[Azure]

I recently found out that in my final setup my source is going to be quite a bottleneck; right now I'm using a Rio Karma and was going to use it with this set up:

Rio Karma -> Gilmore Lite -> Sony MDR-SA5000

Supposedly the Karma wouldn't do the G-Lite and the SA5k justice because the Karma is a portable source and the other two are "home" equipment. So, for ~$300, what source would you recommend that would do the above justice but would play MP3s and FLAC? I can't go with an (SA)CD player is because not all of my songs are on CD (Not to mention that some of the soundtracks are very rare and go for over $200) and I dislike having to switch CDs every time I get a sudden urge to play a different song. I also cannot use my computer as a source because I'm only on it for 3 days a week and the room in which it is in tends to be rather hot and uncomfortable.

Right now the only thing I can think of is the iAudio X5L, which looks sleek and has a very eye pleasing GUI. People say that it delivers good sound, but it still is a portable source, so I'm not sure if it'd be high end enough. Is there some mystery device out there that can meet my needs? Thanks for reading.

 

[Teerawit]

Basically a non-portable source that can play digital files? You might have to go the DAC route...if you like the flexibility. I don't know though, since you don't want to be physically close to your computer to listen to the music.

 

[Azure]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teerawit Basically a non-portable source that can play digital files? You might have to go the DAC route...if you like the flexibility. I don't know though, since you don't want to be physically close to your computer to listen to the music.

Well, it doesn't have to be non-portable, just be of the non-portable caliber. If the DAC route involves having to use my computer, then unfortunately I won't be able to go down that path.

 

[Teerawit]

The DAC route can involve an iRiver H100 series...but that + DAC will already be out of your budget. There are non-portable, standalone digital media players but I don't know how the SQ is on those.

Honestly, you will never know if you need to upgrade your source until you get the amp first and decide that you need to upgrade the source. The ipod + SR-71 sounds darn-tootin good to me, and I can stay satisfied with that setup for a long time, even for home use.

 

[bundee1]

How about the Squeezebox or that other jukebox.

 

[PsychoZX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bundee1 How about the Squeezebox or that other jukebox.

Yeah I would definately go for the squeezebox. It's built in dacs are supposedly quite good.

 

[Azure]

Well, in the first review of it that I read, I read this:

Quote:

Sound quality is good, not great, just good. But that is enough. In case you are wondering: all my CDs were ripped using AudioGrabber and encoded in 256Kbit MP3 using the Fraunhofer Pro encoder in the Audioactive Production Studio. On a pro quality soundcard, I cannot hear the difference between this and a CD. The box has both optical and coaxial digital outputs but as I have nothing with a digital input, I have yet to test these. Dispite the fact that it goes to 11, the level of the line out is quite low, however. I get the feeling it is 1Vrms, as opposed to CD's 2Vrms, which is 6dB lower. I would prefer it to be in line with what you get out of your CD or DVD player.

That's already not good just for my first review that I read; the X5L supposedly has excellent SQ, so having a source that has "good" SQ as part of my $1000 rig isn't exactly reassuring.

 

[bundee1]

ITs a gateway for your music files. Garbage in= Garbage out. If you encode your files with FLAC or ALAC you will of course get much better sound. On a quiet home rig I think you would hear the deficiencies of mp3 moreso than with a portable rig that is usually used in a noisy environment.

 

[Azure]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bundee1 ITs a gateway for your music files. Garbage in= Garbage out. If you encode your files with FLAC or ALAC you will of course get much better sound. On a quiet home rig I think you would hear the deficiencies of mp3 moreso than with a portable rig that is usually used in a noisy environment.

The portable rig, which would only be the portable DAP, would be used 95% of the time at home in my quiet room...

 

[Teerawit]

Why don't you just move the computer into your "quiet room?"

 

[Azure]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teerawit Why don't you just move the computer into your "quiet room?"

3 reasons:

1. It's not my computer, I'm sharing it with my brother.

2. If I did move it into my room, I would still only have access to it 3 days a week.

3. I had a bad experience recently with my on-board sound which has put me off from wanting to use my computer as my source.

 

[Teerawit]

Your Karma is already a good source. There's no objective "best source" or "best amp" at ANY given price point, because we all have different sound preferences and perceptions of sound "quality." You may not be able to tell the difference between your DAP and a standalone CD player at the same price point.

You won't know if it's the bottleneck in your system unless you've actually assembled the whole system together (Karma + amp + headphones) and actually heard it with your own ears. Eventually something in your system is going to be the bottleneck; it's not like everything is going to be "equal." In the end your interconnects could be considered the bottleneck. It's a never-ending vicious cycle, but you have to experience it first-hand. The question you have to ask yourself is "does this sound good enough to me so I don't have to upgrade?" You won't be able to ask that to yourself unless you have the whole rig put together.


Just my 2 cents.

 

[bigshot]

I would pay absolutely no attention to a review that says... "Dispite the fact that it goes to 11, the level of the line out is quite low, however." First of all, the reviewer can't even spell "despite". Secondly, anyone who believes that a dial that goes to 11 is louder than one that only goes to 10 should be starring in Spinal Tap!

There's nothing wrong with your DAP. There's no difference between "home" DAPs and "portable" DAPs.

I just saved you $300. You owe me a beer next time you see me.

See ya
Steve

 

[Teerawit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigshot There's nothing wrong with your DAP. There's no difference between "home" DAPs and "portable" DAPs. I just saved you $300. You owe me a beer next time you see me.

Exactly my point. I think you're pretty set on getting the Gilmore Lite. Why don't you get it now and see how it sounds with your Karma? You will probably be satisfied with that setup. Eventually LATER down the road you might want to upgrade your source...but that's for you to decide if you want to spend the extra $300 or whatever your original budget is, and you can't personally decide that unless you have the amp to begin with.

I think you should stop wondering "what if" and just enjoy the setup if it sounds good to you already. Again, first you'll need the amp. But since you're pretty set on having the Lite in your current and future rigs, I think you are safe and fortunate.

 

[Azure]

I guess, but a lot of people are saying that the SA5k's with a good amp are VERY revealing, so a good source is vital. I've yet to be "wow'd" in this world of headphones and it seems everybody else experiences this "wow" sensation several times. I know that my critical error with the A500s was that I didn't listen to music for nearly a week before I tried them out. I guess I had forgotten what it sounded like, so the A500s sounded like normal headphones to me. But when I went back to my MDR-101s I noticed that they were horrible. I could tell one was better than the other, but I missed the initial "wow" experience and it seems like I'll never experience it again (I've tried listening only to the 101s for long periods of time over a few days and then going back to the A500s, but right when I hear the A500 sound I get used to it and am not surprised). Along with already wanting better sound quality, I'm guessing that hopefully with this rig I'll notice the difference on first hearing, no? Hopefully it won't take an audiophile's golden ears to notice a good difference between:

Rio Karma -> A500s

and

iAudio X5L -> Gilmore Lite -> SA5000