[preproman]

How you like the GS-X mk2 so far?

 

[snapple10]

with HD800 and LA7000-really liked it more with the LA but plan on spending more time with it this weekend

I absolutely enjoy Denons so it's never a fair comparison

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Just finished assembling my Rube Goldberg SACD playback chain, leveraging an old Sony Blu-ray player and a couple of cheap boxes to de-embed the HDMI, trick-out the EDID handshake and send it to my DAC/amp.  I am pleasantly surprised at the sound from my new source.

Apologies for the poor photo quality, but here's a quick side view of my desk (I'll post more stuff once I finish organizing things).

Could you elaborate on how you converted your Sony's HDMI out to USB?

 

[Krutsch]

Could you elaborate on how you converted your Sony's HDMI out to USB?

 
Sure.  Here's a nice write-up to get you started (with links to products):
http://everythingaudionetwork.blogspot.com/2013/04/audiophile-review-hdmi-de-embedder.html
 
HDMI out to the little black box (Kanex Pro Audio De-Embedder), which is connected via TOSLINK or coax SPDIF to the Arcam DAC.
 
Now, the article referenced assumes you have (possibly) an older AVR and a modern TV, but with a head-fi rig, you have to do something about the EDID handshaking process between the HDMI source (Blu-ray player) and the sink (in my case, a Samsung LED monitor).  The monitor will report that it can only support 16-bit, 44.1 or 48 kHz audio, so the Blu-ray player will dutifully down-sample to match everything before sending out via HDMI.  Works as designed, but not what we want.
 
This is where the second box comes in: http://www.gefen.com/kvm/ext-hdmi-edidp.jsp?prod_id=8005
You connect the HDMI-EDIDP (silver box) to your home theater AVR (or go to BestBuy and do it

) to record an EDID handshake exchange that supports everything (all sample/bit rates, DD, DTS, et al.).  Then, after you've programmed the HDMI-EDIDP, you plug it in as shown and voila, the Blu-ray player will now send 176.4 kHz audio from SACDs and 96 / 192 kHz from BDs, assuming a 2-channel high-res LPCM track is present on the disc.
 
Two more things, and the first one kept me puzzled and up late last night: 
 
(1) power everything down, plug it all in EXCEPT for the monitor, then power everything up.  Then, you can plug in the monitor.  If the monitor is plugged on power-up, the lower capability EDID handshake goes through, as opposed to the one you recorded from your higher-capability HDMI sink (e.g. your AVR).
 
(2) Configure your Blu-ray player to NOT send bitstream or DSD and, instead, send everything as LPCM.  When you play a disc, look for the audio selection that is 2-channel PCM (it's mandatory for DVDs and BDs).  Note that for Blu-rays, cheap BD players (like my Sony) will often not be able to convert DTS-MA or DTS-HD to full-resolution LPCM (i.e., they will down-sample using the core DTS embedded audio, which is limited to 48 kHz and 1.5 Mbps).  However, for music/concert discs, there is almost always a high-resolution 2-channel LPCM track anyway, so it's usually not a problem.
 
To see an updated list of Blu-ray players that will send high-res DSD-to-LPCM over HDMI, look here:
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1155206/dsd-over-hdmi-players

 

[DragonOwen]

Since my last post into this thread (if not include post with photos from listening session at my place) there been a couple of changes in my home audio rig:
- vinyl (mod of Lenco L75 & transistor DIY phono stage from russian master) is gone,
- LynxAudio HA-61 HP amp is gone (didn't need it because don't have any non electrostatic HP, except CIEM's), 
+ Shunyata Research Python ZTron power cord for my DAC (now all major cables in my rig is top Shunyata's ZTron: Anaconda power cord on HP amp, Python power cord on DAC and Anaconda balanced interconnects)
+ Telefunken GZ32 recitifier tubes for WES
+ AudioQuest Diamond USB cable
+ Synergistic Research Active SE USB cable (currently at my friens place, so it's not on photos below)
+ line external PSU (for Apple MacMini) made by russian master with nick victorvvo on some russian audio forums (just now connected it to MacMini, not yet had time to listen my rig with new MacMini PSU... you can see it on shelf below the shelf that MacMini is standing (yes, the PSU is much bigger and heavier (PSU weight is about 6 kg) than MacMini)... also added photo with inside view of my new line MacMini ext. PSU (3rd photo))
 
So here is a few photos:


 
A couple of photos of back side of my audio rack:

 

[bbophead]

You gave up on vinyl.  Too bad.  That's the most fun.

 

[DragonOwen]

  You gave up on vinyl.  Too bad.  That's the most fun.

Maybe, but my current digital rig sounds muuuuuuuuch better than my vinyl rig sounded, so anyway my vinyl rig had to go... maybe in future I will form vinyl rig of new quality level that can compete to my digital rig, but at the current moment I'm not ready to invest so much money (and to compete with my current digital rig it really will need a lot of money) in vinyl...

 

[Krutsch]

  So here is a few photos:

 
 
A couple of photos of back side of my audio rack:
 

 
I really, really like that rack.  Is it custom or something commercially available?

 

[twizzleraddict]

 
I really, really like that rack.  Is it custom or something commercially available?

 
Looks like an Atacama rack. 

 

[drez]

 
+ line external PSU (for Apple MacMini) made by russian master with nick victorvvo on some russian audio forums (just now connected it to MacMini, not yet had time to listen my rig with new MacMini PSU... you can see it on shelf below the shelf that MacMini is standing (yes, the PSU is much bigger and heavier (PSU weight is about 6 kg) than MacMini)... also added photo with inside view of my new line MacMini ext. PSU (3rd photo))
 

 
Awesome looking PSU.

 

[mikemercer]

  Since my last post into this thread (if not include post with photos from listening session at my place) there been a couple of changes in my home audio rig:
- vinyl (mod of Lenco L75 & transistor DIY phono stage from russian master) is gone,
- LynxAudio HA-61 HP amp is gone (didn't need it because don't have any non electrostatic HP, except CIEM's), 
+ Shunyata Research Python ZTron power cord for my DAC (now all major cables in my rig is top Shunyata's ZTron: Anaconda power cord on HP amp, Python power cord on DAC and Anaconda balanced interconnects)
+ Telefunken GZ32 recitifier tubes for WES
+ AudioQuest Diamond USB cable
+ Synergistic Research Active SE USB cable (currently at my friens place, so it's not on photos below)
+ line external PSU (for Apple MacMini) made by russian master with nick victorvvo on some russian audio forums (just now connected it to MacMini, not yet had time to listen my rig with new MacMini PSU... you can see it on shelf below the shelf that MacMini is standing (yes, the PSU is much bigger and heavier (PSU weight is about 6 kg) than MacMini)... also added photo with inside view of my new line MacMini ext. PSU (3rd photo))
 
So here is a few photos:


 
A couple of photos of back side of my audio rack:

NIIICE!
 
I love seeing the pix of all your rigs!
 
This looks like you stuck two Lovan racks on top of another stand right?
Looks grand.
 
and GREAT, crossing the wires at 90 degrees when you have to cross power and signal cables,
it really cuts the noise-level DOWN.

 

[DragonOwen]

   
I really, really like that rack.  Is it custom or something commercially available?

 
It's Atacama Equinox Hi-Fi. It have a module constructuon, at first I bought base module (2 lower shelves) + one additional 180 cm (height) module (there is also 120 cm version)... about a half a year ago learned that this rack is out of production, so I began to urgently seek modules in the market for my rack to bring it to completed state (maximum is 5 shelves), but only found a black modules, which is why as you can see on the photo, the shelves of the rack is in different color...
 

 
Awesome looking PSU.

 
Thanks 

 

  NIIICE!
 
I love seeing the pix of all your rigs!
 
This looks like you stuck two Lovan racks on top of another stand right?
Looks grand.
 
and GREAT, crossing the wires at 90 degrees when you have to cross power and signal cables,
it really cuts the noise-level DOWN.

 
Thanks 

 
No, as I wrote above, it' Atacama Equinox Hi-Fi rack with modules of different colour. 

 

[Silent One]

Originally Posted by mikemercer /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
 
NIIICE!
 
I love seeing the pix of all your rigs!
 
This looks like you stuck two Lovan racks on top of another stand right?
Looks grand.
 
and GREAT, crossing the wires at 90 degrees when you have to cross power and signal cables,
it really cuts the noise-level DOWN.

Properly dressing cables is a problem I've run into at the current residence. Hope to get back on track with a move next month.

 

[mikemercer]

  Properly dressing cables is a problem I've run into at the current residence. Hope to get back on track with a move next month.

seriously though
just making that cross, like you did in the picture (crossing power with signal cables at 90 degrees)
does alot when you're in a tight spot... it cuts down cable cross-talk BIGtime
 
so others know here

 

[Silent One]

   
seriously though
just making that cross, like you did in the picture (crossing power with signal cables at 90 degrees)
does alot when you're in a tight spot... it cuts down cable cross-talk BIGtime
 
so others know here

Some moons back, I had cables dressed so neat, they could have gone off to Sunday school!