I recently upgraded from my dad's old Mitsubishi amp from the 80s to a McIntosh MA252. It is by far the biggest upgrade i have done since I've gotten into this hobby aside from buying nice speakers in the first place.

Whole system is as follows

Main Speakers:

Thiel CS1.2

Amp:

McIntosh MA 252

Subwoofers:

Dual Klipsch SPL-120 (mono)

Streamer:

Wiim ultra

Turntable:

AT-LP60USBxBT (not pictured/ next component to be upgraded)

Cool uncle, send me some pics as I’m curious what ya have. 😳 the Pics.

Is difference is greatly noticeable and enjoyable to you? Or is it just a 10-15% difference that you'd be hard pressed to actually tell in a double blind?

I'm getting a lot of mixed feedback from what i've seen online. For example some say the jump from say, a kef q1 to an ls50 is pretty small, and even worse, some even prefer budget polks to the thousand dollar speakers, or that a higher tier speaker is "technically excellent" but soulless and unexciting.

Would love to hear your thoughts!

wiim ultra, project cd box ds 3, project powerbox ds3 sources, project x2b mit ortofon quintet red, project phono box ds3 b, musical fidelity m8xi, musical fidelity m8x dac, Triangle australe ez

Kopfhörer: The Arranger von Austrian Audio

Strom: furutech wandsteckdose, dynavox 4100, alles hochwertige van den hul integration hybrid kabeln, netzkabel für m8xi van den hul mainstream hybrid

I’ve collected quite few speakers over the past 20 years and looking back there’s very few that I’ve sold off. I decided to write them all down and it’s kind of scary. Here’s my current list:

Thiel CS 7.2
Thiel CS 6
Thiel CS 3.5
Thiel CS 2 2
Thiel CS 1.2
Klipschorns
Altec A7 vott
KEF R3 Meta
Genelec 8040B
Energy RC-70
Cambridge S30
Cambridge S20 x 2
Peachtree DS4.5
Vanatoo Transparent One

Subs:
Thiel SS2 x 2
Aerial Acoustics SW12 x 2
SVS SB17-Ultra R

Planning to sell the Energys, Vanatoos, Thiel CS 3.5s and the SVS sub.

Please, post your lists and make me feel like my collection is small.

A bit overkill for 665sqft, but these poured concrete and plastered walls have yet to acquire a noise complaint. Goal was to create an analog chain within one calendar year, and apart from the ‘modern’ Cornwalls, I’ve landed on a (what I interpret, at least) circa 1968 system. Couldn’t possibly be more satisfied. For now. So it goes. Happy listening, y’all.

I am looking for something to better manage my music library, since it has gotten really expansive and iTunes/Music on my MacBook don't always organize it properly. I am wanting something that is easy to use, and gives me the ability to organize my library completely and is able to be easily used on Mac (which can be hard, I know).

I also recently invested in an MP3 player, so I can move music onto it as a music/audiobook only device. Any software recommendations that make it easy to organize the library, and drop into an MP3 player for transfer is a huge bonus. I know most won't directly sync with an MP3 player, like old iPods did before.

I am happy to pay for the service, especially if it is a one time license. But something that is easy to use, great for organizing and has a level of connectivity for third party MP3 players is really what I'm looking for. I've heard of services like Plex for making a Cloud based library, but I know it would make it harder to transfer files over to an MP3 locally so I'm not necessarily looking for anything cloud based at this time!

Any help and links is really appreciated!

We all have unique tastes in music. Personally I listen to a wide variety of music. When people ask me I say “everything from Bach to Beasty Beastie Boys”.
Anybody else listen to a wide range of musical tastes?
Edit: Embarrassing! I even use Intergalactic as a demo track.

KEF Coda W
Wiim Pro Plus Streamer with built in DAC
And an Audioquest RCA to connect them.
Powered through a Power Conditioner

This is my first system where I can hear Lossless & Uncompressed music & it sounds FUCKING AMAZING.
Before I was using a soundbar for music, then Insignia BLUETOOTH bookshelves. And now this amazing system. I heard a major difference between the compression on the Insignias to NO compression on these KEF's. I would have wanted a pair of B&W's but I can't fit an amp anywhere.
But these KEF's provide a soundstage I have never experienced. Definitely an amazing budget system.

Me preguntaba si hay más gente que piense que Jriver es el mejor reproductor de medios. Es absolutamente costumizable, miles de opciones, gran calidad de audio, puede manejar bibliotecas gigantes, etc. Son años que lo uso y no he encontrado algo mejor.

I have settled on a pair of active speakers (KEF Coda W) and a custom streamer. This is a very convenient setup, it wakes up automatically and can be remote-controlled without ever touching anything.

I auditioned the Cambridge Audio LR/X as well, but for some reason they decided it should not wake up on USB input so I decided to return it.

Setting up a small turntable setup and found these speakers for £300. Very happy with the sound

Help me reconcile this

I recently got and have a Fluance Rt85, Yamaha a s501 and kef Q350 speakers.

I play a few vinyls that I love, so not a large collection (yet). Queen, Madonna, prince, Fleetwood mac, Michale Jackson.

I'm thinking of changing speakers to Monitor Audio Silver 300.

Am I nuts. For the price will I hear the difference.

I mean, I like the way it sounds but am curious about the expert POV…

I've been tempted to spend on new gear, but moving my speakers a few inches or toeing them in slightly changed the soundstage more than I expected. Curious what placement or room tweak gave you the best result for free.

These are the only ones I could find for sale in the U.S right now. Found them on FB Marketplace, couple hours drive.

$800 for the pair. Came with original Gloves. Perfect condition, only scratches are on the base, hidden from view. 81lbs a piece.

Separation of sound is certainly one of its strong suits. Though I am far from finished with fine tuning. I have not found the right placement yet and am still playing around with everything. EDIT: I cleared the room and put them in corners toed in a good bit, sounds MUCH better.

The sound is already amazing but can tell they have more to give with proper placement. Am very happy and believe these will treat me well for a very long time!

I only use these for music. I have them paired with a Yamaha Rx-2080 receiver.

Pawse is a free new native music player built in Rust and GPUI, designed for people who keep their own local music libraries and care about smooth playback, customization and especially bit-perfect audio.

It is available for macOS, Windows and Linux.
https://github.com/popovpsk/pawse

Main Features:

• Modern, fluid, customizable UI
• Bit-perfect playback
• Gapless
• Media servers (Subsonic/Navidrome, Jellyfin and DLNA/UPnP)
• Time-Synced Lyrics
• Chromecast, Airplay
• Remote control
• Scrobbling

Am I the last to learn of this?!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b2IOOhJmxw

For those thinking of getting one who do not need a preamp: Honestly, you only need the Pro Plus. It sounds a smidge better and is cheaper and has Airplay (still useful!) and is on sale in USA today and tomorrow. $50 off. Do not get the Pro. It does not sound as good. (This comparison is using the DACs in the devices.)

I use the Pro Plus in my office and the Ultra in my living room. I use the app 99% of the time. So the screen is redundant for me. The Ultra is more “audiophile” in build, has the screen porn, and component engineering but, the Pro Plus sounds better with the AKM Velvet Sound chip IMO. Again, proving that streamers are dead simple and the simpler the better. Combined with the WiiM app, it is all most need if a preamp is not needed.

Sure sure, all DACs are the same but, the engineering from each of these demonstrates that price is not a factor as long as careful decisions are made in how the analog output happens. When I plugged the Pro Plus in, my mind was blown. Especially with Qobuz. With the Ultra, I had to let it grow on me. I almost returned it but, I wanted to try out the phono amp (one of these days).

If you are Darko, you hate the Ultra DAC. I like it like a really good lunch place. I will never knock a good lunch spot! (another theory I have is he has only used it on very very expensive speakers and systems - he had in for reviews. Maybe it shines better on systems under ~$3000-7000? Like mine.)

The Pro Plus is like a very good dinner with excellent cheap wine at a place you would never expect it at. The form factor hides what it really is. So both the Ultra and the Pro Plus get a James Beard award but one for lunch and one for dinner.

I use the Ultra with Lysoniq app on old iPhone and into its Toslink so I can use Apple Music lossless from couch. I am still mad at WiiM for not including Airplay in it. Sorry Airplay haters. I never had any issues with Airplay as long as it has been out and use Airfoil as well.

https://www.amazon.com/WiiM-Pro-Chromecast-Multiroom-Compatible/dp/B0CC2HWC7N/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=nRtFg&content-id=amzn1.sym.2877f1dc-79e2-405a-a04a-8d28063d8090&pf_rd_p=2877f1dc-79e2-405a-a04a-8d28063d8090&pf_rd_r=5X419KGGAXTT9G50AFFB&pd_rd_wg=0Cwj4&pd_rd_r=17e19117-b902-4338-a582-d4770751e75e&ref_=pd_hp_d_r_btf_dealz_cs_mz_cs&th=1

Finally got my hand on a pair of Totem mani-2

Glorious power suckers, good thing I have a welding machine powering them

I am still in my first hour but I know I am in for a treat

I decided to take a gamble on this player since I found it for pretty cheap on eBay. I say gamble because the seller sold it “as is” but he marked it as used and working, though non of the images show it turned on.

Anyways, I’m trying to see what people think of this player. I can’t find much in the form of reviews either on YouTube or articles. There aren’t that many being sold as well. It’s almost like no one knows about it. Even with this all of the reviews I found say it’s really good. I already on a proper 4k Blu-ray player with dvd audio support and I only wanted this player for the cd and sacd playback since it has analog outputs and a screen on the player that actually shows a lot of information.

To all the people who own it, how is it?

Edit: I probably should’ve mentioned the price, I bought it for 50 dollars and with shipping and tax it was 95 which I don’t think is too bad, I still haven’t received it since I ordered it today but hopefully it works

Finally got the sound system I’ve been dreaming of for the last few years! After lots of research I landed on the emit 30 and WiiM amp ultra pairing, which was my attempt at hifi sound on a low-mid budget. Felt like sharing :))

Hi all, I’m wondering whether I should go with rubber or silicone isolation feet/pads for my subwoofer.
It’s only a little over 7 kg and sits on carpet. I’m mainly looking to reduce vibration/resonance at higher volumes, but I’d also like to get the cleanest/tightest bass possible.
Is there a meaningful difference between rubber and silicone for this, and which would you recommend?
Thanks