ntpc4
Responses from ntpc4
| $35000 to $40,000. speakers what would you buy and why? I would absolutely look at used speakers first. | |
| Do you buy new, used or new or used gear? With few exceptions, if there is a used option, I will always seek that out first (especially speakers). I have bought many thousands of dollars' worth of used hi-fi over the years, which is either active in my three-system rotation, lying fallow ... | |
| Best bang for the buck An Apple USB-C Dongle DAC for $8. | |
| Would like to stream and connect my turntable through a single pre-amp Since you already have a phono stage and are familiar with the Bluesound streaming platform, a used Node Icon (~$1000) seems like the obvious choice. | |
| Any thoughts on the new Schiit Buf tube buffer ($99)? That, because it is so easy to try at a cost of only $99, there will soon be plenty of them on the used market. Not because it isn't any good, or because it doesn't do what it says, but because plenty of people will just find themselves preferring... | |
| What about all those Chinese DACs? They do measure very well and have dramatically improved the entry-level category and, to a lesser extent, the mid-fi and hi-fi categories, if only through pressuring non-Chinese manufacturers to step up their game. I think a decade from now, we'l... | |
| Power amplifier advice? I recently sold my NHT 3.3s (1998 models) and the Rotel RB-1090 (2006 model) that I used to drive them. Knowing the NHT speakers pretty well, if I had to buy an amp to power some 2.5s, I would get a Buckeye Hypex NCx500 for $1150 (coincidentally, ... | |
| Do you buy gear new, used, both? Most of the new gear I have bought has been home theater-related, because HT technology ages like milk. The rest of it, other than stuff I bought new 40 years ago, has all been bought used, most of it lying fallow right now, out of the rotation—a ... | |
| SQ Comparison of 3 streamers Regarding the WT Amp Ultra from Wavetouch Audio. I exchanged multiple emails with Alex regarding both the WT Amp Ultra and his very interesting Antero speakers, and he was very responsive. In asking about the specific content of his modifications... | |
| Pls help me find a network streamer w/ I2S output (not a DAC) You've found the hardware, you just need to pick the software and assign some value ot a few unique features. The best HW is the Holo Audio Red; you could then flip a coin among the others. You can rip CDs and/or store files locally on all of them... | |
| why do expensive amplifiers produce a better soundstage Can an amplifier interfere with sound staging? Yes. Can an amplifier create it? No, not on its own. Sound staging is all about timing and phase, so your source, speakers, and the acoustics of your room will have a much greater effect than your amp... | |
| Are exotic speaker cabinet materials overrated? No, they are not overrated. While there are a few (very few) speaker manufacturers that incorporate cabinet resonance into their speaker design, setting those aside, the difference in sound quality between a speaker with cabinet resonances and an ... | |
| What is your favorite Class D amp? Given that some integrated amps have entered the discussion, I am surprised no one has mentioned the Devialet Astra. | |
| Will a phono pre-amp make a substantial difference Yes. | |
| Could you use a little advice on recently delivered speakers.. In my experience, for anything that has significant weight, the only safe packing method is foamed-in-place. |