h0mersimps0n

Literally just unboxed, plugged everything in, installed the drivers and finally figured out how to activate the optical out on my motherboard and am live. First, thank you all for your help. Second, this is THE most amazing listening experience of my entire life. As a newbie, budding audiophile with McDonalds quality MOG playing I just simply can't even put to words how amazing these Airmotiv 6's sound with the XDA-2. I can hear the strings on string instruments plucked, sound that fills the room where you can literally just close your eyes and be there... maybe nothing to compare it to except the scatted 30k systems placed throughout my uncle's house but for me, what an amazing, AMAZING setup. Thanks again guys.

@Melvin I just finished 8 long years of medical school and residency so I've had absolutely no time or money to keep up any kind of rip-able CD collection. Now I finally have some money but still don't have time to "pick" which music I want to download and have taken to Pandora. As of late, the quality of the sound, music selection, etc has pushed me to MOG. I really wish there was an even high res option than MOG but all the opinions I've read think there just isn't a market for it right now. SO, it'll be MOG until I have time to research other uncompressed downloadable options (hopping over to that forum after my equipment arrives) @Duderino et al. Probably not suppose to announce this publicly but called Emotiva this morning and they had both Airmotiv 5 and 6 "Factory refreshed" in stock. This put me below my "budget" so I went for it. So I ordered "factory refreshed" Airmotiv 6 and a XDA-2 should be here by the end of the week. Now I need to research USB vs Optical (because my motherboard has an optical out) and buy some audiophile cables. Thanks for everything everyone!

Is there anything between that Airmotiv 6 and LS50 price point ($699-$1500) or is the Airmotiv going to be the best bang for the buck unless I go LS50? All other hardware aside that is..

@Melvin - so your vote would be the Airmotiv 6 or LS50 @maelob - thanks but looking for fewer options not more - dare I spend another 4-5 hours reading comparisons or reviews?

Been researching, reading, getting help from my audiophile family member and am just exhausted/tired of having my finger on the button for so long. I strictly listen to MOG streaming audio - so my audio source is not ultra-refined probably like most of you. I'm trying to keep this below $1000 and the moreso the better. Options I've been researching: 1.) KEF X300A (nervous about non-upgradable DAC) - $800 2.) Emotiva AirMotiv 6 (prefer 5 but no end in sight for out-of-stock) + Emotiva XDA-2 DAC - $1100 3.) Airmotiv 6 + Schitt Modi or BiFrost (prefer BiFrost but both Schitt DACs don't offer unbalanced which make me nervous around a PC setup) 4.) KEF LS50 + Emotiva Amp + DAC (donated by family member) - $1800+ (way over budget) 5.) Audioengine A5+ + Audioengine DAC (or Schitt Modi) - $500-ish 6.) Running any of the speakers above off of my motherboard's 5.1 setup I also have an infinity BU-2 120W subwoofer sitting under my desk collecting dust not connected to anything at the moment I'm not sure how/if to integrate. There are just too many combinations, I just can resolve myself. Probably would just be easier if I had the patience to wait for the Airmotiv 5's but the 6 has me second guessing. Trying to stick to unbalanced based on what I've read and knowing the amount of electronics surrounding this system is insane, I'm worried and thinking quality balanced cables will be key to avoiding hums, etc. thoughts.... Thanks!