Incoming! The New Equipment Thread

SnowmaNick said:
Lumin U2 Mini has landed. Currently trying it without the Denafrips Iris DDC, going USB straight to the Pontus II.

View attachment 201567

On a side note, I’m really looking forward to the new rack as managing cables and equipment is a PITA currently.
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I've gotta say, the size alignment here is quite nice. Not often that you can get that close coming from two different manufactures.
 
mindhead1 said:
I’m R2R curious.
- What are the differences between the Ares and Pontus?
- Is the Pontus worth the $$$?
- Should one walk the path Ares -> Pontus to appreciate the differences or just go for the Terminator and call it a day?
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I liked the final suggestion from this video:

He basically said email Alvin at Vinshine and tell him about your system, and he'll help you find the right level for your system.
Based on his notes, I'd imagine I'd be in Venus territory. My wallet isn't currently in Venus territory, but it's good to know for future considerations.

This hobby though, whew. It'll wear you out. I end up passing on some many upgrades because the steps are just larger than I'm comfortable with. I think to *really* do the digital side right my system could probably support Lumin U2 Mini with a Venus dac. But that's 6550. Plus I'd want appropriate power cables because I've become a big believer in that, so add in some more.

This is where I come back to streamer/DAC combos. The new Lumin P1 Mini is projected to be around $5k. But one power cord. No USB/digital cable between units. Total outlay becomes a lot less. But even $5K makes me uncomfortable for a streamer if I can't find it used. So that points me to something like the new Auralic Vega S1 with upgraded power supply. $3K and only 1 cable. Still a silly amount of money, but that feels much more digestible.

Very long winded way of staying go step by step if you need to! There's always something more and something better. But if you can't, or don't feel comfortable at the price point... it'll be there later. The Pontus is probably worth the money, but only if you have it and you're comfortable with it.
 
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displayname said:
I liked the final suggestion from this video:

He basically said email Alvin at Vinshine and tell him about your system, and he'll help you find the right level for your system.
Based on his notes, I'd imagine I'd be in Venus territory. My wallet isn't currently in Venus territory, but it's good to know for future considerations.

This hobby though, whew. It'll wear you out. I end up passing on some many upgrades because the steps are just larger than I'm comfortable with. I think to *really* do the digital side right my system could probably support Lumin U2 Mini with a Venus dac. But that's 6550. Plus I'd want appropriate power cables because I've become a big believer in that, so add in some more.

This is where I come back to streamer/DAC combos. The new Lumin P1 Mini is projected to be around $5k. But one power cord. No USB/digital cable between units. Total outlay becomes a lot less. But even $5K makes me uncomfortable for a streamer if I can't find it used. So that points me to something like the new Auralic Vega S1 with upgraded power supply. $3K and only 1 cable. Still a silly amount of money, but that feels much more digestible.

Very long winded way of staying go step by step if you need to! There's always something more and something better. But if you can't, or don't feel comfortable at the price point... it'll be there later. The Pontus is probably worth the money, but only if you have it and you're comfortable with it.
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To me, system balance is everything. And you are so correct, there is always something better.
 
displayname said:
I liked the final suggestion from this video:

He basically said email Alvin at Vinshine and tell him about your system, and he'll help you find the right level for your system.
Based on his notes, I'd imagine I'd be in Venus territory. My wallet isn't currently in Venus territory, but it's good to know for future considerations.

This hobby though, whew. It'll wear you out. I end up passing on some many upgrades because the steps are just larger than I'm comfortable with. I think to *really* do the digital side right my system could probably support Lumin U2 Mini with a Venus dac. But that's 6550. Plus I'd want appropriate power cables because I've become a big believer in that, so add in some more.

This is where I come back to streamer/DAC combos. The new Lumin P1 Mini is projected to be around $5k. But one power cord. No USB/digital cable between units. Total outlay becomes a lot less. But even $5K makes me uncomfortable for a streamer if I can't find it used. So that points me to something like the new Auralic Vega S1 with upgraded power supply. $3K and only 1 cable. Still a silly amount of money, but that feels much more digestible.

Very long winded way of staying go step by step if you need to! There's always something more and something better. But if you can't, or don't feel comfortable at the price point... it'll be there later. The Pontus is probably worth the money, but only if you have it and you're comfortable with it.
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I think with all of this there's always a few points that will always be "the best" way to go about it.
  • Buy the best you can afford
  • Price should be based on usage
  • Noticeable upgrades, will usually cost you double of what you currently have. (Baring that diamond in the rough Bang for your buck unit...they are out there)
To elaborate a bit, CD's have become a viable format due to scarcity and cost of certain vinyl pressings. With that said, I wanted the best I could muster without going overboard because the reality is that I'm still most likely to drop an album on my TT than load up a CD. So I set a budget that I felt could get me something decent ($500ish). Settled on the Audiolab 6000CDT, because I still like the option of swapping out the DAC instead of the entire unit, then added a simple Schiit Multibit to it and it was pretty dang good.............for my usage.

I'll also always back the logic of not passing on deals and or opportunities, IF, they still fall within your budget. The Denafrips Ares II pretty much solidified the CD part of my system at a price I was ok with, it just kind of popped up, was able to pick it up for $570 used and the world is a wonderful place.

There is always "better", but you can't just keep spending your time and money chasing in this hobby. I ran through A LOT of gear, but with a purpose, to find my sweet spot at my cost. Don't get too frazzled in the gear, gear now a days is leaps an bounds beyond where it was, you don't have to spend a lot to have a good system, regardless of the format.

In the end, don't spend too much on the piece of the chain you might not use as much ;)
 
AnthonyI said:
I think with all of this there's always a few points that will always be "the best" way to go about it.
  • Buy the best you can afford
  • Price should be based on usage
  • Noticeable upgrades, will usually cost you double of what you currently have. (Baring that diamond in the rough Bang for your buck unit...they are out there)
To elaborate a bit, CD's have become a viable format due to scarcity and cost of certain vinyl pressings. With that said, I wanted the best I could muster without going overboard because the reality is that I'm still most likely to drop an album on my TT than load up a CD. So I set a budget that I felt could get me something decent ($500ish). Settled on the Audiolab 6000CDT, because I still like the option of swapping out the DAC instead of the entire unit, then added a simple Schiit Multibit to it and it was pretty dang good.............for my usage.

I'll also always back the logic of not passing on deals and or opportunities, IF, they still fall within your budget. The Denafrips Ares II pretty much solidified the CD part of my system at a price I was ok with, it just kind of popped up, was able to pick it up for $570 used and the world is a wonderful place.

There is always "better", but you can't just keep spending your time and money chasing in this hobby. I ran through A LOT of gear, but with a purpose, to find my sweet spot at my cost. Don't get too frazzled in the gear, gear now a days is leaps an bounds beyond where it was, you don't have to spend a lot to have a good system, regardless of the format.

In the end, don't spend too much on the piece of the chain you might not use as much ;)
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Totally agree with the element of usage. I also agree with the double down (from an MSRP perspective).

I think that's the real rub. Doubling down... whew it makes my head spin. I've found several amps that I would be willing to let replace my Mastersound. But they are all in double down turf. That's big money. Like extended vacation money. It's just a hard sell.

So I've moved into squeezing the most of my system. Cables. Power. Maybe look at racks after that. And heaven forbid, actually just enjoying it :ROFLMAO:
 
displayname said:
Totally agree with the element of usage. I also agree with the double down (from an MSRP perspective).

I think that's the real rub. Doubling down... whew it makes my head spin. I've found several amps that I would be willing to let replace my Mastersound. But they are all in double down turf. That's big money. Like extended vacation money. It's just a hard sell.

So I've moved into squeezing the most of my system. Cables. Power. Maybe look at racks after that. And heaven forbid, actually just enjoying it :ROFLMAO:
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Well that's the thing, you need to be able to draw a line in the sand at some point ;)
 
I just have one question.

Why is there a dish on top of the sub because I'm about to get on a plane in order to go to this person's house and remove that dish because I cannot unsee it and it's ruining my day. Same goes for the coaster on the other sub I mean what are we even doing here people...
 
Mather said:
I just have one question.

Why is there a dish on top of the sub because I'm about to get on a plane in order to go to this person's house and remove that dish because I cannot unsee it and it's ruining my day. Same goes for the coaster on the other sub I mean what are we even doing here people...
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They’ve spend all their money on gear and have to dual use the subs as dining and coffee tables.
 
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Mather said:
I just have one question.

Why is there a dish on top of the sub because I'm about to get on a plane in order to go to this person's house and remove that dish because I cannot unsee it and it's ruining my day. Same goes for the coaster on the other sub I mean what are we even doing here people...
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That;s two questions, Art? To make you freak? Probably no reason at all. Carl (Apex Audio Denver) is a cool cat.
 
Mather said:
Carl, I'm coming for you, and your decorative subwoofer dish.
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It’s an audio file subwoofer dish. It focuses the bass to the exact dip in your room. For the low price of $1.5 million, you can hear your music like never before.

Dm me if interested.

The coaster is a special arc tool that will automatically dial the subs in for you.

$500k more.
 
displayname said:
Totally agree with the element of usage. I also agree with the double down (from an MSRP perspective).

I think that's the real rub. Doubling down... whew it makes my head spin. I've found several amps that I would be willing to let replace my Mastersound. But they are all in double down turf. That's big money. Like extended vacation money. It's just a hard sell.

So I've moved into squeezing the most of my system. Cables. Power. Maybe look at racks after that. And heaven forbid, actually just enjoying it :ROFLMAO:
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The Denafrips seem to all have great resale value so you could always start further down the line and upgrade later if you desired. Sounds a bit like you’re chasing the dragon! If there’s nothing in your system that’s bothering you sound-wise, sit back and enjoy it!
 
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