I think you're in a good place with Monitor to start. If you like that sound, then I wouldn't hesitate to upgrade to the silver's. They have an awesome reputation. I've heard them but never owned so take that for it's worth. But I would not personally hesitate to buy Monitor. I am personally not a fan of Klipsch. Some people really like them and I know they are good rock speakers, but to me they are like Boston Acoustics... decent, big, loud, efficient, but not particularly detailed. KEF has a good rep too but I'm not familiar with Tannoy. IMO, I'd stick with the Monitor if you like that British speakers (and I do too). And far as the MLs..I'm not sure on those. I owned a sub by them and was super unimpressed. But aren't the Motions more expensive than comparable Silver's? I don't like black/ash cabinets so I like how Monitor has all those color choices. I like Cherry, walnut, and the like. Those solid wood cabinets are gorgeous.
All those amps are awesome. Rotel are great with Brits as I'm sure you know. They are made to be paired with B&W. Yamaha, Anthem, Arcam, Parasound etc. are all sort of lumped into that category of "very good since you don't want to buy a McIntosh". But at the end of the day, I stand by what I said earlier. All of these solid state amps should sound essentially the same. For me there are three differences:
1. Power, all channels driven (important metric). At lower volumes it should not make a difference, but if you have inefficient speakers, then having a good, continuous, clean power source is the difference at high volumes. 2. Feature set... does it the right inputs and outputs, does it have a sub out, etc. 3. Does it have a pure mode. This is big for me. I have to have something that shuts down to the most basic transformers and knocks out the noise. I only listen on pure/natural mode. With a straight amp, that's all it is. But when you get into integrated, there's a lot of electronics in there and if it's not in pure mode, I'll get listening fatigue.
I recently purchased an Outlaw 5000 5 channel amp. What a beast 80lbs or so...maybe the best deal in the industry. But at the lower volumes, it sounds no different than my Yamaha 1030 running in pure. Where it makes a difference is clarity when pushed above, say -15. The Yamaha will run out of juice and the Outlaw which hits 130 wpc, all channels driven, just opens up.
Sorry for the long ass post.
can't stress this enough. especially with analogue listening thru a tube pre-amp. makes all the difference.
It's amazing that after you listen to pure for a while, and then turn it off, it feels like your ears are bleeding. The music is harsh, too shrill, etc. Pure mode makes you melt into the music. I get the same effect even on digital lossless, not just analog.
Totally agree. I have a 7 channel amp with all kinds of bells and whistles that at this point is just functioning as a power amp for my turntable/preamp and PONO and I am cool with that. beautiful sound. I can't even do CDs anymore. pulled out my Sony 400 disc changer.
Ha! Me too. I retired my 300 disc changer many years ago. Paid a shit load for that Sony when it came out and it was the greatest thing ever at the time, and for a long time. But once I got a Squeezebox Duet and then a Touch, I ripped them all, boxed up the CDs and the changer is sitting in a closet with too many outdated AVRs, burned amps, etc.
that's awesome. I remember going thru and keying the artists name and album name with an old PS2 keyboard back in 2002. that was the shit back then. closest thing to a jukebox you could get. ahhhhh.... that is another thing I would like to have one day. a vintage jukebox.
2000- Atlanta, GA: New Orleans, LA: Memphis, TN: Nashville, TN
2003- Raleigh, NC: Charlotte, NC: Atlanta, GA
2004- Asheville, NC (hometown show)
2006- Cincinnati, OH
2008- Columbia, SC
2009- Chicago, IL x 2 / Ed Vedder- Atlanta, GA x 2
2010- Bristow, VA
2011- Alpine Valley, WI (PJ20) x 2 / Ed Vedder- Chicago, IL
2012- Atlanta, GA
2013- Charlotte, NC
2014- Cincinnati, OH
2015- New York, NY
2016- Greenville, SC: Hampton, VA:: Columbia, SC: Raleigh, NC : Lexington, KY: Philly, PA 2: (Wrigley) Chicago, IL x 2 (holy shit): Temple of the Dog- Philly, PA
I think you're in a good place with Monitor to start. If you like that sound, then I wouldn't hesitate to upgrade to the silver's. They have an awesome reputation. I've heard them but never owned so take that for it's worth. But I would not personally hesitate to buy Monitor. I am personally not a fan of Klipsch. Some people really like them and I know they are good rock speakers, but to me they are like Boston Acoustics... decent, big, loud, efficient, but not particularly detailed. KEF has a good rep too but I'm not familiar with Tannoy. IMO, I'd stick with the Monitor if you like that British speakers (and I do too). And far as the MLs..I'm not sure on those. I owned a sub by them and was super unimpressed. But aren't the Motions more expensive than comparable Silver's? I don't like black/ash cabinets so I like how Monitor has all those color choices. I like Cherry, walnut, and the like. Those solid wood cabinets are gorgeous.
All those amps are awesome. Rotel are great with Brits as I'm sure you know. They are made to be paired with B&W. Yamaha, Anthem, Arcam, Parasound etc. are all sort of lumped into that category of "very good since you don't want to buy a McIntosh". But at the end of the day, I stand by what I said earlier. All of these solid state amps should sound essentially the same. For me there are three differences:
1. Power, all channels driven (important metric). At lower volumes it should not make a difference, but if you have inefficient speakers, then having a good, continuous, clean power source is the difference at high volumes. 2. Feature set... does it the right inputs and outputs, does it have a sub out, etc. 3. Does it have a pure mode. This is big for me. I have to have something that shuts down to the most basic transformers and knocks out the noise. I only listen on pure/natural mode. With a straight amp, that's all it is. But when you get into integrated, there's a lot of electronics in there and if it's not in pure mode, I'll get listening fatigue.
I recently purchased an Outlaw 5000 5 channel amp. What a beast 80lbs or so...maybe the best deal in the industry. But at the lower volumes, it sounds no different than my Yamaha 1030 running in pure. Where it makes a difference is clarity when pushed above, say -15. The Yamaha will run out of juice and the Outlaw which hits 130 wpc, all channels driven, just opens up.
Sorry for the long ass post.
Wow thanks man, very informative! Think I'll go in store and do an A-B test sometime with the Martin Logan's along side the Monitor Silvers, should be interesting. Yep, Monitor Audio is a great brand and have an exceptional reputation, love the sound that comes out of my current set up, but it's fun to think I can push it higher.
Amps will be interesting too, possibly will go Rotel, though I've seen an upgrade of my Cambridge Audio that gets amazing reviews, the CX80, might autition that too.
Will keep you posted once I'm checking these all out, most likely in the new year..
I think you're in a good place with Monitor to start. If you like that sound, then I wouldn't hesitate to upgrade to the silver's. They have an awesome reputation. I've heard them but never owned so take that for it's worth. But I would not personally hesitate to buy Monitor. I am personally not a fan of Klipsch. Some people really like them and I know they are good rock speakers, but to me they are like Boston Acoustics... decent, big, loud, efficient, but not particularly detailed. KEF has a good rep too but I'm not familiar with Tannoy. IMO, I'd stick with the Monitor if you like that British speakers (and I do too). And far as the MLs..I'm not sure on those. I owned a sub by them and was super unimpressed. But aren't the Motions more expensive than comparable Silver's? I don't like black/ash cabinets so I like how Monitor has all those color choices. I like Cherry, walnut, and the like. Those solid wood cabinets are gorgeous.
All those amps are awesome. Rotel are great with Brits as I'm sure you know. They are made to be paired with B&W. Yamaha, Anthem, Arcam, Parasound etc. are all sort of lumped into that category of "very good since you don't want to buy a McIntosh". But at the end of the day, I stand by what I said earlier. All of these solid state amps should sound essentially the same. For me there are three differences:
1. Power, all channels driven (important metric). At lower volumes it should not make a difference, but if you have inefficient speakers, then having a good, continuous, clean power source is the difference at high volumes. 2. Feature set... does it the right inputs and outputs, does it have a sub out, etc. 3. Does it have a pure mode. This is big for me. I have to have something that shuts down to the most basic transformers and knocks out the noise. I only listen on pure/natural mode. With a straight amp, that's all it is. But when you get into integrated, there's a lot of electronics in there and if it's not in pure mode, I'll get listening fatigue.
I recently purchased an Outlaw 5000 5 channel amp. What a beast 80lbs or so...maybe the best deal in the industry. But at the lower volumes, it sounds no different than my Yamaha 1030 running in pure. Where it makes a difference is clarity when pushed above, say -15. The Yamaha will run out of juice and the Outlaw which hits 130 wpc, all channels driven, just opens up.
Sorry for the long ass post.
Wow thanks man, very informative! Think I'll go in store and do an A-B test sometime with the Martin Logan's along side the Monitor Silvers, should be interesting. Yep, Monitor Audio is a great brand and have an exceptional reputation, love the sound that comes out of my current set up, but it's fun to think I can push it higher.
Amps will be interesting too, possibly will go Rotel, though I've seen an upgrade of my Cambridge Audio that gets amazing reviews, the CX80, might autition that too.
Will keep you posted once I'm checking these all out, most likely in the new year..
Thanks!
Hey good luck. And that Cambridge is pretty damn nice too I'm sure. I'd be surprised if you heard a difference compared to that, unless you are under powered for the speakers you are seeking.
Anyone use a subwoofer with their turntable? Currently working with just a pair of bookshelf speakers, the Klipsch RF-15
2010: Cleveland 2012: Atlanta 2013: London ONT / Wrigley Field / Pittsburgh / Buffalo / San Diego / Los Angeles I / Los Angeles II 2014: Cincinnati / St. Louis / Tulsa / Lincoln / Detroit / Denver 2015: New York City 2016: Ft. Lauderdale / Miami / Jacksonville / Greenville / Hampton / Columbia / Lexington / Philly II / New York City II / Toronto II / Bonnaroo / Telluride / Fenway I / Wrigley I / Wrigley - II / TOTD - Philadelphia, San Francisco 2017: Ohana Fest (EV) 2018: Amsterdam I / Amsterdam II / Seattle I / Seattle II / Boston I / Boston II 2021: Asbury Park / Ohana Encore 1 / Ohana Encore 2 2022: Phoenix / LA I / LA II / Quebec City / Ottawa / New York City / Camden / Nashville / St. Louis / Denver 2023: St. Paul II 2024: Las Vegas I / Las Vegas II / New York City I / New York City II / Philly I / Philly II / Baltimore
I definitely want to upgrade the speakers, as I love my turntable and Pre-amp and Amp
2010: Cleveland 2012: Atlanta 2013: London ONT / Wrigley Field / Pittsburgh / Buffalo / San Diego / Los Angeles I / Los Angeles II 2014: Cincinnati / St. Louis / Tulsa / Lincoln / Detroit / Denver 2015: New York City 2016: Ft. Lauderdale / Miami / Jacksonville / Greenville / Hampton / Columbia / Lexington / Philly II / New York City II / Toronto II / Bonnaroo / Telluride / Fenway I / Wrigley I / Wrigley - II / TOTD - Philadelphia, San Francisco 2017: Ohana Fest (EV) 2018: Amsterdam I / Amsterdam II / Seattle I / Seattle II / Boston I / Boston II 2021: Asbury Park / Ohana Encore 1 / Ohana Encore 2 2022: Phoenix / LA I / LA II / Quebec City / Ottawa / New York City / Camden / Nashville / St. Louis / Denver 2023: St. Paul II 2024: Las Vegas I / Las Vegas II / New York City I / New York City II / Philly I / Philly II / Baltimore
I definitely want to upgrade the speakers, as I love my turntable and Pre-amp and Amp
Speakers are the last thing I will want to upgrade for awhile. Currently researching Klipsch and Elac brands.
Thinking about the Elac's as well.
Pine Knob Music Theatre - Jul 31, 1992 Crisler Arena - Mar 20, 1994
Summerfest - Jul 09, 1995*Savage Hall - Sep 22, 1996The Palace of Auburn Hills-Aug 23, 1998 Breslin Center- Aug 18, 1998,The Palace of Auburn Hills-Oct 07, 2000 DTE Energy Theatre-Jun5,2003,DTE Energy Music Theatre - Jun 26, 2003Sports Arena - Oct 02, 2004 Van Andel Arena - May 19, 2006Palace of Auburn Hills-May 22, 2006 Quicken Loans Arena-May 09, 2010
10-16-2014 Detroit
Do you guys use a specific brand of audio cables and/or are there ones to steer clear of?
I don't know... there are lots of opinions on this. I've never bought Blue Jean cables or anything although those are popular with audiophiles. I just use thick cables with nice connectors. To me Monoprice work great, although some would probably say otherwise. I would definitely use XLR cables if you have balanced outputs on your amp.
Do you guys use a specific brand of audio cables and/or are there ones to steer clear of?
I build my own audio cables. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than buying brand name "audiophile" cables and just as good of quality.
I'd really like to do this. Gotta tutorial you've used? I have built my own sub before and that turned out pretty well.
If you can solder, that's all the skill you need. And with most common connectors available in crimp or screw-type forms, you don't even have to solder. I prefer the solder-type, though, as its more permanent.
Do you guys use a specific brand of audio cables and/or are there ones to steer clear of?
I build my own audio cables. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than buying brand name "audiophile" cables and just as good of quality.
I'd really like to do this. Gotta tutorial you've used? I have built my own sub before and that turned out pretty well.
If you can solder, that's all the skill you need. And with most common connectors available in crimp or screw-type forms, you don't even have to solder. I prefer the solder-type, though, as its more permanent.
I can solder! My dad was an electrician so I learned early. Where do you get your parts?
anyone here ever used an anti static gun for their turntable? I seem to always get a lot more pops and hiss in the winter time. wondering if this might make a difference?
2000- Atlanta, GA: New Orleans, LA: Memphis, TN: Nashville, TN
2003- Raleigh, NC: Charlotte, NC: Atlanta, GA
2004- Asheville, NC (hometown show)
2006- Cincinnati, OH
2008- Columbia, SC
2009- Chicago, IL x 2 / Ed Vedder- Atlanta, GA x 2
2010- Bristow, VA
2011- Alpine Valley, WI (PJ20) x 2 / Ed Vedder- Chicago, IL
2012- Atlanta, GA
2013- Charlotte, NC
2014- Cincinnati, OH
2015- New York, NY
2016- Greenville, SC: Hampton, VA:: Columbia, SC: Raleigh, NC : Lexington, KY: Philly, PA 2: (Wrigley) Chicago, IL x 2 (holy shit): Temple of the Dog- Philly, PA
BTW - did you get that ground loop solved (if it was a ground loop)?
99.7% copper will ALWAYS be 99.7% copper... This is why I don't get what people believe to be a better product. Snake oil I tell you, snake oil.
I have not had time to attempt a fix yet on the ground loop. Hopefully this weekend. Thx again for your knowledge!
But it isn't copper... that's the point. It's copper clad, basically a wrap around aluminum. If you strip apart that cheaper wire, you'll see it's silver.
Do you guys use a specific brand of audio cables and/or are there ones to steer clear of?
I build my own audio cables. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than buying brand name "audiophile" cables and just as good of quality.
I'd really like to do this. Gotta tutorial you've used? I have built my own sub before and that turned out pretty well.
If you can solder, that's all the skill you need. And with most common connectors available in crimp or screw-type forms, you don't even have to solder. I prefer the solder-type, though, as its more permanent.
I can solder! My dad was an electrician so I learned early. Where do you get your parts?
Various outlets... Parts Warehouse, Monoprice, Radio Shack, Lowes, Amazon, ebay, . Wherever I can find what I'm looking for inexpensively. When it comes to speakers, I'm a big fan of the banana plug.
Do you guys use a specific brand of audio cables and/or are there ones to steer clear of?
I build my own audio cables. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than buying brand name "audiophile" cables and just as good of quality.
I'd really like to do this. Gotta tutorial you've used? I have built my own sub before and that turned out pretty well.
If you can solder, that's all the skill you need. And with most common connectors available in crimp or screw-type forms, you don't even have to solder. I prefer the solder-type, though, as its more permanent.
I can solder! My dad was an electrician so I learned early. Where do you get your parts?
Various outlets... Parts Warehouse, Monoprice, Radio Shack, Lowes, Amazon, ebay, . Wherever I can find what I'm looking for inexpensively. When it comes to speakers, I'm a big fan of the banana plug.
Always banana plugs! Makes life easier and they look classier.
@mrussel1 do you recommend the monoprice banana plugs? Funnily enough that you guys bring it up, I was doing some research on different banana plugs earlier and they seem to have the best reviews.
@mrussel1 do you recommend the monoprice banana plugs? Funnily enough that you guys bring it up, I was doing some research on different banana plugs earlier and they seem to have the best reviews.
They're great. Awesome. I've bought a ton. But make sure you get heat shrink wrap too. They must be wrapped otherwise if you touch the gold tip + - together while plugged in to your amp, you can blow it. Mono sells that too. I get white and black so I can keep the polarity straight. It takes some time to do if you have a lot of speakers, but I think it must be done.
@mrussel1 do you recommend the monoprice banana plugs? Funnily enough that you guys bring it up, I was doing some research on different banana plugs earlier and they seem to have the best reviews.
They're great. Awesome. I've bought a ton. But make sure you get heat shrink wrap too. They must be wrapped otherwise if you touch the gold tip + - together while plugged in to your amp, you can blow it. Mono sells that too. I get white and black so I can keep the polarity straight. It takes some time to do if you have a lot of speakers, but I think it must be done.
So I did a little more reading and it looks like my dad was being overly cautious all those years when he A. soldered all wires and B. did the heat shrink thing. Lots of people don't think it's necessary and the signal is so low if touching that it may shut down an amp, but not burn it. If you decide not to shrink (it's a lot more work), at least do a stagger cut so the chance of the gold/copper touching is minimal.
Comments
that was the shit back then. closest thing to a jukebox you could get. ahhhhh.... that is another thing I would like to have one day. a vintage jukebox.
livefootsteps.org/user/?usr=446
1995- New Orleans, LA : New Orleans, LA
1996- Charleston, SC
1998- Atlanta, GA: Birmingham, AL: Greenville, SC: Knoxville, TN
2000- Atlanta, GA: New Orleans, LA: Memphis, TN: Nashville, TN
2003- Raleigh, NC: Charlotte, NC: Atlanta, GA
2004- Asheville, NC (hometown show)
2006- Cincinnati, OH
2008- Columbia, SC
2009- Chicago, IL x 2 / Ed Vedder- Atlanta, GA x 2
2010- Bristow, VA
2011- Alpine Valley, WI (PJ20) x 2 / Ed Vedder- Chicago, IL
2012- Atlanta, GA
2013- Charlotte, NC
2014- Cincinnati, OH
2015- New York, NY
2016- Greenville, SC: Hampton, VA:: Columbia, SC: Raleigh, NC : Lexington, KY: Philly, PA 2: (Wrigley) Chicago, IL x 2 (holy shit): Temple of the Dog- Philly, PA
2017- ED VED- Louisville, KY
2018- Chicago, IL x2, Boston, MA x2
2020- Nashville, TN
2022- Smashville
2023- Austin, TX x2
2024- Baltimore
Amps will be interesting too, possibly will go Rotel, though I've seen an upgrade of my Cambridge Audio that gets amazing reviews, the CX80, might autition that too.
Will keep you posted once I'm checking these all out, most likely in the new year..
Thanks!
Hey question. How often should you change the needle on your TT?
2012: Atlanta
2013: London ONT / Wrigley Field / Pittsburgh / Buffalo / San Diego / Los Angeles I / Los Angeles II
2014: Cincinnati / St. Louis / Tulsa / Lincoln / Detroit / Denver
2015: New York City
2016: Ft. Lauderdale / Miami / Jacksonville / Greenville / Hampton / Columbia / Lexington / Philly II / New York City II / Toronto II / Bonnaroo / Telluride / Fenway I / Wrigley I / Wrigley - II / TOTD - Philadelphia, San Francisco
2017: Ohana Fest (EV)
2018: Amsterdam I / Amsterdam II / Seattle I / Seattle II / Boston I / Boston II
2021: Asbury Park / Ohana Encore 1 / Ohana Encore 2
2022: Phoenix / LA I / LA II / Quebec City / Ottawa / New York City / Camden / Nashville / St. Louis / Denver
2023: St. Paul II
2024: Las Vegas I / Las Vegas II / New York City I / New York City II / Philly I / Philly II / Baltimore
2012: Atlanta
2013: London ONT / Wrigley Field / Pittsburgh / Buffalo / San Diego / Los Angeles I / Los Angeles II
2014: Cincinnati / St. Louis / Tulsa / Lincoln / Detroit / Denver
2015: New York City
2016: Ft. Lauderdale / Miami / Jacksonville / Greenville / Hampton / Columbia / Lexington / Philly II / New York City II / Toronto II / Bonnaroo / Telluride / Fenway I / Wrigley I / Wrigley - II / TOTD - Philadelphia, San Francisco
2017: Ohana Fest (EV)
2018: Amsterdam I / Amsterdam II / Seattle I / Seattle II / Boston I / Boston II
2021: Asbury Park / Ohana Encore 1 / Ohana Encore 2
2022: Phoenix / LA I / LA II / Quebec City / Ottawa / New York City / Camden / Nashville / St. Louis / Denver
2023: St. Paul II
2024: Las Vegas I / Las Vegas II / New York City I / New York City II / Philly I / Philly II / Baltimore
Summerfest - Jul 09, 1995*Savage Hall - Sep 22, 1996The Palace of Auburn Hills-Aug 23, 1998 Breslin Center- Aug 18, 1998,The Palace of Auburn Hills-Oct 07, 2000 DTE Energy Theatre-Jun5,2003,DTE Energy Music Theatre - Jun 26, 2003Sports Arena - Oct 02, 2004 Van Andel Arena - May 19, 2006Palace of Auburn Hills-May 22, 2006 Quicken Loans Arena-May 09, 2010
10-16-2014 Detroit
Someone PLEASE explain to me how one form of copper is 30x more expensive than another...
I ended up buying 10g cheaper wire...
BTW - did you get that ground loop solved (if it was a ground loop)?
I have not had time to attempt a fix yet on the ground loop. Hopefully this weekend. Thx again for your knowledge!
livefootsteps.org/user/?usr=446
1995- New Orleans, LA : New Orleans, LA
1996- Charleston, SC
1998- Atlanta, GA: Birmingham, AL: Greenville, SC: Knoxville, TN
2000- Atlanta, GA: New Orleans, LA: Memphis, TN: Nashville, TN
2003- Raleigh, NC: Charlotte, NC: Atlanta, GA
2004- Asheville, NC (hometown show)
2006- Cincinnati, OH
2008- Columbia, SC
2009- Chicago, IL x 2 / Ed Vedder- Atlanta, GA x 2
2010- Bristow, VA
2011- Alpine Valley, WI (PJ20) x 2 / Ed Vedder- Chicago, IL
2012- Atlanta, GA
2013- Charlotte, NC
2014- Cincinnati, OH
2015- New York, NY
2016- Greenville, SC: Hampton, VA:: Columbia, SC: Raleigh, NC : Lexington, KY: Philly, PA 2: (Wrigley) Chicago, IL x 2 (holy shit): Temple of the Dog- Philly, PA
2017- ED VED- Louisville, KY
2018- Chicago, IL x2, Boston, MA x2
2020- Nashville, TN
2022- Smashville
2023- Austin, TX x2
2024- Baltimore