Hi fsmithjack,
You asked about transports and speakers; there is something cool I can share, although not really about my own system, which is nothing special.
I listen mostly to classical music ripped to lossless files stored on my Mac Pro. I play these with VLC software running on macOS Sierra. I usually rip new CD’s immediately but otherwise use a Marantz CD6000OSE CD player. This elderly player sounds excellent routed through my DS. Ted Smith has claimed that all transports sound the same with the DS DAC because it does not rely on timing from the source which could cause jitter. Maybe his opinion will change now that PSA has introduced the DS Memory Player. With ability to deliver full SACD resolution to the DS via encrypted I2S, that transport sounds like the new SOTA.
As for speakers, I listen near-field via a pair of Wharfedale Opus 2 M2’s. Alternatively, I switch to Altec-Lansing Valencia 846b’s that mated well with my previous all-tube system. PSA CEO Paul McGowan doesn’t like horns but I think the Valencias sound fine within their limits. I also listen to Audeze LCD-2 headphones through the headphone section of the BHK preamp.
That’s my stuff, but maybe the question should be “what transport and speakers are best?”
To begin addressing this I wondered what choices Ted Smith made for his personal system, which led me to this page where he listed all his equipment.
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/members/ted-smith/
As I write this, Ted has not updated the list for over a year, so take it with a grain of salt. He may well have updated the preamp, amp, and transport with PSA equipment by now. But regarding the transport especially his choice is quite remarkable! In this list Ted is using an Oppo BDP-103 updated to include a Vanity 103HD DoP analog board. The unique feature of this board is that it outputs full multichannel SACD digital for connection to the DAC of your choice. This is huge as it somehow bypasses Sony’s encryption which normally prevents the Oppo from outputting full SACD digital.
Ted uses his Oppo BDP-103 with a Vanity 103HD DoP to drive no less than THREE DS DAC’s for full surround sound. The story of how he came to adopt this system is documented in the following PSA forum thread:
http://www.psaudio.com/forum/directstream-all-about-it/dop-output-from-an-oppo/
Audiopraise Vanity boards are sold by JVB Digital:
http://www.jvbdigital.nl/jvb.asp?cur=2&level=sdi&page=browse&searchtype=quicksearch&searchstring=vanity
For speakers, Ted uses JM Lab Utopia (Novas, Altos, sub).
PSA also has another product under development that has caught my interest: speakers.
http://www.psaudio.com/forum/loudspeakers-1/new-ps-audio-speakers/
This becomes more intriguing when you realize they are being designed by none other than Arnie Nudell of Infinity / Genesis fame.
http://www.stereophile.com/content/arnie-nudell-infinity-genesis#qP67dVSIl0Bu8icL.97
So, yeah, there’s that to look forward to. In the meantime, I am basking in a new CD set (Marie-Catherine Girod - Mendelssohn Complete Works for Solo Piano). The Marantz player may not be SOTA but the DS DAC makes it sing like a nightingale!
