philgo01

Responses from philgo01

Prima Luna have released the Kracken (striketrough) I mean DAC
Somehow I thought the Primaluna DAC has been out at least 2 to 3 years ?    
An electrical engineer on how power cables can impact sound quality
As someone that has a graduate degree in Electrical Engineering, there is no doubt cables can make a difference.. But for me it is always a price vs performance issue. If you have the means,  then go for them $10K power cables / power regenerators... 
Recommendations for automatic tonearm lift
I never quite understood how "starter" turntables have much more convenience features than the higher end, much more expensive units... The more you pay, the less you get !    
Masimo Acquires Sound United - Are Denon, Classe, Polk, B&W, Marantz, going to fade away??
I am no Harvard or Stanford MBA but I fail to see the business rationale for the acquisition by Masimo, a medical technology company, of Sound United, a pure play consumer audio and video entertainment umbrella of companies. I hope I am wrong but ... 
Apple iPad music streamer
As long as you are happy with the way it sounds and the way it works..... There are tons other "streamers" out there that are controlled by an APP at all sorts of price points... from < $200 (Raspberry Pi based, Arylic, Wiim)  to > $25K !!! ... 
Integrated tube amp vs Tube amp?
Separates are usually better in the long run but you need to be practical too (e.g. space, upgrade possibilities years down the road).... You also need to know how to pair them properly...     I prefer integrated tube (Rogers 65V-1) due to its s... 
Primaluna?
I too was looking at PL's but decided to go with Rogers High Fidelity's Integrated AMPs.  Super happy with it, costs less than PL and are hand made in the USA.  Roger Gibboni is the owner and he is great to work with.  Complimentary lifetime upgra... 
Tube integrated amps -- new Value Leaders?
Great question posted.  Inquiring minds want to know..  Cayin seems to be VERY WELL BUILT.  The Canada based audio folks on youtube (Jay, Audio Excellence Canada etc) are very high on Cayin.  I ended up with Rogers High Fidelity integrated amp and... 
Suggestions for high efficiency speakers?
I am partial towards Klipsch's Heritage Line... The Cornwalls are an amazing speaker due to the size.  I wish I had space for LaScala or even the Klispchorn.  SIZE MATTERS (due to physics I think).. :)    
Best place to purchase a new Denafrips Pontus II
From what I recall, Vinshine (in Singapore with Alvin Chee, the proprietor)  is the only official dealer for all things Denafrips.  I bought my Denafrips Ares II  directly from him and he has been amazing to work with !  Outstanding customer servc... 
For SACD fans only
My concerns with I2S connection (via HDMI) are the pin-outs are not standardized AND I am not clear if it can transmit DSD signals to a I2S input of a DAC.  I've inquired with Denafrips' dealer on this  very issue and if my memory is correct, he i... 
DAC - DCS Bartok or the new Berkeley Alpha DAC 3
With the quality and cost of DACs that you are considering, I would opt for a much higher quality streamer than Bluesound... Perhaps   something like Aurender, Auralic, HiFi Rose ???  Bluesound represents spectacular value but it is also considere... 
Better CD Sound: The Search
If your are willing to use your existing player as a transport, I would urge you to consider external DAC like the Denafrips Ares2 (sub $800) or better models.  I love mine. If you are willing to replace your Sony player,  the Marantz SACD30n (~ $... 
external DAC with SACD
DSD's are not available on digital coax nor toslink digital output ports. It's only available on I2S outputs (PSAudio uses HDMI type of connector but it is different from the normal HDMI port available on many blu-ray players that contains video a... 
Streaming virgin
I started this journey ~ two years ago and here are some of my lessons learned:1.  Determine what "STREAMING" means for you:  It can be just an online music service like SPOTIFY, Amazon Music HD, Tidal, Qobuz etc.  It can also be a bunch of downlo...