Letters - June 2008
Speaker query
June 30, 2008
Editor,
Thanks for the great website. I have a query regarding
loudspeakers. In the shops in my area, the range of speakers they have includes
Wharfedale, Dali, Jensen, Jamo and Yamaha. They all seem to be in the same price range.
Have you had much exposure to those brands?
Sergio
I’ve had passing exposure to most of the brands
you’ve listed, mainly by listening at trade shows. Of the ones you mention, I’ve
been most favorably impressed by the Dalis. They seem to offer excellent performance at
several price points and their build quality suggests that they’ll hold up well over
time. The Wharfedales also seem to offer good value for the money and are quite attractive
options. Those are the two brands of the ones that you mention that I would be most likely
to recommend, but again that’s just based on very limited exposure. However, since
you have these brands near you, listen for yourself and see what you think. After all, you’ll
be living with them....Jeff Fritz
Alternative to Oppo for music-only system
June 6, 2008
To Wes Marshall,
I read your June
review of the Oppo Digital DV-983H and noticed that you used the HDMI input on your
Integra receiver. I have a Sony SCD-CE595 five-disc player that does CD and SACD. The good
news is at 150 bucks list it does SACD in DSD, so I use the 5.1 analog outs on it. The
chipset on this player is superior. When I played the Dark Side of the Moon SACD,
my mind was blown. It reminded me of the early stereo shows in NYC with discrete
four-channel via multichannel tape decks. I paid a grand total of $100 for mine. Tube
Research does a mod of this player for $700, which should tell you that the chip in this
thing is super. It plays CD/SACD in two and 5.1 channels switchable on the fly with the
remote. Thankfully it doesn't do DVD.
Al
A note about Rome, the TV series
June 3, 2008
To Rad Bennett,
Your
suspicion about cost being the reason Rome was discontinued is correct. I
teach history and one of my research areas is the representation of history in visual
media (mostly feature films, but sometimes television) and the Rome series is
excellent (especially on DVD), but in my research I came across a number of articles that
state its prohibitive cost made it impossible to continue.
Paul D'Amboise |
