When I first got my SB3, I quickly found it lacking compared to my NAD C542 CD player. It had a noise floor that was obviously higher, and it was not as pleasant to listen to: there was a harshness that caused me to turn it off in favor of the NAD.
I bought a CI Audio DAC, and that pulled the SB3+DAC combination to about even with the NAD. I was still not happy as the combination was over $1K, and my CDP was $370:) I began a dialog with the CEO at CI Audio, and several weeks later he did an upgrade to the DAC, replacing the 5V regulator that sits on the DAC's reference voltage pin. When I got my DAC back after the mod - bingo! The SB3+DAC combination sounded better than my NAD CDP:) Now I never turn the CDP on anymore - it sits there collecting dust, poor thing. -Ron -- Ron F. *Squeezebox setup:* wireless SB3 -> CI Audio VDA.2 DAC + VAC.1 PSU *Main rig:* NAD 7600 + NAD 2600A -> Phase Tech PC-6.5 speakers *Headphone rig:* Headroom Max -> Sennheiser 650s *Other stuff:* NAD C542 CDP, NAD 6300 Tape, Monster 5100 Power conditioner, Outlaw Audio cables ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ron F.'s Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=5616 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=34233 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
