IronHide75

Responding kind of late to this, but I compared the D1 to a VDAC. The VDAC was over twice the price, but there was just no comparison. There's no way I could have settled for the D1 and subsequently sold it. The VDAC had a much richer sound all around, better bass, and better separation of instruments.

Actually it depends on how you're using Pandora. Pandora's free streaming to mobile is 64 kbps AAC+. Free streaming to a home device is 128 kbps, and paid streaming is 192 kbps. Pandora | Audio Quality In any case, it's not optimal. A CD rip can also vary in quality as stated by others. It really depends what you used and what settings were chosen.

My first album was either the K-tel compilation album "Hit Explosion" (had to buy it for "Eye of the Tiger;" the other songs were bonuses) or Michael Jackson's "Thriller." Almost every one of the my friends had Thriller.

She was... she had a big hit with "I Should Be So Lucky" and Little Eva's "The Locomotion." Her songs had the Stock Aitken Waterman sound (Rick Astley, Bananarama, Dead or Alive).

Almost missed that... I like the Descendants a lot, too.

I got into punk during the 90's, so my suggestions definitely reflect that... Green Day - Kerplunk!, Dookie: Take the three-chord formula by the Ramones and make the songs even catchier and angstier. Pop Punk at its finest. Operation Ivy - Energy: The best ska-punk band ever. Strong, introspective lyrics. Guitarist Tim Armstrong and Bassist Matt Freeman went on to form Rancid. Rancid - And Our Come the Wolves... - More serious and less pop than Green Day, Rancid is still catchy as hell. It's just a great rock n'roll album. They definitely wear their Clash influences on their sleeves. NOFX - White Trash, Two Heebs, and a Bean; Punk in Drublic - Punk rock with a healthy dose of humor. Minor Threat - Complete Discography - Their recorded songs are almost unlistenable without reading the lyrics, but once you read them, you understand why they were so influential. One of the godfathers of hardcore punk and the Straight Edge movement. Ian McKaye went on to form Fugazi. I also really like early Police (their later stuff is just as good in a different way), Dead Boys, the Stooges, Dead Milkmen, Blink 182, The Clash, and Screeching Weasel.

Hmmm... stuff I always go back to... I think this list shows what period in time I was enjoying music the most! Guns N'Roses - Appetite for Destruction Metallica - The Black Album, Master of Puppets The Beatles - Revolver Lush - Lovelife, Split, Topolino Jellyfish - Bellybutton, Spilt Milk Fleetwood Mac - Best of, Rumours Green Day - Dookie, Insomniac, Nimrod Rancid - ... And Out Come the Wolves Operation Ivy - Energy Beastie Boys - Check Your Head Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine Pearl Jam - Vs. Blake Babies - Sunburn Elton John - Best Of Billy Joel - Best of I, II, III; Songs in the Attic Air Supply - Best of Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan R.E.M. - Document, Out of Time, Automatic for the People Stone Temple Pilots - Purple Led Zeppelin - I, II, III, IV Trainspotting - Soundtrack

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on any of this, but to clear things up.... if you choose to use a soundcard, there is no need for an external DAC since the soundcard uses its own DAC. If you choose to use an external DAC, you bypass your computer's sound card and all computer-based digital processing. The reason you don't see a 1/8" minijack input for external DAC's is because a information coming off a minijack is already analog. My understanding as to why some people choose not to use a soundcard, even if it has a good DAC, is because it picks up internal noise from the computer itself. As for 7.1 setup, I don't have much experience in this area except for a very basic home theater setup w/ no computer involved, so I'll continue to leave that for others to address =) I have everything connected by HDMI and am happy with the sound for movies, television, and occasional music streaming.

I didn't think it would be possible, but I'll be getting a matching bookshelf next to my right speaker. Will let you guys know the results!

Hi everyone, I'd definitely like to give room treatment a try. It's got to aesthetically pleasing to my wife, though =) My "listening room," which also doubles as my computer room, measures about 12 X 7 and has very thin wooden walls. I have noticed that my left speaker, which has a bookshelf next to it, consistently sounds better than my right speaker. I played around with my balance knob last night and confirmed the observation. I'm guessing that's because the bookshelf is preventing sound reflection? What might I try hanging next to my right speaker to get a similar effect?

Thank you, bluesman. You've provided me some food for thought. I think it'll be worth my time to go to a local shop and audition some equipment. Our hifi shops tend to have exotic, high-end and high-priced stuff, but it couldn't hurt to ask about some of the equipment you've suggested and give them my spending range. And you're right about the Sonamp. Based on what I could find on google, the Sonamp does seem to be more of a home theater amp than an audiophile amp. And yes, all it has is those screw R/F volume controls. That's why I ended up getting the Adcom preamp.

Hi mayhem13, I think you may be on to something with the midbass. After reading your response, I tried playing a bunch of songs that have good midbass (I Got You - James Brown, Billie Jean - Michael Jackson), and my system definitely seemed lacking in that area. It's not that the songs didn't sound good, but I could tell the bassline could use a little more "umph." I don't think a subwoofer or a three-way is an option at this point, though. I can't go for floorstanders, either, as we have a cat who will probably shred the grill covers! Will keep this piece of info in mind. Thanks!

Hi All, Been lurking here for a 1/2 year or so and finally decided to sign up! I wanted to get some opinions on what I should upgrade next in my setup. I have a hodge-podge budget system made up of used and new equipment. It sounds very good for a variety of music (to me), but I feel pop and rock songs could use a little more punch and snap. I don't want to add a subwoofer, as my "listening room" is quite small and already full. Basically, I use my system for streaming Spotify and/or MOG and hope to rip my CD albums to FLAC and play them from a NAS in the near future. Anyways, here's what I have: - Old Sony Pentium 4 Laptop running XP (will be replaced soon enough with "newer" used laptop, so don't need a recommendation on this) - Musical Fidelity V-DAC II w/ Pyramid PS4KX 3 Amp Power Supply - Adcom GTP-400 preamplifier - Sonance Sonamp 260 amplifier - BIC DV62si bookshelf speakers (w/ Ed Frias crossover mod) - Monoprice interconnects, speaker cables, and USB cable I originally used a Chinese t-amp (Topping TP20 mkii), but a friend gave me the Sonamp. I found the Sonamp had much better bass, soundstage, and separation. I'm not looking to spend more than $300 on my next upgrade if this is possible. I appreciate any help you folks can give. Thanks!