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melomaniac

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  1. As cute as the Pi boards are, I think many audiophiles have grown used to the range of options and implementation quality of devices like the Logitech Transporter - several digital inputs, balanced outputs, high quality DAC, versatile use... But in the meantime, even as my (original, not SE) Transporter still runs fine, I have grown worried about what should eventually replace it. So far I have no real candidates in mind...
  2. while I don't own Audeze headphones any more, I do still use two pairs of Magnepan speakers. people say that for the LCD, the powerful Schiit amp (look it up and there are reviews on head-fi) is a good fit, and of course thee are more expensive options above its price point. I have no experience with the Fostex headphones, but that company also offers headphone amps. there are amps that will work well on headphones and on low-impedance speakers, but with the Maggies, no way. you will need a lot of current to move those large magnetic panels, I would recommend something with at least 300w (I run a kilowatt W4S amp on the larger panels) and that's not what your headphones drink. I think you can do better than a Nuforce for your first step outside the computer's hard-drive; look into USB DACs on this site, lots of options... or if your computer has a combined audio and digital audio out, you cold go with that. my preferred stationary headphone set-up goes digital out of a mac mini to the CIAudio VDA2 DAC with a PSU, which then feeds a Woo Audio 3+ amp for the headphones of the day. my preferred way to serve the same files to the Magnepans is via a Logitech Transporter (which is a decent DAC), but for your budget you can get used and smaller streaming devices too (but do invest in a DAC at that end if you stream). if you're set on the Magnepan 1.7 speakers, don't strangle them with the wrong amp. here's an interim solution I like: the Outlaw RR 2150 is a potent amp that sounds nice, will feed your Magnepans well, and has a lot of convenient features - including a USB in and a headphone out. neither is great, but both are decent for an integrated solution. stick the price difference into your DAC and some good cables, and wait for more money to materialize so you can get a separate headphone amp.
  3. if your wireless system isn't covering too large an area or too much in demand spikes from too many devices (like video streaming or gaming while you also serve music), and you have a recent router, you should be okay. if the router is older (been there) or there are other concurrent local demands (done that) then the wired approach will help prevent rebuffering, which depending on your software may become audible or not. despite my being happy with the new router, and the way the Logitech Transporter buffers (settings are your friend), I have it tethered to the router by ethernet, and the server not all that far away from the listening room (just enough distance to isolate some office noises).
  4. the bottleneck will be the ADC, and it sucks to have big digital files cluttering your hard drive that you don't want to listen to. so I'd recommend something like the M-Audio Audiophile USB A/D converter (or better, maybe if you look around on this site you'll find more ideas), and software that removes clicks and pops semi-automagically. without a lot of effort in quality control (resolution, declicking, etc) you and your dad will be unhappy with the results...
  5. hionhifi, I had the welborne and sold it. I would recommend the CIAudio PSU instead. you can find it on the Channel Island Audio site
  6. Magnepan still recommends Bryston, but the combo wasn't for me. I went with Bel Canto for a while, and lusted after big tube amps, until W4S came along. I agree that it can be a little bright in some set-ups but with a good DAC in the mix, you can get better sound. My 2.5R maggies don't come fully to life without a lot of oomph behind them, and the kilowatt W4S does better than 300 watt out of other, more established amp brands. You get the added benefit of dynamic range and control over the panels, and it's not expensive at all. If I wanted to spend a lot more, I would go with Audio Research gear - so if the OP is still casting for alternatives, that's what I would recommend, have heard but the 1.7 and the 3.7 Maggies with AR gear and it's amazing.
  7. not only would I agree that stands improve what you can get out of maggies (both my MMG pair and my 2.5R pair proved it to me), but after all the correct comments on how the bass isn't deficient, I would still agree with those who recommend a sub for occasional use. why? because I use the MMG for TV as well as for music, and also for Netflix streaming through a PS3 which not only gets a nice image but also good sound. and it's just a fact of life that car chases, heavy weather, and monsters feature in TV and movie sound tracks, so regardless of how you expect your two-channel music to sound, other sources will be bass-heavy. also, my wife's taste in music is... different from mine, so I like to have the option of dialing the sub in on occasion. same for the music-only rig in the larger room with the larger magnepan panels - a big sub can turn it into a party room, and it can be off or largely bypassed for most other uses. however, make sure you get the best sub possible: it needs to be very fast to mesh with the magnepans, and it needs to have a sensitive dial for set-up, or you'll be wasting every dollar you spent on the entire stereo.
  8. well, well, well! not so fast (and loud and furious) - car companies do put a lot of effort into overcoming the issues. I've served as test subject (lots of car brands test in so-cal) for stereo set-ups, and while I too would not invest in car stereo, the fact is that several of my friends chose cars based on the sound they get from those rides. and there is a thriving after-market because people at least want to try and improve what they get while driving. I wouldn't completely knock that - even the most pure audiophile will occasionally ride in or even drive a car, and why give up on music for hours on end? note that I define audiophile not as gadget freak but as music lover who wants to optimize possible reproduction. so I too put some aftermarket audio gear in cars, nothing that I would claim rivals what I can get from a decent headphone set-up, let alone my normal home speaker rigs, but still - it's good to have some tunes when on the road, and there is always room for improvement, and don't we all like to keep improving? ;-)
  9. ... but from what I heard at other people's places and at shows, it's up there. that said, I like the CIAudio VDA2, it's much better than a lot of other more expensive gear I have owned; and I like the Transporter's DAC still, although it could be a little warmer (my set-up with the W4S kilowatt amp on large full-ribbon Maggies could use some tubes...) on the other hand, I have several tube amps to pick from for my headphones at home and at work, and there I am just fine with the portable USB DACs I use...
  10. as several here already pointed out, the server version is usually silent or almost silent. if you notice the fan, it might pay to check all running processes. I too have a macbook air now (because it's so much quieter than the 8-year old apple laptop it replaced, although nominally with the same specs regarding HD and RAM). I too have an iMac for an office machine, and it's usually more quiet than the always humming and revving G5 it replaced. and I too have a mini server (2010) that is more quiet than the (2010) non-server model it replaced. however, I also have a 2011 mini server in another room, and it's not quiet. so it's not a generall apple trend. if I were you, I'd reset parameter ram after a restart, and I also like applejack to iron out any issues (find it on sourceforge), especially important given that the servers are very rarely rebooted.
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