Comments on: and Steve Says… What About Affordable, Entry Level, and Budget Audio? ...and a Little Announcement About the LA Audio Show!

By: 1More Quad Driver In-Ear Headphones

1More Quad Driver In-Ear Headphones — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 16:49:06 +0000

[…] And sure, there is debate about the terminology here—affordable, entry-level, budget audio—but Steve Lefkowicz is right. It's all relative (and relatively complex). The audio world is a complicated place for a newbie to […]

By: Linear Tube Audio

Linear Tube Audio — Mon, 01 May 2017 05:23:00 +0000

In reply to Steve Lefkowicz. I've been happily using the new Saga preamp in my home system, though only in the passive mode, as it's feeding an integrated tube amp. Thanks for setting these rooms up in LA. I know the ones at RMAF were great to have.

By: Steve Lefkowicz

Steve Lefkowicz — Sun, 30 Apr 2017 05:16:00 +0000

In reply to Linear Tube Audio. We will have both the Lore ($1000) and the new Double Impact ($3000). I was going to bring my own well used set of Lores, but Tekton is sending a new set for the show. At $3000, the Double Impact will anchor our top (i.e., most expensive) system, driven by either a Heed Elixir integrated amp ($1195) or the new Schiit Audio Freya preamp with the not yet released Vidar Power amp ($699 each). The Elixir sounds wonderful with the Lores in my home system. We'll decide once we set the room up which electronics sound better driving the Double Impact or the Magneplaner .7. From the times I've heard the your preamp/headphone amp at CanJam, I'd love to try one out sometime.

By: Linear Tube Audio

Linear Tube Audio — Sun, 30 Apr 2017 03:31:00 +0000

Very glad to see that Tekton Design (my own Tekton Lores are playing as I type) will be at an audio show. As most of their entire lineup could be considered at the very top of performance-to-value, it will be interesting to see which speakers are chosen.

I also hope more people take up the offer of bringing their own music. At the booths in the headphone areas especially I'm surprised by how few people take the opportunity to do this, even if every exhibitor isn't going to accommodate your request. And, not that I'm referring at all to any specific rooms I participated in that featured a very easy to browse touchscreen library hooked up to a Wolf Audio Systems server, please take any opportunity to choose music you want to listen to if invited to!

@disqus_3Xme8UiDSq:disqus Appreciate the mention. We're not attending LAAS personally (too busy in the workshop right now!) but our friend Well Pleased Audio is paying us a huge compliment by using the MZ2 as a preamp in their room, which will otherwise be filled with their own roster of incredible components not often seen stateside.

By: Steve Lefkowicz

Steve Lefkowicz — Sat, 29 Apr 2017 18:00:00 +0000

In reply to Dave Elliott. My first "high end" speaker was the Maggie 2b (replacing my college days EPI 180), and for a while I had a GTE + (about $15 at the time) on a Rega Planer 2 (about 1981/82). Magneplaner to this day offers some of the best value in real high quality sound. We will have the .7 in our room at the show, driven mostly by either the Heed Elixir integrated amp or the new Schiit Freya preamp / Vidar power amp combination. Getting people into this hobby is necessary and a challenge, and the industry has historically been really bad about how they handle it. We have to start with not focusing on the hobby aspect of it, but just getting people to realize that their favorite music will not just sound better but will actually be more enjoyable on a better sounding system. That's what we have to focus on.

By: Dave Elliott

Dave Elliott — Sat, 29 Apr 2017 11:38:00 +0000

The AR turntable, Grado GTE cartridge, Hafler DH200 amplifier, Magnepan 1B speaker, these were all what I would call "high yield" components. They punched well above their price point when introduced and held their own for years, required a much greater investment to get better sound. Identifying the current crop of like components such as the Sonore microRendu renderer, Linear Tube Audio MIcrozotl 2 pre/headphone amp etc is the right way to get more hobbyists into audio.

By: Robert Schryer

Robert Schryer — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 22:04:00 +0000

Exactly right. Those terms are overused and often smack of condescension. Time to revamp the vocabulary. Good stuff, Steve.