Yeah, my ears!

 

I use Tidal as a streaming service, sound quality is miles better than the likes of Spotify, Apple Music etc. Qobuz will do the same job. Try a few services out - most offer a 30-day free trial, sometimes it really boils down to what you find the most user-friendly as the prices are all virtually identical.

 

For my speaker rig I'm just using a Pioneer VSXLX 303 AVR to drive AV123 X-Static speakers with a sealed AV123 10" Rocket Onyx sub plus a Polk 12" ported sub in the family room, or a Sony STRDN 1070 AVR to drive PSB Imagine Mini speakers with a Velodyne sealed 8" sub + a Paradigm 10" ported sub.

But my critical listening is with my 2 channel headphone rig - Using a Nuforce CDP or MacBook or NAS to feed music into a PS Audio PerfectWave DAC Mk2 with Bridge II network card > into an Eddie Current ZDT tube amp > into HiFiMan HE-1000se and Sennheiser HD-800s headphones. I also have almost every model of HiFiMan headphones since 2009, and some high-end Grado and modded Denon D7000 headphones, and Audeze LCD-2 v2. I have the Sennheiser HD-60/HEV-70 electrostatic headphone rig as well, which sounds outstanding.

My music is a mic of ripped CD's, hi-res music bought at HDTracks.com, and Tidal hi-res CD and Master quality streaming. My PS Audio DAC supports MQA Tidal decoding as well.

Much of my portable and laptop listening is with a CEtrance HiFi-M8 DAC/amp or BlueDAC feeding into Westone ES60 custom molded in-ear monitors or the JH Audio Roxanne custom in-ear monitors, as well as using a HiFiMan R2R2000 DAC/amp which can use an internal SD card, computer USB, or Bluetooth as the transport.

I was involved in a seminar at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in 2015 where our custom ES60 (via Astell & Kern DAP) could compete with and/or beat $30,000 GamuT speakers, attended by many popular stereo gear reviewers for major magazines and blogs. The JHA Roxanne perform on a similar level, although they are more dependent on an upgraded DAC/amp to be driven properly, vs the Westone ES60 that are more easily driven by anything and scale up as the gear is upgraded.

 

+1 on this!

 

I have a question about cabinets.
I'm looking resurrect my old 80s NAD deck again, was thinking of a small set up ( pre amp/ amp/ studio monitors - all recommendations appreciated )however I'm struggling to source a cabinet that can sit on top of a chest of drawers. Anyone have any enclosed cabinet suggestions?
TIA

 

My mostly cobbled together/ assembled by myself system
Denon 103
SPU Mono
SME3012
TERES Project #18 turntable
Lundahl stepup transformer (just got an Vintage Denon Pre pre)
Hagerman phono stage
Theta Miles CD player
Welborne preamp
Welborne Laurel 300B monoblocks
Assortment of homemade single driver speakers
Currently Zu Dirty Weekend speakers

haven’t had time to listen much ever since the kids came into our life’s and the whole system needs a good overhaul and some repairs.
Keep the soldering iron hot!

 

Hey @Tony C. ... sad / happy news. The owner of Audio Consultants is retiring and shutting down. We loose a valued resource on the North Shore. Fortunately Abt has stepped up their game in a big way but AC was special.

 

I had a very similar headphone setup: Eddie Current ZDS with PS Audio DirectStream DAC. I had various headphones; Audeze, Grado, etc. but the least expensive pair (HD 600) sounded the best.

 

Thanks Larry. I have find memories of Simon (I think that is his name). He must be very old now, and the fact that he stayed active for so long underscores his passion for audio.

 

Cables, and many other component changes, make an enormous difference when swapped in an out of system.

 

Surround: Bowers and Wilkins CM5, CM Center, Old but good Cambridge Soundworks 1000w sub and rear channel speakers. Rotel RSX 1572 AV Receiver, Yamaha CD C600, Sony ka1esa Tape, Project XPression 3 / Ortophon Bronze.
Zone 2: Rotel RB 1582MK2, Bowers And Wilkins CM10
Portable ... 3 IPod Classics.

 

Indeed. There were lovely tributes to Simon on Facebook. He got me back into the game a few years back. They are helping a friend of mine do so now before they close. Loved that store.

 

It's also a Bob Latino, but ST70 upgraded with the KT88s. I tried a few different pre-amps but really like the sound from pairing it with the Marantz. I agree with others that there are a lot of variables that affect the sound other than the amp. The speakers and the room have a huge effect. It also helps to have a nice comfortable chair.

 

I was just on the Latino website, and I think he's changed the way he describes the units, and mine might be the ST120. I bought it a few years ago from another enthusiast who assembled it as an upgraded ST70. I love that cover for the board but unfortunately I have the 12AT7 tubes and can't use it

 

The Wellborne amps are fantastic. Great system.

 

Thanks.

 

I wouldn’t ... you really need a solid Floor Standing Rack. Most furniture is not up to what you propose.

 

I have a blend of the old and the new in my home.

In the kitchen, living room and dining room, I have installed in-ceiling speakers, KLH in the kitchen and Yamaha in the other two rooms. These are each driven by a Sonos ZP-120 amp, 60 watts RMS per channel each and these are hidden away in a closet on a shelf. This amp is now called the "Connect Amp."

For those who do not know, the Sonos system consists of any number of components that are typically interconnected within a wireless mesh system, though they may also be connected via an Ethernet wiring plan. I also have portable Sonos speakers that I can move in an out of other rooms or place on the outside deck.

Down in the den, which is my preferred listening area, I have the "old stuff" interconnected with the new stuff.

Back in the 70s I built a pair of Speakerlab 4 three-driver speaker cabinets. These consist of a 12" woofer, 6" midrange and an EV horn tweeter. Had I the extra $$ in those days, these would have been Speakerlab 7s, though the 4s still sound crisp and clear. The speakers are driven by a pair of Southwest Technical Products Tiger .01 amps which I built in the 70's as well. They have been "re-capped" be me sometime ago. The pre-amp is a Dynaco PAT-5.

While I still have my Dual 1215 turntable with Stanton 681EEE cartridge, 99% of the time, the source material is streaming from the Net via a Sonos connect.

Interesting thread. ;-)

I'm not this fellow bellow, but he has the same combo preamp and power amp:

https://therobbcollections.blogspot.com/2017/07/back-to-my-first-stereo-1976-dynaco-pat.html

 

I could not agree more. There are certainly lots of snake oil products in the audio world, but cables (power, interconnects, and speaker) are not things I consider to be snake oil. In my last round of upgrades, the sales guy I've used for 20+ years (who I consider a friend) was over doing some tuning on the system one night while we had some pizza and beers. After making all the changes, he said "I'm going to suggest one more upgrade, and it won't cost a penny." My wife was very glad to hear that last part! I had been using a power conditioner on my system for years, both to condition the power for the source components, and to act as insurance for power surges. The upgrade was plugging the system straight into the wall, rather than going through the conditioner. The difference in the sound was clearly audible, and in fact much better.

This lead me to install a dedicated circuit just for the audio gear, straight from the panel. It also taught me that power draw is something to be paid attention to, in particular if you listen to music with a high dynamic range. When the system needs power, if it's not there you will hear the effects, so although I didn't buy any special cables (what came with the equipment is plenty good enough) it illustrates the point that all parts of the system need to be at least looked at.

But as you say, it will depend a great deal on the system. If your system is very muddy to begin with, these thigs likely won't make much difference. My current system is extremely transparent, so small changes can easily be heard. As for something digital being "all the same" well if you haven't heard how much difference a DAC can make in the sound of the same source material, it's something that should be experienced.

Any good shop will let you demo equipment in your own home, with your own sysrtem. I've done it many times with speaers, amps, sources, and the best component for your system is not necessarily the most expensive. If the system works together well is the key. Finding the right mix can take time, but when you get there it's pure musical enjoyment.

Cheers, Al

 

I use Tidal as well, and I agree it's well worth the money. I would also not discount setting up your own music server - I've done that and I have some 24 but FLAC files that are just amazing.