Home Source Components

Looks like a cheap fun way to mess around with DSD. http://www.ifi-audio.com/en/Nano_iDSD.html

Does anybody know anything more about this system? http://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/retro-stereo-50/ Color me intrigued.

I have a friend overseas whose previous old Aune DAC (limited to handle 24/48 PCM) stopped working. Due to lack of most other products availability in his country, he has purchased the Ifi Zen DAC V2. First impressions were not good, but with some tweaking on Windows configuration and playback software he got it working kind of OK. He has found out that Foobar and AIMP (which for some reason he loves) can't deliver to the DAC the files at the same sampling/bit depth that they originally have. They go up or downsampled according to the settings he chooses in the player software, but he can't get the system to send the audio stream thru USB at its original bitrates automati…

Teaser: So my local dealer has the entire Audio Aero CD player lineup, SE & non SE, but they were always setup in different systems and I never got to hear them on the same gear. Until this past weekend. In short, the SE is better, but I still don't think it's worth nearly as much as they're charging for the upgrade, which is quite a few hundred bucks. As a person who knows which end of a soldering iron to hold, chances are I could do the upgrade myself for a hell of a lot less. Of course, if one can afford a Capitole at retail prices, money probably isn't an issue. Gear: Artemis Labs LA-1 linestage and SP-1 power amp, with Wilson-Benesch Discovery speakers. I w…

Today, my friend & I went to a top secret test location to take part in a top of the line digital showdown. We had a Simaudio Eclipse & Andromeda, Wadia 861, and the Mk1 Audio Aero Capitole. Amps were Wavelength Cardinals with the Coincident Total Victory II speakers and a S&B TX102 TVC preamp. Music was mostly classical and not entirely to my taste, but not surprising as me & my friend were the only ones under 45. I found this rather depressing since I had to act mature and refrain from ejaculating 4-letter words. I was also saddened that I couldn't play Slayer. On the bright side, no one played Norah Jones nor Diana Krall, and there was no "Hotel Cali…

... I should have a new Stello DA100 The DA100 appears to essentially be the single-ended section of the new DA220MKII Dear Zach Collier, Thank you for purchasing DA100. <--- Little do they know my money is worthless to them in South Korea As you may heard from the previous users, these equipment is not just a small boxes for the general audiophile but the real hi-end product for the pure music reproduction. <--- What is a general audiophile and why is he not concerned with pure music reproduction? You will see when you receive DA100. <---- Cool, I was just thinking how nice it would be to not have to wear contacts anymore... the DA100 will …

I sold my McCormack DNA-500 to a guy with an agreement that he could audition it and decide whether to go through with it. He uses his Bel Canto Dac3 as source and preamp. He goes directly into the amp, and I have asked whether he uses balanced XLR cables or s/e RCA cables but I have not heard back yet. The amp sounds great with his Wilson Benesch speakers, but the problem is a buzz/hiss that is present and presumably most noticeable in quiet passages or when there is no music playing. He has contacted SMc Audio, Steve McCormack's shop, and has done what they have suggested (cheater plug, switch outlets, try a line conditioner and direct into outlet, etc) to no avai…

I was talking to my dad this weekend and he wanted me to investigate a DAC/front end for his stereo system. His current source is a Technics 5-disc CD changer from the 90s, amplification is a Technics surround sound receiver of the same vintage (early-mid 90s), and no-name cables. I was thinking a Schiit Modi 3 might be a good start, but the system would need more smarts, so maybe something with streaming/network capability and DAC would be better. He does have music files stored on a bunch of hard drives, so maybe one large 6-8TB hard drive to consolidate them along with a wifi + interface head? He has an Android tablet, so maybe he could use that to control the ste…

Hi all, I made a *slight* mistake in thinking that my Eastsound has an AES/EBU connection. Wondering if anyone has any inexpensive, but good suggestions for a dedicated CD transport [or CD player] with AES/EBU. The cheaper the better, though I don't want something that is going to fall apart on me. Thanks in advance, Jay

I've been looking for internal photos of the Reimyo CDP-777 since the thought first entered my mind that I might own one. Over the past 11 months when the occasion presented itself, I have done numerous in depth searches for such images, but to no avail. so as far as I know, these are the first internal pictures posted on the net. enjoy the gut pics of my CDP777...

My Linn Classik appears to have died and is throwing an error code (might try to get it fixed but Linn no longer fixes, likely a bunch of failed capacitors). I would love a direct replacement with tuner, cd and amplifier but honestly we don't listen to the radio anymore and I have sources for everything else. The only think that has all that is the Denon CEOL RCD-N10. Looking around it seems like the Yamaha Integrated amps are my usual "wire with gain" type of thing so I was looking at the Yamaha A-S801BL. There is also an interesting NAD device but their software might have issues and not sure of sound. Any recommendations or experiences?

So last time I looked we were talking vigorously of a certain Capitole that showed up in a certain unstable state. Lot's of people had lot's to say late into last evening. I went to look to see if there was anymore feedback and...for the life o' me I can't find the thread. It's gone, or at least I don't sse it. I looked at my PMs to see maybe it had been moved elsewhere or even removed for some reason that I'm sure would be explained. But no PM eiher. I'm just blind as a bat or hallucinating once again. Can anybody find the "Capitoleizing-yes I did!" thread or explain why it's gone?

Just coming back to being interested in quality musical reproduction after 10 years away (kids etc forced a rethink of priorities), so please bear with me as things seemed an awful lot less complicated in the mid 90's! Just fyi i had an Arcam Alpha 5 (upgraded) with some Arcam Pre/power amps and some speakers which i cant quite remember if im honest, so i would like to think that whilst im no high roller i have a little more of an idea than your typical Ipod wearing youth.... Ive just purchased the following:- Beresford Caiman Dac Graham Slee Novo + PSU1 Headphone Amp HD650 Phones (on their way, currently using SR80i's) My main question evolves around sourc…

Has anyone here used an iPod as a jukebox? I was thinking of getting DLO's Music Remote and use my video iPod to play through my stereo. I will re-rip my music at a very high bit rate. My main concern is what effect the dock will have on the sound in the way of noise. Does anyone here have experience with this?

I wonder if things like this will ever be available commercially. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11851842

I've often commented on how undervalued the Squeezebox 3/Classic is as a DAC. I've really thought, and still do, that it performs quite nicely for its price even if you forget it's streaming capabilities. Part of that conclusion though was based on DAC comparisons when fed through the SB3. In fact I sold my Lavry DA10, when after a comparison, I could no longer justify its cost. Before boxing for shipment though I decided to give it one last go fed optically from a MacBook, recreating what I lived with for a year - a DAC/amp single-box combo with balanced HD580s out the back. It sounded wonderful, but so many variables I didn't even think about the Squeezebox (after all b…

... Of feeding a digital signal from a Creative X-Fi Elite Pro to the RME Fireface directly for all purpose (i.e. including gaming) use? Let me explain. On all of my PC's at the moment used seriously for any sort of audio use I run both an RME Fireface 800 and a Creative X-Fi Elite Pro. The Elite Pro handles gaming audio and is the default audio interface in Windows. Anything music or media orientated gets squirted through the Fireface. I've standardised on J.River Media Center for that purpose, along with the Algorithmix PEQ bundle of linear phase DirectX EQ's. All that then goes out either to Headroom Max's acting as headphone / pre amp, or Crane Song Avocets connect…

As someone who thinks standard 16/44 redbook sounds fantastic, I'm pretty skeptical about this whole hi-rez 24-bit movement. I did some blind testing with a buddy and I thought our results were worth posting. I'd love to hear what people think. TL:DR Folks: Just read the BOLD stuff. So my buddy and I conducted a few blind tests to see if we could hear a difference between 24 and 16 bit versions of the same tracks. We used two albums, the 24/96 version of Alison Krauss & Union Stations Paper Airplane from HDTracks and a 24/48 rip (using dbPoweramp) of Tool's Lateralus HDCD. Obviously using the same tracks but with different mastering jobs from different versio…

Bit of a link bait title, but I'm glad we're well clear of the lossy compression era in hi-fi CD players - I always turned skip protection off. The test album was Goldfrapp's Head First - pure synthwave ear candy. Head First is an almost entirely electronic album, with heavily-processed real sound from Alison Goldfrapp, a guitar, bass, and drums on selected tracks. I read that Will Gregory and Alison Goldfrapp were somewhat unsatisfied with the results of a rushed production process, but to me, it's a perfect gem. The anthemic, insanely upbeat pop tracks are well balanced against the more relaxed ambient instrumentals. To me, it's a touchstone, both a microcosm and a…

I posted this on HF, after a bazillion threads appeared about the latest players. Seems like a few random, and some not so random developers have come out with iTunes alternatives. Here is a list of the players currently available that I know of, along with some basic information about them. I figured there'd be some interest in this here as well. Note: I haven't included Cog, as it is no longer being developed and doesn't work properly with 10.6. Amarra by Sonic Studio http://www.sonicstudio.com/amarra/ Commercial, demo available for download. Comes in three flavours: Amarra, Amarra Mini and Amarra Junior with varying features and prices. The player int…

Hey guys, The rig has landed. Now, I am completely overwhelmed by this thing. I've put up the basic pieces, and the motor is spinning the platter fine. Now comes the arm. The cartridge is pre-mounted on the arm. The issue is that the arm seems to be tilted inwards a bit. I'm trying to read the manual, but I'm just not going to get anywhere by myself. I'm extremely wanting to learn this stuff, but I need some sort of guide / teacher. Is there anyone in the Southern California region who would like to help me at my place? Dinner's on me! Great Indian food or maybe something else. Basically I want to make sure all the settings are correct before the firs…

I get the jitters reading this. http://www.audiostream.com/content/qa-john-swenson-part-2-are-bits-just-bits

Yet another futher different dac. Seems like a decent product, the Joloda Glass FX tube dac. I agree, the name is a little pretentious. I have a Jolida tuner here somewhere, the JD 402. (Out of production now.) After digging around, there were a few places for a while that offered some upgrades to the unit, which caught my attention. And when I got inside it myself, I saw that yes, there were some obvious things to change that would be both easy and useful. For starters, caps, wiring, wire routing, tubes, etc. So on to the tube dac. A standard round of questions apply. Anyone heard it? Anyone have one? Anyone think this is a great/crappy buy? I'm asking …

My heavily modded Philips 963SA was acting up so I just pulled the trigger on the Music Hall CD25.2 player that PartsConnexion had in their autumn sale for $499.00 w/free shipping It has their level 1 mods: RCA jacks upgraded to Vampire Feet upgraded to sorbothane Chassis deadening Cap and resistors in output stage upgraded to audiophile level Output op-amps upgraded to OPA-627 Diodes and caps in PSU upgraded as well. Will post pics when it arrives

Has anyone ever built and/or heard one of these? It looks pretty interesting to me, having transformer coupled output and all.