kairosman

Responses from kairosman

Grimm MU1 Streamer - Really "The Best"?
Have the Lumin P1 utilizing fiber optic from a Melco S100, and output on USB and/or BNC to Lampizator Baltic 4 or Musetec MH-DA005 or Gustard R26 then onto a Gryphon Diablo 300. I didn’t opt for an internal DAC cuz obviously I already had great ex... 
New MOFI speaker (Andrew Jones)
For $4K with stands, they seem by almost all accounts a LOT of speaker. Not for everyone obviously, but for a lot of folks most likely yes. That's the point of this and any other business, appealing to the most folks possible.  
Advice for a new analog system
+1 @jeffseight lol exactly. The money pit of all money pits is high-end analog turntable playback, an outdated tech with zero chance of true sonic innovation versus digital sources which are only getting started on their innovation curves. My $3... 
DAC recommendations
@earthbound the main weakness is your Airplay front end from the switch and cables through to your streamer. Get a good switch with a clock and good cables and a Lumin U2, then subscribe to Qobuz and or Tidal and don’t bother spending more until a... 
Has anyone been able to define well or measure differences between vinyl and digital?
@tomcy6 agree, the upshot being perhaps the difference is the analog source chain produces the magic that analog enthusiasts talk about. But is it a distortion, or a higher fidelity engine?   
Combination streamer and music server…without DAC
Lumin U1 is cheap now that Lumin released the U2, has a good app and support and most importantly you will need to spend double to best it.  
Built-in vs. Standalone DACs
Diablo 300 owner here, when I auditioned the amp it had the DAC module and I really liked the sound/synergy, awesome scale and dynamics, like it was on steroids. But I ultimately didn't get the module and spent the $5K on a Terminator II, not beca... 
Denafrips 12 anniversary
Yes now that we have a Gustard R26 for $1600 that sounds as good or better than my Terminator II, will Denafrips be forced to up its game in the lower price bracket gear war to stay competitive, or does it go upscale and try to compete with Chord ... 
My first tube integrated: which one to get?
Stretch to $5.5K and get the new AR I/50, wonderful amp I heard at my AR dealer in town, its 50 watts at 8 ohms drove a pair of Dynaudio Heritage Specials with only 85dB sensitivity easily, although it was a smallish room. Also buying AR ensures g... 
Help recommend a good tube preamp
   
New MOFI speaker (Andrew Jones)
Jay is a human being and thus of course has flaws, but IMHO at least he does not seem disingenuous. His systems, while not to everyone's tastes, certainly contain state of the art components. He has more direct experience with uber high end gear i... 
Gustard R26
@sgreg1 have 200+ hours on mine now and it is the best DAC I have had in my system so far by some margin. FYI my digital front end is as follows: Linksys router powered by a LHY 25 LPS -> Audioquest Vodka ethernet cable -> Melco S100 switch... 
Where should I go from here with my digital front end?
As others have mentioned, get a switch with its own clock, an LPS for your U2, experiment with the fiber optic route or an ENO filter, better cables, and of course a better DAC eventually. IME every step in the digital chain counts, and ignore the... 
Amp & Pre or Integrated for Dynaudio Heritage Special
+1 for the CODA CSIB and the HS, I have the V2 driving the HS, but I suspect the V1 is slightly sweeter with more Class A bias. To the OP, the CSIB is a very smooth sounding SS integrated with more current than you’ll ever need (70+ amps!), and re... 
DAC’s
@lpretiring so after 4 days so only maybe 20+ hours I can say with total confidence the R26 is the very best under $5K DAC I've had in my system so far including the Terminator II I sold recently to fund my purchase of the Lampi. System: Audioqu...