Beginner's Guide to Digital Audio Playback System

[Norton]

How about http://www.thewelltemperedcomputer.com

 

Don't know how up to date it is, but I certainly found it useful "back in the day"

[Norton]

5 hours ago, DaQi said:

Ouch! I was very careful to couch my comment above, that for me it would be incremental. I have listened to high end audiophile equipment and for me the difference between my set up and various high-end setups was incremental and not worth the money I would need to spend. Did I note an improvement in SQ - absolutely I did, but it just wasn't worth it to me to pursue as I already thoroughly enjoy my music with decent SQ. Before you call people non-audiophiles or accuse them of spreading misinformation you may want to check your facts. I did not say I am not an audiophile and I didn't provide any misinformation about high-end equipment. I have made my choices, I stand by them and don't force others to my point of view. There is a lot of subjectivity to audio and I was trying to share that it is VERY difficult to make any recommendations on equipment without a lot of information about the person we are recommending to. Even within the information provided by the original poster in this thread there is a LOT of latitude for recommendations. 

 

This seems a very sensible approach.   There's only one thing that annoys me more than people who post conclusive evaluations of products based on rehash of forum opinions elsewhere and with zero listening experience of their own,  and that's those who grossly exaggerate the difference between products, and especially the relationship between price and performance.

 

By and large, veils are not rent, jaws do not drop, hairs on back of neck do not raise, one product does  not "crush" another even with it's "battleship" build ( insert choice of inappropriate militaristic terminology here).  The truth is that, with the possible exceptions of speakers, decent modern entry level products in the  £500 to £1000 range give you about 80% of what's currently possible.  Audophilia is not therefore about spending large amounts of money to effect step change and realise "night and day" improvement, but rather a gradual process of diminishing returns to attain some of the remaining 20% in small increments according to personal appetite and budget.

 

As a reformed  audiophile though, I admit to having committed everything I criticise above at some point.

 

[Norton]

3 hours ago, davide256 said:

 

 

As to "80% of whats currently possible", how satisfied would one be with an eReader that got 20% of the text wrong? 

 

Not a valid analogy, unless you honestly believe that sub £1k HIFi  somehow gets 20% of the notes wrong...

[Norton]

18 hours ago, GUTB said:

 

 

 But if you go in with an Emotiva and Schiit being fed from your laptop while spending 5K on speakers, your system is going to suck. 

 

The "GUTB suck" strikes again!  Quite a brave statement, especially  on this site.  Care to back it up with your own listening experience of these products?

[Norton]

13 minutes ago, GUTB said:

 

Sure. I gave the Emotiva BasX 300 an audition. Big transformer, class A/B how bad could it be?? Actually, VERY bad. Trash. Only the god-awful class D Teac integrated from Amazon was worse. A cheesy $600 SET from China crushed it. My current LinnenberG Allegros turns the Emotiva into a laughing stock. I used to have the incorrect opinion that if it had a big linear power supply and was A or A/B it would be good.

 

And how about the Schiit you identified as contributing to your "sucking system"?

[Norton]

14 minutes ago, GUTB said:

 

For example if they paired the cheap amp to an el-cheapo Schiit DAC like the Modi which is a pretty low-performance DAC.

 

You still haven't backed up your claims re. Schiit with listening experience.  I've never heard Schiit gear, but it seems pretty popular with a decent cross section of the community.