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  1. DSkip

    AXPONA 2023

    Good stuff. I couldn’t recall the times.
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    AXPONA 2023

    Is your scheduled time after the industry social? I’m not sure how my evening will shape up but thought this worthy of mentioning.
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    Identification of members

    It doesn't. Forums are communities and village idiots don't need to wear a dunce hat for the community to realize who they are. Even newcomers only need a little time to witness it. In this case, I have no idea what feuds are going on so that is just a general statement. Even for industry...
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    Are We the Last Generation?

    With my younger clients, I am often pulling them AWAY from such systems for music playback. They want something these types of systems can't deliver, and they find it here. It isn't right or wrong, but I don't find heavy processing/mixing to be the solution - just a different avenue. These...
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    Are We the Last Generation?

    Threads like this always intrigue me because I feel the huge disconnect between generations in this industry. Most don't just 'arrive' at the high end - it is a journey. You have to discover the hobby and then you have to develop financial freedom to pursue it. It takes time to get in the...
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    What Does a Streamer Actually Do?

    Lower noise floor, better separation, more musically involving, much, much cleaner and less digital sounding. It felt like they took noise out of the hardware, which might have happened by optimizing performance better for lower internal noise generation. This was apparent both as a transport...
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    What Does a Streamer Actually Do?

    Software and hardware play huge roles, as do the networking design and components within. When InnuOS 2.0 released, you could find a plethora of overly positive reviews regarding improvements in sound quality. I experienced it myself and felt it was about a $6-800 performance boost in terms of...
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    New Magico Speaker ??? 12-12-22

    As I see it, you can't really compare the new model to the older ones, price-wise or performance-wise. With Rosso, our entry to the flagship series Siena went up 50% when it moved to series 2. While appearance and name were similar, nothing else was. Upon hearing the improvements, it was...
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    Rosso Fiorentino Loudspeakers - Driven by Music

    With Capital Audio Fest behind us, I've had a chance to reflect on a conversation with one of our very own moderators about Rosso Fiorentino as he visited my room. He was familiar with the line prior to my distribution which began in late 2017. Much like Jason Victor Serinus, he had an...
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    Looking for warm SS amp (coming from pass, just tried CJ)

    Norma Audio. The IPA-140B or PA-150 are stunning pieces. I have and always will be a fan of the SET sound, but I’ve not had a tube in the system since getting the line. I am the US distributor. These pieces have extremely low noise floors, especially for the price. For a budget of $20k, you...
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    Lumin P1 in 'da house

    The Lumin P1 has a home in my reference system and it is very good, especially as a transport. For me the special sauce of Lumin is in their front-end handling of a file. If you take that P1 and hook it up to a great DAC, you will see huge gains. I knew I was going to use a transport and not...
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    Wi-Fi and CAF What's the deal?

    There are ways around it but you have to be tech savvy. I streamed the entire show minus about 20 minutes when the hotel booted me. Using my phone as a hotspot, the sound actually improved. Thursday we ran into major issues that took the hotel hours to fix. The issue is there are no Ethernet...
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    Help me choose the better integrated

    All MastersounD amps are ‘real’ SET. Some are parallel such as the Dueventi. As a whole, I find their PSET amps to have better control of a speaker while not losing the magic of SET. There is also more dynamic headroom which is never a bad thing.
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    Help me choose the better integrated

    I would suggest the Dueventi if you can stretch. This was one of my personal favorites in the line. I was the US distributor for a few years.
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    Accuphase and Krell

    Might I make a recommendation of the Norma IPA-140B. I’ll start by ensuring you know I am the US distributor. The 140B is a destination piece for many of my clients as they don’t have WBF money to throw. The thing is, it delivers hugely and does things you just don’t hear in these price ranges...
  16. DSkip

    Capital Audio Fest 2022

    I will have two rooms - 321 and 616 I believe. One room will be the Rosso/Norma gear with Caprice Audio and the other will be Rosso paired with Thrax separates.
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    Are we judging sound quality wrong because setup and room vary so much?

    System setup is the greatest factor of any system. Many times what is considered a room issue can merely boil down to perceptively insignificant but acoustically dramatic adjustments. These elements do not merely apply to the speakers either. Given the importance of this step, any US sales of...
  18. DSkip

    Tubes vs. Solid State Amps

    I have the MastersounD PF100 Litz edition monos that can be had for a steal if you want to test the waters. I believe they have been paired with Magico in shows across the pond. The Thrax monos did some nice things at PAF. They appear to be well engineered products.
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    Norma IPA-140B - a truly memorable experience

    We have a new UK distributor now and he is also working with Rosso Fiorentino. We also have a new Canadian distributor and he is working on the same pairing now. Where these two brands are today, they really are the best kept secrets in the industry. Both brands focus on extremely low noise...
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    Norma IPA-140B - a truly memorable experience

    Norma is honestly an extremely easy brand to fall in love with. They do so much right at attainable prices and continue to improve as you step other components up to world-class around it. The 140B in particular is a destination piece for many as you do have to spend a lot more money to begin...
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    Unleash the Dragon - An Afternoon with AudioQuest - July 16, 2022

    AudioThesis will be hosting an event to become acquainted with the Mythical Creatures line from AudioQuest. Rob Coon of AudioQuest will also be present and available. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. RSVP is not required, but notification is always appreciated - and technically...
  22. DSkip

    PACIFIC AUDIO FEST

    I will be showing there this year. I hope those attending will introduce themselves. My room will be easy to identify as I believe I'm still the only one who uses a short throw projector behind the system.
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    NY Audio Show 2021

    I hope these shows go off and do well. I was going to go to CAF but after many clients changing from definite attendance to absolutely not attending, I just couldn't find the will to play the lottery when those funds can be used elsewhere. There's having a show, and then there is having a...
  24. DSkip

    Box cables vs quality material cables. Where your money goes?

    It appears the suggestion is that the 'value' in the MIT/Transparent lies almost solely with the 'box', whereas the Siltech/Esprit is on the cable itself.
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    Modern speakers vs Vintage speakers

    This conversation reminds me of when HD flat screens began hitting the market. It didn't immediately kill off CRT as both technologies had benefits and detractions. CRT TV's didn't have the same resolution but could get so much of the color and black levels right whereas the newer TV's had...
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    DAC Upgrade Advice, budget $5k

    I concur with it being difficult to recommend anything. My reference is the Norma DS-1, which is a DAC/CD Player. I am on my second demo unit and as is often the case you realize how good something truly is the second time around. In your case, I'd argue that you should be looking at moving...
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    Upgrading from a Chord Qutest

    Hey JM. You're really barking up the tree that I work within. Are you in the USA? I'd love to help but there are many questions I have and a conversation would be easier. If you want to reach out, my phone number is on my website (audiothesis.com). My immediate thoughts are that the Qutest...
  28. DSkip

    Rosso Fiorentino Elba Gen 2- a champagne speaker on a beer budget

  29. DSkip

    Rosso Fiorentino Elba Gen 2- a champagne speaker on a beer budget

    I don't know what I can or cannot share, but I can say the overall design is very similar to the original series, but he found fairly inexpensive ways to improve the electroacoustics thereby improving dynamics, and allowing the speakers to get out of the way of the music more. Their ability to...
  30. DSkip

    Rosso Fiorentino Elba Gen 2- a champagne speaker on a beer budget

    Thanks! These gen 2 are a completely different monster. In fact, those changes are all across the board on the new Rosso lineup. Francesco has in some cases gone back to the basics and experimented with some design and component choices that buck the trend. The result is what Robert Harley...

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