2. amps-preamps
  3. 131712-103828

Picking an amplifier

I have the following speakers:
NHT 2.1 Front LR 200W @ 6ohms
NHT AC1 Center 150W @ 8 ohms
NHT SW2 Subwoofer 200W @ 8 ohms
The rear speakers are inconsequential (and boxed up) they might come out to play when I move to bigger digs.
I’ve been using NHTs 214s and 216s, (think lightbulbs) but the market is drying up. I remain unconvinced they are worth the shipping & costs to repair.
My (current) short list of replacement amps:
Outlaw Audio model 770 7 (7 channels)
Bryston 9B ST (5 channels) (2 years left on warranty)
Parasound 5125 (5 channels)
The budget is $1000, I have located sources for all three at or below $1000.
Any/all discussion of suitability, repair outlook, and peanut shells welcome. From a listening perspective, I've been fine with the NADs, but am priced out of the newer models. Nuts, I might even repair the NADs if I find the right person with the skills & tools.

shalmaneser
auxinput
2,920 posts
 

Okay further analysis. The Musiland has TRS85812NL on the RCA and BNC outputs. These are transformers for digital audio data transmission (which is the proper way to output SPDIF):

http://www.microchip.ua/trxcom/telecom/np97-100.pdf

It does not appear that the Xonar Essence or SEDNA cards have output transformers.

It does have a 24.576 crystal clock. Looks like good power supply filter support. Though, if those are through-hole capacitors, I would be pulling those out and replacing with some nice 220uf polymer caps (along with some .1uf MKPs soldered on the back side for high-frequency stabilization).

No extra DSP or analog stages. Just a non-nonsense well engineered SPDIF card (based on pictures). It also has a real BNC output (which performs better than RCA for spdif). Technically speaking, this is an excellent option and could very well be better than Xonar Essence. The proof is how well the software drivers actually work and real world listening tests. :) At $60, I may pull the trigger on one of these.

Ebay item has extended handling times, but it looks like it is in stock at Shenzhenaudio for $9 more:

https://www.shenzhenaudio.com/musiland-digital-times-24bit-192khz-pci-sound-card-spdif-toslink-bnc.html

Maybe worth trying?

shalmaneser OP
62 posts
 
Thanks for the links. The odds are good that the 8.1 drivers will work just fine - and probably why they haven't invested in updating them. 
shalmaneser OP
62 posts
 
auxinput: I look forward to your youtube video on modding the Musiland! 
Ag insider logo xs@2x
knownothing
1,592 posts
 
Shalmaeser, I am assuming you are questioning how Tidal could sound similar to Bluray (or 24/196 files)?  I will try to clarify.  Hi Res material generally sounds better from both multichannel Bluray (HDMI) and Hi Res 2 channel FLAC or AIFF formats (USB), but the general overall character of the sound of Redbook (CD/toslink or files/USB) or "HIFI" quality Tidal streaming source material (USB) is closer to Hi Res sources compared to Redbook from CDs via HDMI in my system.  Make sense?  I find Tidal can sound pretty good.  Clearly better than MP4 or Similar, if not quite as good as Redbook from CD of files for the same content.
shalmaneser OP
62 posts
 
@knownothing I'd not heard of Tidal, and now Redbook. Googling around a bit found the CD standard definition for Redbook. Tidal yielded a website of music. Thanks.
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