Resolution Audio Opus 21 questions

I see a BAT Tube Pre-Amp in my Future.

Who makes a DIN to XLR cable?

Hey Ardri

I use an Audience AU24 cable, with a DIN to an XLR, and I had mine made special by Audience for about $500.
(This was back when the AU24 was just starting to get good press, because now the price is closer to $1,000. Ouch!)

(I prefer the XLR terminations as they lock in easier than RCA cables, and unlock just as easy! Those locking RCA terminations can be a pain to get unlocked, IMHO.)
Plus, my Ayre K-1xe preamp has three balanced and three unbalanced inputs, and I knew I would already be using all three of the unbalanced inputs, (tuner, SACD player and CD recorder), whereas I was only using the one set of balanced inputs for my phono input.

I like the AU24 cable as it is pretty neutral, and does not accentuate the digital sound, however, I am sure that there are other equally as good cables out there.
(i.e. It is not as ruthlessly revealing as say the Nordost Valhalla cables. I am a big fan of the Valhallas, but just not in that particular cdp to preamp link. In fact, I would love to find an inexpensive 4+ meter pair of XLRs to use between my preamp and my monoblock amps.)

Having added an Opus 21 to my system recently I've been through the usual experimentation with cords and tweaks. Trying a suggestion from another Audiogon thread brought a surprising improvement that includes better bass definition; you may find it equates to "slam". Check out the thread in "Tech Talk" under "Copper Sleeve over IEC"...

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?htech&1237170946&openfrom&14&4

Hard to beat a $5 tweak that works!

I tried running mine straight into my amps. Very clean sound, less sibilant vocals, but lacking personality and depth. I stayed with running from the Opus into my BAT VK30 preamp, and consistently like it better. A little more noise, but much more life to the sound.

I have to agree with other's who have more success using a preamp. I have an Audio Research LS 26 tube pre and a Spectron Amp. There is level of detail and musicality through the pre that is lost when I run direct. It just sounds flat when run direct to amp. Trust me, I hoped and prayed this would not be the case as it was a 5k decision to add the pre. Also, using the DIN is significantly more dynamic and musical. I purchased the din to rca cable from DNM for about $175, have also wondered about the Audience DIN which is probably made better and more resolving. Also, get Isoclean gold-cap fuses. They are far superior in my experience to the German fuses with ceramic ends. Isoclean fuses added a nice crisp silkiness to the top end as well as weight and pitch definition to the bass. Not night and day, but certainly noticeable. This CDP also responds to different power cords and interconnects. It really is a very good player. Don't give up without some experimentation.