How about a word or two on your impressions ... per component perhaps or a quality (combined components) that the system conveys.
I know that you have done some reviews ... maybe a comment on expectations vs realization.
For one I would like to hear about impressions of the Orchid DAC, on how well all the file info is rendered.
@rego -- thanks for your comments. And your suggestions. I don't know what a broadband panel is but will look it up.
Here are a few impressions of components/system.
The amplifier/preamp combo of Quicksilver have excellent imaging, tonal balance, and soundstage. These amps drove a number of different speakers (Focal 936, Martin Logan ML60s, Fritz Carbons and Carreras) without effort until I finally decided on the Salks.
Initially, in my room, there was a lot of brightness in the high end (which I've discussed, ad nauseam, on this forum) and the partial "fix" for that was a combination of cables and, especially, better tubes for all tubed components -- in the amps and also in the Orchid DAC. In addition, Jim Salk sent me a couple of resistors which he said could be swapped into the speaker if I wished.
The bass response in the speakers is quite good. Two things make it better -- a REL sub and an Atoll IN200 integrated amp. I would not say the Quicksilvers cannot do very good bass -- they can. But with the punch of more power from the Atoll, there is a brisk, crisp, snappy bass with the solid state gear. There is more than a little loss in the fluid, intimate midrange presence when the tubes are gone; the depth of the soundstage is much flattened without the tubes. So, it's a tradeoff.
Having the "best of both worlds" (snappy bass and liquid midrange with deep soundstage) has been best achieved by using the tube preamp with only the amp portion of the Atoll solid state. The "hybrid" combination of these units works very nicely together.
The Orchid DAC was compared only to a couple others and it shines for natural, organic sounding instruments -- especially voice and piano. It was chosen over an older Peachtree DAC IT, an Audioengine D1 DAC, and the DAC built into the Node 2i streamer. A change of tubes in it to a Tesla 6CC42 softened some highs, but it just sounds great.
Regarding file info rendering, I use a Node 2i streamer, sending files either from a thumb drive (FLACs) or from Spotify, Amazon HD, and -- earlier during a trial, from Qobuz and Tidal. These work pretty well, though occasionally there is a hiccup, which usually happens because I try to do something else on my iPad (the controller) while the music is playing. Not sure why that happens.
