zlone

Responses from zlone

Replaced Everything, New Gears waiting to be installed...
Very nice, congrats. I can see the space constraints to the side, but I badly want to move that speaker away from the turntable. :-)  
Excellent Solid State or Hybrid Monoblocks Recommendations
It has been a few years, but in a rare visit to a regional audio shop, I don’t live near any, they insisted I hear the Bel Canto Ref600m monos with a pair of Maggie’s. The sound stuck with me, and they were well reviewed in the major publications.... 
Question about NAD 7400 vs new integrated amp
I think the M5 would be fine. I was just questioning the high current status, though like you said it is very close. If you had really difficult speakers to drive it might make a difference, but I think you are on the right track.   
The new Coda S5.5 amplifier: It's a "Petite Beast"!
Dr. Michael Bump is a renowned musician and among other things, Professor of Percussion Studies at the Truman State University (Department of Music) and a Director at the Percussive Arts Society Board of Directors. A professor of percussion stu... 
Anyone upgrade to the Merason Dac1 mkii?
@bluethinker I do not have one right now, a friend of mine has the Mk1. What I am reading about says it might be a fit for me. I like the terms 'musical' and 'relaxed', much as they are overused, they do connote a certain type of sound. Thanks for... 
Benchmark AHB2 in Mono Block Configuration
@yyzsantabarbara Thanks for info on the Mjolnir, it is tempting, but without a remote, it is a non-starter. I wonder how the Kara compares? Note I came from a Freya+ -> Coda 07x - Benchmark LA4 progression, similar to yours. I just tried out a... 
Stepping into streaming, finally
@romanesq can you check that model number? I can’t find reference to a Finisar FLTX1474D3BTL, 1471 maybe?  
Question about NAD 7400 vs new integrated amp
I like NAD, and used to have a 375BEE, but I think you could do better, and based on the vintage of the 7400, something newer would likely offer immediate improvements. The M5 would likely sound good, though when I think of high current,I expect t... 
Effect of Internet Service Quality on Streaming?
You’ve covered most of the bases, and I can’t answer your question about internet services. However, one suggestion is adding optical isolation on the network, it’s a cheap experiment.   
Benchmark AHB2 in Mono Block Configuration
I agree with others you might want to add another brand there, +1 for Coda, a #8 would be a perfect fit. Not a big fan of bridged monos, though likely not an issue with those speakers. Depending on what kind of improvement you are seeking, I would... 
Replaced Everything, New Gears waiting to be installed...
Enjoy! And be patient, it will take a while to break in that system.  
Aurender Model Choices
Wow, great write up and excellent gear choices, that will be quite the system.   
Aurender Model Choices
Aurender seems to favor the SPDIF/AES with the N10/N20's due to the high precision clocking in these units. With USB the streamer is somewhat at the mercy of the clock in the DAC. Given that AES is clearly the favorite of the folks who built both ... 
Anyone upgrade to the Merason Dac1 mkii?
I am considering this DAC as well, would be interesting to get some feedback.  
Upgrade speaker cables from ARC Litzlink
Broken record here, but Acoustic Zen solved all my issues and brought considerable improvement to my system after trying a number of other cables. I am using Satori’s, you can go up the chain from there.