Ok folks, I seriously welcome opinions here as a sanity check (or otherwise after all we audiophiles are a tough bunch)!
I would consider myself a modest high end audiophile using a Transporter as my front end (replaced No.37) which is Digital Balanced using Transparent Premium into my No.360S then Audioquest Anaconda balanced into my No.380S which again is Anaconda balanced connected to my No.335 which is biwired using Audioquest Volcano into my 10T's. Power is cleaned up using a PS Audio PS-600 and which is fed with the PS Audio Reference (as well as the 335) with the remainder fed with PS-Audio respectable power cables. I am using my MacBook-Pro with iTunes to rip to 48KHz 16bit (Why 48KHz, after numerous A/B, it sounds best into the 360S! Maybe its the SHARC filtering or whatever!). I have on order a Drobo which will get loaded with 3 Seagate Baracuda 1T drives that will hold all my 1300 or so CDs with a wired CAT6 line from the Airport Extreme through network switches down to the Transporter and an Airport Express (using Enterprise roaming/bridge mode). To my ears, the 48KHz ripping out of iTunes sounds much smoother, more opened and detailed! I have heard people saying that the 44KHz is native and therefore I should stick to that! Don't people realize the amount of digital processing necessary to get the sampled bandwitdh moved up in frequency so that the anti-aliasing filter can then be used before the analog stage? Digital processing (primarily FIR type filters) are what DSP's are all about and since its digital, if done right noise can be properly addressed. >From where I now sit with the 10Ts in front of me, the Transporter when connected Digital Balanced using the same cable as used by the No.37, actually sounds better... I have numerous MoFi etc CDs ripped as test. The Drobo will replace my current Maxtor 1.5T "brick" which is connected to the USB port on the Airport Extreme. I have NO IDEA as to what I will do in the future as a server, for now I use my laptop to do the serving duties... Anyone else have any experience or comments? Am I even close to ideal? BTW - The magic DAC is in an A/B comparison (Balanced/Single ended -- until I get a pair of balanced cables) configuration with volume balanced by the 380S (a nice feature) and I am still comparing! I may get a tube modification on the Transporter in the future. -- SiCHIPS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SiCHIPS's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=20014 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=52812 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
