Current Lash Up:
TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.
Well if there is somewhere nearby you can demo one, give it a go. Or, give Dave Brooks a shout, he would most likely send you one to try if you like.
“Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel. I have always needed fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio”
Hunter S Thompson
I have a pretty fair vinyl front end, this dac beats it frankly.
“Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel. I have always needed fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio”
Hunter S Thompson
AC POWER
Hardwired 10kVA balanced mains powering entire system
AMPS
Meridian 557 power Amp (Modded) / PS Audio BHK Preamp (Modded)
SPEAKERS
Wharfedale Evo 4.4
DAC
PS Audio Directstream (Modded)
TURNTABLE
Pro-Ject X8 balanced output via XLR / Ortofon Quintet Blue cartridge
PHONOSTAGE
Pro-Ject DS3 B balanced Input (TT and Phonostage powered by Pro-Ject Power box RS2 linear psu)
DIGITAL
OPPO 203 (Modded: Linear PSU, i2s output to Dac) - Roon Endpoint, HDMI input used for all things Streaming/ PS5 /AppleTV ... also good for movies apparently?
MUSIC PLAYBACK
Tweaked AP-Linux based Roon Server into Oppo 203 as Roon endpoint
Ipad Roon Remote.
Apple Music/ YouTube via AppleTV, fed to Dac via Oppo HDMI input/i2s output to Dac.
SPEAKER CABLES
Biwired: Duelund DCA10GA (Bass) Duelund DCA16GA (mid & treble) Duelund 12DCA used as jumpers (On "Blackcat Cable" Chris Sommivigo's advice - yup, even with biwire it sounds better - and it does)
INTERCONNECTS
All Balanced: Ghost+ recording studio XLR cables
Aye he does. He's away at the Bristol show this weekend though.
We'll have to have a board meeting soon mate.
“Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel. I have always needed fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio”
Hunter S Thompson
A couple of years ago now Alan (Firebottle) came around mine with an OTL valve power amp that he had knocked up from bits he had lying about.
I thought I was getting a pretty good sound, thought I had my amplification sorted, at least.
The OTL amp (I had not heard one before) sounded wonderful, I thought it to be better than what I had, not earth-shatteringly better, but a subtle improvement. This was until Alan left, I put my power amp back in the system - and it sounded worse. Not just 'Not quite as good, I'm an audiophile so I can spot these little differences' worse, but 'So much worse that it sounds broken'.
It took me a week to re-acclimatise. But you can never truly go back. I had realised amplification really matters. Okay so that is not as bad as discovering interconnects or speaker cables really matter. But still a bit of a shocker for me.
Anyway: The upshot being I love this Krell amp and if it were not an abomination of God's Laws I would marry it and have its little heat-sinked babies.
Just had to share that. As you were.
Current Lash Up:
TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.
Location: gone
Posts: 11,519
I'm gone.
Which socket do you prefer? - mains, RCA or XLR?
.
Nice having a good amp innit.
I look at what some are using and shudder. That's not me being snobbish, just the awareness of how much their systems are being held back by amp choices.
Of course, there are some 'standout' amplifier choices in every price range, new and second hand. But it's all 'mix & match' really. Even the finest amp can sound grim with the wrong partnering gear.
It is impossible for anything digital to sound analogue, because it isn't analogue!
The thing with this Krell, and with the OTL I mentioned, and the Firebottle SECA Dulci amp I have, is that they just sound right. Not some specific ability like detail or 'rez' or bass, the sound is just right in some subliminal way the brain picks up on and says 'Oh yeah, that's it, that is hitting the spot.' The Radford STA15 also does this for me. The XTZ I was using previously could do it, but only a good day and with a tail wind.
Also since I have got a good match on the speaker cable I'm no longer bothered about the speakers 'WAF Tower' bass character since the bass no longer appears to be coming from the speakers i.e it is more 'effortless' in a way that reminds me of my favourite speaker, the coveted JBL 4365. In fact starting to think I don't need to upgrade to them at all. Which is good as I cannot really afford to buy some anyway.
Current Lash Up:
TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.