Recent content by scorpionro

I have a very similar system and my DAC choice was AudioGD DAC19DF; it's an older model, but at the time I compared it to the Cambridge Audio DacMagic and Firestone Spitfire and I found it largely superior ( according to my ears ). The closest model they currently make is the AudioGD NFB-17.32...

I generally like how it sounds. At times I feel that the sound is not clear enough and in some cases that it doesn't have enough weight. I've heard the R300s with a different amplifier and I liked the way they sounded. The ICs and speaker cables are Chord ( namely Chord Chameleon Plus and...

I am looking for an upgrade to my B&W 685 and I was wondering if the KEF R300 are a good match for a Rotel RA-1520. Unfortunately I can't really listen to them together without actually buying the R300.

I have the Essence ST in my PC and I would guess that the sound is quite similar. I found that using an external DAC ( Audio GD DAC19 DF ) was a significant step forward vs. the ST, but that DAC is way more expensive than what you were suggested. Personally, I wouldn't bother with the CS4398 kit...

I'm also using a computer as a source and I've been testing a few "variants". From my experience ( on both an XFi Fatal1ty Pro and on the Xonar ST ) use the coaxial out if you have it. The optical output sounded much worse for me ( I tried 4 different optical cables - none of them was priced at...

I've emailed Atlas about the Opus plugs and they confirmed that as they are phasing them out they might have used silver plated plugs instead of the gold plated plugs they were usually using ( rca plug 1 and rca plug 2 ) so I guess lucky me for getting a better plug :)

There's definitely a difference, but as you mentioned it's not earth breaking. The sound seems to be a bit leaner, cleaner and part of the brightness went way. Overall I find it to be a definite improvement, but it's by no means great value for my current system. I guess that it's simply not...

Unfortunately they were out of 3.0m Titans and the stock will never be replenished, so I ended up with your other winner :) ... a 2.0m Atlas Opus. I wanted to ask you if your Opus also has "silverish" contacts ( they mention that the RCA plug is gold plated, but mine is definitely not gold...

Thanks for the info. My system is not terribly bright, but at times ( and only on certain tracks ) it seems a tad too much, which is why I wanted to try a different IC ( preferably copper - I have some el cheapos, but they are really awful when compared to the SHB Avatar ). You did mention that...

Very nice review. I've been thinking about trying out some new ICs and for the price, the Titans seem quite a good deal. My system is somewhat on the bright side ( it's the system in the signature ) and I was wondering if you think that the Titans would be a good IC for it ?

idc: The Spitfire got a cracking review in this months mag..... http://whathifi.com/Review/Firestone-Spitfire/ That's exactly the reason I'm taking it into consideration; till this week I was set on getting the DacMagic, but now it seems that the Spitfire might be a better match for what I want

I live in Romania; I'm not interested in USB input, since I intend to connect the xonar st via optical output to the DAC. I also don't really need more than a single input, as I don't intend to plug the PS3 via the DAC ( I'll just keep using PS3 -> HDMI -> TV -> AMP as I do now ). I also don't...

I'm wondering if it's worth getting a DAC for my system - Rotel RA-05, B&W 685 on B&W FS-700 and for source I use my PC via ASUS Xonar ST and a PS3. The choices that are available in my country are Cambridge Audio DacMagic and Firestone Spitfire. I think that the Spitfire might be a better match...

I too use SHB Coherence LE as IC and some SHB 10AWB as speaker cables; I think they are great value for the money and I highly recommend them

I'd definitely also prefer more "stability" for his products; if I'll like them (and I'm pretty sure I will) I'd want to buy more or recommend them to my friends, which will be a bit difficult if they are replaced in one month by different products