Home Source Components

Unveiled at CES and almost no one noticed, where was all the press? I demand impressions even if they're only visual! Accuphase DP-600: Accuphase Laboratory, Inc.?DP-600 (MSRP unknown) Luxman D-08: On a Higher Note :: D-08 Stereo SACD / CD Music Player ($14K) And even Denon's new DCD-SX: Denon unveils Flagship SACD player, DCD-SX - SlashGear Zero chance I'll buy any of these but Luxman's other new D-06 CDP is only $8K which is kinda awfully tempting... (and I gotta say, these new Luxman CDPs are very nice-looking)

So I'm gonna have around $400 soon (yay for selling my supermacro ) and I'm looking to upgrade from my Entech Number Cruncher to be used with a CK2III and Grado 225s (woodied hopefully in the near future) The DACs that I'm thinking of are the MSB Link III w/o upgrades, Headroom MicroDAC (new and old) and OPUS dac. If you have any suggestions, tell me!

Just caught this on computeraudiophile's site. I've got ayrewave, amarra, I've used pure music and twilight and this one is nice. I just drag and drop the cd I want to play from my music folder in itunes and it loads right up. Has memory play and auto sample rate change as well, best of all it is open source and free for the moment at least. http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/New-OSX-Opensource-audiophile-player-Audirvana

This one, "Taralabs"... Native 24bit 96k USB to Spdif I2S Converter for DAC - eBay (item 270517709517 end time Feb-17-10 17:30:38 PST) ... but I read "Teralabs". Whatever, it does use the Tenor chip, like the Prodigy Cube I am using now, but it is a simpler desing (no DAC inside so no line outs and no headphone out) with the option of off-board power supply. I am happy with my unit (does native 24/96 and changes the sampling frequency on the fly with foobar) save for a problem with some 24/88'2 files (does not recognise the 88'2 fq). But "no drivers" makes me happy... Anyone to test it? Padam were you not looking for something like that?

A new music player: AyreWave from sbooth.org Mentioned here: Stereophile: Wavelength Leads the Way Initial impressions this morning is that it puts out better music than Amarra Mini (2.0.1). More texture to instruments (low-level detail) with my LCD-2 or borrowed O2 rigs. If I don't pay attention, but just listen to a good acoustic track in a relaxed manner in both, then I get the feeling that Amarra is a little bit more hard-edged digital in presentation and with AyreWave the music sounds a bit more "real". The simple UI is good: Select a bunch of tracks in iTunes or the Finder and click on the relevant button in AyreWave to add them to the persistent playli…

Does anyone have experience with effectively demagnetizing vinyl and how? I have Nitty Gritty record cleaning machine and this helps some. I use a carbon brush on each side of play. I also have a Zerostat (slow squeeze in near the record and then discharge away fro the rrecord) but I hear little effect with this. I know there are a several of machines, one in the $300-400 price range, which I'd consider if it was truly effective. I am looking to cut down on the crackling and/or static type of noise. Am I correct in attributing this noise to static charge?

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?

Northstar M192 DAC (thanks Reks) Neat optical illusion. the faceplate is not wavy aluminum like it looks from the front. Back: Certainly a dynamite looking product. just some chicken scratch (upsampling turned on at all times, will mess around with it later), all testing was done switching back and forth. Started off with some John Zorn's Electric Masada and then some early King Crimson and Tool. I think the Lavry is still a very dynamic DAC, but the Northstar takes it to a whole different level. Loud sounds are huge, dynamic shifts (both macro and micro) sound incredibly lifelike. Dire Strait's Brothers In Arms/Communique (both WG Target discs) …

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…

Hello, need some suggestions for a DAC to use with PC. I realize there are a wide plethora of options listed in the forum, but would like some help narrowing the list down to budget. Currently using the Pico DAC/amp for everything, but was wondering if there is a better option, specifically for desktop use with USB. I've been contemplating upgrading to powered speakers, and STAX, so it's probably time for a source upgrade as well. What options do I got?

Stereophile: Wadia Need Next? DAC only $999 DAC w/ HP amp $1499 No, I don't need a new DAC, my DacMagic is very good

From: Electrocompaniet Introduces the ECR 1?A High-Performance, Do-All Tuner | AVguide "The Norwegian high-end audio firm Electrocompaniet has just announced its stunningly versatile ECR 1 tuner, which

I just snagged up an Eastsound CD-E5 for pretty cheap and I'm crossing my fingers I won't have to replace the transport the day it arrives. Anyone still using this CDP?

Hi all, I posted this on head-fi as well, but figured the folks here might have some input as well since there seems to be quite a few DAC users... Well, I am still strongly considering the Lavry Black as it seems to be a perfect solution for my needs. I will be using a Slimdevices Squeezebox to feed it and initially will drive my HF-1's from the headphone output and my balanced K340's from the XLR outputs. Now, the QC issues that are being discussed on the Lavry forums combined with Ori's recent review that seem to be giving the nodd towards the Zhaolu have me concerned. What I'm wondering, is there any similar DAC's out there that I may want to consider? Things…

Finally have a little cash to become active around here again. Looking for a USB DAC to match up with the Lambda normal bias + SRM-T1 I just bought from Birgir. I've narrowed it down to these 2. Any have any personal experience with either? Anything else you'd recommend? Looking to keep the price under $500.

A buddy is looking to buy one of these for himself and I was wondering if there were any other units that cover the same features any better. The DAC1 is a DAC, preamp, headphone amp, and has a remote control. He would be replacing a larger preamp and likes the smaller form factor of the DAC1 all-in-one. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

hi, right now my main source is a PC I want to buy a good used CD player which can play mp3 disks because most of my song are mp3 files. I know you may recommend me to use flossless files but I mainly download music from internet so flossless files are hard to find cables i have had so far are virtual dynamics digital RCA and analog RCA my budget will be around 4k when you recommend me the player, can you also give me a good price tag for it? which brand should i consider? thanks for your time

Grado Sonata Reference VS. Audio-Technica AT440MLA VS. Denon DL-103 Its the comparison nobody asked for! Associated Equipment: Technics SL1200MK2 Grado PH-1 (on H gain for DL-103, L gain for AT440MLA and Sonata) Cambridge Audio 840A Stax SRD-7/Pro Adaptor Stax SR-007/Omega II Music used: Alan Parsons - I Robot Classic Records 200g Introduction Back when I started this hobby blah blah mikey fremer. The Rundown Highs Sonata: They're OK. Sometimes they are dull and wooly, sometimes the upper midrange must creep into the treble, because then it sounds bright, or maybe overly glarey. Could just be a tonearm mismatch. AT440MLa: The highs are …

I got mine from Price Japan for $675 shipped EMS to the US. I like it a lot. Supposed to share internal design with Aqvox, but not as many options available at the front panel.

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...

Does anyone have any experience with any of the docks that bypass the iPod's internal DAC? I'm thinking about buying such a device to use with my home DAC, and would appreciate any relevant info. I'm aware of the Wadia and the Onkyo, any others of note? A decent used Wadia 170i goes for about $250, and that's appealing.

I'm selling my NAD redbook player, but have been interested in one of the Oppo universals for a while just to give SACD a shot. However, I know nothing really about SACD. Is it all hi rez? Will there be a noticeable difference in a two-channel headphone rig? And, perhaps most importantly, do SACD players play nice with standalone DACses? Educate The Monkey.

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 …

One of the sources I've been considering upgrading to for CD playback. I'm trying to find out if there is any sort of digital input, which would eliminate the need for the Bel Canto, and free that up for another rig. I haven't seen anything about inputs, only outputs. If anyone knows if this has any sort of digital input, I'd appreciate you mentioning it. Thanks.

I have been sucked in the spiral of Stax and I feel I might end with an Omega II+SRM-717 before or later. I'm wondering what DAC would be up to the job. I am considering the OMZ 4.1 since it seems to have a soft tonality that I might like, and I am waiting with interest for the AMB Gamma 1, which still is "just" a small DAC (probably Pico competitor). Would these make justice to the Omega's, or should I go up to a Cambridge 840c and such? Thanks for any hints you can throw.