cg27288

Hi, I've on the hunt for a new Integrated Amplifier for my bedroom. I'm hoping someone on this fantastic form can make a recommendation based on the below factors, I find the amount of options to be overwhelming. My needs: $1000 and under Drive KEF Egg Speakers, but eventually drive KEF LS50 (once I get the $$) Phono Stage Preferred Digital Inputs Required for Apple TV and Cable TV (both Toslink connections) Remote To date, I've considered the PS Audio Sprout (no remote), Peachtree Audio (various versions - expensive plus no phonos), NAD 3020 (kinda cheaply made), and Marantz HDAMP1 (Just found out about this one). Any other receommdations? I really like the PS Audio Sprout by the lack of remote is a dealbreaker for my wife. Thanks very much.

Any chance Peachtree has plans to make an integrated amp in the 400-800 range? Think PS Sprout, with digital inputs and an on-board DAC. Thanks!

Great write up. My favorite band ever. Personally I still prefer No Code as my all-time favorite record, but love all their stuff. They really helped me expand my musical horizons when they came out. Many people scoff at this, but you can make a legit argument that they're the greatest American band of all time. Also, this most recent tour has been outstanding. The crowds have been amazing and their shows have been 3+ hours each night.

This is a great thread. Any thoughts on my questions? Thanks!

If I copy only the 'Music' folder won't I lose my album artwork, playlists, play counts, ratings, etc.? I really need to keep those as I've worked years on getting them to my satisfaction. Will copying the iTunes Folder (Music --> iTunes) ensure that I don't lose all this important metadata and artwork? I did get the MiniPro and am impressed with the sturdy design. Thanks to all for that tip.

Hello, I just ordered a Mac Mini (a refurbished new one) which I am going to use as a 'Headless' Mac Mini.My plan is to use it exclusively for music and store my music collection on an external Firewire drive. So my setup will be: FireWire Hard Drive (store the music) -> MacMini -> Audirvana + -> USB to Musical Fidelity V-LINK 192 -> Coaxial Cable to PS Audio Digital Link III -> Analog Out to my Onkyo Receiver Any last minute tips from this most excellent forum group? My main concerns at this point are: 1) Getting my iTunes library from my MacBook Pro to the External Firewire Drive. I want to make sure I keep all the iTunes information (Play Count, Ratings, Playlists, etc.). Do I need any special software or is it as simply as copying and pasting to the hard drive? Does that degrade the music in any way? 2) Looking for advice on the type of external Firewire drive to get. I selected Firewire since my music will be sent to my bridge/DAC with a UBS connection and my understanding is it's beneficial to use different ports in this setup. Any other advice, tips, etc. for running the Headless Mac Mini would be so very appreciated. Thanks!

Interestingly, the problem appears to be with my DAC (PS Audio Digital Link III). It was literally the last thing I expected after tinkering with my system for hours upon hours. Incidentally, I do have some issues with A+, specifically this message: "Error: unable to grab exclusive access OSError=!goh" But that's sporadic and not related to my original issue. Thanks to everyone who replied. I guess I have to contact PS Audi

If that's it how can I fix? That sounds like a possibility! Thanks.

Thank you For the response. I've tried rebooting many times. The issue might be that the Audio/MIDI Setup is getting stuck on either AirPlay or Built-In Output. It won't change even when I try to select it manually. . I have the associated setting in Audirvana to the correct UBS I want to use. I'm so confused lol

Hi, I've been using Audirvana, Bit Perfect, and other music software applications with iTunes. Last night I unhooked the power cord and the music stopped playing. I've tried everything and anything to fix this but I am no longer getting audio out from my USB port (I've tried both ports). When I go into Audo MIDI Setup I see my bridge (Musical Fidelity USB -> SPDIF Converter) as always. However, when I select it and "Use This Device for Sound Output" nothing happens and it doesn't change (it stays on either Airplay or Built-in Output). In addition, I am unable to change anything on the USB Output (Master Volume, Analog 1, Analog 2...the only thing I an do is 'mute' which I don't want to do). When I look at my Musical Fidelity Bridge and DAC it *appears* that they are getting signals - they both say 'Locked' when a signal is present. I wonder if it's because the volume on my USB output is so low and I can't change it? Please help! The only reason I have this MacBook Pro is to play music through my system.

Hi - I am thinking of moving my music off my MacBook Pro to a dedicated Mac Mini. I'd like to run Audirvana Plus on the new Mac Mini and use a separate, FireWire Hard Drive to store my music files (almost at 500GB). 1) What's the best way to copy my music to the hard drive? 2) How do I ensure my playlists, ratings, etc. are not lost when I do all this? If there's a guide to doing this somewhere that would be even better. Thanks so much!

So where does everyone buy these HQ downloads from? HD Tracks? I find their selections quite limited, especially with new music.

Hi - I have a PS Audio Digital Link III (DLIII) DAC that's connected to my Onkyo SR608. The DLIII has balanced outputs which, as I understand it, are better than normal RCA. My Onkyo receiver does not have balanced inputs. I've seen some products on sites like Monoprice that offer Balanced to RCA converters. Anyone have any experience with these? Does that fact that my receiver not have balanced inputs make any balanced connections done from my DAC irrelevant? Thanks!

Hello, I've had my DLIII for several months now and am quite pleased with it. I just noticed that the manufacturer, PS Audio, says in the manual that it recommends a different power cord than what was included in the box (which seems strange to me but whatever). That being said, are there any cords under $150 that would make any difference in the sound quality? Or is it simply a matter of dropping $300-$500 (which ain't gonna happen). Thoughts? Thanks very much! Chris

Not planning on using a separate monitor - assuming I'm able (and I think I am), I plan on using the screen sharing functionality built in iOS and use my MacBook Pro.