neodinardo
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My stereo system plans are progressing nicely. I have the Focal Stellia headphones in house now (thanks again Mike!!) and I have the Luxman P-750 headphone amplifier on the way. It’s being air shipped from Luxman Japan to Luxman USA right now. I should have it within a week or two. Later on I can expand my flagship headphone collection. This will let me experience different sounds for far less money than switching out loudspeakers. I have my eye on the Focal Utopia, HIFIMAN Susvara, and Noble Audio’s high-end custom IEMs. For even more variety, I’ll pick up a tube headphone amplifier at one point or another.
This week I’ll be building my Threadripper gaming and workstation PC to partly use as a source. Later on I may also want a steaming DMP like a NAD M50.2. For DACs I’m thinking about the Chord Qutest (with the possibility of a future Chord Hugo M Scaler upgrade), Schiit Yggdrasil, and perhaps a good delta sigma option. Yes, I backed out of the Chord Hugo TT2 and Chord Dave options as they were too pricy and or they didn’t really fit my needs and wants. Currently, I’m leaning towards the $2,500 (USD) Yggdrasil Analog 2 USB Gen 5 as it’s easier for me to afford, it has XLR out, and I need a high-end DAC ASAP. Then I’ll give my wallet a small break to prepare for the main stereo system.
For loudspeakers I’m still undecided. I originally wanted Focal Sopra No 2 speakers but the reality of affording them anytime soon is suspect. Perhaps someday. Most likely my first set of speakers might have to be a bit more humble. Perhaps something like the B&W 705 S2, B&W 702 S2, B&W 805 D3, Focal Sopra No 1, or Harbeth 30.2 XD speakers. B&W has Signature versions of the 705 S2 and 702 S2 that just came out and they look amazing in the pictures. The 805 D3 had a Prestige version but I’m not sure if that’s still available. B&W has the diamond tweeters and continuum cone drivers. Focal has the beryllium inverted done tweeters and the W cone drivers. And I really want to see what all the Harbeth hype is about. I will demo the Harbeth 30.2 XD soon with the Luxman L-509X. I’m just waiting for the new Harberth XD revision to come in.
And I’m not counting out the nicer tower speakers, I just may not have the patience to save up that long. Not to mention I can always upgrade later on. Then I can move the smaller speakers to a secondary stereo system. No doubt, the full scope of my stereo system plans will take a few years. (assuming I purchase the Schiit Yggdrasil) The Schiit Yggdrasil, the Focal Stellia, and the Luxman P-750U is about $10,000 invested already.
For now, I’m fairly certain my amplification choices are down to Pass Labs and Luxman. Lately, I tend to favor streamlined analog-only options so I can use my own DAC choices. Why have second rate built in features like DACs and phono options that you are never going to use? Pass Labs in particular is on board with this idea. And I tend to lean towards Pass Labs and I originally joined this forum to get in on the Nelson Pass conversation. The XA25, the XA60.8, the X260.8, the XP-22, the Int-25, Int-60, and the Int-250 are all on my radar for various reasons. So many excellent ways to go for all different reasons. How could I not purchase a Pass Labs amplifier?
However, then Luxman enters the ring. I’ve considered the C-700U / P-700U, the L-590AXII, and the L-509X. Later on tube preamplifier options could be a fun option. Especially if I can use an integrated’s power amp section separately. One Luxman question I have is are older Luxman products as good as the newer post company buyout ones? I’m not sure on which products may or may not have been affected by the downturn Luxman had before the buyout. Or when that was in Luxman product history exactly.
However, I do know that the newer Luxman 509X is a fairly exciting and well received product. The L-509X is a newer design, it has a decent amount of amplifier power, and the reviews are fairly stellar. It’s more affordable than the Luxman separates and perhaps for my purposes just as good. And how cool would the Luxman L-509X look stacked below my Luxman P-750U? With both units having high-end sound quality, matching aesthetics, and similar feeling volume knobs. For someone like me that’s into headphones and stereo systems it’s an alluring pairing. The Luxman L-509X and the Luxman P-750U could be the center of my entire stereo system, the perfect analog-only duo.
This week I’ll be building my Threadripper gaming and workstation PC to partly use as a source. Later on I may also want a steaming DMP like a NAD M50.2. For DACs I’m thinking about the Chord Qutest (with the possibility of a future Chord Hugo M Scaler upgrade), Schiit Yggdrasil, and perhaps a good delta sigma option. Yes, I backed out of the Chord Hugo TT2 and Chord Dave options as they were too pricy and or they didn’t really fit my needs and wants. Currently, I’m leaning towards the $2,500 (USD) Yggdrasil Analog 2 USB Gen 5 as it’s easier for me to afford, it has XLR out, and I need a high-end DAC ASAP. Then I’ll give my wallet a small break to prepare for the main stereo system.
For loudspeakers I’m still undecided. I originally wanted Focal Sopra No 2 speakers but the reality of affording them anytime soon is suspect. Perhaps someday. Most likely my first set of speakers might have to be a bit more humble. Perhaps something like the B&W 705 S2, B&W 702 S2, B&W 805 D3, Focal Sopra No 1, or Harbeth 30.2 XD speakers. B&W has Signature versions of the 705 S2 and 702 S2 that just came out and they look amazing in the pictures. The 805 D3 had a Prestige version but I’m not sure if that’s still available. B&W has the diamond tweeters and continuum cone drivers. Focal has the beryllium inverted done tweeters and the W cone drivers. And I really want to see what all the Harbeth hype is about. I will demo the Harbeth 30.2 XD soon with the Luxman L-509X. I’m just waiting for the new Harberth XD revision to come in.
And I’m not counting out the nicer tower speakers, I just may not have the patience to save up that long. Not to mention I can always upgrade later on. Then I can move the smaller speakers to a secondary stereo system. No doubt, the full scope of my stereo system plans will take a few years. (assuming I purchase the Schiit Yggdrasil) The Schiit Yggdrasil, the Focal Stellia, and the Luxman P-750U is about $10,000 invested already.
For now, I’m fairly certain my amplification choices are down to Pass Labs and Luxman. Lately, I tend to favor streamlined analog-only options so I can use my own DAC choices. Why have second rate built in features like DACs and phono options that you are never going to use? Pass Labs in particular is on board with this idea. And I tend to lean towards Pass Labs and I originally joined this forum to get in on the Nelson Pass conversation. The XA25, the XA60.8, the X260.8, the XP-22, the Int-25, Int-60, and the Int-250 are all on my radar for various reasons. So many excellent ways to go for all different reasons. How could I not purchase a Pass Labs amplifier?
However, then Luxman enters the ring. I’ve considered the C-700U / P-700U, the L-590AXII, and the L-509X. Later on tube preamplifier options could be a fun option. Especially if I can use an integrated’s power amp section separately. One Luxman question I have is are older Luxman products as good as the newer post company buyout ones? I’m not sure on which products may or may not have been affected by the downturn Luxman had before the buyout. Or when that was in Luxman product history exactly.
However, I do know that the newer Luxman 509X is a fairly exciting and well received product. The L-509X is a newer design, it has a decent amount of amplifier power, and the reviews are fairly stellar. It’s more affordable than the Luxman separates and perhaps for my purposes just as good. And how cool would the Luxman L-509X look stacked below my Luxman P-750U? With both units having high-end sound quality, matching aesthetics, and similar feeling volume knobs. For someone like me that’s into headphones and stereo systems it’s an alluring pairing. The Luxman L-509X and the Luxman P-750U could be the center of my entire stereo system, the perfect analog-only duo.
