OT: Vintage Stereo setup (pic page 6)

[velomonkey]

Originally Posted by Scuzzer

That was how long a favorite Beethoven symphony was that the head of Sony wanted on one disc. Or was it a Bach symphony that the Sony Chairman's wife liked? I forget the particulars now.

Give that man the prize!!! Yup: it was symphony number 9 - I forget what composer, but basically it was a huge selling point. You could now listen to Symphony number 9 in it's entirety from start to finish in complete clarity without having to flip or change a record.

[josephr]

Originally Posted by echelon_john

This is so helpful. So is there a 'middle ground' solution that's like the Topping on steroids that would have enough punch for a larger space but maintain the simplicity and/or small footprint?

Would something like this be worth considering?
http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-...-wpc--300-3800

Sorry for the thread drift OP!

@40 watts, that device has a little more juice, but doesn't have any digital-to-analog conversion like the Topping --- you'd still have to run an analog signal from somewhere.

[velomonkey]

Originally Posted by josephr

that says a lot!!! So when you're saying retro and you're looking at the CR-440, you're looking at 70s stuff? IIRC, the 440 is 40wpc, which is plenty of power for a basic 2-way speaker like those Mirage. 8" woofer and 1' dome tweeter --- best set-up ever IMO.

pics when you're done!

For sure I will!!! As usual pace line is the place. My dad had his setup in his office - which was basically a decent sized downstairs bedroom. We always had music going - mostly late 60s early 70s: Cat Stevens, Linda R, Fleetwood Mac, Crosby Stills - you get the picture. He would program on a northstar computer and then right before he passed we got an Apple II. He woke my brother up at night cause he knocked every brick out in breakout - and basically we hadn't ever seen it done.

I did a workbench project with my ten year old son and that came out great and we take apart old computers and I tech him the parts and then we put them back together. Hoping he can see/hear the same with this. I go tomorrow to check out the stuff.

[sc53]

Originally Posted by thwart

At the risk of sounding like Joe Biden... a woman into bikes and audio equipment?

Yikes.

I know! Odd, isn't it? I know a few other female bike geeks and one other female audiophile but no other cross-overs (both hobbies).

[jet sanchez]

I found a neat old AKAI turntable made from cherry wood at Value Village for $25 but it needed a belt. Luckily, there is a vintage stereo repair shop just around the corner from me, I took these photos when I went in a few months ago.

[sc53]

Originally Posted by echelon_john

This is so helpful. So is there a 'middle ground' solution that's like the Topping on steroids that would have enough punch for a larger space but maintain the simplicity and/or small footprint?

Would something like this be worth considering?
http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-...-wpc--300-3800

Sorry for the thread drift OP!

I've got this in a bedroom with some small Silverline monitors and it is really good! NAD also makes a similarly sized D7050 that streams your music for you as well as everything the D3020 does. There are a lot of options out there now. Check out Music Direct, Crutchfield, and Audio Advisor.

[staggerwing]

Originally Posted by echelon_john

This is so helpful. So is there a 'middle ground' solution that's like the Topping on steroids that would have enough punch for a larger space but maintain the simplicity and/or small footprint?

Would something like this be worth considering?
http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-...-wpc--300-3800

Sorry for the thread drift OP!

The Topping TP32EX has more grunt, while still having a built-in DAC, but it is a significant jump in price. Not much of a fan of push button volume controls either, but that is a personal point.

At that point, I would likely just couple a modern DAC to a classic integrated amp or receiver.

[echelon_john]

OK, this is probably a really stupid question, so tell me to go google if you want: What is the advantage of a DAC over simply plugging into the RCA connectors from an Airport Express or directly from a device?

Right now, I have Airport Expresses running into old receivers.

Does using Airport Express defeat the purpose of a DAC with an amp like the Topper?

Thanks guys!

[Saint Vitus]

Originally Posted by jet sanchez

I found a neat old AKAI turntable made from cherry wood at Value Village for $25 but it needed a belt. Luckily, there is a vintage stereo repair shop just around the corner from me, I took these photos when I went in a few months ago.

Dude, there's a Thorens deck! To heck with the Asian stuff lol

[josephr]

Originally Posted by echelon_john

OK, this is probably a really stupid question, so tell me to go google if you want: What is the advantage of a DAC over simply plugging into the RCA connectors from an Airport Express or directly from a device?

Right now, I have Airport Expresses running into old receivers.

Does using Airport Express defeat the purpose of a DAC with an amp like the Topper?

Thanks guys!

minimal at best (some may disagree) but the DAC conversion in your iPod is probably as good as any dedicated DAC device....but, that's what the OP is dealing with is that he wants a better DAC than what his laptop has. The difference is that iPods are geared towards producing quality analog signal, whereas a laptop's sound board probably not so much. If I understand the OP correctly, if he had a desktop, he'd probably just get a good soundcard and run a line to the amplifier.

[giordana93]

Originally Posted by velomonkey

Regarding my office - It's not an office like a room, it's my 3rd floor and it's one big open space. Probably 35 feet long and 15 feet wide with an angular ceiling. My plan is to set up my computer and music stereo on one side and then a slight man-cave TV with 5.1 on the other side. That will be later.

Streaming - Yea, spotify and Pandora are out. There are new hi-fi quality higher bit rate sites. Tidal being the newest and with a large library that includes Led Zeppelin. I've read that even if you hook up a good receiver and speakers and get a decent DAC that typical iTunes MP3 files sound even better, not perfect, but certainly better. The sound card quality of a laptop just isn't great and even Jobs with iTunes did an improvement over what most people hear.

Then my vote goes for the yamaha; just ask about a nice price for a repair or replacement if it dies on you as a reassurance for an "extended warranty". I loved my cr240 till it lost the left channel. Mp3 will never sound good if you listen critically

[Ken Robb]

The mystery symphony is Beethoven's Ninth and it is marvelous.
I am slightly perplexed and wonder: If we believe that a quality sound system should reproduce sound over a wide frequency range at realistic volume with minimal distortion why do we care if we are listening to rock where the performers deliberately introduce distortion as part of their playing? I know what a violin or piano sound like live and when reproduced on a good system but how do I know how much over-modulation, fuzz,etc. a rock band intended. I surely want plenty of volume and wide frequency response but maybe distortion-free reproduction doesn't matter much for rock?

[IJWS]

Originally Posted by sc53

I've got this in a bedroom with some small Silverline monitors and it is really good! NAD also makes a similarly sized D7050 that streams your music for you as well as everything the D3020 does. There are a lot of options out there now. Check out Music Direct, Crutchfield, and Audio Advisor.

Now I'm the one looking for an amp! That D 3020 looks great. I love the idea of NAD and class D. Tell me everything that's wrong with it so I can get the idea out of my head!

[jghall]

As others have mentioned, just likes bikes, stereo stuff easily fits into the category of; “to each his/her own”.

Other than nostalgia, personally I see no reason to use vintage gear. I'd take a pair of Pioneer bs22 speakers and a newer receiver/ integrated amp beforehand. Not that those Sansui and Marantz power meters are not the bomb.

Even some of the lower end receivers have decent dacs.

There are quite a few inexpensive and nice sounding dacs out there. Schiit would be at the top of my list.

[SlackMan]

Originally Posted by echelon_john

OK, this is probably a really stupid question, so tell me to go google if you want: What is the advantage of a DAC over simply plugging into the RCA connectors from an Airport Express or directly from a device?

Right now, I have Airport Expresses running into old receivers.

Does using Airport Express defeat the purpose of a DAC with an amp like the Topper?

Thanks guys!

I noticed a big difference in sound quality between the Airport Express and a Musical Fidelity VDAC, which I think can be had for about $200 or so. So, I had optical digital signal out of the Airport Express into the VDAC, and then from VDAC RCAs to preamp and then power amp.