To avoid going away from slim/logitech, just get a good dac. That renders the digital source irrelevant - and if you want, you can replace the SB3 with a touch (convenient, affordable, and with very low jitter).
There are several excellent dacs with analogue volume controls. These can serve as preamps if all you have are digital sources. I use a Benchmark DAC1 for that: http://www.benchmarkmedia.com/dac/dac1 They also make more fully-featured preamps with analog inputs, like this one http://www.benchmarkmedia.com/dac/dac1-pre There are many other options. I don't know the BMC dac. As for speakers, what my advice is to make a mix CD with music you know very well. Then go around to high-end audio stores and audition speakers. They vary far more than any other component in the audio chain, with the exception of the room.... but you can still get a decent idea what you like even when the listening rooms differ. Listen to a wide variety of designs: traditional sealed-box 2- or 3-way speakers, speakers with a separate tweeter, planar electrostatics, dipoles, etc. Personally I have a pair of Linkwitz Orions (dipoles) that I love. However they require a significant amount of space both behind them and to the sides, as well as 8 channels of amplification: http://www.linkwitzlab.com/Wood%20Artistry%20LL-home.htm -- opaqueice ------------------------------------------------------------------------ opaqueice's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=4234 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=82998 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
