AlfaGTV's den

[jandl100]

Sadly its audio signature is not what i'm looking for and to be quite honest my S.M.S.L M8 miniature DAC beats it hands down, even with it's puny little switch mode psu. Better resolution (markedly), clearer definition of soundstage, less grit, better bass both by defintion and heft and a livelier sound with great dynamics. (and it handles all the formats the M2Tech does)

Actually, those little SMSL cheapo DACs are very good and will happily see off a lot of the audiophile competition


Transducers are the difficult and expensive kit to get right, imo. Chosen wisely you really don't need to spend audiophile money on DACs and amps to get excellent results, imho.

[AlfaGTV]

...
Transducers are the difficult and expensive kit to get right, imo. Chosen wisely you really don't need to spend audiophile money on DACs and amps to get excellent results, imho.

True! The issue here is getting wise without going through each and every iteration of a DAC!

Of course another option is to just settle for RedBook compatibility with the file based playback and enjoy vinyl for really high quality fidelity.

[AlfaGTV]

A house guest for the weekend!

Music First Audio Baby Reference Pre

So this is what a good passive pre sounds like! Or is it more, "This is what your ordinary attenuator circuitry sounds like"?

I might be jumping to conclusions but it seems to put emphasis on the prescence part of the spectrum and upper bass. Or, again, my other pre's emphasise the lower end and smooths high notes...

The MF Audio does play with a very nice nearness which i easily could live with. I can not live without a remote controlled volume though

Very interesting listen tough, its good to have audiophile friends passing by now and then! (This is a loaner from a forum colleague)

[AlfaGTV]

Once more i have bought a second hand cart that opens up my perspective on what good music reproduction is about!

Benz Micro LP-S

Compared to my other carts it takes you a bit closer to the recording studio/event. Delivers brutal bass, silky smooth highs and a genuinely believable midrange. Soundstage width and depth is just about the best i've heard from vinyl replay ever.
Tracking is somewhat compromised compared to others though and if you are looking for a "flavour" this may not be your cart. When changing back to it's little brother Wood SL there is no hesitation over the kinship and actually the Wood SL sounds so right you're likely to be content. It's just a bit more of a facsimile of the event. But when the LP-S was reinstalled there was no questioning what it brings to the party!
And the same goes for the other main contenders in my collection; The Dynavector XX-2 MkII sounds truly great but a little modest in comparison, it misses out on some of the slam and dynamics of the Benz. On the other hand it portrays the mids and higs with a little more contrast which suits some recordings, others not so much. Same goes for Lyra Delos which represents the sweetspot in price/performance of these, i'd say. Lyra is the most agile of them, without putting emphasis on any particular feat.

I am really fortunate to have these "puppies" to play with!

And, the Yamahas have had reinforcement in the lower registers!;

Velodyne SPL-1000i
Yes, i like this! After some tweaking it now integrates really well and completes the lower end in a modest way. It brings "atmosphere" to the playback! Some recordings benefit, some does not need it.

I have gone down the Pi-route to, using Pi's as endpoints for my Roon Labs playback which works brilliantly. I am seriously contemplating selling my Bluesound-units as the Pi's are just as good reproducers/transports, if not better!?!?!
Atm i have Three Pi's, with three different HAT's;
Pi2 B with PiFi Digi+
Pi2 B with PiFi DACPlus (Burr Brown)
Pi3 B with SabreBerry DAC (ES9023)
Any one of these also feeds an S.M.S.L M8 over USB for full Dual DSD playback and up to 32/384Khz PCM. Works flawlessly and sounds way, way better than it should. I also connect my Bladelius Embla over a Gustard U-12 USB-AES/EBU converter and this also sounds really nice.

Just got a shipping notification on two linear PSU's from eBay, intended for Pi and the SMSL M8. This will be interesting!

[Macca]

Good subs those Velodynes. I'm looking out for one myself.

[AlfaGTV]

Thanks Martin, i dont have much experience with subs, so this is the first one dedicated to 2-channel hifi.
There was quite some tweakin to get it to integrate and disappear.

But it defininently adds a few hertz that the Yamaha cannot;

Dead Can Dance - Anastasis
The first track, among others, really shakes the floor!

[Macca]

Aye the tweaking required is terrific. Took me months to sort mine out, although it is only a stop-gap. There are no hard and fast rules as it is different for every room and set of speakers you are matching with.

[AlfaGTV]

A very nice addition:

Audiobyte Black Dragon DAC, Pre, Headphone amp

First DAC to challenge my Embla ever. And i have had quite a lot of them in for tests.

FPGA custom filter for best audible performance
Femtoclock
11 linear powersupplys, 50.000mF buffer.
Dual AK 4396 DAC and analogue output and headphone amp in pure class A.


Nice and tidy!

But, first and foremost, a very nice sounding DAC!

[AlfaGTV]

And even if i didnt think so, a Sondek has found its way to my home. Ahem, i mean two... An offer you cant refuse, or so they say...

A real looker with the early Basik LV-V arm, but i havent heard it yet and most people dont exactly praise the LV-V...
I'd wager it's an untouched -77'!

And the newer one:

This is most probably an -83' Valhalla and nice Ittok LVII

I like'em! They are such classics, never mind their sounds!

[Mika K]

You're even more hopeless than I am..