Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Erndog- go back and read..... I did. Reviews on both the Antipodes and Aurender are in pages gone by. Short answer - Aurender N10 way better to my ears, in my system. But my Mod'd Mac Mini still sounds better then both of them. The Antipodes was very well burned in. The Aurender was fresh. I'm going to listen Friday to both the Aurender and the Berk Ref. Stay tuned.

Hi Matt,

Another lurker here who has been following this thread with interest - after going the EMM Labs route, I settled on the Stahl Tek Vekian Opus for a DAC, but as an audiophile, am of course interested in seeing what else is out there. However, I wanted to pick up on your comments / requests for posts on power treatment.

I (like probably many of us here) have been through a number of power treatment options over the years, from the old API 116, to the Chang Lightspeed, Monster (the Richard Marsh designed products), MIT, Shunyata Hydra, Marigo Apparition, RGPC, PS Audio (P300 to PPP), Audience, Accuphase, etc.

Generally, in my experience, by far the most bang for the buck I have gotten (far more than any conditioner) is upgrading closer to the source, i.e., up to the meter (and further than that, if your power company lets you). I think most audiophiles, even the non-tweaky, are on board with the idea of dedicated AC lines, and a dedicated panel with solid copper bus bars for your audio equipment. (It sounds like you are going in this direction. The EP-2050 is also a nice addition).

Ideally, you would want to get a meter that allows you to run two main panels, and power your audio system on a separate panel from the rest of your house. Also, a huge difference comes from the grounding arrangement. I currently am using an isolated ground with a chemical grounding rod (a 10' copper rod buried underground) surrounded with ~0.5 tons of bentonite clay - nothing I have ever used in terms of power treatments has remotely made as much difference in reducing the noise floor, and at a much lower price to boot.

I also think you have it right by powering your amps straight from the wall - I have yet to find a conditioner that definitively improves such high current equipment. Pretty much all of them, in my experience, decrease dynamics (probably on account of reduced instantaneous current draw). The only exception I have found (other than parallel conditioners such as the MIT Z-Stabilizer and Marigo Apparition, which are not in line with the amps) are really massive isolation transformers (preferably 10 kVA or greater), although they come with their own issues (i.e., several folks have noted isolation transformers have their own sound, adding a bit of sweetness for lack of a better term).

I have enjoyed some success with regeneration systems, and unlike much "magic pixie dust" out there, they generally measure better with them in system than without. However, I would only use them with front end equipment (with the caveat that I have not tried the really massive PP3000, which I understand may address this issue).

I am not a fan of balanced power, not necessarily for performance reasons, but code violation and insurance issues (I have a hard time imagining that my house would qualify as a "commercial or industrial occupanc[y]" under NEC Article 647.3, and can guarantee my insurance company would deny any claim based on my system lighting up if I had balanced power in there. With that said, we all take our chances with audiophile PCs, which generally are not UL listed).

The one product category I am interested in getting more information on are the newer "grounding blocks", such as the Entreq and the Tripoint Troy - not sure I buy the explanation behind their particular application, but at least the theory of star grounding is something I understand.

Mattnshilp,

Any update on the Aurender N10-Mac Mini comparison? I'm considering the N10 to replace my current Mac Mini setup.

Asindc, in New Jersey where Matt lives, it is now the noon hour. There are still a full 12 hours to his Friday... I am confident that Matt will post more findings whenever he has time. Even a few more days of wait are little compared to the life of the Universe... 13.7 billion years and counting *grins!*

G.

G.

I've decided to give up the life of audiophilio-Insanitoriim. From now on, I'm only listening to music through cassette tape on my 1984 Sony Walkman and Koss headphones. And with that, it will ONLY be Flock of Seagulls - Space Age Love Song. Good bye cruel world!!!

What's the point anyway, in 2.7 billion years our precious Galaxy will collide head on with Andromeda galaxy and be ripped apart, sending the Earth and my entire tape collection to the nether regions of the ever expanding Universe.

Alas..... Alak........Anon......