Thanks Jerry! Great idea! I did not know my Mark Levinson amp had switching ability. I will research the Grimm streamer and Lampizator DAC. Thank you!
What should I upgrade next in my system?
Would a music streamer be the best place to spend money?
(2) MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A electrostatic speakers for front channels.
https://www.audioadvice.com/renaissance-esl-15a-speaker
https://www.martinlogan.com/en/product/renaissance-esl-15a
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00vU9u-mAgc&t=1027s
(1) MartinLogan Illusion ESL C34A Center Channel Electrostatic Speaker
https://www.martinlogan.com/en/product/illusion-esl-c34a
(2) REL Carbon Special Subwoofers set up to run stereo.
https://rel.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/REL_Carbon_SPECIAL_Manual_04-20-Web.pdf
Sony - VPL-XW5000ES 4K SXRD Laser Projector 5995
https://helpguide.sony.net/vpl/xw5000/v1/en/contents/TP1000557903.html
Anthem AVM 60 11.2 Channel Preamplifier and Processor. 2995
https://www.anthemav.com/downloads/avm-mrx-english-manual.pdf
Mark Levinson Number 532H Power Amplifier for front two channels (300 watts x 2 channels)
https://www.stereophile.com/content/mark-levinson-no532h-power-amplifier
Krell KAV-3250 Amplifier for center channel and back two channels (250 watts x 3 channels). 6000
https://www.krellhifi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Krell_KAV2250_3250_Owners_Reference.pdf
Oppo UDP-203 Blu-ray Player
https://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-udp-203/
Screen Innovations 120” Fixed Projection Screen
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_9543F120SG/Screen-Innovations-3-Series-120.html?tp=166
Savant Pro Remote X2
https://www.savant.com/pro-remote-x2
Netgear NightHawk X4S Model C7800 AC3200 WiFi Cable Modem Router
https://www.netgear.com/home/wifi/modem-routers/c7800/
Cox Contour Cable Box (1) in the rack in the equipment closet for Media Room and (1) on the closet shelf for the (2) outdoor TV’s
https://www.cox.com/residential/tv/learn/learn-about-contour2.html
Panamax M5300-PM Power Conditioner/Filter
https://www.panamax.com/product/max-5300-power-management-2ru-11-outlets/
Lutron Caseta Wireless Light System L-BDGPRO2
https://www.casetawireless.com/proproducts
Headphones:
Focal Clear Mg Open-Back Headphones with 55 Ohms Sensitivity 104dB SPL / 1mW @ 1kHzTHD0,25% @ 1kHz / 100dB SPL Frequency response5Hz-28kHzLoudspeaker1.6" (40mm) Aluminum/Magnesium 'M'-shape dome
https://www.focal.com/headphones/pdf/clear_specification-sheet.pdf
Sennheiser HD800S-Reference closed back Headphones
https://en-us.sennheiser.com/high-resolution-headphones-3d-audio-hd-800-s
Sennheiser HDVD800-Headphone Amp
https://en-us.sennheiser.com/headphone-audio-amplification-hdvd-800-acoustic
Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless Headphones
Sennheiser Momentum 1 Wireless Headphones
Master & Dynamic MW65 Active Noise-Cancelling (Anc) Wireless Headphones - Bluetooth Over-Ear Headphones with Mic, Silver Metal/ Brown Leather
Apple Pro Earbuds
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MWP22AM/A/airpods-pro
Rick Guild
918-645-3677
Showing 4 responses by rickguild
Thank you for all the great ideas. Even though I subscribe to both Tidal and Qobuz, I mostly stream through a 4K Apple TV using YouTube Music. The reason I use YouTube Music is because I like live video with my concert recordings and they seem to have the most live concert videos, and the sound quality through the Apple TV seems to be pretty good. I have a 120-inch Sony laser projector in a dedicated media room. 90% of my time in my media room I am watching concert videos such as the Eagles in Melbourne, John Mayer in LA, Tears for Fears live from Village Studios, Steely Dan, Morgan Wallen live recordings from Apple Studio, etc. I use the Oppo 203 as the source when watching Blu-ray versions of these concerts, concerts I download to my 5T Seagate hard drive from the internet, or very seldom a SACD. Even though I have a nice set of surround speakers, I listen to two channel 95% of the time though the Martin Logan 15A's. I have some acoustic treatments in the room, but because of the room size, I am somewhat limited. All my previous rooms where filled with ARC treatments. It definitely sounds like upgrading the Apple TV is the way to go, but how do I do that without losing the video component or making the system overly complicated? Kaleidoscope seems excessively expensive, and I do not watch many movies, mostly only concerts, which I find easily through downloads onto to my multiple 5T Seagate hard drives which are totally full of concert videos I have found over the past 30 years. |
I appreciate the DAC and Streamer recommendations, but my budget is probably not 30K (even though it was on my speakers) until I am convinced that spending 10K on a previously-owned DAC and Streamer does not get me 90% of the 30K performance. Am I wrong in thinking that? Would the new DAC and Streamer eliminate my Anthem AVM 60 Preamplifier and Processor from my system? If so, how do I use my Oppo 203, Cox Cable and Apple TV through them? How bad is the 4K Apple TV streamer and Anthem processor I am currently using for Tidal, Qobuz, and YouTube Music? I assume pretty bad... I do love how easy the 4K Apple TV is to use. |
Here are the Apple TV specs I use for Qobuz, Tidal and YouTube music videos. What improvements should I expect with a 5K streamer and DAC like the HiFi Rose RS151? HE-AAC (V1), AAC (up to 320 Kbps), protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (up to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Apple Lossless, FLAC, AIFF, and WAV; AC-3 (Dolby Digital 5.1), E-AC-3 (Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 surround sound), and Dolby Atmos. Here are the Apple TV video specs. Should I expect any improvements with the HiFi Rose RS151? SDR video with AVC/HEVC (Main/Main 10 profile) up to 2160p, 60 fps Dolby Vision (Profile 5) up to 2160p, 60 fps HDR10+/HDR10/HLG with HEVC (Main 10 Profile) up to 2160p, 60 fps H.264 Baseline Profile level 3.0 or lower with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 fps, Simple profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats HDMI Quick Media Switching (QMS) for seamless format transitions Support for 21:9 and other cinematic aspect ratios when playing movies and shows on compatible projectors and displays6
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