[Sonnova]

On Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:25:49 -0700, Rob Tweed wrote
(in article ):

On 30 Sep 2009 01:36:46 GMT, Sonnova
wrote:

It may be too late for me to benefit from this info (Wisdom Audio,
ML32, Krell, etc..) but I have many friends which I have converted to
high end that are currently assembling their systems.

Thanks

Their are GREAT audio bargains out there and decent performing new
components
at reasonable prices, but - and here's the rub - you really have to look
for
them.

How about a great performing MOSFET 150+ Watt/channel stereo power amp for
$200?

How about a fine sounding 65 Watt/channel KT88 tube amp that is a dual mono
design, with 5 pairs of line-level inputs, separate power supplies
(including
separate power transformers!) and ceramic tube sockets and all hand wired,
gorgeously finished for under $700?

How about a marvelous tube preamp that's circuit-wise a virtual copy of the
famous Marantz 7 for about $250?

How about a quiet, FET preamp (and a copy of an older Nelson Pass design)
with a decent phono stage for $200?

How about a 24-bit/96KHz DAC that perform superbly for @$100?


....and of course now we all want to know the names of the gear you're
referring to! :-) I can guess a few (I believe I have at least one
of the items).

It's a shame it's such hard work for the bargain-hunting audiophile to
find such products. In the ideal world that's what the hi-fi press
should be doing. There's a clear gap in the market for someone to
occupy and create a trusted place where such recommendations can be
found.

I agree with you 100%. This IS what the Hi-Fi press should be doing, but the
truth is that a lot of reviewers are - there's no other word for it - jaded.
They can't get interested in gear unless it's frighteningly expensive and
exclusive. That's why modern Hi-Fi magazines are filled with $20,000 preamps.
$100,000 (+) speaker systems, $60,000 CD players, and $15,000 turntables.

By the way another example of totally unecessary expenditure must be
the CD transport, some of which sell for ludicrous amounts of money.
I wish more people would realise that:

That's a fact

a) pretty much any modern cheapo CD/DVD/BD player from your local
supermarket, connected by SPDIF to your DAC will work just as well and
sound identical;

That's been my experience. DACs might sound different from one another, but
I've never heard a fancy CD transport (like the TEAC Esoteric) make any
difference.

b) why use a CD player at all when you can rip the music to lossless
disk images and have the convenience of playing them back via, eg
iTunes into your DAC.

Because a lot of people are intimidated by computers and the process and
don't trust the HDD medium. OTOH, there is, among some, the same reluctance
to give up that tangible jewel box that many LP collectors felt when asked to
give up that big, colorful album cover for that same tiny jewel box.