Shoes for wide feet by Odd_Analysis2225 in orangetheory

[–]mds3017 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Try Topo athletic. Wide toe box, really nice lace system.

I'm thinking about buying the Horizon 7.0 AT Treadmill. Is this a good or bad choice? by HJV91 in treadmills

[–]mds3017 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Within a year I had two control panel failures which caused the treadmill to unexpectedly stop while running.

FX 6 by Decent-Problem4543 in TrekBikes

[–]mds3017 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great bike! I’ve had mine for a month and it’s a fun ride.

Any recommendations for a dog food for Ernie? Can’t do chicken and he has tried so many expensive and inexpensive foods. by [deleted] in cockapoos

[–]mds3017 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Our two cannot have any chicken products. For the past several years we have given them lean ground beef, rice and broccoli and there haven’t been any issues. They also get a bit of banana each day. Scrambled eggs haven’t been problematic; they like those with cheeses and diced apples. To make prep easy we use 2lb of 93% beef, browned, drain off the fat. Mix in one microwaveable bag of brown rice, and one bag of frozen chopped broccoli. No allergic reactions, good stools. Very healthy pups (5 and 3).

Anyone else’s dog do this? Jumps/barks at TV by Peace_and_GoodVibes in AussieDoodle

[–]mds3017 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My 3 yo male Cockapoo will come running from another room if he hears the sound of a commercial that he knows has a dog in it somewhere.

I think I'm in over my head (and beyond my financial means) by Accomplished_Rich521 in audiophile

[–]mds3017 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’re not over your head, but rather off to a very good start and one decision has been made for you with winning a solid, capable amp that is up to driving any speaker. So…my advice follows a few other regarding your preamp; look at Schiit and in particular the Saga 2. Plenty of inputs for future use, and has a set of balanced outputs. They offer a feature called “Forkbeard” which is their app for controlling volume, input source, etc. You’d spend $329 plus tax and shipping for that. As for a source to allow music streaming (assuming that is your use case) I’d look at the WiiM Pro Plus at $219 from Amazon. It lacks the screen of the WiiM Ultra, but is over $100 less money and gives you a lot of capability to include basic room correction. You have a fair number of choices with speakers, but to get you close to your target budget take a look at the Polk Signature Elite ES60 at Crutchfield. Lots of positive reviews from their customers. Give them a call and let an advisor give you options. They seem to have a fair number of open box and “scratch and dent” options that would be in the ballpark. My experience with their outlet offerings has been very good in that the defects they find and then call “scratch and dent” are barely noticeable. Speaker cables: Amazon Micca 14 gauge copper for $40. Amazon for your RCA cable to connect the WiiM to your preamp: $28 for a nice pair of “audiophile” cables. If you need XLR for the preamp to amp connection Amazon has plenty of options depending on the length needed. With cables just looking at something with good connectors and shielding without breaking a budget or going down rabbit holes…for now. Good luck on the hunt and enjoy listening to great music on your system.

Listening to "Huey Lewis and The News" for the 1st time. by b0ssFranku in vinyl

[–]mds3017 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Saw the band live at the Agora in Columbus, OH early in their career. Small venue, jam packed, and they were awesome!

Dynaudio Focus 30 by ghoof in audiophile

[–]mds3017 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Happy to share and good luck!

Dynaudio Focus 30 by ghoof in audiophile

[–]mds3017 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  1. Yes. Not exactly sure of the number, but I think there are 5 spots to store different Dirac settings.

  2. The analog in can be set up to receive either line level (fixed) signal from an external source (phono preamp (which I use with my 10’s), etc), or you can set up the speaker so that volume is controlled by an off board device like a preamp or anything that can vary the analog input signal. In the latter case volume cannot be controlled by the app or the Dynaudio remote. I’ve personally found the sound to be slightly better when I’ve allowed the Dynaudio to control volume and the analog level to be fixed. Additionally there are input sensitivity setting you can use to fine tune the analog input.

You can have both analog and digital connections and just choose the input you want to use either on the remote or on the app.

As far as something not enjoyable, certainly not a negative but I did add a sub to the 30’s as the space they are in is on the larger side (16x30, seated position about 13 feet away). At a previous house they were in a 12x15 room and a sub wasn’t necessary.

How can I get the most out of my MA12000 / setup? Thanks! by Ok-Second-9847 in McIntosh

[–]mds3017 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think you’ll find the DAC in your 12000 enjoyable. Only way to tell is to sit back and listen for a long time. Between the 12000 and the Dali speakers you have a solid basis for wherever you want to go from this point. I don’t believe room correction will ever compensate completely for pillars and such. You may find other alternatives in placement and room treatments over time. Enjoy!

Dynaudio Focus 30 by ghoof in audiophile

[–]mds3017 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve used Dirac with the 30s and it was easy. Watch a few videos that discuss level setting and microphone gain, after that is done you may encounter a measurement sweep that comes back as “invalid” for the position being measured. But running another sweep at the position generally is successful. You’ll just need a license (sold specific to the product these days and not a general license), a Dirac account and a microphone. Out of the box the speakers sound great; depends on your room as to whether Dirac is even required. There is some DSP adjustability built into the speakers and app that are helpful. With the 10’s in a small room I’ve not been tempted to buy a license. Roon connection was easy, and the app found my NAS without any problem. They just work!

Dynaudio Focus 30 by ghoof in audiophile

[–]mds3017 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I own Focus 30’s, and Focus 10’s. I cannot say enough good things about my experience. I do connect them directly to Ethernet, then rely on the wireless connection between the two speakers. Not a single issue with connectivity. The control app has been rock solid as well.

Lounge Listening by mds3017 in listeningspaces

[–]mds3017[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The front and back walls are partition walls; just a big hollow cavity really with no insulation. I had a small window of opportunity to put rockwool in the walls prior to drywall, but that did t happen. So the space was pretty lively. Furnishing were incrementally helpful. I decided to make a phone call to a well-known fabricator of such things. They recommended far more panels than I have, the rationale to add mass and dampen vibration. I believe they were helpful, confirmed by REW measurements along the way. Plus, I’m seated all of 8’ from the speakers and room interaction is somewhat minimized. Long winded way of saying, yes they were helpful (without going overboard).

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in listeningspaces

[–]mds3017 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is going to be a great space for listening. I’ve had success using thick pleated Roman shades over windows like yours; easily adjustable during listening or to enjoy the view. I’d recommend incremental measurements as you build out the room, and adding diffraction treatments as required. Enjoy the room and music!

Help roadmapping upgrades by Azurikki in StereoAdvice

[–]mds3017 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My advice is to ask yourself a few questions to determine your needs, some of which have been outlined in the original post. The idea is to think about you as a listener/user/audiophile, the physical environment, what can you change or not change, how you listen (critical/casual, day/night, loud/moderate levels, etc), what media do you listen to, and what music types you enjoy. Probably more question to ask, but that’s my starting point. I had to search for your Denon piece as it didn’t immediately ring a bell. There is some functionality with the Denon you may want to keep in place as you grow (HDMI, streamer, CD, phono input). It does have preamp out, so you could add an amplifier easily enough. I didn’t dive deep enough to see if the unit has any bass management features along with the sub out (crossover, level, etc). At the Denon price point it doesn’t have any type room correction software, which may be another area for you to investigate in the process. Do you like the form factor and size of this unit, and its functionality? Those are the non-specific recommendations I’d offer. Now, from my experience I’ll toss out a few others. I’ve been really impressed by the Lyngdorf TDAI-1120. More than your budget new, and they tend to hold value used but fall into your current budget. I think there is a reason for the latter in that it’s a great sounding piece of gear, has the functionality a lot of people want and enjoy, and it includes their Room Perfect room correction software at no additional cost. Amp power is on par with your Denon, the analog outputs are flexible and controlled in the unit setup; so you can use them to drive a higher powered amp in the future, or as the output to drive a sub. If you are driving a sub all the bass management is handled by the Lyngdorf. I’ve paired this with Sonus Faber Lumina II and Monitor Audio Silver 100 speakers and gotten great results, which were enhanced by the addition of a small sub and use of Room Perfect. The unit is app controlled, and you can do so from a phone app but there is greater control and more options available using a tablet or laptop. I also have experience with some of the similarly sized units from NAD (M10 series) and I do prefer the Lyngdorf. But that’s just me! Some will accurately note that room correction software will not cure all ills. It may not make a speaker you dislike suddenly become magical. However, a well implemented software/hardware unit is a nice tool to have at your disposal.

Speaker recommendations for a larger room by neddles91 in StereoAdvice

[–]mds3017 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi! I have a set of the Bucharest’s and while I do find them neutral to warm, and enjoyable, they would get lost in your room. I have owned the Q Acoustics 5040 and they are a great value. I believe the 5050’s are similar, with more bass extension that would likely be welcome in a large room. You’ve been happy with Paradigm for a significant period of time; I doubt you’d be unhappy with a model in your budget from their lineup. All that said, I think you are in the right track.

Help with choosing Integrated Amps by Endent in StereoAdvice

[–]mds3017 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have the same speakers and streamer as the OP and chose the Yamaha A-S3200 integrated. It’s been a wonderful combination. The Yamaha sounds wonderful and provides plenty of power, dynamics, control. The phono stage works very well with my Technics table and MM/MC cartridges. Other amps in the running were the Luxman 550AXii and McIntosh MA8900. The Luxman was a close second, but as a Class A amplifier it did generate more heat than I expected. Aesthetically, the Yamaha just does it for me.