lupinthe3rd

Responses from lupinthe3rd

Made in America
An interesting topic, and one that was on my mind when I assembled my audio system. One of my requirements was "Plenty of Made in America" and "Absolutely no Made in China". I ended up with the following:Tyler Acoustics speakers (made in usa)Decwa... 
How does one get off the merry-go-round?
The simple answer is you find what works, and stick with it. That means know when to stop.Like many (most?) here, I've bought and sold more hi-fi components than I can count, trying this new source, or swapping one amp for another, changing these ... 
Girlfriends and wifes, how do YOU cope?
I manage it by having separate finances that we don't have to justify to each other. We have the shared accounts, where bills are paid from, and groceries, and other shared expenses. But then we also have our own accounts that we do as we please. ... 
Computer output to DAC, which route?
Also, if you insist on using your computer directly as an audio source, do not use the onboard SPDIF output, or even a USB device. Use only a Firewire device!Firewire supports isochronous data transfers - critical to a clocked data stream like SPD... 
Computer output to DAC, which route?
Unless your computer is in the same room with your stereo (why??) then avoid using the computer as a source component. Stream the music over your home network instead, so some device that outputs SPDIF to your DAC.I use the Squeezebox system mysel... 
Internet radio stations that sound really good
I'm a somafm.com fan, more for the unique music selection than anything else. The quality is 128k mp3 which seems to be what the vast majority of internet radio is using.Obviously 128 mp3 leaves something to be desired on our hi-fi equipment, but ... 
Big, big room -- which 10-20k speakers?
Another vote for Tyler Acoustics. After buying and selling a few different pairs of speakers and not quite feeling satisfied, I picked up a used pair direct from Tyler Acoustics. I'm blown away, it's like I'm sitting *inside* the music. I'll be ke... 
How to introduce computer audio to my system?
As an IT professional, I will make the following recommendation for hardware. The Mac Mini is an attractive small form factor computer, but it isn't suitable as a server. For any computer that is functioning as a "Server" for your valuable data, i... 
Why no as many post about music vs equipment......
Music is so subjective, a particular polka song may be fantastic, spectacular even, the pinnacle of polka music, but if you aren't a fan of polka music, you won't appreciate it, so there isn't really anything to discuss.Besides, like Religion and ... 
Speakers to hang on to for LIFE
I'm absolutely thrilled with my Tyler Acoustics Taylo Reference speakers. I've owned a dozen pairs or more of high-end audiophile speakers, and none have pleased me like these have. I picked them up for $1600 used and couldn't be happier. 
Good CD player vs. Transport and DAC
I'm a fan of a high quality DAC, and then attaching whatever digital transports you like to it. Single-box players all require their own internal DAC circuitry, and that gets expensive if you want good stuff.I absolutely adore my North Star m192 m... 
Why do digital cables sound different?
A topic that's been beat to death, but IMO there is no audible difference between one digital cable and another. One toslink optical cable works just as well as another for carrying bits. Same with coax RCA. Same with balanced AES. Same with USB. ... 
The best CD Player for the money
Best single box CD player for the money that I've auditioned is an Arcam CD23 FMJ. It uses the dCS ring dac and sounds spectacular. Only reason I sold mine, was I bought an external dac, so no need for a fancy CD player, just needed a basic transp... 
Do Toslink Coaxial adapters work well or .......
You can put a reclocking device like a Monarchy DIP, Theta TLC, or Genesis Digital Lens in between and it will convert the signal for you. Alternatively, there are dedicated media converters out there that will convert between optical TOSLINK and ... 
Balanced or Unbalanced?
Eliminating common mode interference is the only advantage to balanced connections. If you have no common mode interference, there is no advantage to balanced interconnects, period. I agree that balanced is better than unbalanced on general princi...