HiWire

A slightly technical question: should I use balanced cables going from the preamp to the monoblocs? The CD player only has single-ended outputs, but the Oppo BDP-95 I am planning on getting has balanced outputs. None of the cable runs are going to be particularly long... I envision the separates stack as one rack eventually, so the interconnects should be 3 feet long or shorter. I've never really understood the benefits of balanced cable runs at the "budget" audiophile scale, but maybe this is one more jump I'm going to make while building this system. Also, my listening room is very small, at 10' x 10', so the speaker cables won't need to be too long, either.

Thanks, guys. My DIY skillz would probably result in a cable fire hazard (and explosive to boot). I'll take all of your suggestions into consideration... there may be a cable begging PM in your inbox soon. Keep the suggestions coming if you have any other ideas. The current interconnect between my CD player and headphone amp came for free from Philodox... it was a custom RCA job of about 1.5 feet that he didn't want, so I've never actually owned a name brand cable. I'll be using the cables to connect my Arcam FMJ CD36 to an Arcam C31 preamp to 2 Arcam P1 monobloc power amplifiers. That's six interconnects, which kind of freaks me out... going from a simple headphone setup to a full-fledged stereo system (not to mention the staggering cost). The speaker cables will go to (hopefully) a set of PMC twenty.24 floorstanding speakers. Probably not biwired, because then the number of cables in the system creates a cosmic string, sucking my humble little stereo into a wormhole of audiophilia. Fortunately, I am picking up the amplifier stuff used, so the total system cost wasn't as astronomical as I'd imagined.

Grover's cables just seem like an incredible bargain compared to the boutique name brands. I definitely did not intend to denigrate the quality of his products. I completely forgot about Monoprice and Bluejeans. I'll take a look at their stuff. Thanks, guys!

So I'm in the middle of building a stereo system. Does anybody have experience with super el-cheapo budget interconnect and speaker cables – maybe including stuff like Audioquest and Monster products (budget < $200 total, 4 sets of interconnects and speaker cable for two speakers). I was looking at the Audioquest website and I was considering the new Big Sur – no reviews so far. I was also looking (laughing) at the Monster website as well as the no-name products from The Source (Radio Shack) and Best Buy. I remember somebody like Stereophile recommending Radio Shack speaker wire back in the day. Grover Huffman's products occurred to me, but they're priced a little high for a sight unseen (sound unheard) online purchase. The Kimber Hero also seems to have a good, popular rep. Another option would be the stuff at the surplus store. It's anybody's guess what it would sound like, but I guess I could use them as spares someday.

Pop Music Too Loud and All Sounds the Same: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/26/pop-music-too-loud_n_1705309.html Get off my lawn.

The photographer somehow made all the shots look like stock photography. Underwhelming.

I'm running my HP-2 (with Ultra-Wide Bandwidth Reference cable and flat pads) on a Headsave Classic amp from an Arcam FMJ CD36 and it is heaven. I think the Arcam might have a slightly brighter presentation that offsets any slight treble rolloff and the bass is sepulchral. Soundstage and imaging are decent, but they might be more realistic on other headphone designs. In the long term, I'm thinking of upgrading to an Apex Hi-Fi Arête + Volcano and Cardas Clear Light interconnects. Also, I've got my eye on the Oppo BDP-95 for SACD, HDCD, and Blu-ray playback.

This might be old news for most people, but there's a great interview with the guys at Analogue Productions about SACD and Pink Floyd's master tapes of Wish You Were Here: http://www.brain-dam...g-james-gu.html There's a bit of a sell-job in the piece, but I had no idea that Music Direct owned Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab or that Acoustic Sounds owned Analogue Productions, although it makes a lot of sense, in retrospect.

Gorgeous. Congrats!

Solid Gold. The hits keep coming.

I was going to rant about vinyl but then I thought I might hurt someone's feelings.

Ars Technica just published a salutary article on studio efforts to improve the sound quality of iTunes and other digital tracks. http://arstechnica.c...he-ipod-age.ars I'm glad there's good news about digital, for once. There are still many technical limitations, e.g., the iPhone still has much less storage space at 64GB than the iPod Classic at 160GB. Each portable can only hold a small slice of a decent music library encoded at low compression or in lossless format – never mind high-resolution files. There's also the tradeoff between battery life, device size and price. The HiFiMAN HM-602, for example, only has 8GB. You're really sacrificing capacity for quality there (and I don't particularly want to pick on HiFiMAN, because they sell to the audiophile community). I'm still using a Sony Discman because it has the mix of battery life, portability, and sound quality that I'm looking for. I've got an iPod Shuffle 4G hooked up to Klipsch S4i to take everywhere, but there's always a compromise. I can't afford and dislike digital music library software and hardware. It is rarely as convenient as promised and that is one of the reasons why people are returning to vinyl (beyond its realization as a hipster fad).

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!

I'd like to see a comparison between the Grado PS-1, the PS-500, and the Symphones Magnum (whichever version is current). The HP-1000 is very neutral in absolute terms, but people accustomed to other cans' characteristic sounds may think differently.

The Grado SR-60 / Alessandro MS-1 would also be a giant leap for studentkind.

That's a fantastic collection, Tyll. Enjoy the music.

Girl Talk - All Day St. Vincent - Strange Mercy Ultimate Hall & Oates

The Symphones Magnums are also competitors at this price point.

Didn't John mention hating the manufacture of the HP-1000 (in the long Head-Fi interview)? If the PS500 sounds anything like the PS-1 or the HP-1000, I might be interested... I need a backup for my HP-2. The Alessandro MS-Pro is also in the running, especially because of its light weight.

I guess they'll weigh about the same as a pair of SR325i, which makes them less attractive to me... unless they sound like the PS-1. Early review here: http://www.positive-...sue57/grado.htm It took Grado a while, but they've learned something from their HF-1 and HF-2 sales... comparing them to Ultrasones and using the Grado amp is kind of a joke, though.

I was hoping for fake boobs, or toobs, at least.

Toobs are magic, like the Virginity Fairy. I am the Re-Animator of headphones.

Yes, you forgot the Underpants Gnomes, but everything else is correct. The pristine Antarctic sound (like virgin snow, but more so) is then beamed instantaneously through the Mirror Universe, warped through flatwire spacetime and unfolded to erupt in glorious goatee musical 3D-form vision for our listening enjoyment. Toobs can only make this better.

I've heard the K701 and the GS-1, but not together. People have implied that it would be a clinical experience, kind of like a prostate exam. Are you guys saying a euphonic (not Ebonics) source would elevate the K702 to a decent level of warm fuzziness, like a Furry convention? A decent set of NADs, Wadia or Naim could do the trick... maybe even a Meridian.