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Tell us about your desktop system and listening please?


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22" monitor flanked by DIY 2way bookshelf speakers and a 10" sealed sub underneath. Windows 10 PC feeds Benchmark DAC to Peachtree Nova.

 

Probobly avg 5-6 hrs of listening per week this way, topped only by in the car listening. My main systems are really neglected for music these days. If i could find a way to effectively get work done in the theater room?...........

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22" monitor flanked by DIY 2way bookshelf speakers and a 10" sealed sub underneath. Windows 10 PC feeds Benchmark DAC to Peachtree Nova.

 

Probobly avg 5-6 hrs of listening per week this way, topped only by in the car listening. My main systems are really neglected for music these days. If i could find a way to effectively get work done in the theater room?...........

 

Sunfire TG3 processor with sonic holography, carver av 505 amp,parasound zdac, jbl 230 speakers, TBI subwoofer, mapleshade cables, Roon software.

 

Desltop 1.jpg

 

Desktop 2.jpg

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I've had numerous configurations over the years but the current is just a set of A5+ from AudioEngine being fed by a Chord Mojo. There's a 2012 Mac Mini driving a 27" HP display connected to that but also on my L shaped desk:

 

24" Samsung display connected to a Uverse box so I can watch the game.

22" monitor (it was free) for testing whatever machine I may be working on at the time or my PS3.

Headless vortexbox

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Main stereo in my 14'x20' family room is a MacBook Pro fed by a 2TB FireWire drive running Mavericks and Audirvana Plus into a linear-powered UpTone Regen feeding .aiff and .iso files into a NAD M51 DAC, then a 150/wpc NAD C 275BEE power amp through 10AWG speaker cables into my old B&W CDM7SE speakers. I'm considering upgrading the speakers soon.

The front end equipment is on the left side of the Salamander rack. The right side supports a HDTV, and below that, a pair of Klipsch passive bookshelf speakers exclusively for the TV audio, fed by my cable converter and DVD player, into a NAD C 316BEE integrated amp.

 

IMG_0076.jpg

 

I stated out with near-field speakers for my home office desktop system, first, B&W MM-1's, replaced with Audioengine A2's. Now the A2's are relegated to TV audio across the room, connected to my cable converter. For music, most late at night when the wife is asleep, my desktop iMac running Mavericks and HQPlayer or Audirvana Plus is fed from a 2TB FireWire HD, then into a Parasound zDac, to a pair of Sennheiser HD 600 heaphones. The Sennheisers are not the most comfortable headphones for long listening sessions, but they sound very good, with a neutral SQ. I', also considering another pair of headphones, possibly Audioquest or B&W. Other suggestions welcome.

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MacMini 2012 with 24" Dell LED monitor, Realistic Optimus 1B speakers driven by AudioQuest Dragonfly Red when at home. At the office, a MacBook Pro (7,1) 2010 feds AudioQuest Dragonfly Red to a pair of Sennheiser 280 Pro headphones. Music is served on both systems by Audirvana +, JRiver Media Center 22, and iTunes.

 

Principal listening content is Classical and Jazz in their various forms.

 

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Intel Skylake generation i5 NUC with Win 10 and JRiver MC21. Music files are on a NAS. Output to Audioengine A5 powered speakers is via an Audioquest Dragonfly red. An Audioengine wireless DAC sends audio to the living room where it is played through a Sony VEGA TV. Audio is routed to JRiver Id as a DLNA renderer for our main system in our library. The Id outputs digital audio via Toslink cable to a TC electronics DAC 2.

 

Mostly classical music with some early jazz, swing, broadway musicals and great American songbook. And a tiny bit of folk and early rock 'N roll.

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22" monitor flanked by DIY 2way bookshelf speakers and a 10" sealed sub underneath. Windows 10 PC feeds Benchmark DAC to Peachtree Nova.

 

Probobly avg 5-6 hrs of listening per week this way, topped only by in the car listening. My main systems are really neglected for music these days. If i could find a way to effectively get work done in the theater room?...........

 

DSCN0116.jpg

 

My desktop system consists of a Napa Acoustics NA-208-A Hybrid Amplifier (25 RMS WPC), Matching SP-208 speakers, an Ifi IUSB power supply feeding an AudioQuest Dragonfly 1.2 DAC fed from my Mac Mini. The monitor is a 25-inch 1080 X 1920.

 

Mostly classical, some Jazz. Either my own ripped collection, or WCRB-Boston or KCSM San Mateo CA or Radio Brasil all via internet.

George

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Headphone system: MacBook Pro running Audirvana Plus. Thunderbolt 27' monitor. Music library on a 4 TB G-Technology FireWire drive that is approaching capacity. Resonessence Concero. Cavalli Liquid Carbon. Sennheiser HD 800.

 

Speaker system: Squeezebox Touch connected to AirPort via Ethernet. Peachtree Music Box. B&W 686.

Office: MacBook Pro - Audirvana Plus - Resonessence Concero - Cavailli Liquid Carbon - Sennheiser HD 800.

Travel/Portable: iPhone 7 or iPad Pro - AudioQuest Dragonfly Red - Audeze SINE or Noble Savant

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AudioEngine's are pretty popular for desktop listening i see!

 

To amend my previous post #4, today I added an AirPort Express to my "desktop" system, and connected it in bridge mode to my router, which is across the room in my home office, next to a TV. Previously, I was using my Audioengine A2's just for the TV audio, but the speakers have both RCA and 1/8" stereo mini-plug inputs which can be connected simultaneously. So, in addition to the DAC/headphone amp and Sennheisers connected via USB to my iMac, I can now play my entire iTunes music library via the ethernet-connected AirPort through the A2's across the room.

And, they sound excellent! Another nice feature of the Audioengines is that the built-in amp powers on, and off automatically if it does not receive an input signal after a few minutes.

I think Audioengine makes great products. As I implied in my previous post, the A2's perform better than my former B&W MM-1's, at half the price.

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Yeah.......there's something to be said for the convenience of powered monitors/speakers as they offer exceptional value. If I didn't have some many amplifiers lying around collecting dust, i'd probably still have the JBL monitors on my desktop.

 

....but more seriously, i'm trying to get as much feedback from desktop users so I can move forward with my DIY design desktop speaker that I plan to publish and share freely. I'm stuck on passive crossover vs DSP amplifier modules. The problem I 'see' with a digital DSP implementation is the redundancy for those who already have separated DACs, amps and all sorts of USB gadgets and cables.

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The main drawback of active speakers is the lack of EQ and balance controls. If you are using them with a computer-based audio system, you can compensate with the player software. However, when I had active speakers hooked up to my TV cable converter for one of my makeshift home theater setups, I had issues. See my pic on post #4.

They are hard to see, but the speakers for the video sit on a shelf just below the TV. I tried both the Audioengine A2's and the B&W MM-1's, but due to the placement (lower than ear-level, leather sofas, wall-to-wall carpet, etc., the sound was boomy. I had to replace them with a pair of Klipsch bookshelf passives and a NAD C 316BEE integrated amp, just to get the TV audio to sound decent. I have the tone controls on the amp set at 9 o'clock for the bass, and 3 o'clock for the treble.

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I have a Sonore Microrendu > Geek Pulse sfi DAC > Audioengine A5+ with Audioengine A8 Sub. Server is either the Windows 10 Computer with JRiver or the Synology NAS with Audio Station. I periodically think about upgrading the speakers, but I haven't gotten around to it. I guess I like the Audioengines pretty well. Active is the way to go on the desktop IMO. Those new KEFs sound interesting I must say.

 

I have Sennheiser HD 700 (and HD 650) for when people are trying to do something in the other room.

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In my home office - mainly for mastering - I use a Burson Conductor feeding HiFiMan HE-500 headphones and ATC SCM 20ASL Pro monitors.

 

It's fed via USB from a standard PC with a 2M Supra USB cable. I have not done much optimisation on this setup as yet, but I'm sure it will happen at sometime in the future - acoustics in that small room are not so good however.

 

office1.jpg

 

It's a fabulous lush sounding small setup, but it's ultimately eclipsed my my main rig.

Source:

*Aurender N100 (no internal disk : LAN optically isolated via FMC with *LPS) > DIY 5cm USB link (5v rail removed / ground lift switch - split for *LPS) > Intona Industrial (injected *LPS / internally shielded with copper tape) > DIY 5cm USB link (5v rail removed / ground lift switch) > W4S Recovery (*LPS) > DIY 2cm USB adaptor (5v rail removed / ground lift switch) > *Auralic VEGA (EXACT : balanced)

 

Control:

*Jeff Rowland CAPRI S2 (balanced)

 

Playback:

2 x Revel B15a subs (balanced) > ATC SCM 50 ASL (balanced - 80Hz HPF from subs)

 

Misc:

*Via Power Inspired AG1500 AC Regenerator

LPS: 3 x Swagman Lab Audiophile Signature Edition (W4S, Intona & FMC)

Storage: QNAP TS-253Pro 2x 3Tb, 8Gb RAM

Cables: DIY heavy gauge solid silver (balanced)

Mains: dedicated distribution board with 5 x 2 socket ring mains, all mains cables: Mark Grant Black Series DSP 2.5 Dual Screen

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System 2 and 3 in my signature are my desktop systems; system 2 is the preferred one.

 

Tend to agree with you and others who like to keep things separate. Active monitors are usually voiced a way that's too forward for casual or core enjoyment for me.............and the small chip amps used are usually a compromise to some degree. But desktop space is almost priceless so there's a tradeoff for standalone amplifiers.

 

I'd like to give the NAD vertical amp a try.........scouring the web for a pre-owned one at an affordable price now.....

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Not sure what I like more, the system or that amazing view!

 

thanks! i must admit it is quite a nice view -- i feel quite lucky to live where i do.

(1) holo audio red (hqp naa) > chord dave > luxman cl-38uc/mq-88uc > kef reference 1
(2) simaudio moon mind 2 > chord qutest > luxman sq-n150 > monitor audio gold gx100
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thanks! i must admit it is quite a nice view -- i feel quite lucky to live where i do.

 

With the view and the system, how do you get any work done :-)

Let every eye ear negotiate for itself and trust no agent. (Shakespeare)

The things that we love tell us what we are. (Aquinas)

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With the view and the system, how do you get any work done :-)

 

It can be quite a challenge . . .

(1) holo audio red (hqp naa) > chord dave > luxman cl-38uc/mq-88uc > kef reference 1
(2) simaudio moon mind 2 > chord qutest > luxman sq-n150 > monitor audio gold gx100
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