Recent content by Mechnutt

I had 2 Class D amps recently. Both Marantz Integrated amps. The PM-KI Ruby which I loved and the PM-10 which costs double of what the Ruby does. The PM-10 did not move the needle for me. The Ruby had great tone, bass and a glorious midrange but it was lacking the detail that I was used to...

I own the 1528 Bookshelf 8's and they are fabulous. The are replacing my Magnepans. The weigh 66 pounds each and are really stand mount speakers. They are the first speakers to fill my room (17x17 with 9 foot ceilings) like my Maggies. They present with a huge scale. The sound stage is deep...

A 200 gram pressing of Harry Belafonte Sings the Blues. It was recorded in 1958 and it is such a great recording with detail, air, transparency and fabulous tone.

I use a 7 tier rack with great cable management from VTI. Their racks come is various sizes and shapes and won't break the bank. Plus, they can handle my 105 pound Pass amp.

A couple of years ago, I wanted a sub $1K AVR. I bought the Onkyo 7100 based on a review by Andrew Robinson who touted the clear sound. It sounds like crap, dialog is not clear. A waste of $700. A friend gave me an older Denon AVR which has extremely clear dialog.

A friend of mine has a fully refurbished Empire TT. It sounds very nice.

I returned my PM-10, too bright, shouty and an amorphous, diffuse center image. I ended up with a Mark Levinson 5805 integrated that has a great DAC in it and a very good phono preamp. It is so much better sounding than the Marantz by a wide margin.

The Elacs will give you clarity. They will need some power to get the most out of them as they are rated at 85db sensitivity at 6 ohms. The Wharfedale's may be the best choice though. I would also look at Monitor Audio Silvers and the Wharfedale Evo series. My son owns the Evo 4.4's...

Welcome to AS. Since you are from Texas and I lived in Oklahoma for 13 years, what is the difference between an Oklahoma Cowboy and a Texas Cowboy? Texas cowboys step right up and put it in. Okahoma cowboys put it in and step right up!:)

You can run your tv sound through that receiver. It has a built in DAC. If you go with the bookshelfs, I would get dual 10" subs. Stereo subs add depth and sound stage. I would consider some other speaker lines like the Monitor Audio Bronze line. I own a couple of pairs of MA Silver...

Here is a recent review in https://www.theabsolutesound.com/tag/ava/

How do you like the low volume listening. AVA gear tends to sound very good at low volumes.

Very nice. That preamp is excellent. I have heard it many times. AVA gear has a synergy with itself. Frank abided by the "KISS" philosophy. AVA does advertise with I believe TAS and Enjoy The Music and they are active on the AC forum. They also go to Axpona. Mary is great. She will steer...

AVA is huge on the AC forum.

Hi, I was friends with Frank Van Alstine and I did reviews of his equipment for him on the Audio Circle forum. I live 5 minutes from where he used to live. I reviewed the first couple of SET amps. They are fabulous for the money. I also own a few older pieces. His DVA DAC/Pre is the bomb...