 |
| Letters -- April 2004 Wants his own "World's Best Audio System," but needs to convince the wife April 19, 2004 To Jeff Fritz, I showed my wife the first installment of "The World's Best Audio System." It appears to me, though, I'd like some more pictures to confirm that you've been able to acquire a "super" system and actually have it look good in a real living room. Was this room designed for such a purpose, or did you just get lucky? I am desperately attempting to convince my spouse that we could do the same thing and could use some reinforcement. Randolph The room was designed to house such a system, but it was also designed to be a usable space. My wife has come to terms with "my job" as a reviewer and has developed what she calls her APBs (Automatic Psychological Blinders) in order to ignore the system. But I've done my part to lessen the impact on the room, too. For instance, my Wilson speakers are in Grigio Titanio finish, which blends into the décor nicely. Seriously, there's no way to hide over a ton of audio gear, but you can make the installation neat and tidy so that it is presentable....Jeff Fritz RS Audio one year later April 13, 2004 To Mike Silverton, It is a year after your review of the RS Audio Solid Silver interconnects. Of course, we know there are a dozen or more direct-sales cable companies. I've been interested in Sonic Horizons, for example, but haven't taken the plunge yet. Have you since compared the RS Audio interconnects to any other notable interconnects sold direct, and do you still feel this is the best buy around under $500 per meter pair? (I'm generalizing based on your review, of course.) You didn't go into the oft-mentioned issue of brightness and/or a slightly warped tonal balance with these silver dreams. We know that does occur often, according to one's system and own personal sense of neutrality. My challenge is that although I'm very fortunate to have some pretty transparent speakers for an audiophile on a tight budget (GR Research Paradox 3s, built from a kit and sold direct). They have a pair of inverted titanium-dome tweeters, which do err on the bright side. How do you honestly feel about the RS interconnects in a scenario like this? Hopefully they won't make the tonal balance any brighter than Harmonic Technology Truth Link, which I can get new for $265 per meter pair. But for now I really can't afford to spend any more than that. The way you raved about the RS Audio interconnects, you'd think they could hold their own against the Synergistic Research Designer's Reference. Of that I'd be skeptical. But in your system, you'd know! That's one of the reasons I bothered to write; the context of your system is of such high caliber to make these assessments really meaningful, something I often find lacking in most of the smaller magazines/sites. Nordost Valhalla, which you apparently had on hand for comparison, is supposedly as good as the Designer's Refernce, more or less. Mark Rucker It's been a while since I've had the RS Audio Silver cables in the system. With respect, however, to silver's reputation for brightness, this is certainly not a problem with RS Audio nor another silver interconnect and speaker cable I'm in the midst of breaking in and some time later writing about: the rather more expensive Audio Magic Clairvoyant 4Ds. A cable's "sound" remains a system-dependent affair. For me, as a reviewer who recommends the Silvers, RS's home-trial guarantee remains its most comforting (read cover-one's-rear) feature. If you should decide that I've been talking through my hat, you've only to return them for a refund. But do give them a good 30 days of use -- the length of the home-trial period -- before coming to a conclusion. And if you follow through on the RS Silvers, tell me what you think of them....Mike Silverton dCS versus Meitner? April 7, 2004 To Jeff Fritz Fine column on the Lamm M1.2 Reference amplifiers. Your column is nice to read as it gives us "regular guys" something to shoot for. I would like to make a suggestion for future consideration. You have written about the Meitner SACD components, and rightly so. I've heard them sound incredible on at least two occasions, though it was with Kharma speakers. Has Meitner knocked the dCS stack off the top shelf? Just a couple years ago dCS was the reference for most reviewers. This seems like a question you can answer. Again, wonderful column. Francisco I'd love to be able to test the latest dCS digital gear in my system. And you're right, for a while it was all the rage. Now it seems that other companies have laid claim to the title of "best digital." I'll see what I can do about arranging an audition, though space for inclusion in "The World's Best Audio System" is quite limited due to time considerations....Jeff Fritz
Ultra Audio is part of the SoundStage! Network. |
