Home Source Components

World's first 384 kHz converter, phono stage preamp and headphone amplifier with an integrated atomic clock Rubidium Atomic Clock Rubicon is the first DAC to integrate a Rubidium atomic clock, which is 100,000 times more stable than a traditional crystal oscillator. Coupled with Antelope’s 64-bit Accoustically Focused Clocking technology, the Rubidium achieves a breakthrough in jitter managment, improving the sound quality in an unprecedented way. The same technology is implemented in the company’s flagship master clocks used for scoring blockbusters such as Avatar and available at the best recording and mastering studios around the Globe. http://ant…

So I finally have space for my TT, and I have my Denon DL-103 all set up, but I have no phono pre! If there's a really really good option for $500 that kills everything under I'll go over budget, but otherwise I'd rather not. Any suggestions?

I find myself in a pickle today. I turned on my old, Win XP audio PC/music server and found it broke. Specifically, 2 separate components were malfunctioning. One was the Rocketfish eSATA hard drive enclosure, which housed my 3.5" drive with Win XP OS AND music (I do have data backup), which developed some kind of error, leading to my PC not even booting up, at times citing "disc read error" or "I/O error," depending on which time I rebooted. I temporarily solved the issue by simply moving my hard drive inside my PC in SATA bay. This is not optimal because I had previously found my system to sound cleaner and purer with the hard drive outside the computer via eS…

http://www.dagogo.com/CambridgeAzur840C.html "That

I am constantly thinking about getting a turntable (not like a high-end one, just something basic that can do the job), but one thing that is holding me back is my worry that headphones, due to their close placement to the ears, might exacerbate vinyl surface noises to the point of distraction. Is this worry warranted? I will probably get a basic vacuum cleaning machine if I do end up with a table. And of course a lot depends on the table itself, cartridge, phono stage, and set-up, but in general, has anyone found that using headphones to listen to vinyl has picked up surface noises to the point of distraction? And if so, how have you dealt with it?

So my Yamaha PF-800 turntable showed up today. It is indeed in near mint condition. The best example I've yet seen. I've only just unpacked it and put it together, so no sonic impressions yet. I do think I'll leave this one stock, as I rather like the Black "Lord Vader" look. More to follow on this TT.

I just found this on line today. Has anyone heard one yet?

Finally got my Mini-DAC, which directly replaces my old Lavry DA10. The change was based mostly on a single recommendation by grawk. He didn't adorn his recommendation with audiophile jargon or any other verbal acrobatics for that matter. It was quite blunt, along the lines of "the Lavry sounds like shit, the Mini-DAC sounds good". Somehow that convinced me. And now that I'm here listening to my new setup: Beck - Sea Change to Mini-DAC to SRM-T1S to LNS... I'm really happy that I took grawk's word. The Mini-DAC sounds like the notes have been covered with alternating layers of candy coating and heroin. The soundstage is tighter, more realistic, more intimate. The b…

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…

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/high-end-pc-audio,3733-19.html I'll be in the funny pictures thread.

HeadRoom runied my life with their new Max Modules. I can hear everything wrong with my source that I was blissfully unaware of. I think I'm going to go back to the Desktop Module so I can enjoy my music again! I'm using the stock Desktop DAC (fed by APX). It's good for what it is, but the class A/B OPA134's as the output stage really limits its sonic potential. Though, the Desktop and Home DAC boards are the same board, so if someone was very handy with surface mount opamps and transistors, it wouldn't be difficult to turn it into a Home DAC. Does anyone have any relatively low cost external recommendations to spice up my life in the source department? Doesn't rea…

Hi Everyone. I just heard the Cary 306 professional and I loved how it sounded. It had a bunch of detail and the highs sounded bright to me, but it didn't sound harsh or shrill. Also, every instrument and the vocals had it's own space. Overall it was just amazing. What is a good price for a used one? Also, does anyone know of a comparable source that may be a little cheaper? Thanks for any help or sugguestions.

http://www.needledoctor.com/Furutech-GT-40-Headphone-Amp-DAC Good review of this unit in the new issue of Tone Audio. This thing is a serious swiss army knife: -24/96 DAC over USB -Headphone amp -MM/MC Phono Stage! nice. -ADC! handles needledrops up to 24/96. All for $480. This is cool because I was just thinking it would be cool if more of these "all in one" type audio devices (benchmark, peachtree, etc) started incorporating phono stages. I could see this unit sitting on a desktop next to a Rega RP-1 or some other budget deck making a really awesome rig. The review in Tone Audio is worth a read, but in a nutshell they say any of the individual features (D…

Oz, at Let There Be Sound Just got in a few of these new USB DACs from Cayin. It has a USB in on the front of the unit as well as a mini headphone jack. It also has controls on the front of the unit, including volume control. It also comes with a remote. There are two DAC chips. Analog out 1 uses a TDA1543 and Analog out 2 uses a PCM2706 which is also volume controlled. The iDAC can be used as a preamp through the second analog out. I finally got into my music room to try it out. I am using it as a pre at the moment through a Berendsen STA 150 power amp and my System-Audio Ranger speakers. The only headphones I have at the moment are ER-6is. I haven't tried them yet. As y…

Got this notification in my email today, posting it up since not everyone here is signed up to TTVJ: New Dac/Preamp?headphone amp from luxman: http://www.ttvjaudio...duct=725&image= There's also a new turntable from luxman: http://www.ttvjaudio...p?idProduct=724 as well as an integrated amp from luxman (though this obviously doesn't fall into source category, unless source of joy counts): http://www.ttvjaudio...p?idProduct=726

Been looking at 'gon and notice that there are few Ayre D-1xe on sale at somewhat attractive prices. Right now I use a Linn Klimax DS to feed a speaker system with headphone amps connected via loop out from the preamp using RCA. If I were to get an Ayre player, I would use that as a dedicated source for my headphone amps using the balanced connection, instead of RCA. I have heard Ayre's current line of CDPs, but have not done any comparsion with the Linn (never saw the point). Will I be totally bumbed going from a top Linn to a very old top Ayre? Anyone heard both and can comment?

Hey guys, Recently I have been considering this... www.lessloss.com ...as a replacement for my Lavry. Any thoughts? I am undecided right now, mainly due to the cost. - Jay

Hi, I bought some shiny new records for my vinyl collection but they seemed a little odd. These things are like shiny silver on one side with graphics and stuff on the other, and they're smaller than my 45's. I put them on my record player and tried the 45 RPM setting, but it didn't work, and I couldn't get music out of them, only a horrible scratching sound. I tried the other side and got the same thing. What am I doing wrong?

I agreed to trade my RSA XR-10B for a Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum cartridge, which arrived yesterday for a trial before I ship out the phono stage. I gritted my teeth and decided that, dammit, the first cartridge I ever install might as well be a $6,000 wood cartridge without a cantilever cover for protection! The cart was re-tipped already by van den Hul due to a defect that was original, so you will see the sticker in place on the cart. I had a couple beers to steady the nerves, and spoke with my life coach, JP Numbers, to get some perspective and some tips on how not to break off the tip of this beautiful creation. After various oaths and regrets that I …

Hi, Basically I want this: http://audioengineusa.com/Store/Audioengine-D2 but without the dac. I want to send the output from my oppo wireless to any one of the DACS that may be across the other side of the room. Maybe radio shack has something, figured I'd ask if anyone used such a device.

Hey guys, i have done extensive reading both here and on "that other site" and i more or less decided on buying a Pico because i read some glowing reviews from experienced and well respected members,but then i read some not so glowing reviews ,not a suprise since this happens with just about anything in audio. plus it is really hard to keep up with all the new DAC's,so i was wondering if you could tell me that the Pico is still the best at it's price range or would you recommend i'll go for something else,all i care about is SQ and not features and connectivity etc. thanks!

Hi all, Looking at getting something like the Trends UD-10. Basically just want a quick and dirty USB-Toslink convertor. Looked at the Hagerman units and they only have coax or AES/EBU. Any suggestions would be welcome. If you know of a place to get the Trends cheap, that would be great as well. Thanks, Jay

SACDMODS DENON 2910 I gave Matt Anker my Denon 2910 to mod at the meet. He is a very nice fellow and is eager to work with you. He does not talk above your level of understanding nor does he insult you by shortchanging you on information. I can do some of this stuff and some I can't. I understand the basic operating premmis on most everything but sometimes get overwhelmed by the details. However Matt will make it simple and understandable for you. I was able to visit "SACDMODS International LLC. INC.". It was the No.2 site in Columbus, Ohio on seventeen sprawling acres of land with more than nineteen buildings and wharehouses. He has his own Gymnasium and football …

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…

I have to say, I thought there wouldn't be a huge difference over DirectStream to my Opus, and it isn't a huge difference, but ASIO sounds noticeably better than DS.