Never owned dCS but the few times I heard it, albeit in systems I was not familiar with, I wasn’t swayed. I find DACs often challenging. Liked few of the ones I tried: Lampi Golden Gate (yum), ARC CD9 (first 6h30 based machine I enjoyed, usually don’t seem to like that tube much), my friend’s...
I am also a total dartz 108 fan. The model 1 was my fave SS amp, and among my fave, period. But I found the model 2 to be a VERY significant upgrade, just better all the way around. Firmer bass, more resolution, and no compromise on the quality of highs and overall musicality. Had to let go of...
I owned and really liked the EAR EL34 based stereo amplifier (that can be bridged to monos I believe, can't remember the model designation but that should be easy to find. Not the last word in purity and transparency, but powerful and very musical like all good EL34 designs. Fantastic value...
I tested it, and found it very musical and well balanced, but its power was insufficient to drive my relatively inefficient speakers. I also heard the pass int 25, albeit in different speakers, and with that caveat, my impression was that the shinai was warmer and slightly more natural and...
Hi all - great thread. I also find good DACs challenging (much more than amplifiers or TT, even speakers, with so many great designs a different price points).
I had and absolutely loved the Lampi GG1, especially with 300B, and using the DSD conversion for PCM files. A little euphonic probably...
This is among the comments I have found online:
For maximum power transfer the source should have as low output impedance as possible. However, if the source has a relatively high output impedance and you can't modify it then the load should have the same impedance for maximum power. If the...
You're very kind. Could you shed some light on how to evaluate this question of impedance compatibility based on specs? I know it's important but struggle with it!
Thanks for the recommendations guys, but again I would really like the preamp to include a remote control and ideally a good phonostage (if not also a DAC...).