Loving these set ups.

Sound Dragon

Yawns and sets his couch on fire!
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Coming back into this after a little Hiatus. All started when I acquired a pair of beat up JBL 240Ti's. Down hill from there! I really missed my tunes but had no desire to go for the "reference" system sound this time around. I chased that Dragon and it almost made me quit this hobby for good. This time my goal is to just enjoy the music. So my goal this time is Musicality and synergy between componants. I just want to get to the music and make sure it sounds sweet while getting there!

Current setup is as follows.

Juicy Music Peach II PreAmplifier
Yamaha PC2002M Amplifier
Sony DVP-NS9100es for CD and SACD
Technics 1600 Turntable (For Now)
Vincent Pho 8 Phono Pre
Old MacBook Pro to Peachtree Audio DAC itx for streaming and Itunes (for now)
 
Nice, you can do a 48khz step down from optical audio to RCA with a converter box if you want to get the best sound possible sound from your MacBook into an older type receiver. You can also use a modern device such as a television as a HDMI source and then go from the output of the TV into your receiver to achieve the same result by using the audio out on your TV. The later way of doing things will only work if your source is unencrypted of course, but for music this shouldn't be the issues. Either way this will give you better than CD audio quality in practice, but it depends on what your source is from your MacBook. Spotify Premium is 320kb/s or you can switch to Tidal if you want more.

I prefer the HDMI option, it doesn't require a DAC or any special equipment, I just run an RCA from my TV to my amp and the TV does the rest. The only problem is that the television has to be turned on for this to work. It also gives you up to 192khz/24bit PCM audio depending on what your initial source media is. But I don't suppose you have much audio that maxes that out. People say digital is sacrilegious but there are ways of doing it properly.

I wouldn't worry about the SL-1600, but I would recommend getting a nice cartridge if you can afford it such as an Ortofon 2M Red. I'd ditch the CD player and just use the MacBook instead for that unless you have some sort of aversion to not having a dedicated CD player.
 
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Nice, you can do a 48khz step down from optical audio to RCA with a converter box if you want to get the best sound possible sound from your MacBook into an older type receiver. You can also use a modern device such as a television as a HDMI source and then go from the output of the TV into your receiver to achieve the same result by using the audio out on your TV. The later way of doing things will only work if your source is unencrypted of course, but for music this shouldn't be the issues. Either way this will give you better than CD audio quality in practice, but it depends on what your source is from your MacBook. Spotify Premium is 320kb/s or you can switch to Tidal if you want more.

I prefer the HDMI option, it doesn't require a DAC or any special equipment, I just run an RCA from my TV to my amp and the TV does the rest. The only problem is that the television has to be turned on for this to work. It also gives you up to 192khz/24bit PCM audio depending on what your initial source media is. But I don't suppose you have much audio that maxes that out. People say digital is sacrilegious but there are ways of doing it properly.
OP has an external DAC...

That's just unnecessarily complicated. And since the OP doesn't have a TV in that setup, that would likely cost as much as a DAC (and a DAC would give better performance). Just saying.
 
OP has an external DAC...

That's just unnecessarily complicated. And since the OP doesn't have a TV in that setup, that would likely cost as much as a DAC (and a DAC would give better performance). Just saying.

Not necessarily, people add a DAC in the loop without realising the quality of the DAC that exists in the machine they're using anyway. That MacBook already has quite a good DAC. I was only suggesting a better way of getting sound out that I use in my own setup.
 
Thank you all for the Kind words. Already making some changes though, and for the better I hope. My current outstanding projects are a Technics SP-10 MkII. I am having a custom plinth made and having the table fully serviced. Should be great with a Jelco 750E 10" arm on it! I am so anxious to get that done. Though what I am dreading is the chance of falling in the rabbit hole of Cart choices. I may punt the cart shopping to next year and enjoy the few I currently own. I don't even want to start on Phono pre amplifiers.

Another Yamaha PC2002M is currently being repaired and refurbished. I am really looking forward to hearing two Yamaha's running as Monoblocks on the 240's! The option to have gobs of power and headroom for these speakers is quite appealing. The are very power hungry and shine with good clean power and current. I procured some nice wooden cutting boards which I plan to transform into Amp platforms. Should look nice when done.

The MacBook is currently being upgraded for better Digital playback and I am thinking of improving on the DAC. I like the Peachtree very much but I heard a fellow Akers digital rig last week and I just know that I can get more out of it than I currently do. I am so close to getting to that next level with my digital playback and that means that I have to upgrade the DAC along with the Mac.

I have been able to finance most of this system rebuild by selling off other pieces of gear that has sat unused so that has really offset the cost of it. But I have had to come out of pocket some and it amazes me how fast the money goes. I would like to be done with the gear purchasing and fixing soon and just turn my focus on the music. I do not want this to be an endless gear merry go round. Its why I have settled on the Amp(s), Pre, and speakers. I am not done yet but I am more than halfway and can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Don't worry, I will post pictures of this journey!
 
May I ask how they measure up to the Forte's? I caught your last post in the Klipsch Corner so curious as to how they compare. What made you put them in storage?
 
When I had the Fortes set up for evaluation during its sale, it was amazing how much the Fortes stood up to the JBL's. With the Ti mid-horn and tweeter horn modification as well as the modified Crites crossover they where very comparable to the JBL's in sound quality and offered a very clean presentation. But what the JBL's have over the Klipcsh Fortes is the ability to open up with high power. My current amp of choice is the Yamaha PC2002M and they are more amp than the Fortes need or want. The JBL's drink power and current and deliver more the more you feed them.

I wish I could have kept them all but Space and time are limited. I really have a desire to pair down and simplify the gear and just enjoy the music. So The Fortes and the associated equipment have been sold off and I am currently assessing my Digital and PC playback sources while building a forever( for the foreseeable future Vinyl rig). Yeah busy summer. Oh and I am going to be moving....
 
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Well so much has happened since I last posted. Bought a house with a fantastic basement and that is where the system lives. Had a major operation and haven't really gotten my projects completed.

I still have my other Yamaha PC2002M at the techs. I think either he cannot fix it or wants to keep it. Just not sure at this point. My Technics SP 10 Mk II is still at the repair refurb guy. I really thought those two things would have been completed by now.

No new projects for the rest of the year until those two get resolved. Well except with the new layout I will need to re cable the whole system.

Thinking of going with good quality canare star quad with decent connectors across the board for It's and some Pangea for power cables. I would live to go with van den Hul but that maybe a bit much at this point . For now my repurposed AV cables will have to do for now.

Oh, and the eq is hooked for the visual show only.
 
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