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Just received my Squeezebox Duet that I have been waiting two weeks for. It appears the receiver is DOA. The light on the front doesn't light up. It appears everything on the powersupply side works fine. Guess I have to ship it all back and wait a month for a replacement

This may be interesting, thoughts: http://www.psaudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/DirectStream-DAC-white-paper.pdf http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2014/02/ps-audio-to-rescue-pcm-with-directstream-perfectwave-dac/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ps-audio-to-rescue-pcm-with-directstream-perfectwave-dac http://www.monoandstereo.com/2014/02/ps-audio-directstream-dac.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+monoandstereo%2FHOym+%28MONO+AND+STEREO+Ultra+High-End+Audio+Magazine%29

The line out of the motherboard in the desktop is as noisy as anything I have ever heard. It does have an optical out though... Last night I pulled out the bottlehead crack and hd650s and they sounded mighty fine. I loved them with the emotive xda1 and the xda2 is only $219 right now but I don't have the room for it. I haven't kept up with the dac market for the past few years. The PS Audio DL 3 works well with the speakers so I am not inclined to do anything with it but it is already being fed by an Apple TV and only has one optical input. Any suggestions for a dac that has an optical input in a similar budget (if need be I'll try to make room for the xda2 but I'd ra…

Bought a Sony Modwright 999es second hand over at HF. Just got it in today! I've only listened to a few SACDs I purchase to check it out, but so far it is pretty magical. Couple of pics: Dedicated power supply: Only immediate impressions are that vocals on SACDs (depeche mode sofad, roxy music avalaon, harnoncourt mozart's requiem) seem much more real. Everything sounds wider, more rounded, all the various instruments seem to have a specific place they exist in. Very cool. The Mozart sounds wonderful. Looking forward to doing an AB test with the redbook FLACS of this through my DA100. The DM sofad I have mixed feelings about. The mix is very, ver…

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…

"Luxman has released the DA-200 USB DAC by combining the P-1u headphone amp and the D-05". link

I'm going to upgrade my source, and it has to be a standalone dac so I can use it with my computer. But I was thinking that it should also do A/D conversion so I can make better needledrops. Does anybody know of some good, preferably under 1k A/D/A's?

Stereophile blog entry Google

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…

His budget is 350 bucks... I don't think he minds camping ebay/audiogon, but if its something that is immediately available then that would be more ideal. I know sony direct drive for cheap bucks is a pretty good deal so maybe a list of models/links for those would be perfect.

Just posting an observation I've made with digital transports. I'm sure jitter plays some part in why some sound different from others. But something else I've noticed lately is that the output signal level from a digital transport also seems to make a difference with regards to sound quality. I noticed this recently since I have a few DACs right now in the house, all with varying analog output levels. Ranging from 2- 3.5 vrms through the RCA (single ended) output. Sometimes the output on the high output DACs is just a bit too much with my amps (lacking headroom on the headphone amp's volume pot is annoying), which is what started me to mess around with the volume level o…

Phasure NOS1 DAC... I'm just trying to find more info on this...possibly from someone who has the means to own a 2900 euro DAC:)... seems to be a little more info elsewhere in the XXHighEnd forums...

So, I bought that Capitole SE CD player on Audiogon, sent off my check, I'm a happy lil' clam and...Let's go look and see the "sold" sign. Yeah, that's the ticket. But to my horror and dismay, the post...poof, up in smoke, gone with the wind, etc, etc, etc. Now I thought it was customery to keep posts up and put a bold "sold" so everyone would know that one lucky person got the prize and everyone else didn't. I mean, isn't that the good 'ol American Way? So did something BAD happen here? Or are there mysterious ways that things dissappear that I don't know about and...most importantly: Does this decrease the likelihood of me ever seeing my Capitole come hither? …

Just got this baby installed. It sounds a little better than my Moodlab did, still breaking in, only 1 hour old. Have a 1962 GE tube in it, been conjuring up the wallet resources to get a fancier tube like a 396 or a Bendix *shudder*. Seems to be more musical than other DACs as people have told me...you really get a feel for the instruments not just fancy bold noises and sounds. And with that, I'll take any questions. MHDT has good service, they took about a day to get back to me and then I got set up. DAC took 4 days to come. Shipped Saturday, came Wednesday. They're turbo fast, it cleared customs in 4 hours luckily enough. There was a powdered Chinese tube …

I would like to connect the KGSS (balanced), Woo Audio 5LE (SE), and GS-1 (SE) all to the ECD-1. I was hoping to be able to have more than one amp on at a time (but at least not have to plug and unplug cables). Is it ok to have amps connected (and running) to both the XLR and RCA outputs of the ECD-1 simultaneously and will this degrade sound quality? This was my plan: |----(RCA)----> GS-1 ----(loop out)----> WA5LE ECD-1 | |----(XLR)----> KGSS[/HTML]

I need a standalone usb dac. Anything else I should consider in the same price range?? Some people mentioned that 06 Microdac is too warm, output level is way higher than normal and bad usb implementation. Is the the case with 07 model too??

I am thinking of NAD M5, NAD M55, Arcam FMJ36, Rega Saturn, Rega Appolo. There is no limit to these CDP's only, just to give you an idea, but it would be used with EAR HP4 and GS1000. So, if you have some idea's or cheaper solutions/choices, please share. THX

Any thoughts on the upcoming Schiit Audio Gungnir dac? Is their "adapaticlock" circuit really that unique or just good marketing? The rest of the dac (upgradable dac and usb) and fully discrete balanced output looks pretty good.

I was reading this review, and it mentions the AqVox USB isolating power supply: A strong statement. But after looking around, there appears to be some controversy -- so...what it is? Have you tried it? Did it make a difference? It sounds like I should at least try it, but the AqVox appears to be geared towards the European market -- so is there a North American equivalent? I'd be particularly interested in Justin's thoughts since he has probably already put some thought into this. Justin?

Read some comments about the dac being especially good in the Pico. The real star of the unit. What's peoples experience trying it with their headamps etc. I thought of hooking it up with a glite for a nice little combo, but maybe the lite would be more sideways than better than the internal amp.

Try comparing this to Foobar. There's definitely a difference and I'm not just talking about volume. Could it be a DSP effect? The demo's easy to find but the unlocked software costs 72 euros. I need some opinions because this thing sounds good, but why?

My brother left his Apogee Centaur speakers with me to sell when he left for South America. I've had an ad on US Audio Mart for quite awhile, and while it has attracted some responses (including 1 local, but couldn't meet up the same night he was looking at some Maggies), has not resulted in getting rid of these for my brother. I just got an offer for a trade for a Monarchy m22A, plus some Tek Line power cord. Anyone have an opinion on this DAC? It certainly would seem easier to sell for something without requiring me to pack or crate the speakers (dude would come and pick them up). Thanks for any input! p.s. And I know this is more like a bar... I am drinking…

Hello all, I recently purchased an Audio Alchemy DDE v1.2 off of ebay. I guess this is my fault for the most part since I didn't ask questions before I bought it but it did not come with a power supply. Well, I have a few AA power supplies lying around but none of those have the same connection as the PS5. It's connection looks identical to an S-video connection. A 4 prong din. So now I'm stuck with this unit and have no way to use it. Does ANYONE on this forum have one they're NOT using? I will gladly take it off your hands. Thanks, Adam

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…

I've made an audio friend down here who imports the dCS range and has a slightly-used Debussy he's looking to unload at an advantageous (though still eye watering) price. Does the HC brain trust have an opinion on the dCS house sound in general or their Ring DAC topology in particular? I will have a chance to live with it in my system for a while before making any decisions. Another option is to wait for the first shipment of the new DAC from Aesthetix, who he also carries. The Pandora uses (as I understand it) roughly the same digital board as my current Ayre QB9, but with a beefed-up power supply and analog section (and toobs, obviously). Charles Hansen has been repping…