What did you do to your stereo rig today?

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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,732
    I do believe digital Pete is retiring so digital Jody may have an opportunity!
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,123
    Both you and I would like to hear one....!!!

    That's the plain and simple truth. Comparing it to what we and others on his forum have?

    It would be interesting...

    Honestly, from what I have read? Maybe 5% more. It's not like they are touting the best of the best with incredulous findings. BUT, yes, and here is a but........

    This is the Crème de la Crème of streaming and while I have never heard said product? Praise them like they are the Audio God because they are breaking through the threshold of streaming audio. Them projects they have planned and are currently in production? Holy crap Batman.

    You thought you were busy in the heyday?

    That's laughable. They have that going on and SO many more projects that's unfathomable....at the level they are playing/developing/engineering at.

    Tom
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,732
    It does alot more than I would need a streamer to do. I'm not so sure it could stream tidal any better than lumin or auralic, imo.

    As far as networking and such, I see huge strides there as that power supply and part selection is second to none. Considering that would be your source, so to speak for locally stored files... Could literally be everything!

    Although 20k for a top tier source isn't outrageous compared to what some gear cost...mundorf caps and duelund caps etc, lot of quality parts on display!
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,123
    In other words? Cutting edge technology.

    Beyond our current configurations/gear.....yet, they are now looking downstream. They understand.

    Good things come to those who wait. Unfortunately, you need to have a wallet that is 2 to 3 zeros more to get to where they are now. Technology will trickle down but it WILL take some time. We are benefiting from said technology already.

    Tom
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,732
    My biggest concern for a device like that would be resale value.

    Computers have an extremely short life span and are virtually worthless after a certain time period, say 5 years.

    I dig any and all trickle down tech though!
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 3,156
    From what I have read, many of the old RTR DAC chipsets are quite old.
    "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
    "Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
    Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,732
    That may be the norm as the ANK chip set is apparently long discontinued and the remaining stock was bought my audio note many many years ago
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • ZLTFUL
    ZLTFUL Posts: 5,651
    That Taiko Audio SGM is...how do I put this nicely...old.
    It is Sandy Bridge Xeons (evident from the triple channel memory and the DDR3 DIMMs (picture from the post of the tray of DIMMs are DDR3...modern current gen servers are using DDR5...)
    It is also an OTC motherboard (SuperMicro or Asus it looks like). Most of that stuff is currently available on eBay for pennies on the dollar. $5000 CPUs when new selling for less than $200 each...
    Even the Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC OS is deprecated/EOL.

    Don't get me wrong, they did some nice work with the passive coolers, the custom IO plate in copper, the chassis is gorgeous.

    But the fact that it is a Chinese-based product, they have an amazingly large recycling industry for old server hardware. So much so that there are countless YouTube channels purely dedicated to the Chinese surplus/recycling industry for computer hardware.

    The cost is a dealbreaker for me. At least with Roon, you have the option to run it on your own hardware that can be considerably better for a lot less.
    "Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."

    "Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip
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  • ZLTFUL
    ZLTFUL Posts: 5,651
    VR3 wrote: »
    Only bad **** people have duelund caps in their water cooled computer!

    Not water cooled. Passive cooling. That are cold-plates attached to heatpipes that run to large slabs of aluminum heatsinks.
    "Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."

    "Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,732
    I think the question for sure would be sound quality and is it fast enough to handle its intended application... It would be concerning to me though for the coin for it to be using such old computer hardware for sure for long term compatibility.

    Very cool on the piping for cooling.
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • ZLTFUL
    ZLTFUL Posts: 5,651
    I am sure that it excels at its intended purpose. But the combination makes little sense to me from a hardware perspective.
    I had a dual E5 2690V4 (20 cores per CPU, for a total of 80 threads) based server with 256GB of DDR4, NVMe storage and the machine I built to replace it runs circles around it with only a single 24 core processor and 128GB of DDR4 simply because of the 2 generations newer hardware.

    Windows 10 is also not even remotely optimized for server hardware. It tends to choke on itself when it comes to multi-threaded/multi-CPU processing. It can do fine with multi-threaded/single-CPU processing but it was never really meant to be a server OS. Even Windows 10 for Workstations was more closely related to Server 2016/Server 2019 than the Enterprise, Pro, and Home versions of Win 10.

    Not to mention, the massively inefficient power delivery.

    From a performance and heat management perspective, an ARM based server/streamer makes considerably more sense. Even something Raspberry-Pi based is going to be more efficient, quieter, less power overall...

    Anyway, I am rambling. Hardware is something of a passion of mine. And having experimented with multiple implementations of Roon on various hardware options has given me some insight into how little it actually takes to cleanly stream music within your own home.
    "Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."

    "Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip
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  • GlennDog
    GlennDog Posts: 3,120
    https://taikoaudio.com/taiko-2020/product/extreme-high-end-music-server/

    I would very much like to have this. However, everything else would need to be bumped up to be on-par.

    Pushing 30K . . . I need a detached garage more

    I cannot hang with you high-rollers!
    AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
    Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampizator Baltic 4 DAC
    Pre Cary SLP-05
    Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
    Mains Salk HT2-TL
    Rythmik F12
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,949
    No me gusta.
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,123
    VR3 wrote: »
    Yeah I don't believe the lampizator usb connection is an active connection versus just a place holder which apparently is common for the earlier models.

    I completely missed this post last night. What connections does it have for inputs?

    Tom

    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,732
    Bnc and I have a bnc to coax adapter in the box
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,123
    Ah, so only one input. Bummer.

    Tom
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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  • skipshot12
    skipshot12 Posts: 1,169
    Not quite what I did today but…

    Just got off the phone with an outfit that’s going thru & updating my preamp from 1979.
    What an awesome day…

    All caps needing replaced/upgraded, upgraded op-amps and the pies de resistance a remote control installed for the wife!

    Yea baby 😬
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  • Dr_Wu
    Dr_Wu Posts: 338
    edited January 2023
    Installed the RAL ethernet from ER to streamer, and digital coax from streamer to DAC. Settling in for a few days, but first impression is fuller, wider, deeper soundstage, compared to the very good AQ Vodka ethernet and AQ Carbon coax cables.
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  • sparky14
    sparky14 Posts: 23
    So I bought an Arcam SA10 integrated locally for $350, which looked like a great deal from what I am seeing around. Also picked up a pair of Elac UniFi 2.0 UB5 for $300 on USAM. Got those hooked up in the office and they sound amazing.

    And then within a day, a guy posts an Arcam AND a pair of KEF bookshelves for $450. Including all boxes, receipts, everything. I e-mail him to see which models, it is an Arcam SA10 and KEF Q350s, and he'd take $375 for all of it. Unfortunately, he is still 90 minutes away from me, but had I not bought the other stuff I would be making that drive.

    Polk R200 SpeakersSchiit Saga S & AegirCr*pload of old disc players for my old CDs.
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,444
    sparky14 wrote: »
    So I bought an Arcam SA10 integrated locally for $350, which looked like a great deal from what I am seeing around. Also picked up a pair of Elac UniFi 2.0 UB5 for $300 on USAM. Got those hooked up in the office and they sound amazing.

    And then within a day, a guy posts an Arcam AND a pair of KEF bookshelves for $450. Including all boxes, receipts, everything. I e-mail him to see which models, it is an Arcam SA10 and KEF Q350s, and he'd take $375 for all of it. Unfortunately, he is still 90 minutes away from me, but had I not bought the other stuff I would be making that drive.

    The Arcam stuff is amazing for 2 channel. I am very happy with mine.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • GlennDog
    GlennDog Posts: 3,120
    the very definition of Rabbit Hole . . . I sought, found, and sold my soul (almost)

    the hole is deep, my friends

    I took delivery today and I’m letting the unit reach ambient temp before I fire up the tooobs

    Unfortunately, the lighting does not reflect the true red color . . . looks orange-ish to me (in the pix)

    l75utga906zz.jpeg
    s77kug30kc8w.jpeg
    iq7x2jug5t7y.jpeg
    AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
    Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampizator Baltic 4 DAC
    Pre Cary SLP-05
    Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
    Mains Salk HT2-TL
    Rythmik F12
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  • GlennDog
    GlennDog Posts: 3,120
    FYI, for those that know me . . . I love a red preamp ….

    Here’s a bad pic of my Cary SLP-98 with silver face plate …

    and the good (and moded) Backert Rhumba

    tjgljy0qscxy.png


    Color DOES make a difference! (not sonically)
    AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
    Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampizator Baltic 4 DAC
    Pre Cary SLP-05
    Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
    Mains Salk HT2-TL
    Rythmik F12
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,732
    Is that the lampizator??
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,123
    One thing I have discovered or realized as of late, is when the cables are settling in, the further the drop in an attribute, the further the attribute after it settles in.

    Tom
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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  • GlennDog
    GlennDog Posts: 3,120
    VR3 wrote: »
    Is that the lampizator??

    Couldn’t help myself . . . Tomorrow should be a very fine day!
    AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
    Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampizator Baltic 4 DAC
    Pre Cary SLP-05
    Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
    Mains Salk HT2-TL
    Rythmik F12
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,732
    I love it! Congrats!
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 3,156
    A while ago, I bought a Denon DP-3000 turntable that ended-up having erratic speed fluctuations. Finally got around to doing a PCB refresh with 13 new transistors, and 9 new electrolytic caps.
    ws6bxua3ucf3.jpg
    ibr3jtvnlvak.jpg
    nwwc1mgg9zmt.jpg
    Testing afterwards has been very successful! :)
    2by2hlfd12hf.jpg
    I posted about this setup before, with the goal of having a Micro Seiki MA-505L (12") arm mounted on the large Denon DK-110 plinth B)
    "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
    "Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
    Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
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  • GlennDog
    GlennDog Posts: 3,120
    VR3 wrote: »
    I would like to hear a newer, high end Lampizator... but it looks like similar build to the ANK is north of 10k so... will be a long time short of an amazing deal! :persevere:

    PSA . . . This seems/might be near your "hood" . . . maybe give this one a whirl . . . @VR3 @treitz3 @TroyD

    https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisb2gd1-lampizator-golden-atlantic-trp-da-converters
    AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
    Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampizator Baltic 4 DAC
    Pre Cary SLP-05
    Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
    Mains Salk HT2-TL
    Rythmik F12
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,732
    Big dollars

    I would seriously not want a volume control at that price

    Looks like a stellar unit though!

    Thanks for the heads up!
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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