charles7

Responses from charles7

Best Integrated that you've heard under $5k
ditusa said:Quicksilver integrated.http://quicksilveraudio.com/products/integrated-amplifier/ __________________________________________+1. Easily drive Focal Aria 906s, rated at 89.5 dB sensitivity, to loud enough volume. Said to be engineered ... 
Analogue from Digital
Want analog from digital? Feed the output of a DAC into tube amplification. I changed from a solid state Yamaha A-S501 - a pretty good integrated amplifier - to a Quicksilver Integrated amp. It doesn't make a lousy digital stream into a good sound... 
Tube or R-2R DAC for Tube System
Solid-state IC DACs verboten? I feed the output from one into an integrated tube amplifier. Maybe that is how the system produces a well-defined and musical sound. 
Integrated amp recommendation for Focal 1038
I drive Focal Aria 906 speakers with a Quicksilver Integrated Amplifier. Its 20 tube watts do a great job with them. The Focal 1038 BE II speakers have 3.5 dB greater sensitivity. 
16 bit vs 24 bit vs 35 bit vs 36 bit vs 64 bit DAC sampling
The Esoteric ad copy is classic."In excess of 32 bits," immediately specified to 35 bits."fully 2,048 times resolution" because 2**(35-24) = 2048. The "fully" is laughable; do other vendors stop at 2000 times?"attaining outstanding powers of expre... 
Speaker Recommendation up to 70k
I'm very happy with my Focal Aria 906s, $2,000 the pair list price (I bought used). So you would love the Focal Scala Utopia EVO 3, which lists at $26,000 each. 
NO listening sessions posible , bookshelf for a Raven Nighthawk
I have similar taste and room dimensions. This setup has me happy:  * Quicksilver Integrated tube amplifier. Also rated 20 wpc and is more than hefty enough to drive the speakers. Less expensive than the Raven Nighthawk, solid construction, design... 
Is bass the most important frequency band?
" 90% of the brains processing power is between 500Hz-15kHz. "We evolved listening to sounds in nature that had consequences for us - the voices of prey and predators, the sounds of weather, and the human voice. Hypothesis: we developed music-ma... 
Low budget vintage preamp or new
For a tube pre-amp, the Xiangsheng 728A is a good introduction, about $300 and presumably not difficult to resell . My experience is at https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/buyers-report-xiangsheng-728a-tube-pre-amplifier.963... 
thought on eBay?
1. Watch your local Craigslist for as long your patience holds out.2. Use a true community buy/sell forum, like Audiogon. Same thing for photography gear (FredMiranda.com).3. While you wait, keep doing research to find alternative gear that fulfil... 
Budget Phono preAmp
TCC TC-750    nominal / max output 300mV / 1.8V    output impedance 1k ohm, input 47k ohm / 220 pF https://www.phonopreamps.com/tc750pp.html 
PrimaLuna Evo 200 underwhelming
I am delighted with the Quicksilver Integrated tube amplifier driving Focal Aria 906 speakers. Smooth and detailed both. 
So where should the tubes be?
Started with a Yamaha A-S501 solid state integrated amp. Good sound.Put a Xiangsheng 728A tube preamp in front of it. It was a firm change from the good SS setup to a setup that had musicality, if that means anything.Dropped both and went to a Qui... 
One box do it all
I second samac's recommendation for a Yamaha A-Sxxx integrated amplifier. For stream input, you'll probably want to choose a model with a Toslink input. I believe the Bluesound uses Bluetooth. If you prefer wi-fi, consider the Audioengine B-Fi, wh... 
Speakers for triode tube amps
A Quicksilver Integrated tube amplifier, rated 20 watts, does fine driving Focal Aria 906's, rated at 89.5 dB sensitivity. I listen at moderate volume, and the volume control stays around 10:30 o'clock.