I think it's a good idea to keep a back up amp around. I have several. It's also good to hear things from a different perspective occasionally.
Audio withdrawal
I experienced the audiophile's worst nightmare today. A component (NuForce reference 9 mono block amplifier) went bad. It's made by a company which has gone out of business and has no referring repair service.
My local stereo repair shop was not sure they could fix it.
My system is fine tuned to just the way I like it, and I didnt want to start over with the nightmare of mixing and matching components until I found just the right combination.
After extensive Googling, I managed to find the one person in the universe who is qualified to repair my amp, an ex NuForce employee. I sent it off today.
My problem is It's going to take a week or two before it comes back and I'm already in audio withdrawal.
Trying to find something to do, I'm writing this post.
Anyone have other suggestions?
My local stereo repair shop was not sure they could fix it.
My system is fine tuned to just the way I like it, and I didnt want to start over with the nightmare of mixing and matching components until I found just the right combination.
After extensive Googling, I managed to find the one person in the universe who is qualified to repair my amp, an ex NuForce employee. I sent it off today.
My problem is It's going to take a week or two before it comes back and I'm already in audio withdrawal.
Trying to find something to do, I'm writing this post.
Anyone have other suggestions?
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In my opinion Class D sounds better when theres a hybrid type of system employed with tubes in the input stage to add a bit of warmth, which is similar to class AB. I have tried solid state preamps with Class D amplifiers of different manufacturers and always came back to the same conclusion. It just sounds right when tubes are in the mix. |
To make you happy, go to massdrop.com and purchase some quality headphones for far less. A friend suggested me just today. There is a section - audiophile. Click on that and explore. https://www.massdrop.com/?origin=%2Faudiophile |
Ditto dbtom’s recommendation. Time for some nice cans and a little headphone amp. AKG K550 (extremely comfortable!), Asgard 2, and a Dragonfly Black plugged into a laptop. Cans, amp, & DAC all new for around $600. Late arriving thought: the K550s are sensitive enough you could drive them very well with a DragonFly (v1.2) alone. |
Interestingly, I'm a retired Classical musician who was getting bored with music and started this addiction to audiophilia. Now that I don't have my toys to play with any more, I've gone to my Cowan MP3 player loaded with great music. I'm starting to listen to MUSIC again. I'm forced now to concentrate on the music and not how I can tweak the sound. It's a great pleasure to get back to my first love which is music. It can only be a bonus when I get my set back together, if I don't let the addiction take over again. |
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Time for some headphone listening. It’s where I started (re-started) my audio journey for no other reason than budget constraints. Headphones, IEMs, Amp/DACS, and playback sources are enjoying real growth so there’s plenty of good values to be had for a few hundred dollars to get you through the downtime. And, who knows?, you might start another branch to your enjoyment of this hobby. Then again, there’s some awesome gear available for a few thousand too. Good luck. |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfUD0WhE264 Uhm, watch some videos? |