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  1. John Tompkins

    "upgrade" my EAD Encore to Lexicon DC-2 V4 or to something else?

    I currently have the aragon soundstage and am thrilled to death with it. It has top notch two channel performance for a digital processor and HT is viseral with major dynamics. If somebody just needs a 5.1 system the soundstage would be VERY hard to beat.
  2. John Tompkins

    "upgrade" my EAD Encore to Lexicon DC-2 V4 or to something else?

    Many people who are getting the lex dc-2/mc-1 are using it in conjunction with the sony tap with great results..Ive done this myself and its a good one-two punch combination for somebody who wants logic 7 AND analog bypass (two 5.1 inputs actually)
  3. John Tompkins

    HT AV Receivers - rank the different brands for me...

    Thats a loaded question to begin with. If you want automatic room calibration give the pioneer a look, if you are big on features and tweakability give the sony a look, if you prefer a slightly warmer sound give the denon a look, if you want logic 7 give the h/k 8000 a look..and so on..Now if...
  4. John Tompkins

    Its hard to beat the MC-1 & Logic 7!

    Thanks Shawn!..thats cool about the 5.1 inputs and having the crossovers every 10 hz will be nice.. On a side note, I bid and won a pair of citation 7.3's the other day on ebay and noticed that I outbid a sfogg, was that you by chance ?...I cant wait to try the dipoles on the side (Ive always...
  5. John Tompkins

    Its hard to beat the MC-1 & Logic 7!

    Man, this threads giving me an itch for an mc-8 that I just cant scratch... Michael, Are there more "tweaks" in the mc-8 software and Is the bass management the same ?..oh, also there is just one 5.1 input correct? Maybe if Kevin could get me his deal..hmm;)
  6. John Tompkins

    Its hard to beat the MC-1 & Logic 7!

    Phillip, I believe if you go back and re-read my last two posts you will see that you misunderstood what I said. I said in the first post that "I would jump all over the mc-8 without a doubt if I could swing it"!..and then on my second post I said, I couldnt detect ZERO differences between...
  7. John Tompkins

    Its hard to beat the MC-1 & Logic 7!

    Yea, that would be a great combo and a grand less. Wanted to mention that I owned the dc-2 and mc-1 and that I heard ZERO difference between them, so a dc-2 would be a great choice if you can do with a few less connections. I also heard the ref 50 (at tweeters) and thought it sounded...
  8. John Tompkins

    Amp question

    I owned the hca855 and its a very nice amp. It will easily beat your recievers amps. Other moderately priced amps that I reccomend are the Sherwood am9080..this amp actually stood its ground with more expensive amps and is built like a tank (weighs 70 lbs) and has 3 transformers plus its a...
  9. John Tompkins

    Amp question

    If you are using a reciever as a pre-pro you could always go out and get a good three channel amp across the front and use the recievers amps to drive the rears.For HT the center channel (imo) is every bit as important as the l/r.If using a pre-pro for 7.1 it is my preference not to use a 7...
  10. John Tompkins

    Its hard to beat the MC-1 & Logic 7!

    Kevin, Your right,the panorama is what I was thinking about. I also used the tilt function to. Maybe Phillip can me an opinion as to whether the mc-12/ mc-8 sonics is more agressive or has a bit more attack then the mc-1 ? (if that makes sense)..I'd love to come back on the Lex. bandwagon...
  11. John Tompkins

    Sherbourn 7/2100? B&K 2000.7? Aragon 2007? / B&K Ref50? Anthem AVM-20?

    As to your question about what balanced connections do, well you could open up a can of worms there;) ..As I understand it, balanced connections are really only better then regular connections for long runs (over 25 ft) and that there is not much benifit (if any) for shorter runs. The...
  12. John Tompkins

    Its hard to beat the MC-1 & Logic 7!

    Hello Steve, Glad that your enjoying the mc-1, its a great piece of gear!.. Maybe Phillip could explain the tilt feature better then me..but what I found was when adjusting it, that there was a huge difference in my soundstage (expanding far beyond my speakers at the correct adjustment...
  13. John Tompkins

    How would you rate/rank these amp-makers?

    On a different note, Kevin..Congrats on your published note in Stereophile magazine !! I wonder has anybody actually compared the sonics of the sst series to the st ? ..man, I shouldnt read these threads as my credit card is already maxed as it is ;)
  14. John Tompkins

    Is there any place online to purchase Parasound Halo ?

    I have a friend who is looking to by a parasound halo pre-pro and amps. Is there a place online to purchase these ? as the b/m store told him there wasnt..any suggestions apreciated
  15. John Tompkins

    Aragon Soundstage review

    Nice review Charles, I thought you would like the Sounstage, happy to hear it worked out for ya. It is dynamic as hell isnt it(especially on quieter movies) low noise level as well.Have you tried dvd-audio or sacd with it yet ? I still havent gotten that 25 pin cable..its on the to do list;)
  16. John Tompkins

    2Channel only Pre $500.00 Range What Options?

    There are a couple of Bottlehead tube pre's over on audiogon allready assembled for around 350 or so. I highly recommend them IF you can do without a remote. That also leaves 150.00 or so for maybe a project phono box or nad makes a good phono for around 100.00 used.
  17. John Tompkins

    Aragon Stage One Review

    Do you mean "stargate" or is "stagegate" something else ?
  18. John Tompkins

    Aragon Stage One Review

    Charles, Congrats on pulling that trigger. While everybodies ears/setup are different, I have a feeling that it will be a noticeable improvement for ya especially with your related equipment list..but you never know untill you try..let us know what ya think
  19. John Tompkins

    Time for a pre-pro

    Leo, Im also a "two channel" guy but love ht as well and have owned many pre-pros and some stereo preamps including lex dc-2,dc-1,mc-1,rotel 995 stereo pre, Bottlehead tube pre, denon 4802-3802-3801, sony tap, sony tae, onkyo 898, adcom gtp-830, sony 777es, sony da4es and finally the Aragon...
  20. John Tompkins

    Parasound Halo or Outlaw

    Rickies been through so much equipment that he could open up a stereo shop..he knows used prices
  21. John Tompkins

    Proud new owner of a Bryston 9BST

    Kevin, You can afford it if you have the acurus (nice amp)..Look around for some lexicon nt amps (exact same amp as Bryston st) for a lot lower price. I can attest to its quality and sonics. You probably could sell the acurus I come out darn near even (Just something to ponder)..
  22. John Tompkins

    Bryston 9bst vs 9bsst=worth the extra $?

    Bruce, I havent had a chance to listen to the new sst models yet. Im always trying to save a buck wherever I can, so wanted to let you know that the lexicon NT series of amps are the Bryston st amps (EXACTLY) except that the lexicon is thx certified, My friend just bought his lex 512 ( 9bst)...
  23. John Tompkins

    Suggestions for a used Pre/Pro???

    For a few more dollars you could get a used aragon soundstage, incredibly dynamic, noise free sound that is first rate all the way..latter down the road you could upgrade to stageone status if you like.
  24. John Tompkins

    Best 2 Channel Amp for Around $1000

    Ditto on the Bryston 3bst,4bst..amazing amp
  25. John Tompkins

    Need Help with MUSICAL two channel amp...

    I owned over 25 different amps and the best by far to me is the lexicon nt212 (bryston 3bst) It is full bodied, excellant bass, transperacy and detail all without being bright. To be honest the difference to my ears was amazing. I have it mated to nht 2.9 towers, aragon sounstage pre-pro, also...
  26. John Tompkins

    Proud new owner of a Bryston 9BST

    Jeff, I know EXACTLY what you mean about the brystons. I had gone through 25 amps (Im not exagerating, 25!) and mostly the differences were minor, so when I purchased the brystons I wasnt ecpecting that much difference. From the minute I hooked it up my jaw dropped, day/night difference the...
  27. John Tompkins

    Help me choose a Prepro...EAD, Aragon, Acurus and others

    Eric, hows the soundstage working out ? ..what do you think about its sonics
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