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VT Skier

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  1. I second all the votes for KISS design as more options/bells/whistles always seem to cause problems. I would also love to have an AEU/EBU output; I'd rather not have a remote that requires wireless (main reason I never bought the Bryston or Auraliti units); it would be nice to have an option for a floorstanding (vertical) case. I also thought V2.0 was great, so I'm not sure you need to go whole hog on overhauling the new server. Giving us more RAM, an SSD, and a standalone USB or Fireware or NAS storage device would make me a happy purchaser. Oh, and a primer on how best to migrate from iTunes AIFF/ALAC to JRiver WAV/FLAC would also be great since I'll be moving everything from my MacBook to your new server,
  2. It is perfectly legal for anyone in the US to copy anything they own for their own "personal use", regardless of what one may have read, heard or been told to the contrary. <br /> <br /> I also heard good things about the Avior from a friend whose judgment I trust, but probably not the same person to whom Chris refers.
  3. I have the M50s as well, and found I liked the Denon AH-D7000s best of Denon's offerings. The 5000s are also nice.
  4. The best one I've heard in the US, at the bottom of your price range, is the CEntrance DACmini. If you decide you want something portable, they have the DACport, which is less expensive but the sound quality isn't quite as good.
  5. Nick, I'm afraid Ayre and Peachtree sound nothing like each other, although it's hard to say what the Grand will sound like after having only heard it with the SF Elipsa SEs, which I'd never heard before either. But generally, IMO, Ayre is a little cooler, tending more toward neutral, and Peachtree tends to be warmer and less "accurate".
  6. Chris, did you ever publish your iDac review? I'm hoping you can weigh its performance against the BDA-1, which would be my other choice. If I missed it, my apologies. Jon
  7. Monoprice for me, 14 gauge copper with bare ends.
  8. I agree with Surfing Alien -- headphones are even more idiosyncratic than speakers, so you should definitely try to listen to them before buying. Depending on where you're located, and home much time and effort you want to invest in the search, the best place to go is RMAF in Denver this October. They'll have the broadest selection of cans, amps and IEMs from a variety of manufacturers, a much bigger selection than any local store. Or try to find a local "Can Jam" near you by checking the forums at head-fi. Here's a link: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/list/24/local-regional-head-fi-meets-parties-get-togethers
  9. Woo Audio is also good, and Ray Samuels is very good for portable. But all the brands mentioned above are very good. I have the CEntrance DACport, a step down from the DACmini, and I love it. Killer value. The DACmini is definitely better -- I heard it at RMAF last year.
  10. Hi Chris,<br /> <br /> I completely agree with your review. For the money, Peachtree is making very good products. <br /> <br /> I was in David's room at CES for close to an hour, absolutely floored by the MusicBox with the (larger) 4.5 speakers. Not the most accurate, a little warm, but a system that good for $1,000? Holy cow. <br /> <br /> Jon
  11. I filled my Dynaudio stands with "play" sand from Lowe's, about 3/4 full based on John Atkinson's recommendation in his review of the C1s and the Stand4s. I agree with you Chris, why not all the way full? But I figured if I tested, it would mean pouring and emptying and, eventually, a mess, so I slavishly followed the magazine's lead. Some people recommend a mix of lead shot with sand or litter, maybe because they think varying densities are better? I'll try gold dust next time.
  12. I just don't see a Mac Mini for most audio people. To me, it's like using a Swiss army knife to dice vegetables. And some companies are offering knives where they've substituted bigger, sharper blades (SSD, more RAM), maybe they've deleted some of the other implements so the knife is lighter, works a little better, but it's still hard to dice with something that's really designed to do many things. Companies like Bryston, on the other hand, seem to be designing something that does one thing really well -- like building a chef's knife for dicing. I'd rather have something designed by an audio company that maximizes audio performance. If you already have a computer for other uses, I think you can get most of the way there with some modification. But if you really want to use a computer for audio, it seems like the better choice would be to build one for that purpose, like Chris's CAP server.
  13. I also thought about the Auraliti, but decided on Bryston because of the long history of the company. The Mach2 is very good, but quickly becomes expensive and I'm more of an audio guy than a computer guy. All of this gear is getting so much better so quickly, I decided I'd just like to have a "delivery" system that would allow me to easily upgrade the DAC and/or storage device as things change.
  14. Hi Darrell, You may think I'm a little paranoid, but when Kevin didn't respond to my two previous emails over a ten-day period about confirming delivery of the returned machine, I got a little nervous. Which I don't think was unjustified. I just wanted to know (a) that he got the $3,000 machine safely and (b) how long it might take before I got my money back. Kevin didn't tell me he was working on things -- he said he didn't know about the refund and would have to check with you. He then said he would call me yesterday after you two had lunch to tell me how long I would be waiting for the refund, but never did, hence the additional emails. I was just hoping someone would send me an email saying "Hi, we got the computer safely, we'll check it out, if there are no problems you'll get a check in the next two weeks". If there are problems, obviously I need to know soon because I'll have to file an insurance claim with UPS. And I'll need to have pictures or other proof of any damages from shipping. I agree, we can take this offline in the future. I only posted here because Kevin wasn't returning my emails and I saw that you were posting here yesterday.
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