If only life was simple! Sometimes it really is simple ! When I recently evaluated cheap interconnects to see I there was any bargains to be made ( there was ) I used the song ”Keith dont go” with Nils Lovgren on guitar. It took only one or two chords to hear if the sound went better or worse using...

I guess it comes down with how music works. Its ordered frequencies in the time domain. Less order, worse sound. If energy is lost somewhere in the system it cant be recovered later in the chain. If one hifi system makes you tap your feet more than another - its a better system and most probably mor...

Having "messed about" with some of my own speaker designs and modified existing speakers with different drive units and designed tens of digital crossovers, its very clear to me that a loudspeaker is a system and not a hierarchy as such. Designing a fabulous crossover without knowing the characteri...

Today I went to a hifi show where all 5 rooms featured the new Naim 200 or 300 series electronics. Speakers as follows: B&W 801 D4 Dynaudio Confidence 60 Focal Utopia Diablo Kudos Titan 808 Kef Blade Two Every room sounded harsh and, somehow, over exaggeratedly detailed. But, more importantly, not ...

Well, Rutger, you are bringing back some memories with that list and it also makes what I was doing in 1984 look pretty good. That year I started my own Hi-Fi store in Encinitas, California with some help from Audiophile Systems (the Linn and Naim importer I worked at as National Sales Manager just...

Music only works when there is a structured order in time - and intentional deviations from that order. Music only works when the notes are ordered with specific intervals - and intentional deviations from that order. Cale follows the structure and breaks it on purpose in ‘Black Angel’s Death Song’...

Great list. I'd add Arcam Alpha 6 to Alpha 9 Amplifiers, as enjoyable companions to the Rega or Dual turntables. Yes, and one of the first cd players that didnt sound terrible was Arcam alpha 5 that I bought -92, right before I bough a Linn cd player. The alpha 5 was better sounding than the Marant...

In my experience through the years there are many good sounding sources , amplifiers and loudspeakers out there that might be bargains . As you know, all Linn gear is good sounding doing a good job of letting the tunes pass through to the listener-so this list is not about Linn. Some examples from m...

Rega Dac R ( latest version ) is a second hand bargain but only if one uses digital filtering nr 2 on the unit and if the digital input signal is good and not manipulated . Using filtering nr 1 is slightly worse sounding so many people listening to this unit might have had the wrong impression about...

I have a question - do you prefer a guitar thats carefully tuned or a guitar slightly out of tune ? Which one of those two guitars will give you more enjoyment ? This is what Source first is for me - the source that gives a more accurate perceived pitch from the recorded instruments when playing mu...

I'm sure by now we've all learned the value a source first approach to system building within a limited budget. And many thanks to the various members who helped me on that journey. A journey that started quite a long time ago soon after I joined. Time has flown. Yet what's more important to me tha...

Anyone else prefer mid to treble to help bass timing on a Linn speaker? Yes, on Espeks in our previous apartment. To my surprise I found it simply better on Mid than on Treble. All other times I’ve compared the inputs on single wired passive loudspeakers (including the unmusical diagonal connection...

Thanks for the tip. Apparently a little cheaper on Amazon Germany if it is the same product https://www.amazon.de/Focal-2-Kanal-Cinch-Kabel-3-Fach-abgeschirmt/dp/B007S7TUW2/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=3H0QDVYAOQIGF&keywords=Focal+Elite+2-Channel+RCA+Cable&qid=16972773...

Good rca interconnects are few and most of the more expensive ones are terrible . However, lately I have found a big surprise in the form of Focal Elite rca cable , 1 metre - made for car audio. Definitely a bargain and better at playing tunes than the Mogami based Linn black interconnects . https:/...

If doing A/B comparisons, I’d rather use a song I’m not too familiar with otherwise it’s too easy to fill in the missing bits because you’re so familiar with the piece. I think most important is good musicians playing and singing - source first. This is more important than the recording quality. Th...

Harman International think so. https://www.soundstageaccess.com/index.php/feature-articles/1259-dr-sean-olive-on-35-years-of-fast-car Tracy Chapmans ” Fast car ” is a good song . Regarding good test music for judging musical quality using tunemethod , there are plenty of it . Patricia Barbers ” The...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNdhDCv4mzc Interesting video on setting up speakers. Tested with my three systems. It's even audible with the JBL 305 and Sabay headphone amplifier. The JBL 308, no longer driven by Fluid monitor controller, but with Black Lion Audio Revolution 2x2 (significantly be...

I wonder if Linn use the tpa3251 because it sounds good, or because they can buy an amplifier on a chip for only £3.50 🤔 I think both might be true. Better sound and not to expensive makes a good reason to use it. The former used chipamp TDA7293 in klimax poweramp was also inexpensive and goodsound...

I'm still sad about having sold mine 30 years ago :-( The same for me . I had the red light version and swapped it for a new Linn Intek many years ago . Looking back, it didnt seem to be much of an improvement in the tune departement . But the Intek was more powerful . Right now Im looking for equa...

I agree Rutger, there’s practically nothing written about how to build a musical loudspeaker. I was asked to recommend a book, and in all honesty, I couldn’t recommend one. They’re all just a collection of loudspeaker research, none of which focuses on a loudspeaker’s ability to play something as s...

Thanks Rutger. That makes your findings doubly interesting! Internal damping is something I’ve really struggled to get to work well. However, I think my methodology may not be very good so it’s not been possible to come to any definitive conclusions. Tuning the enclosure volume without filling is r...

Thanks for your input Rutger 👍 Do you mind me asking if what you’re saying is based on personal experience, or on something you’ve read or been told? To update my previous post, I’ve been experimenting with different enclosure materials, and the results have been a bit of an eye opener, to say the ...

I think its interesting to know what the conclusion of the quality of using digital volumecontrol in DS or DSM is. Is it as good as analog volume regulation or is it even better ? Is a good analog attenuation better sounding ? My own conclusion is that all digital manipulation of the source material...

Thanks! Yes, it is a fascinating read on why we like music. And the Floyd Tooles book is like the "standard introduction" if you're into understanding the challenges for sound reproduction through loudspeakers in a room. Its might also be a challenge to realise that F. Toole isnt right about many t...

What makes a loudspeaker musical? Drive units definitely have their own innate musicality. For example, one of the reasons Kans and Isobarik’s worked so well is because the B110 is a very musical bass/mid unit. However, a drivers musicality can be tempered if it’s not loaded correctly (acoustically...