Thanks for the warm welcome, all.
Montreal here, but my girlfriend and I prefer Toronto!
I was just recommending the Blue Circle product to a member on another forum. Tons of cool stuff for audio in Canada, Plitron/Torus among a lot more.
I've started building my own AC filter box, a little embryonic device, but with cool results, and so far, Caelin Gabriel's Shunyata products are high on the wish-list.
Other things on the wish-list: Lukasz's chipless DSD Lampi Big 7, and exaSound's multi-channel DSD DACs, ribbon-tweeter speakers.
For the time being, I am living on a modest gear for modest means, but building and improving the SQ and experience on a lot of passion, some DIY, some frugality.
I currently use this chain for stereo playback: iMac Mac OS X, Audivana, USB, iFi iDSD Nano, Panasonic SA-HE100, Totem Mites.
Things I have built, largely with my own hands and which have all seriously improved SQ:
in the 'who would have thought?' department:
- USB cable (from a normal USB donor cable)
- Power cable for the amp
- Speaker cables (from Cat5, braided)
In the more normal departments:
- Speaker stands (first major wood-working work)
- Acoustic panels
- Bass traps
- Simple SE, my own Single-Ended Triode Tube Amp based on George's (Tubelab) design and PCB, with 3 very large and very heavy Edcor transformers. Part of the chassis is pine and was my second major wood-working work. One channel has gone bad, so I need to repair it in due time.
I am a big fan of DSD, especially DSD256. I have only a few 256 tracks, and a single album from Yarlung Records, which I asked as a gift for my birthday: 'Smoke and Mirrors - Varnish'.
To listen to it, I re-commissioned my girlfriend's old unused Windows XP PC, optimised it with the information on the cPlay website, configured FooBar2000 with the SACD and ASIOProxy plugins, and then connect the iDSD Nano to it. It sounds awesome, but it will be even better when I use the Tube amp with it! But that gives you an idea of the frugality with which I enjoy my current system.
Most of the time I spend learning, building and enhancing my stereo and the surround audio/video is for the whole purpose of my girlfriend's enjoyment. There is nothing I like better than to hear her feedback about how great it sounds (or how great the picture looks too), how she is transported by the music, how she is rediscovering her old albums and how 'I am ingenious or a genius' (who wouldn't like to hear that from a loved one?

) It makes it all worthwhile. :heart:
I have spent a lot of time doing listening tests to find my system's sweet spot, and have settled on DSD128 and above. It took me some time over around 18 months to re-rip my CD collection to AIFF, and then to offline up-convert to DSD128. Storage space goes fast when you do that!
I have found that we are very sensitive to aural changes, so many things we often take for granted in certain fields, require deeper scrutiny in the audiophile world, so when it comes to this domain I am a continuous learner, even when part of the audio chain relates to my trade, which is Systems Engineering. :scholar:
Listening occurs in periods: nowadays we sometimes love to set aside an evening where we choose and listen to whole albums carefully with the lights dimmed and perhaps a glass of Porto. :snicker:
And of course, from time to time like recently again, the audio DIY bug bites hard and I need to build something. :skeptical:
Looking forward to getting to know all you better.