acguitar84 said:

  I started reading more on nearfield monitors and came across the genelec 1038B (16,920 a pair) and the 1037C (11,870 a pair). I wonder how much better they'd be over my current system. They're not 37 grand a pair, but they aren't cheap either. My goodness.
 
And again, how much better are these high end systems? 
 

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I forget if it's Jason or Mike who says that one shouldn't pay much for a D-S DAC because it's basically already designed and just needs to be stuck in a box.  I am beginning to feel that way about speakers etc.
 
I can see the expense of a speaker that's using carbon fiber instead of paper for its cone.  But why should I be expected to pay 2.3-10x the decent entry level of something like the Elacs for yet another box of paper cones and commodity electronics?  The CNC thing doesn't really help the sound, does it?
 
And if we're talking furniture-grade finishes then why should I spend more than I spent on my dining room table?

frivolslistener said:

Schiit's Law:  One box has one function.  If you want three functions, it'll come in three separately upgradeable boxes.

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That way lies madness. Phono preamps with external power supplies with external power conditioners with external power cables plugged into a battery pack charged by the breeze from fairy wings.

Schiit's a headphone company. They make money selling stand alone headphone amps. (Ragnarock is a weird event, where they accidentally made a headphone amp muscular enough to run speakers.) As such, I would not expect them to make preamps with headphone amps built in - that would cut into their own sales. However, pretty much every other pre I've ever seen or owned had a headphone amp (except for the passives and the Meitner PA-6…).

valiant66 said:

That way lies madness. Phono preamps with external power supplies with external power conditioners with external power cables plugged into a battery pack charged by the breeze from fairy wings.

Schiit's a headphone company. They make money selling stand alone headphone amps. (Ragnarock is a weird event, where they accidentally made a headphone amp muscular enough to run speakers.) As such, I would not expect them to make preamps with headphone amps built in - that would cut into their own sales. However, pretty much every other pre I've ever seen or owned had a headphone amp (except for the passives and the Meitner PA-6…).

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I don't think I would call the rag a "weird event". Seems quite intentional to me.

jibzilla said:

 
Active speakers are a different story though. Fairly new trend so I think there is some real possibilities for something new and ground breaking at a reasonable price. I am a really big fan of my active speakers but found the vast majority of active speakers to sound horrendous. At least for me I do not feel the Pavane is out of place with my much less expensive active speakers.

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I'm very interested in this topic of active speakers for nearfield listening that I can drive from my Mjolnir 2/Gumby combo so I'd benefit from any thoughts you have about different possibilities.  On the inexpensive end, I've heard some positive comments about the JBL SR305s to more expensive options from Adams.  I'd be looking for a set up with a sub with the richest sound stage and detail for under $1500.  I'm drawn to those with balanced connectors but don't know if that is necessary.

My only suggestion for the preamp is to have a display that shows the volume level.  You'd think just using your ears to judge the volume level would be fine and save money on the pointless display.  But being able to see the exact level and set it back there later is so appealing to the audiophiles OCD it's ridiculously satisfying.

My office system, a 2 yo nonmultibit G/M stack running balanced into Emotiva Airmotiv 5S and Yamaha HS8S, is absolutely awesome. My home theater Anthem d2v3D feeds a Paradigm Reference Active 20 7.2 system all balanced and is better than my local upscale multiplexes with their loungers and Dolby/DTS systems. I've never understood why active systems haven't taken off more since the designer can just about perfectly match the amp and speaker and keep the signal path to a minimum. Probably has to do with the need for some to keep tweaking and upgrading their system while replacing only one component at a time rather than 2. I personally follow that with my desktop Mac using an HP monitor and Mini computer, but my reasoning is that the technology of the computer is changing so rapidly that that logic makes sense whereas the audio side is "nuf said" at this point for me.

And my home office near field setup of Wyrd, Yggy, Rag, KEF LS50, JLAudio e110sub, and Audeze LCD-X over WyWires Red put a complete stop to my need to EVER think about spending another dollar on audio electronics. I got pretty heated reading this month's edition of TAS and seeing JV falling all over himself about the latest and greatest 105K table with the 19K arm and then seeing the ad for the same table sporting not one but FOUR arms on it!!! My kid's 4 year college education sitting there waiting to do nothing more important than to spin some grooved plastic.

acguitar84 said:

 
My plan is to get the Yggdrasil (s) first. Then it will be a long road to saving for high end nearfield monitors I guess, such as the Genelec's. Maybe. Then again, maybe I should just realize that much more money isn't going to necessarily be worth it. Law of diminishing returns the higher up a person goes in price.

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Or get Ragnarok and LS50 to go with the Yggdrasil for NFM   

mcclelland said:

  I'm very interested in this topic of active speakers for nearfield listening that I can drive from my Mjolnir 2/Gumby combo so I'd benefit from any thoughts you have about different possibilities.  On the inexpensive end, I've heard some positive comments about the JBL SR305s to more expensive options from Adams.  I'd be looking for a set up with a sub with the richest sound stage and detail for under $1500.  I'm drawn to those with balanced connectors but don't know if that is necessary.

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Try to audition the Gelenec M030 or M040.
 

 
 
I have a pair of M030 (they are around USD500 each) and they deliver the most pristine sound that I've ever heard. If someday they die, I'll buy another pair without even looking at other brands.
 
And while subjective, I love the design. Very modern yet minimalist.

johnnycanuck said:

  Well, here's the transmitter.  I'll leave the receiver portion to Jason.
 

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We actually did play around with an ultrasonic remote. Briefly.

jason stoddard said:

We actually did play around with an ultrasonic remote. Briefly.

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Weren't the first TV remotes ultrasonic?

uncola said:

  My only suggestion for the preamp is to have a display that shows the volume level.  You'd think just using your ears to judge the volume level would be fine and save money on the pointless display.  But being able to see the exact level and set it back there later is so appealing to the audiophiles OCD it's ridiculously satisfying.

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Nah, Schiit seems allergic to displays of any kind on their products. Luminous pollution or something...

unfortunately there is no elephant in the room. and the system will continue as it is today because
 
1. the manufacturers are smart. a $100k speaker in their line will usually sound better the $50 k one. i am talking about the products from the same manufacturer. just like gumby is better than bimby.
 
because he is talented and a great enthusiast, mike, too, will someday work on a $5k dac and i see a 99.9% chance that it will be better than the gumby. and we will all make the effort to hear or get one. for a given manufacturer, their  $30 k cable is superior to their $10 k. you may not like that manufacturer or may not buy that cable but the more expensive one, in most cases, will outperform the cheaper one. so the system got smarter at always showing you a carrot. 
 
2. nobody that i know pays the full retail prices if you are buying $100k speakers. i usually split the 50% mark-up with my dealer especially if the product needs to be ordered from the manufacturer. so the dealer does not pay anything upfront and there is no cost of holding inventory for him. in return i get great advice from him. so the dealership model does not disturb me
 
3. manufacturers want to grow. just like schiit is moving from the desktop space to the living room space. growth is costly.
 
4. smart money has discovered the high-end. b&w was valued at $175m recently. private equity companies bought audio research, macintosh etc. the system does not allow these guys to lose money. 

Display noise can affect performance.

My head unit in my car has switchable display for extracting the last bit of fidelity. Extreme but sensible when you're pushing the envelope.

oveja negra said:

Try to audition the Gelenec M030 or M040.





I have a pair of M030 (they are around USD500 each) and they deliver the most pristine sound that I've ever heard. If someday they die, I'll buy another pair without even looking at other brands.

And while subjective, I love the design. Very modern yet minimalist.

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+1. I have M040's fed from Bifrost Uber via SYS, and they are awesome. Have gotten in trouble with the neighbors once or twice while having a few drinks with friends and listening to some tunes.