Hi from Vancouver, Canada

[magiccarpetride]

Hello everyone, my name is Alex and I'm an avid music fan from Canada. My renewed interest in all things audiophile started last year, when I auditioned Linn Majik DS player. Decided that it beats many CD players, and then did some research for a similarly good sounding DS player, but on a tighter budget.

Finally settled on Logitech Squeezebox Duet (Touch was still being announced back then). After upgrading to Duet, experienced stunning improvement in my listening pleasure. This coincided with my second honeymoon with the Beatles (thanks to their remastered catalog).

At that point I was using Logitech Squeezebox duet into DPA 200s separates, driving a pair of Castle Inversion speakers. I had a nagging feeling that Castle speakers are not doing justice to the improved source signal I was getting out of the Squeezebox, so I did a lot of research and settled on planar speakers (Magneplanar MG1 IMP). That decision ushered a new era of audio nirvana into my life. Magneplanars (or, Maggies) opened up a whole new world of music to me.

Finally, feeling that digital-to-analog conversion could be the weakest link in my chain, decided to upgrade the DAC, and ordered Beresford Caiman. While the Caiman is burning in right now (got it in only yesterday), the only thing remaining for me to do is to work on getting a really good high power/high currency amplifier (ideally vacuum tube amp, or solid state monoblocks). Maggies are extremely power hungry, and need at least 120 Watts per channel, if not 200 Wpc.

Being a musician (a guitar player) myself, I like wide variety of music, but prevalently rock, blues, pop, world, electronica, etc. To a lesser extent classical, and only occasionally a bit of jazz (I find jazz mostly too cold and too brainy for my ears).

[Alex_UK]

Hello Alex from another one. A model introduction, the mods will be pleased! ;)

Enjoy AoS & welcome.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Hi Alex,
Welcome to the Art of Sound. There are one or two other guitarist here & plenty whose taste in music runs fairly parallel to yours. Even more Caiman owners!
Have fun. I like your city by the way, but I prefer the many bits of BC that are not Vancouver!
Cheers

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Hi, welcome alex, Good to see another member moving on from shiney silver plastic discs :)

[Stratmangler]

Hi Alex

Welcome to the forum.
I have fond memories of Vancouver - there are family friends who are natives of your fair city.
When I was there the Royal Hudson was still running, so it's been a while.
I still claim bragging rights for having crossed the Capilano Suspension Bridge.

http://z.about.com/d/govancouver/1/0/p/3/-/-/Capilano_Suspension_Bridge.jpg

[Stratmangler]

Before anyone asks, yes, it is shit yourself scary up there !

[magiccarpetride]

Hi Alex,
Welcome to the Art of Sound. There are one or two other guitarist here & plenty whose taste in music runs fairly parallel to yours. Even more Caiman owners!
Have fun. I like your city by the way, but I prefer the many bits of BC that are not Vancouver!
Cheers

Hey Chris,

Thanks for the warm welcome! What parts of BC did you like best?

Also, who are the guitarists in here?

[magiccarpetride]

Hello Alex from another one. A model introduction, the mods will be pleased! ;)

Enjoy AoS & welcome.

Thanks for the warm welcome, Alex. I already feel like I've been here for a long time:) Very cozy community!

[magiccarpetride]

Hi, welcome alex, Good to see another member moving on from shiney silver plastic discs :)

Yes, Hamish, I don't think I'll ever go back to using containers as carriers for content. I call this new era "the age of containerless content". My content is out there in the 'cloud' (no container), and I just stream it wirelessly wherever I happen to be (most ideally, in my listening room:)

[magiccarpetride]

Hi Alex

Welcome to the forum.
I have fond memories of Vancouver - there are family friends who are natives of your fair city.
When I was there the Royal Hudson was still running, so it's been a while.
I still claim bragging rights for having crossed the Capilano Suspension Bridge.

http://z.about.com/d/govancouver/1/0/p/3/-/-/Capilano_Suspension_Bridge.jpg

Chris,

I took a Royal Hudson trip with my family back in 1996, it's a marvelous ride (I hope it's still running).

Capilano suspension bridge is very high up, but the scariest part is that it's so wobbly!

[The Grand Wazoo]

Well, my wife is terrified of heights (she starts to panic if she wears two pairs of socks) and she did the bridge at Capilano, but she couldn't do the one at Hell's Gate over the Fraser River



http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/13/88/39/hell-s-gate-bridge-over.jpg

- How does that work then?

[Spectral Morn]

Hello everyone, my name is Alex and I'm an avid music fan from Canada. My renewed interest in all things audiophile started last year, when I auditioned Linn Majik DS player. Decided that it beats many CD players, and then did some research for a similarly good sounding DS player, but on a tighter budget.

Finally settled on Logitech Squeezebox Duet (Touch was still being announced back then). After upgrading to Duet, experienced stunning improvement in my listening pleasure. This coincided with my second honeymoon with the Beatles (thanks to their remastered catalog).

At that point I was using Logitech Squeezebox duet into DPA 200s separates, driving a pair of Castle Inversion speakers. I had a nagging feeling that Castle speakers are not doing justice to the improved source signal I was getting out of the Squeezebox, so I did a lot of research and settled on planar speakers (Magneplanar MG1 IMP). That decision ushered a new era of audio nirvana into my life. Magneplanars (or, Maggies) opened up a whole new world of music to me.

Finally, feeling that digital-to-analog conversion could be the weakest link in my chain, decided to upgrade the DAC, and ordered Beresford Caiman. While the Caiman is burning in right now (got it in only yesterday), the only thing remaining for me to do is to work on getting a really good high power/high currency amplifier (ideally vacuum tube amp, or solid state monoblocks). Maggies are extremely power hungry, and need at least 120 Watts per channel, if not 200 Wpc.

Being a musician (a guitar player) myself, I like wide variety of music, but prevalently rock, blues, pop, world, electronica, etc. To a lesser extent classical, and only occasionally a bit of jazz (I find jazz mostly too cold and too brainy for my ears).


Hi Welcome to AOS

The Music Reference RM 200 amplifier (now mk2) would be worth having a look at go to http://www.ramlabs-musicreference.com/ for background info and here for info on the amplifier http://www.ramlabs-musicreference.com/rm200.html I have a Mk1 Rm200 and it is very good with plenty of drive it is 100 watts per channel. It uses two pairs of KT88 valves and is still listed as a Stereophile Class A product.

Enjoy the forum.


Regards D S D L

[magiccarpetride]

Well, my wife is terrified of heights (she starts to panic if she wears two pairs of socks) and she did the bridge at Capilano, but she couldn't do the one at Hell's Gate over the Fraser River



http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/13/88/39/hell-s-gate-bridge-over.jpg

- How does that work then?

My wife never dared to go over the suspension bridge.

[magiccarpetride]

Hi Welcome to AOS

The Music Reference RM 200 amplifier (now mk2) would be worth having a look at go to http://www.ramlabs-musicreference.com/ for background info and here for info on the amplifier http://www.ramlabs-musicreference.com/rm200.html I have a Mk1 Rm200 and it is very good with plenty of drive it is 100 watts per channel. It uses two pairs of KT88 valves and is still listed as a Stereophile Class A product.

Enjoy the forum.


Regards D S D L

Thanks Neil, that's a magnificent piece of gear! But unfortunately, at this point, beyond my reach.

I am considering at the moment purchasing a used Sony TA-N77ES power amp (250 wpc, asking price $660 CDN). I am planning to go straight from Beresford Caiman DAC's variable outputs into that power amp.

Any opinions on whether that would be in improvement over my DPA 200s (keeping in mind that my Magneplanar speakers are super power hungry)?

[Spectral Morn]

Thanks Neil, that's a magnificent piece of gear! But unfortunately, at this point, beyond my reach.

I am considering at the moment purchasing a used Sony TA-N77ES power amp (250 wpc, asking price $660 CDN). I am planning to go straight from Beresford Caiman DAC's variable outputs into that power amp.

Any opinions on whether that would be in improvement over my DPA 200s (keeping in mind that my Magneplanar speakers are super power hungry)?


No problem I had no idea of budget. However you could look around for S/H kit, say Threshold,Sonic Frontiers,Quick Silver,Balance Audio Technology, Antique Sound Labs (distributed by Divergent Technology in Canada. I know Tash who runs that company, a wee bit (top bloke) they also make Ref 3a speakers (fantastic) so Antique Sound Labs amplifiers are very good. You never know you might find a RM200 Mk1 S/H mine was S/H.

The big problem though is valve power costs big bucks. Its easier and cheaper to get low valve power.


Regards D S D L


Regards D S D L