"...a review of the Amadeus GTA on The Audio Beat"?
February
24, 2011
Ken,
I
just finished your review of the Well Tempered Simplex. I really enjoyed reading it. I
myself am using a Well Tempered Amadeus GTA with a Dynavector DV XX2 Mk II cartridge. All
I can say is that it works like a dream. If you give it good material, you will be
rewarded. Even older records, as long as they are clean, sound very good. (I have learned
how important clean records are.) I really don’t see upgrading this 'table anytime in
future. I know for a fact that many Amadeus GTA owners have used cartridges that are
multiples of the turntable's cost. It is a keeper for me.
So
I just wanted to say that I enjoyed your review. Even though it has been reviewed other
places, it would be fun to see a review of the Amadeus GTA on The Audio Beat.
Mike
Doukas
I'm
happy you enjoyed the review. I must say after spending time with the Simplex, I'm quite
interested in having a listen to the Amadeus GTA myself. If I can get my hands on one,
I'll post my impressions on The Audio Beat. -Ken Choi
SRA
Virginia Class
February
22, 2011
Marc,
In
your
past review of the CAT SL1 Legend preamp, I noticed that you used a pair of SRA
Virginia Class platforms. Today I saw a picture of these behemoths on www.audioexotics.hk. Are these
platforms something special, also compared to the other SRA units?
David
Rudolph
Yes,
I had a pair of SRA Virginia Class platforms for the Lamm ML3 Signature amps I
was using at the time. I can't compare them to the SRA Ohio Class XL+² platforms, because
I only had pairs of those for other amps (as I'm sure you know, each SRA platform is built
to the specifications of the electronics it will hold). According to SRA, each Virginia
Class platform takes twice as long to build as its Ohio Class equivalent. I do recall that
the Virginia Class platforms were thicker and much heavier than the Ohio Class, and there
were recesses in the top for the component's feet. "The latest Virginia Class devices
are tanks. Build materials top to bottom are our latest and greatest, and performance and
measurements surpass anything we (or anyone else) have designed to date," says Kevin
Tellekamp, head of SRA. -Marc Mickelson
"Unsolicited
input": Eric Bibb, YG Acoustics
February
17, 2011
Marc,
I
send messages like this pretty close to never, but I recently discovered Eric
Bibb’s music and fell in love with it. My personal favorite is An Evening
with Eric Bibb. That CD is absolutely wonderful, and if you haven’t heard it, I
can’t recommend it more highly. Then, because the god’s of music chose to reward
me, I actually bumped into Eric Bibb at O’Hare Airport just a few weeks ago. He was
obviously in a hurry but was nice enough to talk to me for a couple of minutes.
Finally,
as long as I’m on a roll, while I know you have auditioned YG Acoustics speakers, I
am the first owner of the Anat Professional III (versus Series II). What is significant
about this product is that the drivers are milled (not stamped) out of blocks of solid
aluminum. They start as 16-pound blocks and end up as one-ounce cones. No one has ever
done this before, and I can tell you the clarity of this product is nothing short of
remarkable.
Okay,
I’m done offering all of my unsolicited input. Thanks for putting out a very good
publication.
Joel
Alperson
The
missing Sam Rivers
February
15, 2011
Marc,
Sam
Rivers released three Blue Note albums, and actually recorded four. Fuchsia Swing Song
(1964), Contours (1965), and A New Conception (1966) would be the three
released during his time with the label. Dimensions and Extensions, recorded in
1967, wasn't released until 1977, as part of a two-fer with Andrew Hill -- and it later
got its own release.
Robert
Milo Shepherdson
Yes,
of course you are correct about Sam Rivers' recordings. I had completely forgotten about A
New Conception when I made my statement regarding his pre-Impulse! Blue Note releases.
I've made the correction in my review, and I appreciate your pointing out the error. -Marc
Mickelson
Sophia
3 -- when?
February
10, 2011
Marc,
Looking
at the "Associated Equipment" in your past reviews, I see that sometime between
9th and 30th of November you parted company with the Wilson MAXX 3s and acquired a pair of
Sophia 3s. When are you going to share your thoughts with us, or are you enjoying the
speakers too much to put pen to paper?
Dominic
Bexon
I
am actually working on my review of the Wilson Sophia 3s, and it should appear in a few
weeks (there are a couple of products ahead in my queue). You'll soon get to read my
thoughts on the speakers, so stay tuned. -Marc Mickelson
Reader
list
February
8, 2011
Marc,
Please
add me to your reader list. I very much appreciate your publication and the high-quality
reviews. We also have shared likes, including the Wilson MAXX 3 speakers and VPI Classic
turntable.
If
you ever decide to go with a subscription model, you can count me in as a future (and
happy) paid subscriber.
Roy
Ramos
To
be added to TAB's reader e-mail list, from which you will be alerted to site
updates (and nothing else -- no inbox-clogging spam), write rl@theaudiobeat.com. -Marc Mickelson
Ayre
MX-R footers?
February
5, 2011
Marc,
Well,
following your
review and our exchange of e-mails late last year, I am very excited to report that a
pair of Ayre MX-Rs is on its way to my apartment. I expect to receive the amps in about a
month.
This
raises another question I’d like to get your honest opinion on. What footers did you
try underneath your MX-Rs and which did you find to work best?
You
may recall that I’m currently using a pair of Parasound Halo JC 1 amps and underneath
those I’ve been using AudioQuest Q Feet. Do you think those would work with MX-Rs?
Lastly,
what do you think of the Ayre wood blocks versus the Q Feet?
Gary
Alexander
The
MX-Rs come with integral footers made from a high-density polymer. These are attached to
the underside of each amp, and they were chosen for their durability and sonic properties.
However, with Ayre equipment especially, I am partial to Ayre's own myrtle-wood blocks,
which, I theorize, transfer energy out of the chassis in an effective way. (AudioQuest's
squishy Q Feet, which I've never used, work via a different principle: isolation of the
component from airborne and structure-borne vibration.) You have to experiment with the
blocks -- often putting two under the heaviest part of the chassis (for most products,
this is wherever the transformer is) and one at the opposite side -- on their edge, not
their face. For the MX-Rs, I'm sure Ayre can give you specific directions. In case you
were wondering, Ayre doesn't just attach the myrtle-wood blocks to the MX-R chassis
because wood isn't durable enough to use for attached footers for such a heavy product.
About
the myrtle-wood blocks, which cost a mere $5 apiece, Charles Hansen of Ayre had this to
offer: "I still haven't heard any footer that I think sounds better than those silly
wood blocks. The problem is that they aren't expensive enough for people to take them
seriously. If they were $300 per set and had some complex mechanism hidden inside,
everyone would use them for their reference. But people listen with their wallets and not
their ears." -Marc Mickelson
Esoteric and Devialet
February
1, 2011
Marc,
I'm
considering buying an Esoteric P-03 Universal transport. I have a Devialet D-Premier
from France with its own superior DAC. I read your review from June 2006 on the Esoteric
separates. However, I noticed that the AES/EBU digital output of the P-03 is separate for
the right and left channels. My amp has only one AES/EBU input, as the most DACs do. Does
this mean that I can't connect the P-03 Universal to my Devialet? Do you think that it
makes sense to use the P-03 Universal with my Devialet amp? I know that I can't use all
the features of the P-03 Universal because it won't be connected to the matching D-03 DAC.
If there's a good way to connect it to my Devialet, please let it know.
Siert
Klunder
When
you connect the P-03 Universal, you will have to tell it what output you're using, and
you'll choose the single AES/EBU, which converts the L and R AES/EBU outputs to a single
stereo output.
Regarding
SACD, while the P-03 Universal will play those discs, it won't output the DSD digital
stream via single XLR. As far as I can tell, it will output high-resolution PCM data (you
should research this some before buying, however). Your Devialet D-Premier probably won't
decode DSD (very few DACs will, and no transports that I know of will output that data via
single AES/EBU), but it probably will decode high-resolution PCM. In the end, you won't be
able to listen to SACDs with the P-03 Universal (or likely any other transport) connected
to your Devialet D-Premier via digital input.
As
advanced as the DACs in your D-Premier are, the Esoteric D-03 DAC is probably even more
advanced, and it's the natural partner for the P-03 Universal. With it, you will have no
issues playing any digital discs (except Blu-ray). -Marc Mickelson
