What audio system do you have, or plan on getting?

[DavidW]

Steve Guttenberg turned me onto Denafrips.  It sounds so smooth and engaging.  I have the entry level.

Oh yeah and I returned that NAD amp and rebuilt my stereo.  I think I'm ready for some Mahler!

[AnotherSpin]

My Denafrips Venus 2 DAC arrived today. Wow, straight out of the box it sounds amazing. The tone is wonderfully rich, detailed, and realistic. I know it's odd to refer to a digital device as sounding "analog," but it does! Or rather, closer to real music than most traditional chip-based DACS. (Denafrips uses R-2R or Resistor Ladder technology to convert the digital signal to analog. More information here: https://www.denafrips.com/venus) Denafrips claims it needs about 300 hours of burn-in to reach its peak performance. It's hard to imagine it will sound any better, but I guess I'll find out!

Don't relax! The text-book sound experts will appear in a minute and explain that you love distortion and do not understand what transparent sound is

On more serious note, glad you like your new DAC. Happy listening!

[Bachtoven]

Don't relax! The text-book sound experts will appear in a minute and explain that you love distortion and do not understand what transparent sound is

On more serious note, glad you like your new DAC. Happy listening!

Haha, well, moderators have shown them the door once or twice, so if those folks try it again... Anyway, it's more transparent than any chip-based DAC I have owned. (Mytek, RME, iFi, McIntosh, and Chord.)

[DavidW]

Haha, well, moderators have shown them the door once or twice, so if those folks try it again... Anyway, it's more transparent than any chip-based DAC I have owned. (Mytek, RME, iFi, McIntosh, and Chord.)

That is why Steve Guttenberg was careful to describe the Denafrips sound as "engaging" instead of "warm".  The one I have measured reasonably well on ASR as well, and these are just not the resistor ladder dacs of the 80s.

[Spotted Horses]

Oh yeah and I returned that NAD amp and rebuilt my stereo.  I think I'm ready for some Mahler!

Why return it?

[DavidW]

Why return it?

I explained in a previous post.

[Bachtoven]

That is why Steve Guttenberg was careful to describe the Denafrips sound as "engaging" instead of "warm".  The one I have measured reasonably well on ASR as well, and these are just not the resistor ladder dacs of the 80s.

I prefer "musical/realistic." To me, that ASR site is one massive April Fool's joke...

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Haha, well, moderators have shown them the door once or twice, so if those folks try it again... Anyway, it's more transparent than any chip-based DAC I have owned. (Mytek, RME, iFi, McIntosh, and Chord.)

Glad that you're happy with your new baby!

Question:  How do you bypass the built in DAC in the 5101?

PD

p.s.  And I hope that your two kittens are minding their paws around all of your lovely equipment!

[Spotted Horses]

I explained in a previous post.

Found it. Sounds infuriating. I don't remember my turntables with any fondness, but I miss my first CD player. A Technics from about 1988. Such a simple interface, with continuous play mode single play mode (select a track and it plays it then stops) program mode which required a few simple clicks. And if you programed continuous tracks (4, 5, 6, 7, etc) it was smart enough to pay through them continuously. My last player, a Marantz CD/SACD player, drove me to computer playback. If you programmed continuous tracks (say, to play Ein Heldenleben) it would stop at the end of each track and seek the next track, causing it to hiccup and interrupt the music. Idiotic! I paid $5 to dump it a the country electronics recycling center, even though it was in mint condition.

All these weird streaming schemes with dedicated gadgets that I read about probably would be enough to drive me back to a turntable. I have my own minimalist setup on my Mac, Swinsian media player or Apple Music on my Mac -> Schiit DAC -> Schiit headphone amp -> headphones. On on the MacBook, the DAC is replaced by bluetooth link to headphones (which has it's own irritations, when the headphones decide to pair with the wrong device, such as my phone or another nearby computer).

[Bachtoven]

Glad that you're happy with your new baby!

Question:  How do you bypass the built in DAC in the 5101?

PD

p.s.  And I hope that your two kittens are minding their paws around all of your lovely equipment!

I don't! I use the 5101 for CD/SACD playback. The Venus is only for streaming and downloaded files.

Yes, so far they don't pay much attention to it. Occasionally they walk behind my audio rack, but that's about it. Lucy and Ethel pretty much ignored it, too.

[DavidW]

@Spotted Horses I once had a Marantz player.  It sounded good but it was a pain in the butt, just like you said.  I loved how fast and intuitive the old players were.  I had fond memories of loading up my cd cartridge and having the player just immediately start playing without fuss.

[Spotted Horses]

@Spotted Horses I once had a Marantz player.  It sounded good but it was a pain in the butt, just like you said.  I loved how fast and intuitive the old players were.  I had fond memories of loading up my cd cartridge and having the player just immediately start playing without fuss.

Yes, the Marantz sounded great. Before that I had a 5 CD carousel from NAD which also sounded great, until the transport failed. I vaguely remember the old Technics as having a smooth sound, almost like the idealized LP. Maybe pure nostalgia. I think this is it:

[DavidW]

I had an Optimus which was a blatant rebrand of a Pioneer:


And before that I had a Sony cdp:


I think it was that or a similar model, a hand-me-down from my Mother when she was gifted a cd carousel player.

[AnotherSpin]

Found it. Sounds infuriating. I don't remember my turntables with any fondness, but I miss my first CD player. A Technics from about 1988. Such a simple interface, with continuous play mode single play mode (select a track and it plays it then stops) program mode which required a few simple clicks. And if you programed continuous tracks (4, 5, 6, 7, etc) it was smart enough to pay through them continuously. My last player, a Marantz CD/SACD player, drove me to computer playback. If you programmed continuous tracks (say, to play Ein Heldenleben) it would stop at the end of each track and seek the next track, causing it to hiccup and interrupt the music. Idiotic! I paid $5 to dump it a the country electronics recycling center, even though it was in mint condition.

All these weird streaming schemes with dedicated gadgets that I read about probably would be enough to drive me back to a turntable. I have my own minimalist setup on my Mac, Swinsian media player or Apple Music on my Mac -> Schiit DAC -> Schiit headphone amp -> headphones. On on the MacBook, the DAC is replaced by bluetooth link to headphones (which has it's own irritations, when the headphones decide to pair with the wrong device, such as my phone or another nearby computer).

My first CD player was budget Technics, bought in 1990, maybe the same or similar to yours. I remember very well my huge disappointment when I brought it home together with my first CDs, Beethoven 9th with Karajan, last recording, archival Rubinstein with Mozart Piano Concertos, Sting Nothing Like the Sun (gift from a friend). The digital sound was awful to my ears after couple decades of LPs. Of course I knew there was no turning back, I wouldn't go back to vinyls, but it was already clear that I was in for a compromise at best.

[Spotted Horses]

And before that I had a Sony cdp:


I think it was that or a similar model, a hand-me-down from my Mother when she was gifted a cd carousel player.

That Sony looks very familiar, I think I had it or something very similar between the Technics and the NAD. I also have a Philips dual tray CD recorder, which could duplicate tracks from CDs record form analog input. I also had a DAT recorder and I was somehow able to transfer from DAT to CD digitally, probably a S/PDIF link.

[DavidW]

My first CD player was budget Technics, bought in 1990, maybe the same or similar to yours. I remember very well my huge disappointment when I brought it home together with my first CDs, Beethoven 9th with Karajan, last recording, archival Rubinstein with Mozart Piano Concertos, Sting Nothing Like the Sun (gift from a friend). The digital sound was awful to my ears after couple decades of LPs. Of course I knew there was no turning back, I wouldn't go back to vinyls, but it was already clear that I was in for a compromise at best.

That reminds me of when I moved.  I couldn't move my tv, I didn't have the room.  And then later when I bought a new tv I had no choice but to buy an lcd.  I was used to those crt blacks, and those lcds (at the time) were smaller, more expensive and looked washed out!  I knew it would be a long time before I saw those kind of blacks again (though it eventually happened).

[Spotted Horses]

My first CD player was budget Technics, bought in 1990, maybe the same or similar to yours. I remember very well my huge disappointment when I brought it home together with my first CDs, Beethoven 9th with Karajan, last recording, archival Rubinstein with Mozart Piano Concertos, Sting Nothing Like the Sun (gift from a friend). The digital sound was awful to my ears after couple decades of LPs. Of course I knew there was no turning back, I wouldn't go back to vinyls, but it was already clear that I was in for a compromise at best.

I had the Karajan Beethoven from the 80's and similarly found it awful, and a big let down from the 70's cycle.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I don't! I use the 5101 for CD/SACD playback. The Venus is only for streaming and downloaded files.

Yes, so far they don't pay much attention to it. Occasionally they walk behind my audio rack, but that's about it. Lucy and Ethel pretty much ignored it, too.

Got it!  And glad to hear that your kitties aren't interested in your audio equipment. 

PD

[Daverz]

I prefer "musical/realistic." To me, that ASR site is one massive April Fool's joke...

I've learned a lot from ASR.  Also from Erin at erinsaudiocorner.com

[Valentino]

I like ASR. I've learned what makes a phono amp good there. Hint: It's not the price or the number of settings for MC cartridges.
Erin is even better. Excellent review of the KEF LS60 for instance.