How much does it cost to be an audiophile?

[Nordkapp]

1 hour ago, Ralf11 said:

do it - pick one from Col. A and one from col. B

Just give an example....

[beerandmusic]

5 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Ok guys - This thread is being reported quite a bit. Veering off topic, like my previous post, is OK. Getting deep into the weeds of political and societal  issues may be interesting but it’s best left for the Anything but CA area (All Access subscribers only). 

 

Continue to post way way off topic and I’ll just remove the posts. I suggest you save your time. 

 

I would guess if you look at the last post of 50% of the threads (with over 100 posts), it would be off topic.....and probably 90% go off topic at least a few times...

[Ralf11]

2 hours ago, Nordkapp said:

Just give an example....

 

see above

[AudioDoctor]

The amount of not expensive good sounding systems a person could put together is near limitless.

 

RME  ADI-2 DAC:  https://www.rme-usa.com/adi-2-dac.html

 

Focal powered monitors: https://www.focal.com/us/monitoring-speakers/sm6/trio6-be

 

done...  Essentially. Get some balanced cables and a USB from Blue Jeans and you're set.

 

You want to tweak it?
 

ZeroSurge: https://zerosurge.com/plug-in-products-solutions/

 

IsoAcoustics speaker stands: http://www.isoacoustics.com/products/iso-l8r-series-speaker-isolation-stands/

[Nordkapp]

15 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

The amount of not expensive good sounding systems a person could put together is near limitless.

 

RME  ADI-2 DAC:  https://www.rme-usa.com/adi-2-dac.html

 

Focal powered monitors: https://www.focal.com/us/monitoring-speakers/sm6/trio6-be

 

done...  Essentially. Get some balanced cables and a USB from Blue Jeans and you're set.

 

You want to tweak it?
 

ZeroSurge: https://zerosurge.com/plug-in-products-solutions/

 

IsoAcoustics speaker stands: http://www.isoacoustics.com/products/iso-l8r-series-speaker-isolation-stands/

Yup. I've looked at those Focal studio monitors too. Though I'd go with a benchmark DAC over the RME. 

[AudioDoctor]

1 minute ago, Nordkapp said:

Yup. I've looked at those Focal studio monitors too. Though I'd go with a benchmark DAC over the RME. 

 

Sure, flavor to taste.  The RME being discussed lately, plus my experience with them, just made it pop to mind.

[gmgraves]

2 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

The amount of not expensive good sounding systems a person could put together is near limitless.

 

RME  ADI-2 DAC:  https://www.rme-usa.com/adi-2-dac.html

 

Focal powered monitors: https://www.focal.com/us/monitoring-speakers/sm6/trio6-be

 

done...  Essentially. Get some balanced cables and a USB from Blue Jeans and you're set.

 

You want to tweak it?
 

ZeroSurge: https://zerosurge.com/plug-in-products-solutions/

 

IsoAcoustics speaker stands: http://www.isoacoustics.com/products/iso-l8r-series-speaker-isolation-stands/

The best tweak is to stay away from USB cables from ANYBODY! Use a NAS and Coax SPDIF and avoid USB audio. It all sucks! 

[Ralf11]

how about the $600 DACs - like the Oppo Sonica?

[esldude]

3 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

 

Sure, flavor to taste.  The RME being discussed lately, plus my experience with them, just made it pop to mind.

With regard to flavoring the RME has some EQ options the Benchmark doesn't. 

 

If you are choosing between Benchmark and RME, you'll not go wrong either way.  

 

For easy peasy good sound for cheap, my suggestions would be the little LSR powered speakers and jumping to one of the Focal options if you can afford a little more.  DAC is whatever fits.  Certainly the RME, Benchmark, and others would be fine.  I'd suggest other pro audio interfaces for DAC duty, but some like the creature comforts of consumer pre/DACs.  You also have increasing options for streamer DACs which have some nice features.  

 

This is a good time to be an audiophile/music lover.  Some pretty high quality sound is available which isn't a bank account buster nor tweaky and difficult to use. 

[AudioDoctor]

2 hours ago, gmgraves said:

The best tweak is to stay away from USB cables from ANYBODY! Use a NAS and Coax SPDIF and avoid USB audio. It all sucks! 

 

When was the last time you sent DSD over SPDIF?  Or anything over 24/192?

[sandyk]

2 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

 

When was the last time you sent DSD over SPDIF?  Or anything over 24/192?

 That's because you have no option.

 Coax SPDIF is capable of vastly increased bandwidth than at present.

 However, there is no real money to be made in doing that compared with all the money to be made with USB gadgets , expensive USB cables, new USB Inputs etc. etc. Neither is Toslink capable of markedly improved bandwidth economically.

[esldude]

Thunderbolt connections??????????????????

[esldude]

3 hours ago, gmgraves said:

The best tweak is to stay away from USB cables from ANYBODY! Use a NAS and Coax SPDIF and avoid USB audio. It all sucks! 

Why?

 

What about it sucks?

 

What facts back up that idea?

[sandyk]

3 minutes ago, esldude said:

Why?

 

What about it sucks?

 

What facts back up that idea?

 Just look at the noise from the noisy +5V incoming power getting into the D+ and D- leads with a C.R.O. , or lower level data superimposed onto  the +5V lines with a typical construction USB cable.

That's why there are so many expensive USB cables with greater isolation between Data and power wires, AND reports from numerous members in other areas of this forum about the resulting SQ improvements .

It is also quite easy to demonstrate that the longer the USB cable of your typical construction, the worse the performance, and voltage drops become.  The thinner the USB cable, the shorter the viable length of the cable.

 

[AudioDoctor]

The reason there are so many USB tweaks is because there are so many neurotic audiophiles that are easily separated from their money...

[sandyk]

17 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

The reason there are so many USB tweaks is because there are so many neurotic audiophiles that are easily separated from their money...

 

 

Hmmm. Do you think that is what Mansr is up to with his new USB Widget ?

[Nordkapp]

I will say this-of the last 3 DACS I've owned/own, none of the USB inputs sounded better than than the spdif or aes3. With the exception of course of DSD through USB. Especially DSD128. 

[Jud]

9 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

The reason there are so many USB tweaks is because there are so many neurotic audiophiles that are easily separated from their money...

 

I’m old enough to remember when exactly the same was true of SPDIF cables.  USB gets all the publicity, positive and negative, because USB DACs are currently popular.

[pkane2001]

15 minutes ago, Jud said:

 

I’m old enough to remember when exactly the same was true of SPDIF cables.  USB gets all the publicity, positive and negative, because USB DACs are currently popular.

 

I remember the same. Along with various tweaks to make SPDIF sound better, from better insulation, to special shielding to ferrite baubles. When I2S interconnects became available for the first time, there was a big market in high-end I2S cables, as well.

[AudioDoctor]

10 hours ago, sandyk said:

 

 

Hmmm. Do you think that is what Mansr is up to with his new USB Widget ?

 

If I had a lack of integrity, I would be selling cables...

[daverich4]

On 6/9/2018 at 7:34 PM, PeterG said:

Also, of course, although the boomers will collect more SS than they paid in

 

 

That generally isn't true any longer .

 

http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/14/news/economy/social-security-benefits/index.html

[gmgraves]

15 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

 

When was the last time you sent DSD over SPDIF?  Or anything over 24/192?

I send DSD from my Korg MR1 or MR2000 via SPDIF all the time. Not optical SPDIF (Toslink) mind you, but coax SPDIF is my preferred way to transfer audio files. And I don't use anything over 24/96 for PCM because it's overkill. All it does is make the files bigger, with no increase in resolution because you're still just putting a 20Hz to 30KHz bandwidth in that 192K "container". 

[gmgraves]

15 hours ago, esldude said:

Why?

 

What about it sucks?

 

What facts back up that idea?

What I hear is collapsed soundstage, grainy top-end and what I call "Packet Noise" Small bursts of noise that can often be heard (on headphones)in the background of quiet passages, and it doesn't matter what computer, what DAC or what cable is being used, the same characteristics prevail. These same characteristics are not heard with SPDIF, either coax or optical.

[Jud]

3 minutes ago, gmgraves said:

what I call "Packet Noise" Small bursts of noise that can often be heard (on headphones)in the background of quiet passages, and it doesn't matter what computer, what DAC or what cable is being used, the same characteristics prevail.

 

It seems to me something must be wrong with the system if this is happening.

[AudioDoctor]

30 minutes ago, gmgraves said:

I send DSD from my Korg MR1 or MR2000 via SPDIF all the time. Not optical SPDIF (Toslink) mind you, but coax SPDIF is my preferred way to transfer audio files. And I don't use anything over 24/96 for PCM because it's overkill. All it does is make the files bigger, with no increase in resolution because you're still just putting a 20Hz to 30KHz bandwidth in that 192K "container". 

 

LOL This is so misleading I don't even know where to begin...  

 

Show me where the SPDIF Coax output is here Jim? At least the MR2000 has some, but is this a playback device?  Do you have less than 128gb of music you keep on the SSD of the MR2000 or do you put new music on it all the time?

 

According to Korg, the MR2000 does not output DSD over Coax:  "Coaxial Digital I/O for PCM sources integrates into existing production environments"

 

Lastly, I feel bad for you that you can't hear the difference.