soix
Responses from soix
| stuck in a quandry -what's best solely on quality? I'd keep the Stratos powering the front 2 channels, buy a relatively inexpensive Denon receiver(or similar) with preamp outs to handle processing and power for center/surrounds, and put your money into a high-quality stereo preamp for critical 2-c... | |
| Best used DAC 500 or less, need help Just to fill in a couple pieces of info. from the Kana's post above, the EVS DAC II does not use op amps(Ric doesn't much like them so designed the DAC to not use them--I believe it uses a FET output stage). Also, although I'm sure the CAL DAC is ... | |
| Nautilus owners upgrade to what? If you've got upwards of $5k to spend I'd highly recommend finding a Silverline dealer(not always easy) and trying the Sonatina II or Sonata II. Incredible speakers that will work well with a variety of electronics. I also thought the Thiel CS1.6 ... | |
| Best used DAC 500 or less, need help I'll second Phild's EVS Millennium DAC recommendation. The parts in the DAC 1, if it were produced by a major manufacturer, would mandate a $2000 price tag or higher, but if you can find one used you can probably get it for around $400. The DAC II... | |
| jukebox w. DAC, can it be good? I agree that with a good digital cable, a good DAC, and a good jitter-reduction device, a jukebox with a halfway decent transport and coax digital out will sound pretty damn good and will probably make you feel that you're not missing much at all.... | |
| Best SS 200 wpc amps I know someone who went to the B&W factory and they had Levinson amps plugged into the N800s for what it's worth. I know Electrocompaniet makes some nice high-current designs and even named their Nemo amp to coincide with the Nautilus line, so... | |
| Anyone recommend the best small speakers for cheap Probably the best sound per dollar I'm aware of would be the Axiom speakers that are really getting some nice press and reviews from owners. Given what I've read they would seem to be at another level over the NHTs, and I'd forget the Gallos if yo... | |
| Speakers to match this system.... I'd agree with all the recommendations above--all great. It would help a great deal if you tell us a bit about your preferences, then we can be a little more specific about why one model might be more appropriate than another or offer other recomm... | |
| What should I upgrade next? I thought it was interesting you happened to mention Maggies as a potential speaker choice as I couldn't think of a better example of why you should pick speakers first from a practical system building perspective. Ribbon speakers(which I believe ... | |
| What should I upgrade next? Let's try a little example here. Given $3-$4k to spend on this system let's say you can put it into the source or the speakers. I don't care what source you put into this system, my contention is that I'd much rather hear this current system throu... | |
| Use a gDVD/CD player as transport with a good DAC? That still doesn't address the fundamental problem with the way in which you are conducting the experiment. Just because you have found that with this particular combination of equipment you get the results you state does not mean you can extrapol... | |
| What causes "cupped hands"? If my math is right it seems you have your speakers 2.5' away from the side walls and 10' apart. The first thing I'd do is try moving the speakers closer together and possibly a little further out--maybe try something like a 7' or 8' equilateral t... | |
| What should I upgrade next? No component you buy is going to impact and define the sound of your system more than the speakers. While electronics are critical to getting the most out of your system, if your speakers aren't capable of resolving enough or don't produce music i... | |
| best cable for dac I'm with Phild in that I have found digital cables, for whatever reason, to make a fairly significant difference in what I hear and I am no cable lover either. I'd much rather spend my $$$ on speakers, amps, etc. but the chain is only as strong as... | |
| Use a gDVD/CD player as transport with a good DAC? Jcaudio,Although I may agree with you that the transport does make a significant difference, your shootout in which you state "In fact a combination of a $2950 transport with a $1500 DAC sounds better than a $1000 transport with a $5000 DAC" is no... |