June 7, 2001
Kudos to your new audiophile webzine for real
people with real budgets. I like your easy, informative and engaging style of writing as
much as I look forward to your reviews of products that I can actually buy.
I live in Japan, where most of the serious but
affordable audiophile speaker products are not available (i.e., Axiom, Sound
Dynamics, Paradigm, PSB, etc.-- honest I didn't see any of these brands). I see a lot of
Tannoy MXs, though, because these are manufactured, I believe, in Taiwan. I get the urge
to buy a pair and to my ears, they seem OK.
However, I do need some advice. This is the
reason I wrote you. Have you encountered Tannoys before (specially the Mercury X series)?
Kindly e-mail me your findings and recommendations about these speakers (I am eyeing the
MX2 model). Thank you very much.
JA Florendo
Tannoy is a highly reputable company, and
their Mercury series is a budget favorite with many US dealers. I have only heard certain
Mercury models briefly in show rooms, but I was impressed. I also trust those dealers with
whom I worked in the past when I was still in audio sales and marketing. Those of them who
carry the entry-level Tannoys claim that it's one of the best budget lines available. So,
shy of in-depth personal experience at this point (I already put in a request for review
pairs), I'd say trust your ears. Not only are these good speakers, they're backed up by a
real and fine company. See our sister publication, Home Theater & Sound, for a
review of the Tannoy Saturn HT system.
June 6, 2001
First of all, I'd like to compliment you on a
great site which provides such valuable and direct advice and recommendations. I don't
consider myself any audiophile, but I love great music (all kinds) and GOOD SOUND, and
your site will guide me to very good sound within a reasonable budget without spending all
my free time in stereo shops and doing research. Thanks for a great site.
I am planning on continuing an upgrade of my
system, which consists of a Micromega Stage 2 CD player, Rotel RA-932 preamp, an old Sony
receiver (used for amplification only; my 20+-year-old Yamaha CA-810 went south on me),
and an old pair of JBL bookshelf speakers. My next step was to purchase speakers, and
based on your reviews, I'm thinking along the lines of purchasing the Axiom M3Ti. I
believe when I get around to replacing my amplifier it will be a tube amp or tube
integrated amp. How do you feel the Axioms will match up with tube amplification as
compared to the other speakers you recently reviewed? Are there other speakers you might
recommend in their place? My budget is about $500. My listening habits include world
music, classical, jazz, blues, and rock. Finally, do plan on including tube amplifiers in
your future reviews? Thanks for you help.
Yves Sergile
If $500 is your speaker budget, the Axioms
are a total no-brainer. Even if you had $1000, you should still consider them. I'm
convinced that more money would buy you fancier veneers, heftier construction and all the
other "glamorous" things that increased cost should. But if you're just
interested in getting the best performance for the money, the Axioms are the best I've
heard yet. And yes, tubes would be perfect. We will review tube gear in these pages soon,
probably something from Antique Sound Labs and JoLida. Stay tuned.
June 3, 2001
Plain and simple: Do we need both a DVD player
and a CD player to get quality video and music? There are arguments both ways. Some say
forget the CD player, and others say the opposite. I am pushing for quality music, as I
just purchased some quality speakers. What is your stand?
Thanks kindly,
Dave
Depends on your budget. In the sub-$500
sector, I feel DVD players serve as perfect music/movie machines. Equivalently priced CD
players overall don't seem to offer much added two-channel performance if any (there are
exceptions like the $450 Cambridge Audio CD player we just reviewed). In the over-$1000
sector, a DVD player plus outboard DAC (like the excellent MSB Link DAC III for $399) will
again give most equivalently priced CD players a run for their money, plus play DVDs and
CDs. However, in the same sector, I'd prefer a Rega Planet 2000 CD player over a DVD
player if all I was interested in was two-channel performance.
June 2, 2001
I'm from India where voltage fluctuation is
very common. Kindly suggest a solution to protect my system. My budget is $300. Also,
could you make any suggestions on a good power cord for my CD player and amplifier?
Thank you,
Sunil
Minor voltage fluctuations are not
dangerous. Most power supplies in modern electronics can cope with reasonable under/over
voltages. On the other hand, voltage spikes or power surges are dangerous. Voltage
stabilizers like the PS Audio Power Plants I'm familiar with are quite outside your given
budget. Also, they're primarily designed for sonic improvements, not necessarily
protection. Actual surge-protection devices from Monster Cable do incorporate clamp-down
protection into multiple outlet strips. Those are well within your budget. If you're
looking for protection from spikes rather than just sonic improvements, that's the way to
go.
For power cords, most after-market models
that go beyond the cords supplied with the electronics can make a difference, but many are
outrageously priced. It's important to try before you buy. Depending on what cable makers
are represented in India, I'd try something from companies like TARA Labs. Audio Magic
also makes an inexpensive power cord that's worth seeking out.
|
