tube amp brings $142. I suppose that's supply and demand in action though.
Post by: richyoung on November 29, 2006, 10:09:16 AM
Quote
You should see what some guitar guys will pay for "directional" cables - that they then put an AC signal through! Hundred of dollars a foot for some cables - as if the electrons "know" what they are flowing through....
Hit some of the high-end home theater forums sometime and look for posts on speaker cables. It get's downright nasty sometimes! Let's just say that objective electronics testing has established that there is no humanly discernable difference between mega-zoot electro oxy monster copperlux octo-shielded stuff and regular old zip cord, although there are folks out there who swear by their mother's soul they can tell the difference just by holding their hand over a spool of it.
Brad
The funny thing is, if you take apart the guitar or amplifier, (or audio gear), even the "boo-teak" stuff, and you will find the jacks are connected to the components with...plain old wire. Hmmm...
Post by: mtnbkr on November 29, 2006, 10:10:28 AM
Hit some of the high-end home theater forums sometime and look for posts on speaker cables. It get's downright nasty sometimes! Let's just say that objective electronics testing has established that there is no humanly discernable difference between mega-zoot electro oxy monster copperlux octo-shielded stuff and regular old zip cord, although there are folks out there who swear by their mother's soul they can tell the difference just by holding their hand over a spool of it.
Brad
I just smile and nod when my friend starts going on and on about HT stuff...just like he does to me when I go on and on about guns, bikes, etc. Brad
Chris
Post by: 280plus on November 29, 2006, 10:24:54 AM
Post by: Bogie on November 29, 2006, 10:28:38 AM
http://www.decware.com/newsite/zbox.htm
I've noticed, especially with some players, that things can sound really "digital." Harsh, and, yes, fuzzy...
Up on the hill, they think I'm okay. Or so they say...
What gets me are the folks who think that their compressed as all get-out MP3s are the last word in sound... "Oh, I've got an Ipod! I've got an Ipod!" Exqueeze me, but there's a difference.
Post by: Bogie on November 29, 2006, 10:35:34 AM
...for 10 gauge low-voltage lighting wire... A little more a foot, but hey... The Maggie MMGs are pretty power hungry...
The lighter stuff just couldn't handle the deeper bass - It was like some of it just went away. I became a firm believer in "use enough wire."
My bedroom system has 18 gauge. Offa a giant spool I bought for $25.
Post by: Brad Johnson on November 29, 2006, 10:45:14 AM
Agree with Bogie that a lot of the consumer products sound "synthetic" - tinny or indistinct, and lacking the warmth of a broad dynamic range. However, there are good products out there at modest prices which perform fine.
My personal opinion is that good speaker design, a well-engineered amp (mechanically and sonically), and careful choices in components don't have to break the bank to sound very good. Unfortunately, most consumers are "watts-oriented" and will buy whatever is rated the highest power or has the most input jacks. They also firmly believe the snake oil that's being sold as cables these days. Pity. For what many unknowing people spend on useless accessories they could have upgraded their amp and speakers and been far better off.
Brad
Post by: The Rabbi on November 29, 2006, 10:52:02 AM
Quote
Once again I feel like I am the only person on the planet who doesn't have a clue what any of that means.
It's a gizmo that bangfrazzles the sine wave loop from the hoopledanger. It converts the wave to a past participle and circlestats it throught the high-frequency gingbob. It comes out as a pure waveform that can be interpoloopled by the modulation guzzbuster and fed into the final amp, creating a sonic energy so pure that you risk internal organ damage just from thinking about it.
Brad
That's clear enough.
Here I thought about my dad's Marantz receiver that I still have, from 1960. I remember waiting for that thing to warm up.
Or I thought about a child with chronic ear infections.
Does it mean you are getting old when you don't know how to work most of the gizmos around you? Is it worse if you don't care?
Post by: 280plus on November 29, 2006, 10:52:53 AM
Post by: Bogie on November 29, 2006, 11:09:26 AM
The maggies do about 84db at 1 watt/1 metre.
87 at 2
90 at 4
93 at 8
96 at 16
99 at 32
102 at 64 and
105 at 128...
Rule of thumb is to have 10db of headroom for peaks. So most of the time I'm using under 10 watts. But the maggies are also essentially line sources instead of point sources, so the sound decays at half the rate as normal speaks.
Now, the higher efficiency speaks, such as the Infinity SM-120s that just got gifted to my girlfriend's sister, can go up to about 98db/1w/1m...
I'm currently building two pairs of 97db efficient line source speakers. Should be interesting.
Post by: Brad Johnson on November 29, 2006, 11:19:26 AM
Quote
It's like the music is in your head man...
You hear them too!?
Brad
Post by: 280plus on November 29, 2006, 11:25:30 AM
Quote
Don't forget - The gizmo also looks cool
What'd you go and say THAT for, Now I want one! In honor of fuzz, even though it's not necessarily warmth, I just turned my other amp on, (Fender Studio) cranked the gain and fiddled with a nicely distorted but somewhat rusty rendition of "Comfortably Numb". Saw Floyd the other night on the CPTV and it's been stuck in my head ever since so I've been trying to pick my way through that solo. I've got a fair number of the notes down but I need to hear it a coupla more times.
Post by: wingnutx on November 29, 2006, 11:32:10 AM
Post by: Bogie on November 29, 2006, 11:34:58 AM
I've got Jerry and the boyz on now...
I definitely like the gizmo.
Post by: 280plus on November 29, 2006, 01:11:01 PM
Post by: zahc on November 29, 2006, 02:59:07 PM
Post by: brimic on November 29, 2006, 05:04:10 PM
Post by: Sindawe on November 29, 2006, 05:22:55 PM
Quote
Audiophiles amaze me in what they will spend large sums of money on.
Same here. I checked into the guys on the other side of the building my employer is in and was shocked at the prices they charge. These folks: http://www.ayre.com/index.cfm
$2950 for a CD player, $7000 for a preamp!
Post by: Bogie on November 29, 2006, 07:12:33 PM
The guys LOVE a good joke.
Oh, and don't write off the huge braided speaker cables either - they test with lower capacitance or inductance or something like than than the "non-braided" type (like I use...). Folks who've made 'em (a coupla hours and a few feet of Cat5 cable) seem to like 'em.
Post by: Cosmoline on November 29, 2006, 08:53:30 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtOoQFa5ug8
Post by: Brad Johnson on November 30, 2006, 06:43:19 AM
Quote
they test with lower capacitance or inductance or something like than than the "non-braided" type (like I use...).
Exactly - they test lower. However, the tested variances between zip cord and the fancy-schmancy stuff is lower than the THD of the amp. In other words there is no difference to the listener (although many an audiophile will burst a vein defending his $200-a-foot cabling).
Brad
Post by: Bogie on November 30, 2006, 09:30:56 AM
Let's see... Two maggies and two subs upstairs. 7 speakers downstairs, around The Bunker, and four subwoofers. And the bass shakers mounted under the sofa... "Arc Light! Arc Light!"
Yeah, probably.
I also put in another two dedicated 20 amp circuits for the amp stack.
Post by: 280plus on December 01, 2006, 12:46:55 AM