Some of the choices you'll have to make are: 1. Whether to go digital out (single digital coax s/pdif cable or toslink optical s/pdif connection) to the Denon and use the Denon's internal DACs (digital-to-analog converters), or go analog out (left and right analog rca-type cables) to the Denon, using the SB's internal DAC.
The best way to tell which setup you prefer is to try both ways. My guess is many here would argue that the SB's DAC are as good as the Denon's. The only consideration that could affect the above is whether the Denon offers a "true-bypass" (analog bypass) mode. If it doesn't, then just go digital to the Denon, as going analog would mean having the D/A conversion first done by the SB, then essentially undone and redone by the Denon. If there's a bypass mode (which allows you to go analog-in and bypass the Denon's internal DAC), then you'll be able to decide which DAC to use. 2. Cables. You'll need to choose interconnects (digital or analog) and speaker cables. Lots and lots of argument on how much of a difference these make. Personally, I've found both to make significant differences in clarity, tonal balance, bass quality, and soundstage. Mostly this will depend on your budget. If you have a decent amount budgeted, you can stretch it further by buying cables used at Audiogon, Audiocircle, or usedcable.com. If your budget is limited, I'd try either Blue Jeans cables, Signal Cables, or Cable Solutions. There are other inexpensive options, for instance in the Audioquest line, but it seems the consensus supports the aforementioned in the bang-for-the-buck category. 3. Equipment vibration isolation. You'll want to get pretty much everything up on some sort of vibration isolation. Lots of options here, from cheap to ridiculous. Hunt around over at Audiogon to see what's available in your price range. Do your speakers have isolation spikes? If they're stand mounted speakers, invest in a good set of stands - I've found this makes a huge, I mean enormous, difference for stand-mounted speakers. Good stands will come with spikes (when I say "good", I'm not talking about the stuff you get at Best Buy, I'm talking about a set of steel, sand-fillable heavy duty stands). 4. Room treatment. Everyone serious about sound seem to agree that room correction/treatment is the biggest improvement and best investment. Personally, I haven't done much along these lines and my system sounds pretty good, but maybe I'm just lucky or don't know what I'm missing :-). Bass traps, acoustic panels, in the right places apparently can make all the difference between "mleh" and "wow". Another option along these lines is sticking in something like the Behringer Ultracurve DEQ2496, which handles correcting room problems in the digital domain (opposed to mechanical/architectural). 5. Clean up / protect your power. Replace the stock SB power supply with a linear one. Put everything on a decent power conditioner/surge protector. Options here also range from reasonable ($150) to crazy (several k$). Some good deals to be had on Monster 3500/3600 units. Some people go so far as putting in dedicated electrical circuits and high-grade outlets for audio equipment, but right now that would probably be overkill for you and there are better ways to spend $. 6. Miscellaneous tweaks. These can get pretty crazy, but take a look at some of the other threads in this forum. Some recent very interesting info re: tweaks to Slim settings as well as caps for unused RCA inputs. Many people also swear by modding the SB. Bolder and Red Wine audio are two of the more popular modders, and I think others participate in these forums as well. The mods you can consider would depend to some degree on whether you'll be using the SB's DACs or not. Read up. You can even mod the linear power supply (or buy super-expensive power supply replacements). That's about all I can think of! -- joncourage ------------------------------------------------------------------------ joncourage's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=2837 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=28529 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
