proth

Here is your chance to own the legend with almost all the available options, but at the base price. I have too many great DACs and need to raise cash for some new analog gear, so I'm selling my Crimson Balanced USBDAC from the workshop of Gordon Rankin. The base unit ($7500 MSRP) is loaded with rare "Cobalt" core copper transformers (a $2500 option at the time of purchase), the Denominator DAC module (a $1500 option), as well as the volume control (a $750 option). In total, it is a $12,250 tricked-out version of this legendary USBDAC. I am willing to sell it to a good, Computer Audiophile-approved home for $7500 - the price of the base unit alone. If it doesn't sell "in the family" so to speak, I will list it on Audiogon for somewhat more. Exceptional condition (maintained in a smoke- and pet-free environment). Thanks for your consideration. - Pete -

For sale is my one-year-old pair of like-new, AudioQuest Gibraltar 7-foot pair speaker cables terminated with spades (single-wire, not bi-wire). Using all Perfect Surface Plus Copper (PSC+), Gibraltar is the second best all-copper speaker cable in AQ's current lineup (with Oak being at the top of the all-copper food chain). Retail Price = $1290. Offered at $575, including PayPal fees and CONUS shipping. Having recently changed to speakers requiring banana plugs, I now have these available. I am the original owner, and these cables have enjoyed a pet and smoke-free environment. These cables include the 72v DBS packs and come with their original packaging. Purchased by me from an authorized dealer, these are genuine AudioQuest cables. Happy to e-mail pictures, if interested. Price is fair and firm. Thanks for looking. - Pete -

Once a listing is consummated in a sale and the transaction complete, how do we delete the thread?

As I've moved up to Diamond, I have a 1.5-Meter AudioQuest Carbon USB cable for sale. Functionally perfect, in preparing it for sale I cleaned the "A"-type connector body (not the connector itself) and rubbed off the dark grey color coating on a portion of one side (the white plastic underbody itself is showing). As a result, I will sell for only $60 (MSRP is $159), including shipping in the CONUS. I even have the original packaging. Can e-mail pictures to interested parties. Thanks for looking. - Pete -

Chris: In my main system, I definitely recognized an improvement when going from a 0.75M Carbon to 0.75M Diamond. Based upon that improvement, I decided to rearrange everything in my office system to minimize cable length and upgrade at the same time (the fact that the shortest Diamond costs less than longer versions was not lost on me either). Based upon the changes in both systems (and recognizing the multi-variables involved), I would estimate that the shorter length produced 75% of the overall improvement in my office system, with the upgrade from Carbon to Diamond providing the balance. YMMV. - Pete -

I switched to the AQ line from Wireworld, and have moved up from Forest to Carbon to Diamond. Each change provided a noticable (if confounding) difference, but the biggest difference was on the office system when I reconfigured things and went from a 5.0M Carbon to a 0.75M Diamond.

Furman Sound makes a Reference line of home theatre products that feature symetrical balanced power. In addition, the large transformer that creates the balanced power (via a precision center tap), has separate windings for each duplex outlet on the unit, and additionally floats the ground. I've spoken at length with the designer, Garth Powell, and he certainly knows a lot about power, electrical engineering, music, relevant compromises, and the fact that in audio "everything matters." Furman claims that due to their approach, each duplex has isolation at least as good as running a dedicated circuit from the breaker box to each outlet. In my experimentation, this has been true. With a plasma hooked up to one duplex, and my MacBook / external hard drive plugged into another, there is no discernable effect on the rest of my system (i.e., the same results as when the plasma is unplugged and I'm running the MacBook from battery power with files on its internal hard drive).<br /> <br /> The 4-outlet (2-duplex) unit (IT-Reference 7i) is great for creating a Chinese Wall of power to separate switching power supplies and the nasties they generate from you audio system. Something to consider.

You may want to try Music Direct, I ordered a mono box there on Tuesday. Elusive Disc had it too, but given that it is getting hard to find, Elusive Disc raised the price by $20, which always makes me mad (although it is supply - demand 101 commercialism at its finest).

The TAD uses a coincident midrange-tweeter (sort of like what Thiel does) and I believe both drivers utilize beryllium cones, with the pair's operating range something like 400hz to 40khz. It also has a lower-mid woofer which brings usable bass down into the 40s. Its definitely a 3-way. While expensive, it is every bit the reference that the full-range TAD Reference 1 is, just in a monitor form factor (and without the lowest octave). It was one of my 4 favorite rooms at the show for sound (I'd also rank the Vandersteen/Aesthetix room, the Kubala-Sosna/Hansen/Tenor/Continuum, and at a much lower price point, and again with limited bass extension, the Spiral Groove/Sonics room).<br /> <br /> Chris, I tried to figure out who put the server together, but I was in the room during a demo and so didn't amble up close enough to the unit to see the "computer" before Audiophile for Tim Marutani Consulting. But congratulations on being an integral part of a show room with great sound (a difficult task). - Pete -

I really want to thank Chris and the community here at Computer Audiophile, as this site was a key resource in researching the article and honing its focus. While it will more likely be of value to friends and family (the regulars here already know what is explained in the article), hopefully it furthers what we (I now include myself in the group) all know -- that computer audio is a key to the future of high performance audio. <br /> <br /> As to me and my system, I found the perfect balance of performance and features in Gordon Rankin's products, buying for myself a Balanced Crimson as well as a Cosecant for my wife (she nearly screamed when the review sample was returned). Following discussions with Christopher Breen at MacWorld, I bought (and can highly recommend) their Digital Music & Video Superguide (@ $25) with regard to set-up & operational details for iTunes (great for anyone like me who is not a Mac user).<br /> <br /> I intend to write some follow-ups to the article (which may perhaps go directly to Home Entertainment's website, where the print article will migrate in about a month). Hope you enjoy the article. - Pete -

The Crimson USBDAC was being employed and was sitting on the shelf next to the elo touchscreen monitor. On the lower shelf was a balanced Crimson with Cobalt transformers -- but not being employed when I was in the room. The sound was great. The speakers were by Vaughn Loudspeakers.

I am new to this forum and am trying to catch up, and contemplating jumping in to the computer audiophile camp. I am still confused about hard drives -- for play and for backup. I followed the link above to see the NewerTech miniStack, which seem stylish and relatively cheap @