cliveb wrote: > The obvious first question to ask is: why are you thinking of doing > this? Is there something about the sound using your Onkyo AV receiver > that you find lacking? Keep in mind that modern solid-state electronics > (if competently designed and built) are all pretty much of a quality > that is more than adequate. And also bear in mind that the kind of > electronics that are NOT competently designed and built tend to come > from small-scale boutique manufacturers. In other words, chances are > that your Onkyo receiver is more than up to the task. Given that your > current setup works well from an operational viewpoint, changing it > might just buy you a lot of hassle for no benefit. >
I'm 100% fully aware of that, and on most days I agree wholeheartedly. I have no illusion that I can, for example, hear the differences between DACs, given that I can barely distinguish 128 kbit MP3 vs. FLAC on a good day with a 'statistically valid ABX test' (https://abx.digitalfeed.net/list.lame.html). I expect it will be the same with the first 25 watts of amplifier power that I actually use - so long as I'm not using the wimpiest T-amp, or something truly ancient with dried-out caps, I figure its unlikely I'll be able to tell. So, it's insecurity/curiosity that makes me want a powerful/ultra-modern amp. That's probably not a good enough reason. I have done a little more research, and the closest I can come to a minimal front-end that might work for the use-case I described is a DAC with a volume knob, source selection, and remote that are targeted at headphone applications. Some have built-in bluetooth radios, which is a requirement for my setup. For example: 'Topping DX7 Pro' (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YJHZ7CL/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07YJHZ7CL&pd_rd_w=7XCZo&pf_rd_p=48d372c1-f7e1-4b8b-9d02-4bd86f5158c5&pd_rd_wg=CM73v&pf_rd_r=73CDZHSN3BV9WFKWNZYZ&pd_rd_r=82690819-7ac0-4da4-9afb-f7172224372f&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzOUhSMlFXQ0VXTkpNJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzEwNzAzM0hWUU9NUEhYWDZMQyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODU2NDk4U1JUODJETTJaUzFUJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==) - Too expensive but checks all the boxes. 'Topping DX3 Pro' (https://www.amazon.com/DX3-Pro-Headphone-Amplifier-Bluetooth/dp/B07KG9P3X3/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=topping+dx3+pro&qid=1587484842&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFGWUtETldPWjdBRTQmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA3MjI0MjYxNlFWVTlIRVBDSjlRJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTEwNDgyNjROME41UVc2MDNLOFUmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl) - Fine but no XLR, and the price doesn't deter me. Anyway, with C19 supply chain issues, the amps I'm interested in are hard to buy at the moment, and so this idea will probably be shelved until at least fall. I've mused on it repeatedly, and will probably again, I can't help it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ StewLG's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=15888 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=112052 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
