I would return the XP-12 and get a Hifi Rose SC150.
It's got all the preamp you need and a fine DAC.
It plays local without a network via touchscreen and BT remote.
Cost break down of hifi system
Hello, just curious on what you guys recommend for the cost breakdown of a hifi system ? I have heard a lot about 15%-20% for cables and roughly 30% on speakers. Right now I am in the middle of building my new system. I currently have pass labs xp-12 demo model and an x250.8 NIB from Reno Hifi. I got a hell of a deal at $13500 for both. I also got a very light demo pair of Dynaudio contour 60i for 25% off. Based off what I have given, could you guys give me a breakdown on what I should spend on source and cables ? I was leaning at the Cardas cyngus cables. For dacs I was looking at the all in one lumin t3 or an aurender n200 with the chord qutest dac. I am also debating which audioquest niagra to get, the 1200 or 3000 ? Seems the me the 1200 does everything. I’m open to suggestions so please tell me if I am off track. I wanna get it right the first time.
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+1 to the recommendations of @hilde45 Speakers and room are a system unto themselves, and the positions of the speakers and listener(s) in the room are part of that. As are any acoustic treatments you add -- and their importance in many rooms is hard to overstate. One cannot get really good sound in many domestic rooms without attention to acoustics. And no, I don’t mean a few shelves of CDs at random depths. I have not found much value in expensive cables. IME, they act as fixed tone controls. Yet, if you have wide musical tastes, you will find that the tonal balance of recordings varies quite a bit, so cables that work best with recording A aren’t best with B. Some people get on a cycle of gear replacement. If that variation in tonal balance bothers you (as it does me), I suggest considering a good equalizer like the Schiit Loki Max. For the price of one pair of fancy interconnects, you will have flexibility and control. It’s amazing how quickly the desire to change equipment can diminish once you have that control. |
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P.S. About cables. I found that upgrading to better versions of my Analysis Plus IC's and speaker cables allowed a clearer, more transparent signal through. (I did not spend a bundle on them and I got them used.) Because I have a tube dac, preamp, and amp, there are many ways to tweak the sound down the line from that nice, clear source. Indeed, based on things @decooney and @djones51 and others have argued, I'm currently trying a non-tube DAC (the Schiit). For me, the objective is to retain the tube sound I like by flavoring what is initially the clearest signal from streamer and DAC. Keeping various forms of noise away from those sources is a concomitant requirement, of course. |
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