A few quick photos of a system in flux - Duo XD ...

joeinid said:
Hi,

I have to say that I’m extremely happy with them.

The McIntosh gear that I had was good but gone now. Not because it was bad or anything, I just found gear I enjoyed more on my Duo.

I also sold my Bricasti dac. I’m looking forward to getting something a little smoother and sweeter dac-wise.

My Duo are phenomenal performers. For me, best solid state amp is my SIT-3. I’m trying to get my hands on a pair of SIT-1 monos as was recommended to me. The Accuphase and Valvet are wonderful too but a little more neutral.

My GAT2 works perfectly with my SIT3. Other amps with the gat2 have too much gain.

The Misho wooden combo is superb, best tube combo for my Duo. The Luxman MQ300 is superb also, a little sweeter and meatier than other tube gear. I love rotating through the different combinations of gear because it keeps it fresh.

Low gain, low noise gear is a must but damn, there’s a concert in my room every night.

Avantgarde speakers are a destination. If you are the least bit curious, definitely check them out. A proper demo will blow you away.
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thanks for the detailed response! i would love to demo - did you fly down to mike's?
 
No, I had decided a long time ago that’s what I wanted after hearing Uno XD at a local audiophile’s home. I could not stop thinking about them. The stars aligned and was able to finally get a pair. I took a bit of a chance but I was extremely confident. Absolutely no regret.
 
Joe
Any current photos of your current setup? From this last post there have been many changes since the inception of this thread.
 
I’ll have to straighten up a little and take a few photos.

Since I rotate gear in and out, I’m not as organized as I should be.
 
So Joe, the SIT-1s, SIT-3, or Wood? GAT2, Stage 2, or Wood? Any decisions on direction for DAC? Inquiring minds want to know :)....

Still loving the Stage 2 here... I personally believe you should try out a T+A amp with your Duo's... it would surprise you. Been having fun playing around on the dark side (vinyl). Certainly not the same level as my digital but very nostalgic for me.

By the way, at first I thought the orange was a bit over the top but the more I look at them the more I consider them to look rather awesome!
 
Thank you Randy!

No ultimate decision on a dac. But, MSB is very high on the list for next year. Chord and a few others might command a demo but I’m not in a rush, financially speaking.

The Avantgarde are funny. Tube amps pretty much rule, but very high powered SS can be a little hard or glassy. Low to medium power SS and tubes like First Watt, VAC, Luxman, Valvet, Misho Wooden, etc. are glorious.

The GAT2, STP-SE stage 2 and Misho Wooden preamp are all spectacular depending on gain of amp.

GAT2 with Luxman and First Watt is insanely good.
 
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joeinid said:
Thank you Randy!

No ultimate decision on a dac. But, MSB is very high on the list for next year. Chord and a few others might command a demo but I’m not in a rush, financially speaking.

The Avantgarde are funny. Tube amps pretty much rule, but very high powered SS can be a little hard or glassy. Low to medium power SS and tubes like First Watt, VAC, Luxman, Valvet, Misho Wooden, etc. are glorious.

The GAT2, STP-SE stage 2 and Misho Wooden preamp are all spectacular depending on gain of amp.

GAT2 with Luxman and First Watt is insanely good.
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Nice... I'm sure the First Watt amps are spectacular! I would love to compare this little T+A :); I know a different league but it did beat out the Audio Mirrors in my view, which I never imagined would happen. I just had to give it time to break in :).

The MSB would definitely be on my list. I would love to know how much better they are then my T+A. I bet the rest of my system is not good enough to appreciate the difference.
 
joeinid said:
Thank you Randy!

No ultimate decision on a dac. But, MSB is very high on the list for next year. Chord and a few others might command a demo but I’m not in a rush, financially speaking.
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Hey Joe, you should check out the rockna wavedream signature. I was looking at chord (upgraded from a qbd76 hdsd - the flagship before the dave) and ultimately settled for the rockna. it's incredible.
I ended up getting the matching wavedream net server and i have just been blown away by the performance. I am genuinely shocked at what difference the server made esp since I am not even using it in i2s output just yet. It's really been one of the biggest audio revelations I've had - a computer is a computer is a computer so I thought...Even if you go with another dac, I feel like servers should be experimented with.
 
I’ve seen demos on YouTube of the rockna, it seems very impressive. By the time I make a decision, I’m sure there will be a few more to get my attention.

Thank you for the recommendation.


Skanda said:
Hey Joe, you should check out the rockna wavedream signature. I was looking at chord (upgraded from a qbd76 hdsd - the flagship before the dave) and ultimately settled for the rockna. it's incredible.
I ended up getting the matching wavedream net server and i have just been blown away by the performance. I am genuinely shocked at what difference the server made esp since I am not even using it in i2s output just yet. It's really been one of the biggest audio revelations I've had - a computer is a computer is a computer so I thought...Even if you go with another dac, I feel like servers should be experimented with.
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Skanda said:
I ended up getting the matching wavedream net server and i have just been blown away by the performance. I am genuinely shocked at what difference the server made esp since I am not even using it in i2s output just yet. It's really been one of the biggest audio revelations I've had - a computer is a computer is a computer so I thought...Even if you go with another dac, I feel like servers should be experimented with.
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No-ho way-hey [emoji3].

As you write, the server is part of your source. Same way as if you use a suboptimal turn table with a top cart.

The server has huge influence.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Joe, for a man of your experience and vast repertoire, I’m quite surprised you haven’t tried the new MSB family of DACs yet. Even Discrete in its bare form is quite remarkable to say the least.
 
I know, I know. Mike and I talk all the time. He thinks, based on what I like, that MSB would be perfect. We’ll see what happens after the new year.

kzhtoo said:
Joe, for a man of your experience and vast repertoire, I’m quite surprised you haven’t tried the new MSB family of DACs yet. Even Discrete in its bare form is quite remarkable to say the least.
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Andik777 said:
Everything looks beautiful. Congratulations!!
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Thank you so much, but all the McIntosh gear is gone. Some to my brother and the rest to others.

I know I need updated photos and I’ll do it. I apologize in advance. It’s going to take me a while. The Wooden combo and GAT2/First Watt combo usually get the most play time.
 
Andik777 said:
Everything looks beautiful. Congratulations!!
Click to expand...

Thank you so much, but all the McIntosh gear in that photo is gone. Some to my brother and the rest to others.

I know I need updated photos and I’ll do it. I apologize in advance. It’s going to take me a while. The Wooden combo and GAT2/First Watt combo usually get the most play time.
 
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joeinid said:
Thank you so much, but all the McIntosh gear is gone. Some to my brother and the rest to others.

I know I need updated photos and I’ll do it. I apologize in advance. It’s going to take me a while. The Wooden combo and GAT2/First Watt combo usually get the most play time.
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Thanks Joeinid, I'll be attentive :)
 
Kuoppis said:
No-ho way-hey [emoji3].

As you write, the server is part of your source. Same way as if you use a suboptimal turn table with a top cart.

The server has huge influence.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk[/

I am using it as a roon endpoint at the moment and will most likely take the roon core off my laptop and have the wavedream net be the roon core - perhaps more performance to be squeezed out this way? When I get my hands on a nice i2s cable I will see what diff that makes as well, currently using a wireworld gold aes/ebu cable. Not to derail this thread but I was using a metrum ambre as a roon endpoint before and the change was immediately noticeable with the bass tightening up and having greater midbass punch. the soundstage got significantly deeper. I am stunned by the difference...to me it was similar to the time when I changed around preamps and noticed what a huge difference they were having on the tonality of the system. I got the dac just a little under a year ago so can't comment on if the dac was a bigger diff or the server but they are making some MUSIC together.

I hate using this cliche audiophile anecdote but, yes, even non audio friends noticed the difference immediately. "woah, something sounds different and bigger". even my gf who loves the rig but can't sit still and listen to music said "i know you get stuff and theres always something slightly different, but whatever your new piece is has everything sounding very real". :)

And Joe, you're totally right. There is always a latest and greatest esp in digital. For my ears, in my current room, and with my current system. I think I've found my digital endgame...for now!
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