Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

Ghost said:
So far this Wilsenton seems like the best fit for my needs as well aesthetic. The Kinki and Choco Studios both seem like great options but the Choco would have me sacrifice my ability to hook up a streamer + entertainment system from my understanding.

The Kinki seems pretty compelling if I want to forego the tube direction. For some reason the NAD C 3050 doesn't feel like it'll be the upgrade from the C 316BEE that I'm looking for. Maybe I'm wrong though.

Anyways thanks for the recommendations.

Yes @HiFi Guy I'm definitely open to preowned options as well, but I don't know what to look for! Will check out the one you attached!
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Not necessarily on the streamer point for the kinki. It does have 3 inputs only that one is balanced. Given the Sutherland you are using is unbalanced (RCA), and the connection from the projector likely is too, it would just mean that you needed a streamer with a balanced output and a set of balanced (xlr) cables. Both eversolo and fiio do not outrageously priced streamers with a balanced output.

DMP-A6 Streamers，Eversolo DMP-A6

DMP-A6 Streamers，Eversolo DMP-A6
www.eversolo.com www.eversolo.com

All-in-One Desktop HD DTS Decoding and Ear Mafer-FiiO R7

FiiO R7 combines transmitter/decoder/amp/preamp/media playback functions into one unit. It features numerous connections and expansion capabilities and rich operating modes, providing an excellent desktop HiFi experience!
www.fiio.com www.fiio.com
 
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Ghost said:
So far this Wilsenton seems like the best fit for my needs as well aesthetic. The Kinki and Choco Studios both seem like great options but the Choco would have me sacrifice my ability to hook up a streamer + entertainment system from my understanding.

The Kinki seems pretty compelling if I want to forego the tube direction. For some reason the NAD C 3050 doesn't feel like it'll be the upgrade from the C 316BEE that I'm looking for. Maybe I'm wrong though.

Anyways thanks for the recommendations.

Yes @HiFi Guy I'm definitely open to preowned options as well, but I don't know what to look for! Will check out the one you attached!
Click to expand...
Just checked out the specs on the NAD C 3050. It looks like a nice piece. So many great options these days. Good hunting.
 
Any Denton 80 users still regularly listening to them?

Auditioned a pair a year ago and wasn’t overly impressed but after more and more auditions their value proposition revealed itself. They are far from perfect but I know what they do and don’t do well and am considering getting a pair for my main setup and moving the PSBs to my WFH desk. Is this stupid? Am I being stupid?
 
ngower said:
Any Denton 80 users still regularly listening to them?

Auditioned a pair a year ago and wasn’t overly impressed but after more and more auditions their value proposition revealed itself. They are far from perfect but I know what they do and don’t do well and am considering getting a pair for my main setup and moving the PSBs to my WFH desk. Is this stupid? Am I being stupid?
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Well, you definitely came to the right group of people for sound fiscal and audio spending advice.
 
mindhead1 said:
Just checked out the specs on the NAD C 3050. It looks like a nice piece. So many great options these days. Good hunting.
Click to expand...
I've been living with my C3050 for a couple of weeks now and I'm not blown away. Could be that I've unbalanced my system (not changed the speakers - Wharfedale 230s) but I'm generally noticing that the digital inputs sound great but are much louder than the phone and line. Phono stage isn't doing much for me at all so I'm likely to bring the Schiit Mani back into play for a bit. Only one line in is a bit of a PITA though, as I need to bump the tape deck (which I do use) for the phono pre.

That's just my experience, lots of variables and YMMV. Turntable is a Technics SL1210-MK2 with an Audio Technica VM540ML.
 
hamicle said:
I've been living with my C3050 for a couple of weeks now and I'm not blown away. Could be that I've unbalanced my system (not changed the speakers - Wharfedale 230s) but I'm generally noticing that the digital inputs sound great but are much louder than the phone and line. Phono stage isn't doing much for me at all so I'm likely to bring the Schiit Mani back into play for a bit. Only one line in is a bit of a PITA though, as I need to bump the tape deck (which I do use) for the phono pre.

That's just my experience, lots of variables and YMMV. Turntable is a Technics SL1210-MK2 with an Audio Technica VM540ML.
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Yeah the phono stage is not anything special. I was coming from a Pluto and it’s slightly better. One day I may upgrade the stage.
 
hamicle said:
I've been living with my C3050 for a couple of weeks now and I'm not blown away. Could be that I've unbalanced my system (not changed the speakers - Wharfedale 230s) but I'm generally noticing that the digital inputs sound great but are much louder than the phone and line. Phono stage isn't doing much for me at all so I'm likely to bring the Schiit Mani back into play for a bit. Only one line in is a bit of a PITA though, as I need to bump the tape deck (which I do use) for the phono pre.

That's just my experience, lots of variables and YMMV. Turntable is a Technics SL1210-MK2 with an Audio Technica VM540ML.
Click to expand...

You could potentially get a little box little this that lets you switch between four rca inputs going into the one line in on the NAD.

doukaudio.com

Douk Audio VU2 MIC+LINE Dual Analog VU Meter Stereo RCA Audio Splitter Switcher Box Audio Spectrum Display

Warm Tips Compatible with most audio devices, but cannot guarantee 100%. If there exists common ground noise, please add an isolation module between VU2 and your device. Features VU2 VU meter & audio splitter box is originally designed by Douk Audio: As an analog VU meter, with wired stereo RCA...
doukaudio.com doukaudio.com
 
Joe Mac said:
You could potentially get a little box little this that lets you switch between four rca inputs going into the one line in on the NAD.

doukaudio.com

Douk Audio VU2 MIC+LINE Dual Analog VU Meter Stereo RCA Audio Splitter Switcher Box Audio Spectrum Display

Warm Tips Compatible with most audio devices, but cannot guarantee 100%. If there exists common ground noise, please add an isolation module between VU2 and your device. Features VU2 VU meter & audio splitter box is originally designed by Douk Audio: As an analog VU meter, with wired stereo RCA...
doukaudio.com doukaudio.com
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I've got a wee box for switching between two inputs/outputs so I'll wire that in.
 
ngower said:
Any Denton 80 users still regularly listening to them?

Auditioned a pair a year ago and wasn’t overly impressed but after more and more auditions their value proposition revealed itself. They are far from perfect but I know what they do and don’t do well and am considering getting a pair for my main setup and moving the PSBs to my WFH desk. Is this stupid? Am I being stupid?
Click to expand...
I’ve got the Denton 80s in my home office. Got them for around $400 a few years ago. I like em a lot! I’m not as attuned to the nuances of all the different speakers and haven’t auditioned a ton like some of you folks but I enjoy them. Not too huge for a home office and they sit on my desk. I used to have KEF R300s on my desk but they were just way too huge. Loved those too though.

Had some vintage KEF101s too but something happened with them and I couldn’t troubleshoot it. The quotes I got for fixing them were more than I paid for the speakers themselves…if anybody here knows how to fix speakers and wants to tinker around….let me know haha. Wouldn’t mind having those back!
 
Joe Mac said:
You know people that fix up or customise cars as a hobby without the end goal being to drive them in one manor or another?
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A few people actually. They love working on cars.
They might spend a 1,000 hours in a year working on a car as a hobby, with less than 100 hours actually behind the wheel. Mostly going to cars and coffee or other similar auto gatherings where they meet with other enthusiasts. Then a month or two after it’s done, they basically just want to break even for parts so they can roll the funds into a new project. My brother in law actually has a truck I’ve never seen him drive, another that has been in a different city for 2 years, and the frame and engine of a hot rod project that he’s had since before my wife and I got married.

I also know people with off-road vehicles or sports cars that get less than 20 days a year behind the wheel. It seems common for car guys to put more time into finding/building the car than actually driving it.
 
displayname said:
A few people actually. They love working on cars.
They might spend a 1,000 hours in a year working on a car as a hobby, with less than 100 hours actually behind the wheel. Mostly going to cars and coffee or other similar auto gatherings where they meet with other enthusiasts. Then a month or two after it’s done, they basically just want to break even for parts so they can roll the funds into a new project. My brother in law actually has a truck I’ve never seen him drive, another that has been in a different city for 2 years, and the frame and engine of a hot rod project that he’s had since before my wife and I got married.

I also know people with off-road vehicles or sports cars that get less than 20 days a year behind the wheel. It seems common for car guys to put more time into finding/building the car than actually driving it.
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But they do drive them, was the point, not that they spend as much time driving as they do tinkering with them.
 
Lee Newman said:
But they do drive them, was the point, not that they spend as much time driving as they do tinkering with them.
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It’s like the million dollar audio man didn’t listen. That was the whole point of the analogy.

I’m just saying lots of hobbies have people that tinker more than enjoy. But it seems like I’m audio people are taken back by the constant tinkerer who has a low listen to tinker ratio.
 
displayname said:
It’s like the million dollar audio man didn’t listen. That was the whole point of the analogy.

I’m just saying lots of hobbies have people that tinker more than enjoy. But it seems like I’m audio people are taken back by the constant tinkerer who has a low listen to tinker ratio.
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I can see this. Many OCD peeps are caught up in the perfecting that they can't stop to enjoy the cognac. They just want to obsess over a project trying to make it perfect as possible.

We have engineers at work that you finally have to just turn off the charge number and say "thanks for playing, project is closed"
 
Jbraswell said:
I can see this. Many OCD peeps are caught up in the perfecting that they can't stop to enjoy the cognac. They just want to obsess over a project trying to make it perfect as possible.

We have engineers at work that you finally have to just turn off the charge number and say "thanks for playing, project is closed"
Click to expand...
Have to be *that guy* for a second, but OCD is a legitimate, debilitating mental health issue. Obsessiveness, attention to detail, etc are good alternatives to OCD in situations like these.
 
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