RimBlock

Back in the distance past I used to bi-wire my speakers. Did it make nay difference..... nothing I could hear but since I had the extra cable I left it as it was. I also had a green CD pen and some a handful of my CDs have a green edge to them. The theory was that it helped to focus the laser so it could read more accurately so less error correction required rather than it would improve the data stored. Did it help ..... not that I could tell but at only a few pounds what's to loose. Yep I and many others would have to agree on that. It is not that one sound is better than the other, it is more that one sound is preferred by some than the other. For audiophile listening you are going for the most accurate representation of the source material. For normal / enthusiast listening you are going for the most pleasant personal experience from the recording. I personally prefer to be an enthusiast as I listen for my pleasure rather than to be told what something should sound like. RB

Well going by his logic, the TV will produce a much brighter and clearer picture with the high priced power cords and the microware will cook with a more even texture. Clearly if we fit high priced power cords to all our electrical appliances then we will be able to live in utopia..... (I suspect he sells high priced power cords so if we did this at least one person would be living the high life ) RB

You clearly either did not read the article or failed to understand what the author was saying. Do you live in a place where the electrical supply is so poor and the equipment you use is so badly designed that the power stage cannot normalise the input power. As the article states, 'if you have enough for a special magic high priced power cord then you are better off spending it on the amplifier'. What about equipment that has hard wired power cords ?. What equipment do you have out of interest ? You don't by any chance sell expensive powercords, American speaker cables and non British HiFi cos you really are sounding like a salesman for these products or have you just spent a large amount of money on them and feel you need to justify your position. You put points across which in themselves are not too bad as everyone is entitled to their opinion but you have failed to provide any backup evidence to any of your points so it just looks like the ravings of a confused, to put it politely 'self appointed internet expert'. I would be happy to read any studies by recognised experts which backup your points and they may even change my views on the subject but I have not found any yet. RB

Interesting and not what I have observed. Clearly the speakers you have been testing bi-amping on either had a fault or were badly designed or both. Bi-amping is just supplying two independent amplified signals to each of the speaker drivers rather than having a single amplified signal split between the drivers. Bi-amping will generally give the speaker drivers more power in order for them to better reproduce the signal they are being fed rather than them being under powered and struggle. I will really not go in to the comment about better speaker cables any more than to refer readers to the 'Top 10 HiFi myths thread'. After taking a read there they should be able to file your speaker cable advice where it belongs. RB

Hi, Work out your budget, what you would like it for (music / movies / both) and where it is to be placed (living room / bedroom). With these details we can try to suggest some items you may wish to test out in the path to finding what you want to buy . Blindly going after one brand may cause you to miss other equally prices setups which may give better results. RB

Don't worry, this person backfires themselves enough that they should not notice someone else also doing it in the mess of inaccurate comments made here. Sorry to say that Wikipedia is in fact incorrect here and Farkin is in fact correct ....... Yep that was almost painful to say but I guess someone cannot be completely wrong all of the time. If you take a look at the Quad website you will notice this at the bottom.. I understand your point but in the scheme of things, Cambridge Audio is at the lower end of the market. That does not mean of course that it is no good. It means that it tries to offer the best quality at a specific budget level. How well it does that is for the listener to decide. Their offboard DACs certainly have good reviews. The info in your other post (#700) is spot on. 1. Listen in ignorance - Do a blind listening test without knowing what equipment you are listening to. 2. Buy for pleasure - Buy because you like that sound best regardless of what the shop salesperson / audiophile friend / internet loony says. 3. Pay without regret - Know you have bought the best within your budget for your preferred sound. 4. Enjoy with a passion - Enjoy what you have bought every minute you can. oh and ..... 5. Plan for the future upgrades you will no doubt want after you get the HiFi bug...... RB

You are doing these replies as a joke aren't you. Thanks you put a big smile on my face. Best "he really didn't get the point" I have seen in a long time. RB

Stumbled upon this and though it can be of use to some. Interesting reading and for the most part I see no issues with the conclusions the writer makes. Article here (pdf). Enjoy RB

Still got a few more to add yet. Will try and get round to it tonight RB

Just to add to this, Blurays do not, for the most part, have region codes. Some do and you can search around the internet for a list. The most important fact though is that the code for Singapore is the same as the code for the US so even if a disc you buy from Amazon or E-Bay in the US is region coded, it is the right region code for Singapore (unless the seller imported from elsewhere). If the seller is not willing to send overseas then just use something like vPost or Borderlinx (Citibank credit card required) which provides you with a local US / UK address for sellers to ship to and preferred rates for you to get the items shipped to Singapore (around 50% of standard DHL rates last time I checked). Personally I just rip the discs straight to hard drive which removes the region code if one existed anyway. RB

Hi Lazybum, Just a few points to note on the trap.... I was informed that HDB rules now ask for the cover of the trap to extend in to the pipe to make sure the water flows directly to the pipe and does not splash against the concrete. The tile on top, if I understand correctly what has been done as you have no pictures under the tile) will not be supported in the centre and will most likely break is a heavy weight is put on it (washing machine foot etc). Just be careful getting the appliances in. Lastly, the small gap around the tile is likely to get clogged with dust / hair / general kitchen stuff after a while. As the trap will be under the washing machine I am guessing you will not be able to clean it so easily. Sims do some nice concealed traps in a variety of colours but as there was no 'neck' to force the waste water in to the pipe underneath we ended up having to not get them. RB

List of 10..... Mine are currently; 1. Bjork - Venus as a Boy (Debut) 2. Massive Attack - Teardrop (Theme tune from House MD tv series). 3. Aerosmith - Janies got a Gun (Pump) 4. Tracy Chapman - Fast Car (Tracy Chapman) 5. Don Henley - Boys of Summer (Actual Miles) 6. Donald Fagon - The New Frontier (The Nightfly) 7. Lady Gaga - Telephone (Fame Monster) 8. Prodigy - Mindfields (Fat of the Land) 9. Robert Miles - Children (Single) 10 Portishead - Roads (Numb) What sounds really show off your kit ? RB

Ok, sorted it out. The volumetric weight is lower than the physical weight so both vPost and Borderlinx are quoting for physical weight hence the same cost (give or take specific discounts). RB

Now we can spread out in to separate threads. RB

Is this not being reflected in the cost calculator ? The vPost quote for a 25Kg amp is the same as the Borderlinx quote (S$380 odd). RB

Sent the 3/4 done list to you via email (Excel spreadsheet). Still a bit more to add but something for you to take a look at for now. Anyone else wants it then let me know Oh, please note, my DVDs are a mix of UK / Singapore / and a few from other places. If you do not have a multi-region player then I will confirm the region code before we deal. RB

My wife is also a Virgo. Considering how many people here are Virgos, I am surprised Singapore doesn't grind to a halt in December as quite a few people seem to be 'otherwise engaged'. Festive celebrations maybe . I read that Virgos are quite critical of life. Unfortunately my wife often tells me I am her life...... I thought she was being romantic . RB

I am even considering the idea of paying for some space in a container if there are enough people who were interested. Buy on EBay UK, bundle all the purchases up and ship them over by boat. Should be a lot cheaper but just have to wait for a little bit. If there is any interest from anyone in doing this (can be for shipping over anything I guess not just audio equipment) then let me know. Need to work things out but would be good to know the interest level. RB

Same length to ensure you do not get phase issues. Sound still takes time to travel . I have read very good results pairing with a Yamaha A1. The frustrating thing is that it can be had in the UK for the equiv of S$250 second hand. Hate to think what it would cost to ship one to Singapore (S$336 via Borderlinx inc tax). Anyone know of anyone selling RB

Hanging an external power amp off it for better quality and power if you want too. This may be a good option for music, just need to find a good match. RB

I am playing my music tracks like this; Flac lossless music file ripped from CD on NAS -> Cat5e network -> WD HD Live TV -> HDMI -> Yammy 667 -> Chord Carnival speaker cable -> Wharfedale Emerald 93s. The amp is set to 5.1+Bi-Amp in the configuration and the rear outputs act as a second set of front outputs. I make sure all 4 speaker cable runs for the front L/R speakers are the same length, remove the bridging pieces between the connections on the back of the speakers and connect them up. Left out goes to left speaker 1, left back goes to left speaker 2 etc (which out to which speaker in doesn't matter as long as both left outs go to the left speaker). Sit back and listen preferable after making sure the amp is in stereo mode and not surround. It is worth noting that the Warfedale EM 93s were part of the top of the line for Wharfedale in 1993 and retailed for US$1k. Some specs and info here with user reviews here. Whafedale product catalogue here. They also like a bit of power so bi-amping really helps. RB

Best bet is to take your own as you will be familiar with the movie. They will have material available as Martin mentioned if you don't but it could be anything. RB

Yeah which is why I said "what do people" rather than what do you use Ok so what are others and yours top ten movies for auditions (movie, format, scene - brief desc) Go for it RB

Judging by your postings here, that must be a long list of things you cannot understand. Just as there is a troll. Just you keep trollin-rollin-rollin on. Your rants are quite entertaining and have certainly given you a reputation which you have just reinforced with your last post. RB

Same as us. Took the speaker grills off my EM 93s to find the drivers collected quite a bit of dust. Within two minutes of the grills off my youngest started putting his fingers in the drivers. Well that was stopped sharpish and I gave them a delicate cleaning. I have also now bi-amped them with the Yamaha 667 and liked it so much I was up until 3am listening to music last night. I also took the 18.dfs side speakers apart and cleaned the front (the clothes glued in place so had to remove the drivers and crossovers). The faces have more or less gone and they have come up more or less like new. Pretty happy but a fair bit of work. So on the subject of music, what do people listen to when auditioning (10 best) ? Here is mine in no specific order. I could of course think of more than 10 but gotta stop somewhere. 1. Bjork - Venus as a Boy (Debut) 2. Massive Attack - Teardrop (Theme tune from House MD tv series). 3. Aerosmith - Janies got a Gun (Pump) 4. Tracy Chapman - Fast Car (Tracy Chapman) 5. Don Henley - Boys of Summer (Actual Miles) 6. Donald Fagon - The New Frontier (The Nightfly) 7. Lady Gaga - Telephone (Fame Monster) 8. Prodigy - Mindfields (Fat of the Land) 9. Robert Miles - Children (Single) 10 Portishead - Roads (Numb) I also have a Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs Master recording of Stings - Nothing Like the Sun. Whilst decent HiFi really brings some recordings to life it also shows up cds that are not so good. RB