Recent content by TimMel

Just re-read the 80 Series announcement and of course the 80 AMP will apparently have a MM / MC phono stage. Now we just need a glance at the rear of the device ...

Thanks Gray, I suspect the 5P refers to the 5-pin female mini-XLR connector at the turntable end. Here it is from the manufacturer's English-language website (option 5): https://www.project-audio.com/en/product/connect-it-ds/ It may be easy for you to construct cables yourself, but I'm afraid...

I wonder if full-width Cyrus integrated amps will get built-in MC as well as MM phono stages? i9-XR only has MM. They would also have plenty of room for an array of I/O options and if Pro-Ject are as big a player in turntables as they appear to be, they may well swing the whole market - Cyrus...

True, but I've just bought a new Pro-Ject Xtension 9 turntable with XLR out - that's a company that has placed a big bet on balanced XLR, and you get a nice mini-XLR cable with it: the freebie is mini-XLR to 2 x phono RCA but the upgrade Pro-Ject Connect It Phono 5P DS to XLR can be had for less...

I'm excited with the new full-width development, and everything I've seen so far suggests these new 80 units will sit alongside the 40 half-width boxes - I'm very happy with the small form factor (fewer family arguments, for sure, with my XR boxes on a dedicated HiFi Racks oak rack) but the...

Doh! BFA plugs at the amp end - it is a Cyrus integrated amp after all …

That’s very helpful @Jasonovich and @Friesiansam - I checked WBC out on the filthy dirty tax-avoiding rotters’ site and the quality looks high: but 7AWG?? Can it actually go round corners? Canare 4S11 11AWG and Van Damme 12AWG look great - do you think they can adapt the terminals? I need BFC on...

Hi @Gray as I understand it, the DAC in the i9-XR and the Stream-XR are identical. I did try connecting the Stream-XR via digital RCA Coaxial (Chord Clearway) connector into the i9-XR DAC but to my ears at least, connecting the Stream-XR via RCA into the analogue stage of the i9-XR was more...

Bought a Bluesound N130 less than two years ago. Recently bought the Stream-XR (no external power supply). Night and day; no, South Downs chalk to finest Roquefort; better still, earth to Neptune. The difference (soundstage, clarity, separation etc.) is very, very far from subtle. Both...

I think there's always room for healthy scepticism towards what is occasionally slammed as 'snakeoil': it is inevitable that a highly technical hobby like this, with people willing to spend serious coin to enjoy it, attracts innovations and product developments whose objective merits are...

Thanks Jason, perhaps I should have trodden more lightly on a subject about which people have strong views! But the range and quality of the replies have most certainly been worth it. I'm prepared to believe that speaker cables can make a difference - it's quite clear to me that the quality of...

Thanks to @gasolin and @DougK1 for helpful replies. PMC themselves are pretty tight-lipped on which cables work best, saying they recommend a 'high-quality thick multi-strand OFC cable': does 'thick' mean a gauge of 10AWG or is that too thick? I suspect quality of connectors matters too.

Rethinking speaker cables: should I upgrade once I have moved house and know exactly what lengths I require? If so, pure copper for greater warmth? Shielded or unshielded? My PMC speakers are very good and I’m not convinced my current wires are getting the most out of them: wondering if Chord...