mlsstl
Responses from mlsstl
| Oppo sonica 9018 chip Lots of places (but not all) that sell DACs have good return policies. The best way to answer your question is to read some reviews of various DACs in your price range and pick one that seems to match your audio tastes. Then buy one from a dealer ... | |
| Schiit Audio Vali 2 as a preamp I have the Vali 2++, Lyr 3 and Asgard 3 in my collection. All work fine as preamps as long as you don't need to select from multiple input sources. | |
| How does a speaker blow out? Another possibility is simply a defective product. Even with really good quality control on the production line, there can still be hidden issues that show up only after a product has been used for a while. | |
| Sensitivity 86 v 90 What is your preferred listening volume in the room? Have you bought a sound level meter in order to get a real number to work with? Note that one person's "loud" is another's "medium" and so on. The size of the room is also a factor along with ... | |
| Spendor S3/5R2 or Wharfdale Jade 3 I'm also a Spendor fan. Have had several different models of their speakers in the past and currently have their 4/5. Don't hesitate to recommend them, particularly if you like accurate reproduction of unamplified acoustic instruments and natural ... | |
| Fantasy or reality? Inexpensive solid state preamps that get you 80% there? I've had a Schiit Saga -- an excellent, very neutral preamp. The only problem I had was that it is unity gain. My setup needs a preamp with a bit more gain. I ended up switching to a Schiit Lyr 3 which has switchable gain. It has only one or two i... | |
| DIY Amp Another option are the kits by Triode Electronics out of Chicago. Basically modern Dynacos from the ST35 and ST70 up to the Mk III amps. See https://store.triodestore.com/ampsandgear.html | |
| Recs for small footprint integrated amp (<= 14 inches W) min 30 WRMS While I love Schiit gear (I own a number of their pieces) the Ragnarok is bigger than what the OP requested, 16" wide versus the under 14" requested. A Schiit option that would work is their Asgard 3 combined with a Vidar amp. These are only 9" w... | |
| Power conditioner wire gauge? Serious issue This is another classic -- always fun to watch the back and forth. This issue can be broken down into two separate areas. 1. House wiring safety. What size wiring needed is determined by the amperage of the circuit breaker used for that circuit ... | |
| Quobuz subscription @anzaanimalclinic -- just a reminder that the OP was complaining about the mediocre sound quality of a few specific albums. Understand that neither Qobuz, Tidal, Spotify or any of the other streaming actually record or produce music themselves. N... | |
| Quobuz subscription @czarivey -- I've had a Qobuz subscription for several years now and have been very pleased with it. So, I tried out some of the albums you mentioned above by Masayoshi Takanaka and Eloy and can't say I was impressed by the recording quality. My D... | |
| Geshelli Labs J2 DAC There is a short discussion thread on this over at Audioasylum in the Digital area. | |
| Budget amp that will give Magnepan 3.6Rs better depth of soundstage That is a big set of speakers for a fairly small room! I had a pair of Maggie 1.6QRs when we moved some years ago and I tried to use them in a 14 X 15 room. They just didn't work well and I sold them. And squareness doesn't help. My 2 cents is th... | |
| Loud Snap at High Volume OK, just listened to the piece. The drum rolls occur between 9 minutes into the piece to just over the 10 minute mark. There is an incredible amount of very, very deep bass involved, but I heard no cracks or snaps of any type on my stereo. My sys... | |
| Loud Snap at High Volume Just out of curiosity, what is the specific Mahler 8th recording that does this? It'd be interesting to look at what's in the recording at that point. |