Recommended Modern Sources

Bigerik

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The purpose of this thread is to allow people to post reviews or recommendations of the modern gear they have or have used. Again, first person experience only.
For the purposes of this thread, "Modern" shall mean anything in current production, or the previous model. For instance, both the Rega Brio and Brio-R would eligible.
If you disagree with a persons recommendation, please take that to a separate thread.

Again, this is something new we are trying, so we can tweak and fine tune as we go.

Please post any comments in this thread:
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=441123
 
Just changed this, as CD players are becoming passé. :)

Makes more sense to have any kind of modern source. All other suggestions apply.
 
Squeeeeeeeeze Box Touch/Duet?

I absolutely love the Squeezebox Touch. Mate it up with a good power supply and a quality DAC and you have musical bliss :music: I also like the internet radio that can be streamed in from radio stations around the globe. Tuners are now about obsolete.
 
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It's well documented around here what I think about my Squeezebox Touch. The best audio purchase I have ever made. The fact that it allows me to discover new music on a daily basis makes it priceless. For a couple hundred bucks I can't understand why everyone doesn't own one.

cubdog
 
I absolutely love the Squeezebox Touch. Mate it up with a good power supply and a quality DAC and you have musical bliss :music: I also like the internet radio that can be streamed in from radio stations around the globe. Tuners are now about obsolete.

Agreed, unless you live in an area with great FM. I don't and use an i-Pod touch with a $99 Pure Audio i-20 dock and the Tune In Radio app. The dock takes an unaltered signal from the the I-Pod and has a 24/96 DAC built in. The combo can sound very good depending on the station. The app allows access to 50,000 internet radio station around the world.

I would like to see a dock that feeds an unaltered signal to my MHDT Labs Havana DAC. Onkyo had one but it does not work with the Touch. The Onkyo had a better build than the Wadia per threads on DIY audio and was much less $$$.
 
It's well documented around here what I think about my Squeezebox Touch. The best audio purchase I have ever made. The fact that it allows me to discover new music on a daily basis makes it priceless. For a couple hundred bucks I can't understand why everyone doesn't own one.

cubdog
That's a good point...I have discovered tons of new music over the past 6 yrs using Zune Marketplace and my Zune Music Pass, which allows me unlimited downloads (of DRM files) but that is fine, I still get them and can play them anywhere with my device or on 3 computers.
And the ability to stream it to my system is pretty nice.
Its not hi-res downloads but the stream is decent SQ, with my DAC11 its even better.
MS is introducing a new "Spotify" type service in about a month, so I am hoping for some improvements all around....The "Zune" name is actually going away.
 
If anyone desires, I have a link to provide you that will enable you to play 24/192 on your SBT.
 
It's well documented around here what I think about my Squeezebox Touch. The best audio purchase I have ever made. The fact that it allows me to discover new music on a daily basis makes it priceless. For a couple hundred bucks I can't understand why everyone doesn't own one.

cubdog

I think it's well documented how everyone here who has a Squeezebox Touch thinks of it.:yes::D:music: I think we are helping Logitech in sales? Everyone who gets one of these things goes nuts with it....I think that's what it's for.:music::D
 
SBT sounds awesome, but I love my Sonos Connect for all the same reasons. The interface through my laptop and iPhone is easy and responsive. I mostly use internet radio apps like Rhapsody, Spotify, Pandora, etc. but I also have all my CDs hosted through its library. I plan on buying a few Sonos Play 3s to put in my kitchen and bedroom so my music can carry throughout the house.

Now I just need a good DAC to go with it even though the built in DAC is passable.
 
Not so much for critical listening but if you want to "test drive" that album which you're not sure if you want to buy or not, Spotify probably has it.

Sound quality isn't bad. I'd recommend the service for music discovery :D
 
Ok, I'll make a recommendation:

As a college student, I am on an insanely low budget, so I can't quite afford too much of that modern gear out there... but I was able to afford a $40 sound card. I know a lot of people spend big money on fancy external DACs, but the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 makes that kind of spending unnecessary. It just requires a desktop computer with a free PCI slot, and it works with just about any version of Windows.

These cards go for about $65 to $80 new, or around $40 used. It has gold-plated analog RCA inputs and outputs. Inputs are excellent for recording a line-level source like the output from a turntable hooked to an external pre-amp. The card is compatible with any popular recording programs like the free Audacity or the expensive Adobe Audition. Combined with a free program to play FLAC files, such as Foobar2000, this card makes for an excellent stereo DAC.

It can even decode 24 bit, 96 kHz audio. Some people may say that internal cards like this produce unwanted noise because of interference picked up within the computer case, but I have never been able to notice any such unwanted noise. It has an extremely clean sound and offers an excellent solution for stereo recording and playback from a computer. It also has a digital input/output over coaxial attachment, but I have never found this useful.

Considering the price, this modern sound card serves as an outstanding DAC and analog-to-digital recorder. I use it for converting vinyl to 24 bit, 96 kHz FLAC files, and I hook the RCA outputs to an amplifier for headphone use.
 
I've used my HRT Music Streamer II with a variety of headphone amps over the last 18 months and it has never let me down. USB-powered, its sufficiently small to make it viable for travel with a laptop. Highly recommended.
 
Just changed this, as CD players are becoming passé. :)

Makes more sense to have any kind of modern source. All other suggestions apply.

Now you're making me feel really old :sigh:

I 'spose I should look into this SqueezeBox thing...

Really enjoying this Modern Gear section, by the way - thanks!
 
HELLO!

With the Squeezebox touch hooked up to my Marantz receiver, will I be able to control the volume with the remote that comes with the Squeezebox?
 
HELLO!

With the Squeezebox touch hooked up to my Marantz receiver, will I be able to control the volume with the remote that comes with the Squeezebox?

I use the volume on my squeezebox to tweak through my Yamaha A-1 which does not have a remote. I try to set the volume on the A-1 at or just above my desired listening level, then I can make small adjustments to the squeezebox via its remote.

though the squeezebox should be at 100 percent volume for ideal signal output methinks.


BTW: I use and recommend the Squeezebox Touch plus the Grant Fidelity DAC-11

Sent via mobile
 
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