tk21
Responses from tk21
| any current integrated amps in market have great dacs? The Peachtree Nova 500 used the same ESS 9028 PRO DAC chip as the Rotel Michi X3 series 2. Now discontinued; may be available used. Or check out the new Peachtree Carina models. | |
| At what price is one considered an Audiophile. You might want to have a look at Stereophile's 2023 Recommended Components list. For loudspeakers, the ones rated "A (Restricted Extreme LF" start at around $1600 per pair for the Genelec G Three or KEF LS50 Meta. For integrated amps, the ones ra... | |
| System advice The heart of your system could be as few as 2 or 3 major components. * integrated streamer/DAC/preamp. Consider offerings from Lumin, Matrix Audio, T+A, NAD, For the OP’s situation, I might lean toward the Lumin P1. * Kef LS60 active speakers... | |
| New to Streaming The Bluesound Node (or Node X) is a good suggestion. One alternative is Matrix Audio's new Mini-I 4. For $649.99, it offers an LCD touch screen, the ES9039Q2M DAC chip, and balanced analog outputs. However, it has no headphone jack, no Wifi, no ... | |
| Aurender A20 or Lumin X1 Roon would be a major factor for me, too. Another would be the separates v. integrated issue. If you want to integrate streamer + DAC + preamp, and are ok with the price, then either of these products appears to be a good way to go. I suspect y... | |
| Help with Audio Jigsaw Puzzle Please The Matrix Element X2 is an integrated streamer + DAC + preamp. It has a front panel volume control knob as well as an IR remote control. It has analog as well as digital inputs, so I would think that (if you're not satisfied with its own DAC) ... | |
| Bacch Dsp, True stereo? Wait a second, has anyone in the Audiogon forums actually heard BACCH, or is this just repeating things said on the Internet? Not being snarky, I’m serious. Yes, I’ve heard it. I bought "BAACH4Mac", the lowest price version, for under $1,000 US... | |
| Time To Upgrade My Digital Front End If you put any stock in the ASR reviews (based largely on SINAD distortion measurements), or even the manufacturer’s own published specs, check out the Matrix Audio Element X2, the Element X2 Pure, or a used Element X. For under $5K, these seem to... | |
| WHY CABLES MATTER! I believe length matters, gauge matters, and good secure terminations matter. I don't want my cables to be frayed or the connections loose. I believe that quality in cables hits diminishing returns after a few dollars per foot. Less than that for... | |
| Best set-up under $20K I agree with @vthokie83 (above). It sounds like the most immediate concern might be the lack of a dedicated, wired streamer. You should be able to get a very good streamer for well under $5K. Even a Bluesound Node, or a Holo Red (if you can get ... | |
| How is Quality and Customer Service defined in the 21st Century? At least two big, recent changes affect HiFi quality and customer service in the current century. The first is that more and more of the system is built around digital, software-controlled signals. The second is that more and more components are ... | |
| Do CD Transports benefit much from upgraded power cords? Shorter power cords can make your set-up a little more tidy. Replacing cords with defective jackets or terminations might prevent a short. Accomplishing this with good UL-listed products shouldn't cost much more than a few US dollars per foot. ... | |
| Ethernet connection for best sound quality There are many ways to skin a cat. If you’re new to streaming audio, I’d suggest you first assess what you can do with what you already have; then buy the minimum you need to deliver the streaming service(s) you want. You can (and probably will) u... | |
| Level the floor A slope of 1 inch every 18 inches? Across the whole length of the room? How is your house still standing? | |
| Ethernet streaming I use a Matrix Element X (integrated streamer + DAC + preamp). It supports Roon-ready ethernet or direct connection to a computer via USB. The DAC chip is an ESS ES9038Pro, which seems to be quite good. For significantly better SQ, in the strea... |