Hideous. Look, the last thing you want to do on a budget is throw money away on absolute crap.
It's a DAC that also handles Bluetooth. I do need a DAC here. Why is it hideous?
Dream Speakers = landed. Now I need to feed them!
So I scored a pair of Belle Klipsch (1987 models, AB crossover). I would have gone for Khorns, but the room they were going in just wasn't going to work. RIght now, I'm running a cheap little Sony (STR-DH190) stereo receiver on them, and even that sounds amazing, but I know I've barely scratched the surface of what they're capable of. The dream is a pair of SET monoblocks (probably 300B type), though I'm worried about not being able to drive the bottom enough. I listen to a wide array of music from classical and opera to extreme metal, though my wife is decidedly more of a rock person, so I definitely need something that will push those woofers proper.
Due to lifestyle and logistics, a big piece of my source audio is going to be HQ feeds from my laptop via Bluetooth. I know, not an ideal source, but until I build my HTPC, it's just going to have to work. I also need to run optical out from my Sony Bravia (which I can't do right now because the receiver doesn't have optical in and the TV doesn't have analog out).
Here's the hard part: Right now, I can't really spend more than $1k for the whole shebang. So I started hunting.
At first I was sniffing around looking for a tube preamp that can handle both Bluetooth and Toslink, but all that seems to be out there are suspiciously cheap Chinese integrated amps that have no pre out for later use. I also looked at some dedicated DAC's such as the Cambridge Audio DACMagic, that I knew I could pair with a BT-capable tube pre. But I'm still sketchy about the cheap Chinese kit. I've heard positive things about Dared, though, and I was thinking their 5BT would be a good foundation alongside the aforementioned DAC, because I could use its power stage for right now, and if I can't stay in the right now budget to get a good pair of monoblocks, then I could wait for a while and buy the right ones later.
Thoughts? Opinions? Alternative ideas?
Due to lifestyle and logistics, a big piece of my source audio is going to be HQ feeds from my laptop via Bluetooth. I know, not an ideal source, but until I build my HTPC, it's just going to have to work. I also need to run optical out from my Sony Bravia (which I can't do right now because the receiver doesn't have optical in and the TV doesn't have analog out).
Here's the hard part: Right now, I can't really spend more than $1k for the whole shebang. So I started hunting.
At first I was sniffing around looking for a tube preamp that can handle both Bluetooth and Toslink, but all that seems to be out there are suspiciously cheap Chinese integrated amps that have no pre out for later use. I also looked at some dedicated DAC's such as the Cambridge Audio DACMagic, that I knew I could pair with a BT-capable tube pre. But I'm still sketchy about the cheap Chinese kit. I've heard positive things about Dared, though, and I was thinking their 5BT would be a good foundation alongside the aforementioned DAC, because I could use its power stage for right now, and if I can't stay in the right now budget to get a good pair of monoblocks, then I could wait for a while and buy the right ones later.
Thoughts? Opinions? Alternative ideas?
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- 76 posts total
sgreg1109 posts04-01-2021 12:02pmDon’t care what anyone will say but you can’t do HT and two channel with one system without major compromises to the two channel sound. Even if you have to plug and unplug the speakers for the different applications keep they systems separate. Trust me been there three it thought it was great but soon realized it was a big fail. Went to two channel independent and never looked back. @sgreg1 Yes you can! I have a HT and I would challenge you that my 2 channel sounds as good as many 2 channel systems. Admittedly, I’ve spent a lot to get that sound( Vertere Acoustics MG-1 table/ Rogue Ares Magnum phono drive,Classe SSP-800 processor with analog pass through to 2 Jeff Rowland Model 12 monoblocks powering JM Lab Mezzo Utopia’s). There are zero sonic compromises. I think a lot depends on the processor in many ways. |
Don’t listen to Millercarbon. Go with a Dyna 70. It’s even sorta period correct. There are many available as stock, or modified as this one is: https://www.ebay.com/itm/DYNACO-DYNAKIT-VTA-ST-70-Tube-Amplifier-NEW-Build-/154394386390?_trksid=p23... Still considered one of the best amps of all time. Period. Pair it with a Dyna PAS. You will want a rebuilt modified PAS. A bit more than your budget at the moment, but if you stretch it, this could last you a long time. A very long time. |
- 76 posts total