Hey all and thanks for the responses thus far!
In regard to mixing and matching, of course synergy between components is key. What I prefer in my system is something smooth and easy to listen to. I am actually very sensitive in the upper frequencies and can easy get fatigued. I thus try shy away from anything which is sibilant, etched or too bright.
For example, I could not stand the Benchmark DAC-1 even feeding tube amplification. I much preferred the Apogee Mini-DAC I used to own, which I found to be warmer and more musical. I would gladly sacrifice extreme detail extraction for musicality and smoothness. I would, however, be wary of anything too euphonic, rolled off or soft in the bass region.
Timnaim - do you find the bass to be sloppy at all? From what I have read, the tube used would make a great difference - the likes of the WE396A may be too slow or "tubey" whilst something like a Bendix 2C51 better at being crisp, clear, and with better bass control.
One other question I have - I'd be using the Macbook outputing digital optical to the DAC. I have it set at 24/96 generally....is there any negative effect or loss in sound quality feeding 24/96 data to a 16-bit DAC (like the Havana)?
In regard to mixing and matching, of course synergy between components is key. What I prefer in my system is something smooth and easy to listen to. I am actually very sensitive in the upper frequencies and can easy get fatigued. I thus try shy away from anything which is sibilant, etched or too bright.
For example, I could not stand the Benchmark DAC-1 even feeding tube amplification. I much preferred the Apogee Mini-DAC I used to own, which I found to be warmer and more musical. I would gladly sacrifice extreme detail extraction for musicality and smoothness. I would, however, be wary of anything too euphonic, rolled off or soft in the bass region.
Timnaim - do you find the bass to be sloppy at all? From what I have read, the tube used would make a great difference - the likes of the WE396A may be too slow or "tubey" whilst something like a Bendix 2C51 better at being crisp, clear, and with better bass control.
One other question I have - I'd be using the Macbook outputing digital optical to the DAC. I have it set at 24/96 generally....is there any negative effect or loss in sound quality feeding 24/96 data to a 16-bit DAC (like the Havana)?