Dented tweeter

December 31, 2009

My son dented my tweeter with a candy cane of all things. Is this something that can be fixed?

Leroy Williams

Your situation is not unique. I suggest going to Google.com and typing in "fix dented tweeter." You'll find plenty of advice.

USB DAC an upgrade?

December 27, 2009

As I’m sure you know, there are a number of USB DACs on the market for $100-$300. I have found a few models that have S/PDIF and USB inputs. I was thinking of getting one of these as an upgrade for my older CD player now and then setting up a computer system later on. My question is: Would this setup likely be better than my older CD player (an outdated Marantz from about ten years ago)?

Ralph

Adding a new DAC to an older CD player is a great way to upgrade the sound of your system. Digital-to-analog conversion has come a long way in recent years. Having the added benefit of a USB input for a computer-based system makes even more sense. Honestly, the case you make for upgrading your system for $100-$300 is spot on. I think your plan is incredibly cost effective and is definitely GoodSound!-approved.

New amplifier for his Cabasse speakers

December 21, 2009

I'm looking for an amplifier to match with Cabasse speakers. What do you think of the arcam FMJ A18?

François

We're not sure which Cabasse speakers you mean. As for our thoughts on the A18, please have a look at Aron Garrecht's review  from July 15.

Bookshelf speakers on bookshelf

December 15, 2009

I have a set of Energy speakers that are on a bookshelf behind my television. The dialogue is muddy and indistinct, and sometimes I can’t even make out who is saying what. My wife doesn’t even like to watch movies because of it. What can I do to improve the sound, especially with voices? Do I need new speakers?

Tom

I suspect you don’t need new speakers -- Energy speakers are generally considered pretty good, certainly good enough to reproduce voices in a movie soundtrack to the point of intelligibility. I think your issue is speaker placement. Despite being called "bookshelf" speakers, a bookshelf is typically not a good place to put speakers if great sound quality is the goal -- on stands placed on the floor is usually better. But there are some ways to maximize what you have. First, you state that the speakers are "behind" your television. Can you move them from deep within the bookshelf so that they are out front more, maybe so that they are even with the front plane described by the TV? Second, is the bookshelf much higher or lower than your seating position? If so, a simple trick is to use a set of door stoppers under the speakers to angle the tweeters directly toward your listening position. I suspect if you do these two simple tweaks the sound will get much better and your wife will be watching movies again. Let us know.

Too much tweaking?

December 12, 2009

Oh my, yes, you’ve nailed that description to a "T" with "An Open Letter to a Tweakaholic." I have actually heard that McIntosh put on a demonstration. It was double blind, used some very nice speakers, and their quality audio products. There was only one difference. The speaker cables were swapped from quality 18-gauge zip cord to some multi-hundred-dollar ones. Nobody in the audience knew what had been changed and no one could tell at all. The point was clear: spend your money on what counts, speakers and source material. Any decent-quality interconnect will do as long as the impedance matches. Everything else is hogwash.

I had the same thing happen with my first turntable, a very inexpensive Music Hall. It had standard interconnects without even any gold plating. And yet there was not a person who would argue that it put any CD player I put in the system to shame -- and quickly. Oh, my favorite tweak is free: take off your glasses and close your eyes. It will take about fives minutes but you will hear better. And there is a "sound" physiological reason for this as the blood flows more freely through your temples. Thanks for a great laugh.

Tom Manseau

Green pens and other mysteries

December 9, 2009

I heard about this green pen that people paint the edges of their CDs with. Supposedly, it makes them sound better. Is this true?

Tyler Hayes

You’re talking about the CD Stoplight that was initially put on the market about 20 years ago. The manufacturer, AudioPrism, still has it on their website, so I assume that you can still get it. They claim that it stops "stray laser light" in the transport mechanism and that’s supposed to allow your CD player to work better. Does it work? I actually bought it years ago, marked the edges of a few CDs, and found that it didn’t do a thing. Others claim it does. You’ll probably have to try it for yourself to know for sure.

Home-theater receiver or integrated amplifier?

December 5, 2009

I notice that there aren’t many two-channel integrated amps around these days; instead, what I mostly see are home-theater receivers. What’s surprising, though, is that some of receivers are very inexpensive. Many are cheaper than the few integrated amps out there. I only plan to listen to stereo, but what do you think about using an HT receiver for that?

Carl Walters

You’re right, there certainly aren’t as many stereo integrated amps as there used to be. But you can still find some good inexpensive ones from NAD, Cambridge Audio, Anthem, and a few others. We reviewed the Anthem Integrated 225 earlier this year, and we have a review of the NAD C 326BEE coming up. Would I choose a home-theater receiver over these? Probably not. All of the similarly priced home-theater receivers I’ve used, while impressive for their features, don’t have the sound quality that matches an audiophile-grade integrated amplifier from these companies. So, if you only plan to listen to stereo, I’d stick with an integrated amp.