Inexpensive Music Server - A Flawed Dell-based Solution

The most common question that I get asked - other than “Am I confirmed for the event?” - is: “How should I implement a good music server?”
Well, here’s a way to implement a great-sounding music server for about $1K. The key strategy in play here is to house a stellar Lynx sound card in a […]

The Great BAAS DAC Comparison - Results are In!

We just completed another great BAAS event. When we succeed, we combine listening pleasure and camaraderie with a “wisdom of the crowds” learning experience. We seem to have hit the right note(s) yesterday in Jason’s superb listening environment.
First, here are the DAC’s that we had on hand:

Weiss Medea - $16K MSRP    (thanks Clive)
Theta Gen VIII […]

Best Systems at Rocky Mountain (RMAF 2008)

Let me begin with a quotable quote:

Audiophile: “I just don’t understand how a power cord can matter.”
Well-known cable vendor: “The first thing to understand is that the improvement has nothing to do with power….”
Audiophile: “Huh?”

Yep - believe it or not - a lot of hype and misinformation flowed in Denver this weekend. But so did […]

LittleFlashlight - Valhalla Cable Better than a Woman?

Check out this funny, creepy video from confessed audiophile LittleFlashlight.
A bit over-the-top, but cool.
Lots of other a-phile related vid’s there too…

Latest in DIY Reference Music Servers

Those of you that attended Saturday’s event, heard high-quality music from a Mac supplemented by a Slim Devices Transporter. I personally consider this reference-quality, and it’s relatively easy to implement.
(Note: it’s only reference quality if you rip the disk correctly and use a reference-quality DAC.)
However, this setup will not currently play high-resolution music (e.g., the […]

The Perils of Audiophile Solder

To my growing list of “audiophile stuff that doesn’t work” I must now add solder!
Here’s what Bruce Rozenblit, owner of Transcendant Sound, has to say:
Don’t  Use WBT Solder On My Kits. I have had to repair a couple of kits recently that used WBT solder.  The flux used in it does not properly wet the […]

Audiophile Ethernet - Pushing the Snake Oil Barrier?

Despite all the heat I took from my last “snake oil” article, I’d like to think that I’m open-minded about the performance of tweaks.
This one, however, pushes the limits another step - it appears to be an audiophile-quality ethernet cable priced at $500!
In truth, it seems that most pundits at Wired, Slashdot, and elsewhere are […]

New Interconnect Design

Here’s what a single I/C looks like before termination:
And here’s the back of my rack (L chan only):

Two days late, but “April Fools”!

Help with High Rez Digital Playback

I’ve received several questions from members re: “What’s the best way to playback the Reference Recordings (RR) HRx material?”
Or a related question: “How do I best make a music server work?”
Stereophile, TAS, and others have recently taken their cut at the second question. Your local audio dealer should also be able to assist you.
In addition, […]

Reference Recordings HRx Stunning Recordings

Yesterday saw over 30 BAAS members auditioning the stunning new library of high resolution (24/176) recordings based on the Reference Recordings (RR) master tapes.
The ‘BAAS Sessions’ represent the first public demonstration of the recordings and the recommended hardware to play them (based on a PC Sound card). As such, they went beyond the various previews […]