neo_the_one

I am guessing its still high margin business vs high volume? Or is the answer much more nuanced and use-case specific?

Lol. Bose and Beats would each crush Schiit, Ifi and Audeze combined with the weight of the cash they take in each year. Look them up on Wikipedia, they do like $3.6 and $1.5 BILLION respective in annual revenue. Bose has 7000+ employees. Beats is owned by Apple. Those other companies all probably have less than 100 employees each.

Goldensound is a Friend. Here's his https://youtu.be/Wa3sOSRa-U0

Holo May and stuff like that is out of the norm for the gear usually featured on SBAF. Honestly, the Rockna Wavedream review here is kind of a one-off. Probably the most ORFAS level thing I've seen on here.

That being said those rules seem to get thrown out the window when talking about headphones. For some reason those get a pass from everyone.

Soldering is not necessay when there is good enough screw terminal design. Like those on Neutrik connectors. The fewer metal transitions, the better. The wiring geometry (EM coupling), materials, even the insulator material all matter, when the system is transparent enough.

I use Furutech FI-11m copper and the associated iec. Easy screw terminals. Legit supplier in the US is https://www.vhaudio.com/connectors-ac.html

For my next DIY power cables I would tin the wires to ensure the best contact.

Also found a commercial implementation - https://www.jensen-transformers.com/product/pc-2xr/

depending on XLR pinout and topology, you might be able to use a XLR->RCA cable with pin 3 floated. I do this with Burl B2 Bomber DAC into Schiit Saga preamp. Benchmark sells this type of cable for this use specifically. Transformers for this case will change the sound, in my case drastically for the worse.

Search for @atomicbob's advice on balanced>SE. Beware of "magic smoke"!

I think using tubes make it easier to avoid a sterile sound. This is more noticable in amps than DACs but should be audible in both. Implementation is key though, I'm sure crappy tube DACs exist.

A tube dac has a tube buffer or linestage, different than a tube amp. Some dacs like Metrum don't have anything after the D/A converters, others have this buffer, SS or tube.

I think @Luckbad might have more experience with tube DACs than most people.

Those Linlai and Psvane AMCE tubes are on my radar. Kind of ashamed to say I'm still waiting on my Elekit 300b amp to come home from the shop, otherwise I'd prolly be farting around with Chinese tubes of questionable repute.

Second the recs for JJs. They sound great.

I really enjoyed the ACME 300B with the Utopia. Great tube with a blacker background compared to other 300Bs I heard. Too sweet for a Verite Open but perfect for the Utopia.

setup you would make (everything included)? To make it a little harder the upper limit is 30,000$

Lately when I go through this thought experiment I end up with: VPI or Well Tempered Labs turntable, Tavish Adagio Phono, Yggdrasil dac, Tavish Minotaur Integrated, and Graham LS5/8 or 5/9 depending on room size. All stuff I have been drooling over, who knows if synergy is there.

Depends how it sounds but I am interested in a Decware Zen(tube amp), Ls3/5a / Zu Omen Book shelf / Salk Sound Wow1 / Fleetwood Sound DeVille, and a tube dac, maybe the abbas audio one.

How much of a difference does it make? My understanding is it is required for LPs of different thicknesses. But is it really required? Do you ever end up changing the VTA of your TT?

VTA does make a difference. On the fly is not required, the regular VTA adjustment is just fine. I set the VTA with one of my medium thickness (the majority of my collection falls into this category) record and it does just fine with the thicker and thinner albums. Occasionally I get the urge to fiddle with VTA, probably as the stylus wears...

Here is the regular VTA adjustment http://www.vpiforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=7175

https://www.apple.com/airpods-max/?afid=p238%7CsSzojmYtB-dc_mtid_5iuwnp2za0_pcrid_485047296870_pgrid_114756246437_&cid=wwa-us-kwgo-wearables-slid---productid--Brand-AirPodsMax-Announce-

Reading 4 and 6 posts lower, also a thing ;-)

Yup my bad.

is it possible to capture and playback piano with digital? I have heard convincing analog recordings of piano though. One of the main reasons I am jumping through the hoops to get my TT setup right.

not to fuel your vinyl nervosa, but no LOL

i'll try this out.

@JK47 I was able to diagnose one thing. If shield the RCA cables from phono to the amp, the radio signals do subside. Do you have any suggestions for decent shielded RCA cables. Tin foiled cables really look ugly.

I use Blue Jeans cables, however YMMV. Try a few "shielded" cables from Amazon maybe and hear what kills the radio best.

... There's something called an earth loop. Can't explain, but I expect google can, but I do know that it is notorious for causing audio hum. Check that out.

Also, try connecting all that kit to one socket. They may be on the same circuit anyway --- or you may be introducing some voltage difference earth to earth that could be a problem.

If things change when you touch stuff, I think that really points to earthing. But I'm no electrician.

Old houses in England used to have pipes for gas fires in every room. Maybe you have central heating radiator pipes? All conductive pipes should be earth-bonded. Try taking a wire to something like that if you can. It solved a problem for me once.

Stupid question... I suppose at least one of those devices you have linked the earth tags on /has/ a three-pin connection? Used to be a given... but my current integrated amp, which is not that young, has only two pins.

Invest in a quality vinyl cleaner and a ZeroDust for your stylus. Even something like a Spin Clean makes a big difference. Stepping up to a vacuum cleaner is a worthwhile upgrade though. Then store records in quality poly sleeves.

I do have a record doctor cleaner that i use. but i still hear the surface noise. Is it possible that it is a electrical issue?

@neo_the_one Potentially I guess, but a lot of the time it might just be that the record is a noisy pressing? I have found that gettin better/more transparent gear is a double edge sword when it comes to vinyl. I kind of lust for my Schiit Man/2M Blue days because issues were less noticeable. I think that is part of the reason the conical stylus of the Denon 103 is not seen as an issue, more forgiving.

When the output of your phono pre doesn't provide enough gain.

Did you use the cable like a whip? That must have hurt. Please, use it for passing the signal from component to component, not from person to person. Seriously...

It's not real unless your wife could hear the difference from the kitchen.

Getting up is a ritual that is good for the days I am feeling sharp. On days when I am exhausted and would like to lie down and listen to music, I guess digital it is. But yes I do feel sometimes the vinyl would change itself. Spoiled by today's software.

I think I overly conscious of the stylus more than anything else.

I don't use a deck any more but... whether it is audiophile or not, I would /always/ have gone with semi-automatic, ie the stylus is lifted at the end. Sometimes one wants to drift off and dream, not click...click...click worry about the stylus

so I must say the whole notion of spending X to get Y performance is not linear at all in the analog domain. the relationship can even become inverse. and you should get involved in it not for Y performance but from whatever satisfaction you may derive from playing or collecting records. if you get Y performance eventually, even better.

I think it was also mentioned before that the turntable route might only be worth it if you prefer older music (pre-1990s), before digital recording became the norm. Modern vinyl may sound extremely similar to the digital formats.

^ This is a very interesting take. I will try this out. I have ordered a couple of relatively new recorded vinyl to do an A/B test.