Graduated From CD Players and DAC Thoughts

[ID.]

Well, due to space constraints, kids, the fact that I wasn't using it much and just general itchy feet, I sold off my main setup that consisted of an Esoteric RZ-1 and a pair of PMC DB1i and used the money on a pair of Genelecs for the living room and a Pioneer U-05 doing DAC/preamp/headphone amp duties in my office setup with a pair of Adam A7X and a set of Sennheiser HD650s.

Feels a bit strange not having a CD player, but I'd already pretty much stopped using it and just bought CDs to rip to lossless. So currently I rely on my Mac Mini, iPod Classic, Apple Music, and FiiO X5 into various DACs as my sources.

I was originally using a FiiO D03k in my living room and controling the volume with iTunes, but I moved my Icon HDP into the living room to give me an analogue control and more connectivity. I was expecting an clear improvement in sound with the Icon HDP which is around 10 times the price of the little FiiO, but honestly I'm not sure I can tell a real difference. Maybe if I had the two set up so I could switch between them instantly it would be clearer. The HDP, of course, gives me much better connectivity, etc. and I guess you pay for those features. Also left me impressed with how good the little FiiO is (and probably a sign that all competently designed DACs should sound pretty similar).

The Pioneer U-05 does sound different to the Icon HDP in my office setup. Very detailed, open and neutral - just how I like my sound. Works wonderfully with the slightly dark HD650s. I may get around to trying them out with a balanced connection some time in the future. I've yet to play around with the myriad settings and filters this DAC provides, so I'm not sure just how far I can tailor the sound.

Edit: I played around with the filters and lock range a little. The results are pretty subtle, but have enough of an impact on how bright or harsh it can be, so certainly nice to have. Certainly not to the degree of the apodizing filter I had on my RZ-1 which actually would've been nice in the way it made the sound more full bodied and textured while sounding a bit less open.

So far I'm very happy with my new toys and the flexibility these setups allow me.

 

[Kung fu dog]

I m very interested in this approach. I rarely play cd's these days and since buying a little sony hi res player I m amazed by the quality I can get from the little device through headphones . The idea of using this plus my nas to play through a dac into an amp then speakers seems a bit convoluted . Active speakers could be a solution. As a bit of a newbie to this I don't really understand the difference between monitors and speakers? Also what do you use cable wise to connect to them ? I looked on the back of those genelecs and didn't recognise any of the inputs.

 

[MajorFubar]

Nice blog ID. It can be quite difficult to let go of that CD player, I think especially if you are 40+ and from the generation which grew up with physical media. It's a different mindset when your full music collection it sat on a hard-drive or NAS somewhere all accessed by software on a dedicated streamer, mobile device or computer. The next mindmelt that many will take time to adjust to will be the migration away from locally-stored media to a world where everything's streamed in real time as you need it. Services like Spotify, Qobuz and Apple Music - in the forms we know them now - are just the embryonic start of it. Though progress in this field will be held back more by the supplier side (music and film industry / artists / distribution rights and copyright holders) than by the lethargy of consumers; the industry is already struggling to accept the concept that subscriber-funded streaming really is going to become the norm. But it will, and there's no going back.

 

[ID.]

I'm not quite 40, but the thought in the back of my head that a CDP might come in handy at some point is hard to shake. I told myself I could always pick up a cheap 2nd hand one as a transport. As far as relying on the cloud, I'd like a resolution equal or a closer to CD quality, even if it is just the knowing that Apple Music is at 256 that plants certain seeds of doubt in my mind.

For the Genelecs I use a RCA to XLR cable. Just a fairly cheap one. These kinds of cables and/or converters are easily available.

Personally, there isn't a difference between sudio monitors and speakers. They are just another speaker choice with their own advantages (matched amps in the speakers, bass/treble control, good clarity due to the active crossover, good value for money) and disadvantages (often a bit ugly because they are made for professional use rather than to fit into a living room, frequently no grills to protect the drivers, no ability to play around by upgrading/swapping around the amps - you are limited to changing your DAC and preamp).

 

[DIB]

I can't bring myself to live without a CDP even though I've got over 1200 albums ripped into FLAC files sitting on my PC upstairs. Keep meaning to try a dedicated NAS but I haven't committed so far and continue playing CDs. I've got a lot more important non hifi related things going on at the moment to worry about such things.

Interestingly my Creek CDP is away getting repaired at the moment, and as a temporary measure I bought myself a £10 2nd hand Harman Kardon DVD31 player off Gumtree to spin my discs. I've been staggered just how good a £10 player sounds.

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