Interesting thoughts.  Thanks!  I'll definitely check out the gear you mention, but yes, I did want a tube amp.   Also, for the record, I have the Musical Fidelity V-DAC MK II, which came out last year, not the older one.  It was reviewed in Stereophile in August 2012.

I am not a frequent poster here, though I have been reading along for over six years.  I listen to a broad variety of music from hip hop, to classic rock, to EDM, to jazz, and everything in between.  After a few false starts, I have finally assembled what I believe is the best sub-$1,000 rig...

Have you considered Ascend Acoustics CMT-340 SE or Sierra 1? Sorry for the triple post. I guess something went wrong with my browser.

Have you considered Ascend Acoustics CMT-340 SE or Sierra 1?

Have you considered Ascend Acoustics CMT-340 SE or Sierra 1?

What do you think of my first attempts? Pier 66 - Seattle, WA - Photomatix HDR on Flickr - Photo Sharing! Fire Truck - Photomatix HDR on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Colleges don't disallow halogen lamps because of the heat or the risk of fire. They do it because their fire insurance policies require them to. They could care less what exotic, fire-causing devices you have in your room, so long as they aren't specifically mentioned in the insurance policy...

This setup reflects my personal preferences to a degree, but I'm confident all the components are among the very best in their price range. I say that because I much prefer a high-fi stereo setup to a low-quality surround-sound setup. Unless you have good speakers, more speakers just means more...

Are you still looking for advice? PM me.

Don't ask me why, but I'm looking for a standalone spectrum analyzer to add to my stereo system. Something akin to the display on one of those enormous boom boxes with those obnoxious arrays of 20 or so $5 drivers---the kind that were so popular in the mid-1990s. I'm thinking I might have the...

I heard a system built around this thing at Take 5 Audio in New Haven, CT, and I have been trying for the last year to make my system sound as sweet. I have never heard anything like it. I wish I had made note of the other equipment...

So, like I said, and despite arguments against doing so, I would like to get started with tubes, even if just to see for myself what all the hype is about. I need advice on what type of component I should be looking to add/replace, as well as recommendations as to specific models/brands.

I have never owned any tube gear before but would like to get started... I'd prefer something with visible tubes that I can roll... Here is my current setup (speakers, not headphones, sorry): Apple 12" Powerbook laptop Smartdisk 80GB FireLite external firewire HDD w/ 350+ CDs encoded...

Get a Harman Kardon Stereo Receiver, you won't be disappointed. You can pair it with an external DAC, or check out the Outlaw RR2150, which has a built in USB DAC. http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/rr2150.html My Setup: Apple 12" Powerbook Western Digital 320GB My Book Essential USB...

Trade CDs on lala.com! VERY good community, much like this forum. Everyone writes you a friendly note when they ship CDs, which they do promptly. Never had a problem with a CD after 50+ trades, and it's CHEAP! Also, PM me and we can trade ALAC over the computer. As long you already *cough*...

Sergio Mendes - Timeless is five stars if you like hip hop influence and beats...

For what it's worth, one of the members of the 2007 Yale Wiffenpoofs (http://www.yale.edu/whiffenpoofs/) has the deepest voice I have ever heard...and the group's not bad either...

Would anyone be so kind as to explain how cables can change the phase?

Thanks everybody! I finally decided on the following gear to link the AXP to my Harman Kardon 3480 stereo receiver and Ascend Acoustics CMT 340SE speakers: Dayton GOC-3 glass TOSlink optical cable ($30 parts-express) Entech Number Cruncher 205.2 DAC ($100 ebay) Zebra Cables 4' INTC-F RCA...

Anyone?

Hey folks, I have been reading this forum for some time now, but this is my first post. I am curious which DAC you folks recommend for my setup. Is there anything in the $175-$200 price range that will make a noticable improvement? I have ~85CDs encoded in Apple Losssless and another 15...