Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : Hi-Fi Equipment -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jon K. who wrote (11)	11/7/1999 6:32:00 PM
From: Jacques Chitte	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 61

I think the Aleph-Maggie combo would be killer. But that is jmo of course. You have to like Maggies ... speakers are like music. Each one presents itself a little differently. You gotta take your ears shopping. The Aleph would work with almost any load you could throw at it, I would imagine. There are some really WONDERFUL sounding speakers out there ... but they require a LOT from the power amp. Tube guys often end up with very sensitive speakers. (In fact a horn speaker industry has sprung up around these single-ended triode monobloc amps that put out a blistering seven watts per channel!) Solid-state guys sometimes buy speakers that sound real good if they are driven by big, stable power supplies. Maggies and some electrostatic speakers (like the Martin-Logans) need power. I wonder how the Maggies would sound when matched to a really good subwoofer like the Muse. Bass energy is one of those things that is very hard to get right in a box playing inside a box (and that describes 99% of all home stereos). That said, my Maggies sound quite presentable drawing their power from a low-priced NAD receiver. I'd love to hear what they got from a higher-power solid-state amp of good design. Here my choice would be Levinson, Krell (the KAV-300i is a real bargain for the power level, and you don't need an outboard preamp) or the Pass with a matching Pass preamp. I'd like to hear the Pass Aleph 3 (the little stereo amp) driving sensitive speakers like Henry's B&W 800s or big Avalons. It must be sweeeeet. What kind of music do you like to play?

To: Jon K. who wrote (11)	11/7/1999 7:50:00 PM
From: Jacques Chitte	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 61

A word about speakers. Go to Stereophile or another audio rag and select at least a dozen models in the $2000-$6000 range. Then call your local shops and find as many of them as you can ... and listen. Take favorite music along ... stuff that you know like the back of your hand. Make sure that the rep demoing the speaker is using quality components (CD and amplification gear). It's easy to fall in love with a speaker based on writeups in stereo publications. Worse, it's easier to form an opinion based on "comparative ratings" such as seen in Stereophile's Equipment Review issues. This is really dangerous. There is no substitute for a listen. If a $2000 "Class C" speaker sounds better to you than a $5000 "Class B Highly Recommended" speaker, save the three grand; it's that simple. Maggies for example tend not to get high marks from the Stereophile reviewers. But I really adore the sound - what is important to them and what is important to me seems to be different. Don't be shy to post your impressions here ... but go forth and shop. Do you live in a metropolitan area? If so, you should have half a dozen stereo stores ("high end" shops, not Curcuit City!!) who will have complementary product lines. Get to know them. I wanted to hear ProAc speakers, since eight years ago I fell haed for a pair of Response Threes. What I did was find ProAc on the Web, then call their customer service number. They were very nice and told me who the area Authorized Retailer was. I really like the ProAc speakers ... they're very "neutral". And the lower-budget Response One.somethings sounded pretty danged good. (But they weren't Maggies ... I'm ruined. :-) )