With the resurgence of good Hi-Fi, where more and more people buy good headphones and listen to a lot of music thanks to streaming, it’s sad to see the things the mastering engineers (and in the end the artist) do to music. The recordings are getting worse. Even old records that get the “Remastered” or “Expanded” treatment doesn’t sound as good as the original. Why?
NAD 3020B Amplifier A Classic Worth Restoring
A friend of mine bought a new amplifier, but he wasn’t pleased with the sound. So he called me and asked if I could recommend a good old amplifier that could drive smaller speakers because he likes the aesthetic of older things. And the venerable NAD 3020B was the first one that came to mind. When I was young, this was the first affordable amplifier that sounded good.
It’s not a powerhouse by any means, putting out (a very conservative estimate) 2 x 20 watts. But the phono stage accepts both MM and MC pickups which is excellent, and the sound quality is exceptional. So he scoured the used market and finally found a NAD 3020B. Unfortunately, when he got it home, there was a loud hum from the output. So I told him to send it to me so I could fix it.
Building A Better Record Player Motor Controller Pro-ject
After fixing my Pro-Ject Speedbox II SE I thought I check how it worked and if I could improve it. I’m in the process of comparing my bench version against the Speedbox, and my model is winning big time! I’ll get back when I have a nice unit up and running…
Run Away Brainz: Audio: Crystal cMoy Freeform Headphone Amp
Crystal cMoy Freeform Headphone Amp:
Very cool transparent cMoy headphone amplifier, made using clear casting resin. This is something I have to try.
Via 0pachira
HRT Headstreamer DAC USB 24-bit 96khz Headphone Amp Review
I finally got my hands on the new Headstreamer DAC headphone amplifier. I’ve been looking for a while for a DAC/headphone amplifier that works with both my Mac and iPad. The CEntrance DACport, but it’s a bit too expensive. So the Headstreamer DAC looked like a good compromise.