Home Source Components

So the sickness is sucking me in yet again, and I've sold my beloved Opus DAC to try a Buffalo. I haven't heard a Buffalo, but why should that stop me from ripping the heart of my system out and taking a blind chance on the Buffalo? There are of coarse a few members I trust that have the Buffalo already, and their brief impressions are quite positive. However a little reassurance never hurt, so tell me about the Buffalo guys and gals. How many have heard it?

I'd like to get a dac to pair with my recently acquired O2/KGSS rig. I'm currently using my APL modded Philips SACD1000 but there's a pretty big portion of music that I only have on hard drives. I'd like to keep this as inexpensive as possible but if I can't find anything to my liking I'm willing to wait it out awhile. I'll mostly likely be using the DAC with a Squeezebox as the transport.

Anyone know if the TBAAM (Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro) optical out is bit perfect on Linux with ALSA? Is ALSA/Linux a bit-perfect system to use? (like Kernel Streaming on Windows) I know the TBAAM optical on Windows is resampled, but what about Linux?

If you had only 1 good, well made power cable (Better then the stock ones) would you use it on a DAC or Amp? Im thinking DAC, as my Amp (HR millett) is using the Astrodyne PS, which prob will not benefit from the cable. I dunno, im new to the whole AC power cable, so i bought a starter (Virtual Dynamic basic) for one of my devices, just dont know which.

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.

Hi all. Since I'm getting in the Cambridge 840C, I was wondering what type of cable should I get for connecting the my 840c to my laptop? The 840C has coax and my laptop has S/PDIF 1/8". I haven't done this before as I'm guessing that I could connect my laptop or Ipod to the 840C and use the DAC in the 840c? I was thinking about getting Blue Jeans to make a cable to do this. What would you folks recommend. Thanks in advance .

Has anyone heard their CD77 player?

About a month back I picked up the Kora Hermes DAC after reading about it on Agon and AA. It was a reference for a bit for a few reviewers so O thought I'd give it a go. I am using it slightly unconventionally in a computer as source rig with a hagusb/aes converter to take the usb signal out of my apple mac mini to the aes input of the Kora dac. I have been on a search for the holy grail for a while now looking for a dac that would plit the difference between the thicker analog sounding wadia/opus21 sound and the faster but brittle sound of some of the newer top gun dacs. Having gone through the wavelength cosecant, transporter, transporter APL modded and apogee mini dac …

What falls in that category? I'm not sure this is the perfect timing considering my latest thread but I'm interested finding out more. I hope I don't annoy anyone here with all these questions. I mentioned the DA220 over in that thread and someone said it was not really "high-end" so then, what is? I've looked at several options but it's hard wading through all these opinions of other people spread out over numerous of threads, comparing apples to oranges or comparing only 2 or 3 options of what I've found so far. I've made a list of DACs gathered from the "Best DAC money can buy" over at hf and left out several models because of their lacking specs / sonically signa…

I'm still doing research as to what type of hirez player I want. While a universal unit would be cool, the fact is that I have tons of SACDs but only a handful of DVD-A's. So in addition to universal (modded) units, I am considering stock SACD players. I see the Marantz SA-11S1 and Krell SACD Standard mentioned quite a bit, but have not really heard anything about their performance from anyone whose opinion I trust. So give me your opinions, people I trust! Anyone ever own or hear or know someone who has owned or heard one of these players? Or even better, are there any other SACD only players you'd like to recommend? My price range is <$2000, and I want something that…

Hi everyone. I'm thinking about upgrading my source. Right now I have a stock Denon DVD-2900 to a DAC1. I've been looking at either a Exemplar DVD-2900 or DVD-3910 or Purks rig which is a Modwright with Kern Modded Sony SCD-777ES w/ Tube Rectified PSU or even a Cambridge 840C. There is a Exemplar DVD-3910 on sale at Agon http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?dgtlplay&1214828507, but I'm not sure if that is a good price or not. Just a little background on sources, I'm pretty much a noob when it comes to sources. I read reviews on all the products mentioned, and read Tkam's great review on the Cambridge 840C. They all sound like they would be good, but I'm not sure…

Well hell has frozen over, the cubs have won the world series, George Bush has said something clever, I will be buying an iMac. All patently unlikely a few short months ago but I will most likely be buying an iMac to do multipurpose duty in our kitchen dining area. One of its duties will be to act as the server for squeezcenter. I am currently running squeezcenter 7.0 on my laptop but it will need to be out and about most of the summer so I need a more permanent solution. Is anyone running squeezcenter on a MAC? Any glitches or problems? Thanks.

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone knew the output voltage of Cambridge Audio Azur 840c? Oddly enough, the information isn't in the manual (or I'm an idiot and may have simply missed it) and I haven't heard back from Cambridge Audio about it.

Well it's finally arrived after sitting at APL since December waiting for the 32bit upgrade. I'm not terribly bothered though as it arrived in one piece, the whole 20kgs. The unit is still warming up but first impressions are very positive though the whole system is stone cold so I might have a better idea tonight. Right now I'm listening to the SACD Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms and it is flat out stunning. The sound is just like it's from a great electrostatic, hanging in space and inviting you to take a listen. The first thing I did was to rip it open to inspect any shipping damage so I'll leave you with some internal porn... …

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...

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.

Got in the Seduction today. No SUT until at least thursday, so I swapped out headshells (once again, Technics for the win. I love having multiple carts on hand, prealigned for quick install) and went from the DL-103 to the AT440MLa so I could go ahead and give the Seduction a listen. Wide open, warm sound, lifelike midrange, very detailed without being too neutral or boring. The brightness of the AT440MLa is greatly reduced, which is a surprise. While I have always respected this cart, I am seeing now that it scales remarkably well with a better phono. My one complaint at this point is the bass is a little muddy and lacking definition. When the mid…

I think I'm going to forgo my desire to get a Rega P3, I doubt it would be a huge upgrade from my current MMF-5. And I've received some feedback from the SH forums saying as much. The MMF-5 is a great table, I'd just like to make another intermediate jump before going all out. So I've budgeted $1000 plus or minus a little bit for just the turntable and arm. I'm open to spending a decent percentage on the cart as well. But I want to figure this part out first. The VPI Scout/JMW9 is at the top of my list, even though I know a couple of people here aren't fans. And I won't have any problems selling it which is also a big plus. And I've heard a nicely modded Aries3 on num…

Has anyone heard this turntable? A friend of mine is having one sent to him for in house audition. I might get a chance to hear it.

Hello crew, I am completely ignorant to the whole laptop/computer as source thing, so could use your help. I am looking for something to play music from my laptop wirelessly through my Zana. The Zana has 3 inputs with one being sourced from the Meridian, so I figured I could use another source. I am pretty much on my laptop all the time, would be nice to source some music from here as well. Nothing too crazy or expensive, just sound decent enough, the cheaper the better, so no modwrighted or APL modded transporters and what not. Also, I could probably get some ideas for software programs that can play music where I can bypass the volume control on my laptop, that could…

So the next step for me after I run the Bugle for a while will be to try a SUT with an MM tube phono stage. Of course I'm already looking for an appropriate SUT, and it appears that the Cinemag transformers are within my price range, and supposedly they have a synergy with the DL-103 line of carts. There are two builders I've come across. anumber1 on agon and capnbob on eBay. I have read that anumber1 is a popular guy on aa, but I've never spoken with him. Capnbob responded to a question I had quickly last night, and he regularly sells Altec and Cinemag SUTs which always go quickly. However, capnbob's price is $85 more then anumber1's. Also, anumber1's layout of ins on…

as many of you know, i sold my vinyl rig (& saturn) to sport the reimyo cdp-777. yet, even though i sold every bit, i could not part with my meager vinyl collection--particular the beatles, lennon, rush, miles, led zeppelin, coltrane etc... when i would read posts raving about the vinyl experience, i jealously longed for it and at the same time dreaded it because i never really achieved it, lack the knowhow to properly set-up a tt, and the whole process seemed overly involved. so now and again, i had been thinking and researching how to do vinyl on the cheap and easy--vintage tables and rega were likely contenders. i wanted to keep it well under a grand and more o…

So, tube buffers. I've read numerous opines over the years about how great/bleh tube buffers are and wondered who here has ever played with them and what you think. Are they the shit or is it just a phony way of adding some tube distortion in a way pleasing to some. From what people are reporting it seems like they can make a middling system better but can also mess up a better one. It's all very confusing to my pea-like brain, however it does sound mildly interesting.

http://www.samick.jp/shop/24_14.html Lots of I/O, looks interesting, but I don't know enough about anything to decipher the doohickeys in the pictures.

Well, as you may or may not know I really love these cartridges. In fact, I will never own any other brand, save a Denon DL-102, or some other mono cartridge, and even then I'd have a custom mono cartridge made when I could afford it. Here's a product listing: http://www.sibatech.co.jp/ZYX/ZYXcatalog.htm as well as a picture of the R-50 Bloom: My cartridge is a special ordered low-output version, which comes in around 0.24mV. One nice thing about these cartridges is that the vertical and horizontal compliance is the same across the line, as is recommended tracking force, stock weight, recommended load, etc. etc. This makes moving up (and down) the line pretty…