@pryso - deeply appreciated. I enjoy his reviews. I will look at the videos. I seem to recall watching his AP review and he was pretty positive.
@dxbwineguy - thank you and will check them out as well!
Galion vs Luxman vs Advance Paris vs (anything else)
Hi everyone -
I currently have Wharfedale Super Lintons in a 15x21x9 room and have a Cambridge EXA100 integrated amp. I have the DacMagic 200, blue sound nano and CXC CD transport. I also have the Alva Solo and Sansui SR-717.
I have zero issues with the Cambridge equipment- but in the world of music - is anyone ever satisfied?
I’m planning on keeping the Wharfedales.
I’d be curious if anyone has may experiment with either the Galion Mono blocks and the Galion Navy Tube Amplifier? It seems like that would be a sublime combination- just under $6k USD.
On the other hand - Luxman. Everyone seems to love Luxman. I’m thinking of a use 507z. It’s approximately around $6k as well.
Lastly - Advance Paris A12 Apex. I’ve heard the A10 Classic and loved it. Truly beautiful sound. I have to assume the A12 Apex is better. But I did read a review that seemed to indicate the build was less than stellar. That’s about $5k.
Am I missing a different brand that I should be considering?
Long term I would upgrade the DAC and streamer on anything I get out of these three. I’m not trying to solve all the world’s problems in one purchase, but I’m trying to get the best base possible.
I’d say I listen streaming 50%, CD 25% and records 25%.
Musically, I’m interested in Afghan Whigs, The National, and Rush - love them all live.
The term I think of when I listen to music and the sound I’m looking for is: emotional truth. I want to feel it.
If you had any thoughts - including, forget all that go with this, I would be deeply grateful.
Thank you and happy New Year!
- ...
- 81 posts total
I have not personally compared the Laiv DAC's to Denafrips, but I've seen many reviews online that have done the comparison, and the Laiv (both the Harmony and the uDAC) seem to be the darlings of the audiophile community right now. Personally I'd worry first about the DAC itself and then the streamer after that. You can keep the Bluesound to stream SiriusXM for now. Do you also stream one of the high resolution services (e.g., Tidal and Qobuz)? |
@bthartman i appreciate the recommendations and I have heard good things about the Laiv DACs. I’ll have to check some reviews. I have been experimenting with Qobuz, but I find it does not do as good a job in recommending new music as say Spotify. I find that quite challenging. I’ve read Tidal does a better job - I may give that a shot. I like Qobuz a lot though. |
@macg19 if I had to guess it is likely my DAC. A couple of thoughts (1) I generally use the DacMagic 200, however I’ve experimented with the Denafrips Ares II. I found that was a big step up. I’d like to find a used Pontus 15 at a price point that I’ve seen previously online (2) I think my internet is ok as it is hard wired directly from my router (3) I probably was I sloppy to have used the term bit rate I have zero evidence as to what those numbers are or are not What I should have said is my ears suggest the sound quality is not what other services offer (4) I’ve always been interested in the Black Ice product line - did you try a different DAC before that one? Any observations? (5) curious as to the choice for the LPS on the dac vs the Node? I suppose you could do both? (6) I just add a Furman Elite 15 PFi into the mix - it replaced a power strip. I believe it has improved the SQ of my turntable a great deal I am still experimenting with streaming to see if I can hear any difference or if I’m creating it in my mind. Thanks for the comments!
|
- 81 posts total