I MY FIRST SETUP AUDIOENGINE A5+ and B1 DAC I have a U-turn table with preamp don’t really like how it sounds any tips ? Lokkkg to get my first tube amp also
How is my setup ?

Some audiophiles who have the knowledge make their own HIFi components (mostly proven Clone projects).
Those who buy such DIY devices from others are much rarer, especially if they were not made by a proven craftsman.
However, such a DIY component (no matter how good it is) is much harder to sell later than an original product.

The original is the original.

Such clone DIY products can be made very well (by experts).
And sometimes they can surpass the original product in terms of workmanship and sound (if they contain top-quality parts, better than the original).

I have had a few DIY components (some just for testing) and I was mostly satisfied. Currently I only have a DIY Quad 405.

What do you think about it?

I've been working on this for a bit and decided to release it completely free open source Apache 2.0.

When I first started EQing all the current UIs were pretty bad so I decided to add my own. Three things that were painpoints were history, AB testing, and getting presets. So I've included a user-friendly complete edit history. Imagine ctrl-z, but if you kept all the branches. There's AB testing with equal loudness for external audio as well as an internal clip creator. There's integration with AutoEQ for you to search through their list of 5000+ headphones and add it.

There's tons more features I wouldn't be able to include in such a short time so please check it out.

Note that this is the first release so it may be a little buggy in the sense of "it works on my machine" make an issue and I'll fix it as soon as possible.

Also, if there are an features you want to add, consider this a fresh slate for you to make this EQ as your own. Just mention it, and if it makes sense to add I'll 100% add it.

Long-time lurker, first real system post. This took most of 2026 and a couple of wrong turns, so here's the whole journey.

Before anyone says it: yes, I know this room is acoustically a nightmare. That big window is basically an echo machine. I did what I could with curtains over the window, a ceiling cloud and side panels on the walls, and honestly I haven't noticed any bass buildup or major issues. It could be better, but it's temporary. I'm moving soon, and this time I'm choosing the house for the audio system haha.

WHERE I STARTED

The old living room was a mixed bag that kept growing:

• AVR: Denon AVR-X3800H
• Fronts: Margules Magenta Master (pair, on stands), Mexican-made and gorgeous, driven straight off the Denon
• Center + surrounds: Margules SA-L3 (loaners)
• Sub: Klipsch R-121SW
• Heights: 4x Polk OWM3

Then I went down the tube rabbit hole: a Margules I-240 tube integrated and a ProPhono phono stage for the turntable. The plan was a dedicated tube stereo room. Turns out I'm not a stereo guy. Every time I sat down it was for a movie, not an album. So the tube gear, the Masters and the ProPhono got sold this month, along with the Denon, the Klipsch and the Polks.

WHERE I ENDED UP (5.1.4)

• Processor: Marantz Cinema 30
• Fronts: B&W 702 S3
• Center: B&W HTM71 S3
• Surrounds: B&W M-1
• Heights: 4x B&W M-1 (front + rear)
• Sub: B&W ASW610
• Sources: Apple TV 4K, PS5, Switch, and a Pro-Ject Debut EVO 2 into the Marantz's built-in phono stage, played in stereo mode

I'm 90% movies, but every now and then I like putting on a good record and listening start to finish.

Big shoutout to Ale at TecnoAudio HiFi here in CDMX, who handled install, mounting and setup. He was patient through a LOT of back-and-forth.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The first thing I put on was Dune: Part Two, and the sandworm scene genuinely made me sit back in my seat. But what actually got me wasn't the bass, it was how quiet and controlled everything felt around it. The old setup got busy and smeared when things got loud. This one just stays composed.

The front stage is the real star. The HTM71 matched with the 702s means dialogue sits locked in the middle of the screen, and pans across the front are seamless. I used to ride the volume during movies to catch dialogue and then dive for the remote during explosions. Haven't touched it once since the install.

The M-1 heights surprised me. I expected them to be the weak link, but they disappear completely. Rain and flyovers just happen above you with no sense of where the speakers are.

The Cinema 30 is noticeably more effortless than the Denon was. Not "night and day" like people say, but the system never sounds like it's working hard, even at reference-ish levels.

And honestly, I was worried about B&W treble being bright since I'm sensitive to fatigue. Not an issue at all. I've done three-movie nights and walked away fine.

WHAT'S NEXT

Probably the sub. The ASW610 is clean and integrates well, but it's the least ambitious piece in the chain, so dual subs or something bigger is the most likely next move. Otherwise I think I've hit my stopping point... famous last words.

Happy to answer questions. Roast me gently.

I dropped a stereo off for repair at Just Audio in MD about 8mo ago. Google says they are permanently closed? Does anyone know is this is true or know how to get my stereo back?

Two years ago I ran into Herb Reichert at Capital Audio Fest. We always chit chat whenever we run into each other. He’s a super nice guy and a big fan of DeVore speakers since he owns a pair. He starts raving about Komuro amps and how I have to get one. I reach out to my DeVore dealer and put a deposit down on one but we have no idea if there’s going to be a second batch or how long it will take for them to be produced. I see John DeVore at an event May 2025 and he tells me that he’s making a second batch and that they will probably be delivered by the end of 2025. Well, it actually took about a year longer than his original ETA.

John starts posting videos about the amp on IG so I know we are finally getting closer to an actual delivery. I need to start looking for a preamp. I visited LA for a concert in September and stopped by Common Wave. It’s an absolutely amazing experience and audiophiles should definitely check it out if they are in the area. The owner has a Komuro amp from the first batch. He says I should get a Nagra Classic Preamp. There was no chance that I was going to drop $24k on a preamp. Luckily he had a used one that I got for an extremely attractive price. I’m sure worst case scenario I could have flipped it on US Audio Mart if I wasn’t happy with it. I get back to NJ and hooked up the Nagra to the Cayin Soul 170i. Running the Cayin strictly as a power amp with the Nagra totally transformed how the Cayin sounded. The setup sounded absolutely fantastic.

The Komuro ended up arriving at my dealer on Thursday. I picked it up on Friday and I’ve been listening to it pretty much nonstop over the past couple of days. Honestly, I think the Cayin is much more attractive but the Komuro sounds even better. I remember watching a YouTube video about a woman with a $1M hifi setup and she said the preamp is the most important component. I’ve always used integrated amps so I kind of discarded her statement. I’m getting it now, the Nagra was probably the best upgrade I’ve ever made to my setup. It took me years but I finally have the sound that I’ve been chasing since I originally heard these speakers at DeVore Fidelity 8 years ago.

Hey r/audiophile. I’ve been putting together and tweaking my current system over the past little while, and I wanted to share the journey, get some thoughts, and honestly see if my gear synergy is on point.

The beating heart of the system is a Yamaha R-N800A receiver, which drives a pair of Dynaudio Emit 20 standmount speakers with absolute authority—a pairing that, honestly, is singing wonderfully together. For the analog/phono chain, I'm running a Pro-Ject Tube Box S2 tube phono stage (set to 43 dB of gain), with DIP switches 1 and 3 set to ON to precisely dial in the exact capacitance loading required and feed some gorgeous tube warmth into the Yamaha.

However, here is where the real story (and my sanity test) begins: I recently inherited a vintage Technics SL-150 deck carrying an SME 3009 Series II tonearm that my uncle bought directly in Japan back in the day. Looking at its pristine condition, I've always strongly suspected it has remarkably low hours on it—a true time capsule.

And right here is where I totally screwed up my troubleshooting methodology: I tried tracking down an annoying right-channel dropout starting from the completely wrong end. I began checking backward from the Emit 20s, driving myself crazy, when common sense dictated I should have started right at the cartridge and worked forward. Turns out, I strongly suspect the culprit is right there, specifically residing in the dreaded vintage proprietary SME connector at the base of the arm.

That being said, the craziest part of this whole ordeal is that even with only one channel working and the deck dialed in down to the millimeter—meticulously tweaking azimuth, nailing the tracking force with surgical precision, and balancing the antiskating—the sound coming out of that family-inherited setup with the classic Shure V15 III is vastly more incredible, holographic, and detailed than I ever expected. Getting lost in the music even with a single active channel has been a revelation.

Since I want standard, hassle-free interconnect options without losing performance, I’m currently waiting on a custom wood conversion plate to arrive in the mail. Once it's here, I'll be doing some clean soldering to swap out the proprietary output for a standard RCA plate. From there, a proper Pro-Ject Connect it Phono E cable (making sure to respect signal direction) will run straight into the Tube Box S2. Between the cable and having switches 1 and 3 engaged on the phono stage, I'm keeping the total capacitance load perfectly in check to keep the cartridge well-behaved in the highs without sounding shrill.

Right now, I'm just impatiently staring at the tracking number waiting for that wood conversion plate to arrive so I can finally solder everything, banish the channel imbalance forever, and spin some records in glorious stereo. In the meantime, I'm making do streaming Deezer via Bluetooth—which actually sounds surprisingly decent at −70 dB late at night with Pure Direct engaged.

How do you guys think the synergy is shaping up? Did I nail the component matching, or is there a weak link I should keep an eye on? Let me know your thoughts!

I’ve been collecting 24-bit downloads for years, paying the extra each time. So I finally checked whether I was getting what I paid for.

The result: of 770 albums sold as hi-res, 31 had problems:

• 18 albums were not genuinely hi-res at all, the whole release
• 13 albums were fine except for one or two tracks (often a live or bonus track from a different source)

So roughly 1 in 40 “hi-res” albums I bought is really CD quality in a bigger file.

1. Upsampled: the classic fake: Emma Jean Thackeray - Weirdo - Tracks 3 and 4

Sold as 24/96, which can hold content up to 48 kHz. Everything stops in a dead-straight line at 22 kHz, with nothing above for the entire track. Even the background noise stops at that line. That’s a 44.1 kHz (CD-rate) master converted to 96 kHz. Every track on the album looks the same.

It’s not just smaller releases. Same wall at 22 kHz on a 24/96 file of one of the best-selling albums of the decade.

2. Padded: invisible in a spectrogram

This one looks perfect: full content right up to 24 kHz, as a 48 kHz file should. But it’s sold as 24-bit, and across the whole track the bottom 8 bits are always zero. It’s 16-bit audio in a 24-bit file. A spectrogram can’t show this; you need a tool that checks which bits are actually used.

3. Not every flag is a fake

Tone Poem is genuine 24/96 (look at the faint content well above 22 kHz). But one live bonus track has a hard wall at 24 kHz, so it was recorded at 48 kHz and upsampled to match the rest. That’s why I split albums into “whole release” and “just some tracks”.

To be fair to the labels
This usually isn’t a con. Lots of modern records are made at 44.1 or 48 kHz from start to finish, and when a store wants a “hi-res” version, the file just gets upsampled to fit. Whether anyone can hear hi-res is a whole other debate, but if you’re paying more for it, it’s reasonable to want it to be real. (These are the files I bought; other editions may differ.)

Check your own:

• Upsampling: open a track in Spek (free). Look for a flat ceiling with nothing above it, around 22 kHz (from 44.1k) or 24 kHz (from 48k). Real recordings fade out gradually and keep some noise up high.
• Padded bits: this needs a bit-depth checker. Spek can’t show it.

Has anyone else found fakes in their collection?

So, basically I’ve got my dad’s old amp/reciever? I’m just now getting into the whole audiophile universe. And I have these two big floor speakers, with a good frequency response from 28-32000Hz, that I got for a good price used. But now that I’m about to wired them up I suddenly got a little hesitant. I tried to google and ask AI, but I didn’t really get any helpful answer.

So it looks like I have 4 posts on the back of my speaker and they’re connected to each other with a bridge, but I see that my dads reciever have the capability for 2 different systems, system A and System B. And if I understand it correctly, I could remove the bridge and use twice the amount of wire to connect to it. I’m really confused now, what’s the point? Should I? Is the Ohms compatible? Thank you all for your attention :)

Found these Electro Voice late 90s Variplex pro cinema horns for 800eur and immediately jumped the opportunity. Soundstage and imaging is unreal! I added my 18" subs for bass duty and run the setup active four way using two CVR 654 DSP amps I have from previous marketplace haul. I think I'm almost done, but should switch the 18" subs to closed enclosures and to get the horns a little lower I am thinking of building a single 15" box for each side instead to lower the mid-hi horn assembly a little. Either way it's already very good and I still have to measure the exact delays between channels but distance based estimation seems pretty close.

So i want to add rear speakers (Dali Oberon on wall)

But i'm not sure if it's going to work in my room because the curtain is in the way and one of the speakers is going to be close to a wall. 3th picture shows where i want to put the rear speakers.

Current setup:

Front L/R -> Dali Oberon 7

Center -> Dali Oberon Grand Vokal

Sub -> SVS SB-1 000 PRO

Reciever -> Denon AVR-X2800H

Sorry for crappy iPhone 12 video

Description

musical with spooky realism, fast, layered, and overall perfect for my listening taste 😊
living for the midrange

- Oliver Sayes 171a SET with  Sansui/Hashimoto output transformers

- Omega Super 3xrs high output custom shop wide in natural walnut

I ❤️ wide baffles - the rs5 is lightening fast!

- Dave Slagle Autoformer Passive Preamplifier - dual mono

- Herron Audio VTPH-2A 

- Redboy Peerless 4611-8 SUT - so cool!

- Technics SL1200 GAE #199, Hana Umami Red

- Audio Mirror Tubadour IV 

- Furutech GTX-D NCF(R) outlets

- Zenwave PCR power cables

- Audience AU24 interconnects and Shindo for phono

- Auditorium A23 speaker cables

- Wiim Ultra Steamer

I know the sound does not translate, especially when it’s recorded with an iPhone 12 Pro. But God damn, I just marvel at how good it is when you get it all dialed (and wanted to share it).

Quincy Jones - Cast Your Fate Into This World

Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2 w/ RAAL
Musical Fidelity M6si
SMSL Su-1 DAC
MacBook Pro streaming Amazon HD

Turntable is in the shop so we doing the digital thing until she returns!
Well Tempered Classic
Sumiko Pearwood Celebration II
Musical Surroundings Nova II

I Wasn't Prepared for the Benchmark DAC3 HGC

I went into the review of the Benchmark DAC3 HGC expecting a marginal increase in clarity, a decrease in noise floor. You know, just something a little better than anything I currently have… but with a much higher price tag… basically, I assumed I'd be in for a joke wrapped in a $2399.00 price tag, and I wouldn't even get a bow!

But I wasn't prepared for this. Music is ruined in the best way possible, and honestly, the worst part is that Benchmark sent this to me not as a future benchmark to my testing, not even as something I could keep and use permanently, something I could leave on my end table for when life gets hard, plug into, and keep moving forward, but alas, it was sent to me as a loaner unit.

As many of you know, I've spent a ridiculous amount of time with portable DACs, dongles specifically. I've listened to enough of them that I thought I had a pretty good idea of what a good DAC was supposed to sound like. And honestly, I was wrong. Because then I plugged in the Benchmark DAC3 HGC. It realistically boasts quite a lot of tech under the hood. I mean, just look.

I've also prepared a fun video! Which can be found here!

https://youtu.be/WoY-8Yo4A8Y?is=5nfU6IpnUWn8d5bY

Tech Stuff

Under the hood of this relatively mundane looking unit is a serious piece of digital audio engineering. Benchmark built the DAC around an ESS Sabre converter, which is honestly something we've seen before a thousand times... but then using a 4:1 architecture that combines multiple converter outputs to improve overall performance. Rather than simply relying on the DAC chip itself, Benchmark designed the surrounding analog circuitry, power regulation, clocking, and amplification stages as part of the complete conversion system.

The DAC3 uses Benchmark's UltraLock3 clocking system to minimize jitter from the incoming digital signal. It also incorporates a linear phase reconstruction filter and 3 dB of digital headroom to help prevent clipping from intersample peaks that can occur in real world recordings.

Once the digital signal has been converted, Benchmark's analog circuitry takes over. The DAC3 uses dedicated I/V conversion and differential amplification stages before sending the signal to its analog outputs. The result is a fully engineered signal path rather than simply dropping a DAC chip into a box and calling it a day.

The HGC designation stands for Hybrid Gain Control. Digital sources use digital volume control, while the DAC3 handles its analog inputs through an analog volume control path. This allows the DAC3 to function as more than just a DAC. It can also act as a preamp for a larger audio system.

Then there's the headphone amplifier.

Benchmark's HPA2 headphone amplifier specifications:

• Up to 1.25 watts into 30 ohms

• Output impedance below 0.11 ohms

• Up to 250 mA of output current

That's serious amplification, particularly for a device that also functions as a DAC and preamp.

Connectivity includes:

• USB digital input

• Optical digital input

• Coaxial digital input

• Analog inputs

• RCA outputs

• Balanced XLR outputs

On paper, the DAC3 HGC is an impressive collection of digital conversion, clocking, analog amplification, and gain control technology. But specifications and cool trigger words really aren't even half of the story!

And does it even matter? Who, after a long day, goes, “Oh well, at least my DAC has UltraLock3 anti jitter control, a nearly invisible noise floor, or even an ESS converter?” Not me. Nah bro. Not even once! Especially when the chips are down, I don't when things are going good, other than while I'm doing reviews other than just before I click buy I never go well it's okay because this thing has a Triple Mc Jigger 3000 Prime Ultra. If I don't when things are good, I definitely don't when things get bad and I need to quiet the little part of the brain that says I suck at everything I do and everything I am is a waste of a meat suit…. I just want to zone out and listen to the music. I just want peace, loud music that sounds like I'm sitting 4 and a half feet from the band and yet somehow far enough away that I can still hear the individual parts…. That's what I look for and that's what I write about!

In fact, for the rest of the review, I'm probably not going to bring the tech side back! Because although it tells the story of how this thing destroys music because it's so good, any other source just becomes a little less than what it was the moment before your eyes were opened.

The Review

My playlist for the test was a little different. Yes, I went through my Nora Jones, Sum 41, you know, my usual tracks, but I also got weird with it… added in Breezeblocks by Alt J, MGK, and a bunch of stuff that's honestly just not part of my everyday testing clique… and I'm glad I did. Somewhere along the hundredth new track I dropped into my testing cue, I realized something important: I've started to become deaf to some of the finer details in the tracks I've listened to for the twenty thousandth time. And Cliché by MGK is unironically a banger!

Sound Check

I didn't want to go into this with any of my new IEMs or headphones… I don't know their vibes like I do my tried and true workhorses… you know, something I know so intimately that I would be able to pick out any minute increase anywhere in any part of the sound out of a lineup… so for these, I ran with:

Headphones

• Sivga Anser

• Jade Audio JT9

IEMs

• EPZ P40

• Dunu DN 142

And for wife

Two from upcoming reviews:

• Melody Wings Venus Devine

• Simgot EP5

• Simgot EM6L

(They are her current favorites!)

I'll keep the next part as short as possible because I feel like this is going to be one hell of a long review!

The Playlist

Check out my playlist on Amazon Music: ST Testing

https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/9c1d2cbe95e444bbaf7cef474bd07d08sune?ref=dm_sh_6qdBMRFTb69aIoMHZ5dwNUbN4

Observations

Vocals

With the Sivga Anser, male vocals are so rich and clear, there's so much depth. Well, let's just say Daylight by David Kushner becomes a religious experience, and it's as though I was born again. This song always slaps, but with more power, all the tech, everything Benchmark puts into the DAC3 transforms the recording. (Did you know there's a slight echo? I didn't…)

For female vocals, I switched it up with the EPZ P40. Somehow, where I thought female vocals were already close and intimate, somehow Adele got inside my head. She wasn't a lounge singer singing to her pianist. She was me and I was her. She was singing directly into my head…. It's wild how a DAC can transform a song on this level, how it can transform a headset from something you thought was good into something, I don't know…. Whatever the level above amazing is… gripping seems fitting here!

Instruments, Soundstage and Imaging

I switched over to the Jade Audio JT9 because it already has an outstanding soundstage and amazing imaging. It's open back, let's be real…. If it didn't do those two things well, no one would buy them. Open back headphones are just too good at splitting those beautiful instrumentals into separate story arcs….. but you hear all the time… these things scale with a better source, and I thought I knew what that meant… I mean, a few of my DACs hit at well over 800 mW. I thought I knew… but with the Benchmark DAC3, I realize now I was a fool…

What I thought was an expansive room where everything had a place becomes concert hall, left and right spin around you like a vortex of awesome… and honestly, I'm a bit saddened that I haven't had the Benchmark DAC3 my whole life…

Volume

(Trying this at home may damage your ears, all stunts are performed by a trained baffoon!)

Ah, my old trusty workhorse! The Dunu DN 142s….

So I wanted to see what would happen if I pushed the DAC3 way beyond what I would normally listen at. We say things like, “Oh, with IEMs, headphones, anything really HiFi, you don't need a lot of volume… it's safer for your ears….” So I did the opposite of that. I full sent it… max volume, well, realistically as loud as I could without injuring myself. I love you guys, but I'm already blind, I need my hearing….

So there it is I went as far as I safely could without risking my hearing and you know what? It didn't clip once, even when I pushed those micro planars to the absolute max… that I could handle! Wait, why am I yelling?

Familiar Tracks

This next test was important to me. Would it make a difference to the songs that have helped me… the songs I've heard for the hundredth billionth time… you know, the songs that get you through the dark days… and make the good days better….

One of my favorite tracks of all time is Straight and Narrow by Sam Barber….. the live recording has a moment when he sits down. I never realized before that he actually bumps his strings…

So I can say…. This beast…. The Benchmark DAC3 HGC exposes parts of the songs you love that you'd have never known were there otherwise…

Bad Recordings

So one of the things they advertise is that anti jitter function, which is supposed to smooth everything out….. so I thought about that… where can I get bad recordings….

I went back and forth on this, then it clicked…….. YouTube! Lol, where else?

So for this test, I went full 1980s MTV VHS recordings…. And let me be the first to say, Cyndi Lauper is a Boss Bitch.

It actually really does stabilize the sound. Now, I can't say it added anything to the track because it doesn't. It is not some kinda acoustic magical wand, nah bro, but it did stabilize it and make it sound almost as good as my FLAC vinyl rip. And that's absolutely insane considering the source.

The Next Day and the Days After That!

So first day, I dropped probably 16 hours straight into this beast. Listen, I was excited about how great everything sounded…. Don't judge me!

But how was she on day two… am I just hype on an amazing marvel of acoustic prowess?

No. Really, I think it sounded even better the second day. I don't know if she needed to warm up? I don't know if I chose better tracks? Hell, I don't really know what it was, but every day was just a little better than the last, and that's absolutely astounding, flabbergasting, life changing for us who use music as our primary escape!

Wife's Opinion (Non Audiophile)

So you know how when you really like a particular food but your budget only allows you to buy the off brand but you really want to buy the name brand but the off brand gives you the experience and texture of the name brand and it's good enough, so you get the off brand, and you're okay with that. But if I ever became a multimillionaire I'd buy one for every room in the house… and even getting to try the name brand was absolute peak.

The sound was you know how when you put your ear up to a seashell and you're like that's the ocean. and then you go to the ocean and you're like fuck that's beautiful and then you go back home and you're like I miss the ocean but you can't afford to go back to the ocean to the seashell and you're like meh that's good enough. And I have a great pair of headphones all thanks to simgot.

I listened to a song that makes me feel with both my budget dac and my headphones and then I listened to it through the benchmark dac3 hgc and I cried. And for the record the song is take me back to the night we met by Lord Huron.

I really am glad I got to experience music through something of that high quality. Thank you Benchmark for allowing us the experience!

The Return

Listen, the FiiO QX11 has been a daily driver for me for weeks. It's been my sunrise on some genuinely stressful days… and I won't say I hate it… in fact, I still love this little guy, but now that I've heard the Benchmark… I feel it's lacking a little something that I wouldn't have otherwise known about…

I feel like my headphones are saddened to go back to their trusty steed… it's like I rented a Lambo, drove a buck ninety through a winding mountain road, and now I'm back sitting behind the wheel of a Honda Civic… it gets the job done… but it just lacks the depth, and the sound of the engine truly revving up to its fullest potential.

Closing

So listen, I know what you're thinking… then why, why would I buy a $2399.00 dollar DAC amp from an American company that's been around since the 80s?

I can't answer that for you. But what I can say is that this thing takes what's already there, and amplifies every single iota of what makes your music, your music…. And that's an experience that's like, MasterCard…. priceless.

Non-affiliated link!

https://benchmarkmedia.com/products/benchmark-dac3-hgc-digital-to-analog-audio-converter?_pos=1&_sid=149571fc8&_ss=r

So i have listened to spotify for 3 years, but i recently got my laptop and downloaded my fav tracks through Spotidown ( spotiy downloader). and the songs are being downloaded in 128kbps. My question is why the same song feels so much deep and has much more clarity than what it was i was listening to spotify 320kbps ( ogg Vorbis).And yes also also alot o songs are extended intro and outros like youtube version of the same song. Could someone explain how it is working and how a song with loer bitrate is sounding bitrate than a song with a higher bitrate.

TL;DR: My TA-22s tube output is very weak and I wanna know how to get it to be more usable

I use an xduuo TA-22 as the centerpiece of my sound system. Everything else either feeds into it or uses it as it's input.

The inputs it gets don't play much of a role here, it's a cinch switch with a few small things and a USB source for its own dac...

The Outputs I have are

A Fiio Gigas 1

An Aiyima A20

Headphones plugged into it's normal headphone out

A Logitech sub from the z623 soundsystem

The two amps and the sub go into the TA22s tube output. But the signal im getting from it is so low I basically need to crank it...

Im looking for options put into this setup to get the tube out signal up to the usual line level. Would a line level preamp be what I am looking for here? Are there ones that have multiple outputs (ideally 3 at least) that can be had for a somewhat affordable price? And what exactly does a line level preamp do? Do I have to manually dial it in or does it automatically adjust itself to the line standard values

Hey guys, so I don’t have money to buy, but I thought I’d let you guys know that these are for sale and a yard sale on Oxford and lemon Grove Avenue in the Melrose Hills historic district.. 90029 .. she wanted 40 for the bottom receiver and 60 for the top receiver so she might give you guys a great deal or the other two with a heard are really sought after

Hello everyone, I am searching for a good music app which works on intel mac (tahoe) what I need is skin support from Winamp, winamp/aimp like interface, capability of playing HLS m3u steams because reamp can’t play HLS streams and of course good sound. Also I have tried to install Audacious via Brew but since devs completely deleted all the builds for Intel I couldn’t build it by myself because of an error with Qt6 codec.

Admittedly, my listening gear is humble by audiophile standards, but i just swapped out a Simaudio Moon i3.3 integrated amp for a Hegel H190. The Moon nicely filled up my little Totem Arros (harder to do than Oneould have thought, requiring a fair bit of current for its 4-ohm nominal load. That tiny woofer is great, but it needs to be pushed hard.

But I digress. I decided to have a listen to the soundtrack from the Richard Attenborough film, “Cry Freedom” (1987). What a banger! If you want to see what your gear can do, this very dynamic album will test it.

My test results are as follows: Hegel is a good choice for such an album. Damping factor is critical as there’s a hell of a lot going on in the bass, and you need an amp that can keep it under control. A lot of bass bloom would be a disservice here. As holographic and deep the Moon is, it might struggle with detail.

Listening early this evening I had a bit of a desire for sharper leading edges. So a nod to Naim, who excels at that.

My Totem Arros really couldn’t keep up with the music. There was just too much low bass, combined with lots out complex mids. . The poor 4.5 inch cone must have been trembling. I thought a 3-way might be in order here.

Anyhow. It’s new (to me) gear day today. I’m happy with my purchase but never satisfied. I miss Naim Audio for its energy.

Cry Freedom is an audiophile gold mine. I’d love to know what people think of the album from all those years ago. Recorded at Abbey Road, by the way.

A big thank you to all the amazing people on this thread and Facebook Marketplace who made this possible.

Almost everything was bought used, and it's been quite a learning experience along the way.

Technics SL-1500 Turntable – C$250

Bought it out of curiosity without knowing much about turntables. It came with an old Empire cartridge that didn't sound great, and I accidentally broke the stylus while trying to clean it. Lesson learned.

Ortofon 2M Red – C$100

Was extremely careful installing this one. Then hit another hurdle when I realized it wouldn't mount properly on the original Technics single screw headshell.

Technics Headshell – C$60

A replacement with the standard two-screw mounting. Problem solved.

Boundless Vinyl Cleaning Kit + Carbon Fiber Brush – C$60

Good-quality stuff. Happy with the purchase.

Hudson Hi-Fi Cartridge Alignment Kit – C$60

Pretty much everything needed to properly set up and align a cartridge.

Fosi Audio Box X5 Phono Preamp – C$100

Personally, I wasn't a fan of the WiiM Ultra's built-in phono stage. The X5 sounds much better to my ears.

WiiM Ultra – C$350

Handles streaming, subwoofer management, and headphone duties. Really versatile little device.

Edifier S1000W + Edifier SS02 Stands – C$350

Hated these speakers when I first got them. But they slowly grew on me, and now I absolutely love them. Funny how that happens.

Edifier T5s Subwoofer – C$120

Honestly, it stays switched off most of the time. At my usual listening levels, the S1000W produces more than enough bass.

Fosi Audio RCA Cables + RCA Y-Splitter – C$100

Probably snake oil, but here we are 😂

Sennheiser HD 560S – C$100

Really enjoying these headphones. Love the clarity and detail.

Total: So roughly C$1,700 all in

I started this journey knowing very little about vinyl or hi-fi equipment, made a few mistakes, learned quite a bit, and ended up with a system that makes me genuinely excited to sit down and listen to music.

I know there's plenty of better gear out there, but for now, I'm just enjoying the music. And isn't that what this hobby is supposed to be about?

Cheers to everyone who helped make this little setup possible.

Any thoughts on this new DAC? I had their old one and it was excellent, $70 doesnt seem bad. Would love thoughts, ive been out of the game for a minute.

https://www.tempotec.net/products/sonata-bhd-usb-dac

I know we are about great sound, but if you want to expand your knowledge of genres and music or maybe just want to throw on some background music while you work etc, there’s a whole world out there.

I’m not exaggerating when I say this is likely the 20th time I’ve redone this room to optimize the listening position. Moving the main system is a proper pain in the ass given its well over 500 lbs with the speakers and the furniture. Thankfully, I’m happy with how everything sounds….. for now.

Took about 3 years of constant looking to find a swivel chair with a swivel plinth base that was the correct height to align my ears with both tweeters on each wall. Note for weirdos like me: I wanted a plinth base because it translated bass frequencies to your ass better than if it was on a traditional 4 leg base. If you are going for immersion you need a plinth base.

Both systems are running thier own time alignment room correction for the chairs position. I used to move my chair every time I switch systems, but no more.

Next step is to fill the side wall with more art / paneling. I have 6 panels and 2 bass traps currently.

Main System: Legacy Aeris speakers, Wavelet V1, Rega P6, custom odyssey Kismet amp, wiim ultra

Second system: B&G speakers, anthem STR integrated, REL predator series, wiim mini

Third (hidden) system: Cabasse Keshi Pearl 2.1

Here’s the setup my local bar has. Not bad. They also have a decent record selection.