nordicnorm
Responses from nordicnorm
| CD Transport There’s a new, in box Esoteric SA-60 for sale on A’gon for $2,698: Esoteric SA-60 Its DAC is now outdated but it would still make for a killer CD transport. I have an Esoteric DV-50S connecting into a Denafrips Venus II DAC for CD playback. Esot... | |
| Best set-up under $20K Here’s a highly resolving system that will sound like the musicians are in the room with you. Comes in just a hair under $20,000. Int. Amp: McIntosh ma8900 used - $6,500 Streamer: Teac NT-505 X new - $2,300 Speakers: Martin Logan Summit X used... | |
| Does an upgrade make sense? Within your budget ($3,000), you’ll have a lot of choices in the used market. Since you appear to only stream your music, you probably don’t need a DSD-capable DAC. There are a lot of used high end DACs on the market that only go to 24bit/192kHz... | |
| Recommend me a DAC under 3k Since the rest of your amplification chain is ANK, it makes sense to stick with ANK. There is a lot to be said for system synergy. Companies tune or ‘voice’ their components to compliment each other. Mixing and matching components to find this sy... | |
| $50k - $80k Budget…Opinions please. @deep_333 The OP clarified in a subsequent post that the ‘family debt’ he was referring to was the result of a divorce settlement. Do not project your financial restraints onto others. | |
| $50k - $80k Budget…Opinions please. OK, I’ll play. I love spending other people’s money! I’ll assume your listening room is already sorted out. You haven’t mentioned any sources - streaming, vinyl, CD/SACD, so I’ve chosen to focus on CD/SACD. You’ll notice that I’ve stuck with one... | |
| best SACD player A used Esoteric is tremendous value. There is a used Esoteric X-03 on A’gon right now for $3,500: Esoteric X-03 In 2017 I bought a used Esoteric DV-50S for $900. It is now 18 years old and still going strong. Are there newer units that can best... | |
| Amplifier Pairing with Coherent 15s I love them! I replaced my Martin Logan Spires with them. Prior to that, I thought nothing could out-perform the Spires (in that price range). I was very wrong. | |
| Amplifier Pairing with Coherent 15s I am powering my 12’s with a Coincident Dynamo 34SE MKIII amp that puts out a whopping 8 watts. Which is more than enough power for the 12s to sing. The Coincident is being fed by a Don Sachs 6SN7 linestage. | |
| Best Full-Function Preamplifier If separates are OK, I’d recommend Coincident Technology. You could get both a killer linestage and phono preamp within your budget. I have his Dynamo 34SE MKIII amp. Incredible quality for the price. I did look at his preamp but I am still very ... | |
| Upgrading preamp. Best for under $1K Have you considered going the minimalistic route (aka a passive preamp)? Here’s a review of one that meets your budget: The Truth Review | |
| More expensive = better? What @mahgister (and others) are trying to impart onto you is ‘synergy’ matters. That is, how your individual components (including room treatments) work together. You can assemble a very inexpensive system that sounds incredible in the right roo... | |
| Line Stage Preamps that blew you away $2500 Edition Another vote for Don Sachs' tube linestage. | |
| My Last CD player Check out the Esoteric K-01 or APL NWO-Master (a modified Esoteric UX-1Pi), or consider going the transport/DAC/clock route with an Esoteric P-01/D-01 Transport and DAC w/GORb Rubidium Clock combo. | |
| A decent preamp to complete my setup? Look for well maintained vintage gear like Yamaha, Toshiba or Luxman. They had killer phono stages back in the day when vinyl ruled. |