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Airport Express + Toslink + Bryston BDA-1 = Happy

This has been my system for the past 2 years. Currently using Rdio, and my ITunes library on my IPad2, streaming it to the Apple Airport Express

Is there any reason to consider any variations on this ?

I continue to play with amplifiers and speakers, switching from vintage solid state like my Sansui AU-717, the Mark Levinson
27 amplifier and 28 preamplifier, and thinking about picking up a nice EL 34 integrated tube amp (Cary perhaps).

Someday i would like to try some ribbon speakers. but my real question is, this seems to be an idealized setup for source.
If anyone is using a similar setup, is there a reason to change - Is there an upgrade to consider from a setup like this ?
128x128mrisney
kijanki's avatar
kijanki
3,575 posts
 
MacMini+AirportExpress+Toslink+BenchmarkDAC1+Rowland102+HyperionHPS938 = Very Happy.
slothman
311 posts
 
There's no point to this hobby if you've achieved happiness.
kijanki's avatar
kijanki
3,575 posts
 
Slothman,

You can always be happier. I'll stop improving once I start getting orgasms when I listen to the music.
slothman
311 posts
 
You can always be happier. I'll stop improving once I start getting orgasms when I listen to the music.

LOL, you might almost be able to achieve that for less than the price of a good cable ;)
mrisney's avatar
mrisney OP
12 posts
 
Good deal. I wanted to hear from someone with a nice reference system that might be doing something similier, in terms of source digital. It reinforces what I suspected, that digitally, with a glass cable - it's not a shortcut. I had nagging suspicions that for some reason I was cutting a corner. It sounds wonderful to me coming out of my 805S's and Rel sub.

I kinda like playing with amps and speakers, at this point, revisiting blue ray, or high end carts and tone arms - seems like not my thing, I think I can make the biggest tweaks with speaker placement, speakers, swapping out amps maybe. But I thought that I reached a pretty good place - digitally, I guess I am looking for affirmation, lol.

Well, I can't dispute the convenience of the user interface of the IPad, and not having to deal with music servers, and hard drives is nice. I seriously recommend that Airport Express, tethered to a DAC via an optical cable. Moving parts, from a CD arm, or even old school reel to reel, seem like something I need not revisit at this point.

Amps and speakers, what mates up with what, and placement, is where I would rather spend money and time fine tuning.
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