I've owned class A and now use a Hypex class D amp for my speakers. Let's put it like this: A isn't coming back. The only upgrade I might consider is the new nCore series of modules.

Quote: That's not so hard. It's a function of the buffer that's usually behind the op-amp. Problem isn't the THD of the op-amp, you don't listen to that but to the amplified version of it.  The 4580 isn't a new chip, it's hardly state-of-the-art. If you want to try: your STX card has...

Quote: Hot swapping does refer to the state of the device. It means you're swapping things while they are running. Google it or see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_swapping Obviously this is not required for the equipment at hand. You likely meant to say cold plugging or simply...

Not too upset? They're selling them, ready to plug into the board... Compatibility matrix here: http://www.auzentech.com/site/products/opamp_intro.php And hot swapping? You guys are incredible... Just turn the power off. ROFL   More serious now: while I do agree with some of the statements...

From what I read on the Forte is that it still uses the opamp (which is logical), but the headphone out also utilises buffers. As changing opamps is a supported feature (Auzentech offers suitable opamps), I'd say swapping the opamp will definately change some of the sound signature of the...

You could try DIY, an example: http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/stubby_e.html  

It depends on the interface, size and capacity you'd like to get, and of course how you'll be using it. Most people tend to buy a ready-to-use USB HDD, but those often are fitted with the very cheapest drives of their manufacturers. If you plan to keep the drive running for 24x7 that's not a...

IMO the standard Creative cards for the most part simply aren't worth their money. My X-Fi music only became a good value after modding it, before I found the improvement over my on-board card rather disappointing. Out of the box, the Asus STX IMO offers a better value despite their higher...

Quote: That's likely for various reasons: 1. PFC. This is mandatory in the EU, and high PFC numbers are easily reached using a switched PSU. 2. Efficiency. A switched PSU often has a higher efficiency, which is about to become mandatory. 3. Convenience. Nowadays it's quite easy to...

I own a DA220 MKII. I don't use it anymore, as I've built a TPA Buffalo II DAC in dual mono configuration. I've not listened to the Rega or PS, but did listen to some others. The DA220 is playing at about the same level as a single BII without upgrades like Trident regulators, which means it's...

I assume you mean the Stello DA220 or DA100?

Building a BII is very straight forward. You just need a bit extra information than the normal manual will give you. For this I've created an updated, alternative manual that I posted in the DIYaudio forum...

There are a lot of ways to build a great sounding set around a computer. But to do this one should focus on the DAC. Although there are soundcards that will let you achieve good results, the best solution still is an external DAC. The interfaces available on the DAC of your choice should dictate...

The compression setting just specifies how extensive a search the tool does to find a function to accurately describe the original input. With todays CPUs the 8 setting is faster than the read speed of your optical drive, so there's no reason not to use it. Also using -8 has no effect on...

Quote: In fact talking about DDR1 theres no that difference in price between ECC and non ECC, probably because theres large demand on nonECC This is nonsense. The PCB is more complex, and 9 instead of 8 chips (72 bits instead of 64) are needed for each rank. So an ECC module is ALWAYS...

Haven't read the article, but as far as USB goes: it's good. Is it flawless? No. Right now we have either synchronous or asynchronous transfer using USB. Synchronous mode is capable of resending data that is corrupted during transfer, but it can't get priority. So you need a big buffer to cope...

TP is using the Sabre32-series 9018. That's also not the same as the 9008 of the MCD500. Next problem: Sabre chips are offered in different levels of performance. Also most of the chips can run dual quad balanced mode or 8 channel output, but fi. the 9012 chip is stereo only. So yes, the chip in...

Samsungs Bluray player BD-P2550 uses the Sabre chip. The Krell S-1200/S-1200U models use it. Wavelength uses it on the Denominator. Peachtree in the Nova. McIntosh uses it in the MCD500. I'm sure there are more, but these were the ones I could find with a simple google search.

Quote: I have fairly clean audio, but cannot hear it, and cannot adjust the volume to a suitable level. I find that hard to believe, but if true you certainly would need a good amp. What kind of headphone are we talking about?

We've just tested some SSDs in our notebooks. The current SSDs show vastly superior performance, plus the notebook is absolutely silent. The price per GB is still a problem, but in the past 3 months the prices have been cut in half. If the pricedrops continue in this rate, soon SSDs will replace...

Quote: dont go and immediately copy like 500gb of data into it. let it run and cycle and few days, similar to how we burn in cables and gear. Absolutely nonsens. HDDs almost never fail within the first few days (<0.1%). If they do, you have found yourself a VERY bad supplier, that...

Quote: Not true. WD makes a "RAID edition" (RE) which is an INTERNAL drive optimized for use in RAID arrays. They do have some better specs (like longer MTBF) but nothing speed related IMHO. That being said, the RE drives are not recommended for use outside of a RAID array, as they have...

Quote: I'll just get the 500GB version of the 2 WD Caviars I've got. Get the RAID edition instead. They're much more reliable, they do come at a higher cost though.

Quote: Especially the Sooloos is "just" a simple PC Well, the Arcam MS250 isn't that much different except that Arcam made a custom sound card for it.

If you run the Slimdevices software the "PC" can be a simple, passive device running a simple OS like FreeNAS. Although quite a bit of work initially, it requires virtually ZERO amount of work afterwards. The cost of a device like this is around €125,- (ALIX board including enclosure, power...