PS-
What I'm looking for is...a little more air, bloom, texture, delicacy, realistic timbre and tone, imaging, soundstage dimensions, etc. Typical audiophile wish-list, LOL!
Tom |
Thanks guys. System is: dedicated room, dedicated line, acoustic treatment, Krell s300i, Anticables, Vandersteen 2Cs.
Tom |
Thanks guys very much for all the suggestions so far. I apologize in advance, let me give a little more info for clarification. This is not a home theater room, it is a dedicated 2-Ch listening room. It is never been used for background music, only for serious listening 1-2 hours per week on average. I have never been interested in having a traditional computer in the listening room, I have never had an interest in streaming, I only use a single source for simplicity/cost/space constraints. I have a fairly large collection of silver discs, and enjoy listening to SACD, HDCDs, and of course, good old "Red Book" discs. I might consider something for ripping and storage. Basically just yearning for a little more life, a little more musicality, and I am guessing my source is the weakest link in the system. I hope this thread continues with more responses, I truly am grateful for all the input.
Tom |
Thanks guys, budget would be $2k. Have no preference between new DAC or new CDP, but I do want to play SACDs and HDCDs. MQA seems interesting too.
Appreciate all the responses.
Tom |
@randy-11, Already done treatments. 105 now 205 has been under consideration for some time. Nice to hear from someone who has heard it.
@georgehifi , interesting! I am looking forward to learning about the Classe.
Thanks for all the responses.
Tom |
Ouch! Checked out the Classe player. $12k, in 2001! That won't be showing up in my listening room, unless a friend (and I don't have any audiophile friends who spend that kind of money. In fact, I don't have any audiophile friends), brings it over. Sigh...
Tom |
The 205 is looking better and better...
Tom |
@mesch, that would probably be the best option for most people, but I have never had any interest in streaming and I don't use this system for background music (there are two other systems in the house for that purpose). Thanks for responding.
Just read another glowing report about the 205 in the current Absolute Sound last night.
I like the "house sound" of my 103...
That 205 is looking better and better...
Tom |
Not at all! I thought your post was excellent, and made me pause and think. And I truly believe an outboard DAC makes more sense for most people. I am so old-school (and actually chronologically old), that I am more comfortable with one box that is easy to operate and makes nice noises with (almost) no glitches, drop-outs, etc...
Tom |
You should love the DVD-A through the 205. I have Roger Waters Amused to Death on DVD-A and it is phenomenal through my 103.
Thank you for your response. Enjoy your 205!
Tom |
Yes, SACDs can be quite good, as can HDCDs. Worth searching for. In my experience, SQ of SACDs has been more variable than HDCDs. YMMV.
Tom |
@milpai , Queen's A Night at The Opera is available on DVD-A. I don't have it yet, but have read that it sounds fantastic.
Tom |
Thank you for that info about the Node2! |
@mesch, 57 here. With age comes wisdom!
@2psyop, very good point. I subscribe to both TAS and 'phile and agree there is definite bias within those pages. I try to remind myself to remember they are written by humans, just like all of us on this forum, with all our baggage, opinions and biases. Interesting about Oppo products, people either love em or not. Not much middle ground, it seems. Since I like the sound of my 103, I'm thinking I'll probably like the 205. I know their "house sound" isn't everyone's cup of tea. Thank you for your response, and your suggestions. |
Wow, just read your second post. Like what I'm reading. Very interested in MQA. Will definitely look into that further... |
@alexatpos , very interesting! This is actually my 2nd unit. The first one I returned due to an odd noise at turn-on coming from within the unit itself, not from the speakers. I was sent another new one I'm currently using. Interestingly, through two different sets of speakers (Monitor Audio Silver 8s and Vandersteen 2Cs) the sound is decidedly tipped-up! Lots of treble energy, air, detail, spatial cues, soundstaging. I'm using Anticables, true bi-wired. Nothing veiled at all about the sound. Sorry to hear it didn't sound good in your system, just proves again you never know how a piece of gear will sound in your system until it's in your system.
Tom |
Opening this thread again. Thank you previous posters for the tremendous amount of information.
My system now consists of Oppo 103 UDP, Vincent SP-331 amp, Schiit Freya preamp, Vandersteen 2Cs bi-wired, Anti-Cables. Room is acoustically treated all four walls, ceiling and floor.
This system is so much more musical than the previous setup, but I
still think the source is the weak link.
Hate to ask the same question again, but I am still seeking guidance from fellow Goners for a budget of $1000, and of $2000. New or used.
Thank you all, sincerely
Tom
|
Hello mesch, nice to hear from you! Yes, I am loving the Vincent/Schiit combo. I'm staunchly (stubbornly?) redbook. Our computers are in other rooms, none in the listening room. Since I'm so happy with the Freya, I'm leaning towards getting one of their DACs and using the 103 as a transport. Thank you for responding, and you are definitely more up-to-date on current things digital than I am!
Tom |
@ptss - thought about it, never pulled the trigger...
I don't have much interest in SACD or HDCD any more, 99% of my listening is redbook CDs.
To all- thanks for the thoughtful suggestions, 'Goners are such a good source of information!
Will post again after I've made the change.
Happy listening to all!
Tom |
Just got the Schiit Modi Multi, getting a BJC digital coax today. Will be using the 103 as a transport. Plan to do some listening comparisons starting tonight. |
Did the first listening comparison yesterday. Picked one of the brightest, harshest songs in my CD collection. Saturday Night's (Alright For Fighting) off the Elton John compilation album Number Ones. Low class C SQ rating. I rank all my CDs from class A to class D based on sound quality. An example of class D would be my Robert Johnson compilation album of original recordings from 1939. An example of class A would be Dire Straits Love Over Gold. Class B is the majority of my collection. Class C is listenable, but you're always aware of the recording's limitations. So...
My system is Oppo UDP/Schiit Freya/Vincent SP-331/Vandersteen 2Cs/Anticables ICs and speaker cables/dedicated room/acoustic treatment all four walls plus ceiling/dedicated AC line/meticulous setup per Jim Smith's recommendations.
With the original setup the song Saturday Night's SQ is low class C.
Adding the Schiit Modi Multi DAC (using the Oppo as a transport) gave some much-needed warmth, taking the glare down and resulted in a sound quality rating of high class C, a significant improvement.
Low cost, better sound, I'm happy.
As always, YMMV
Tom |
