Only ever had an integrated amp. I'm old and green so class D kinda sounds a bit scary. Fixed income so this will be my last attempt at hearing my ear candy. PWK designed his loudspeakers to have clean power no color wanted. It is said he'd really dig these class D amps, damn the torpedoes! I own the Cornwalls and the Sony tuner/EQ. Everything else is supposed to work with the speakers for my situation. Classical and jazz need headroom and class D delivers. Those big woofers benefit from big damping. Class D is quiet, good thing 'cuz Cornwall horns reveal on account of being so efficient and what not. i have a novice's good impression of the Schiit stuff, made to work with each other. Can keep gain down at the pre amp and the other Schiit peripherals are said to add little to nothing to the signal. The big leap is the power amp. The tube buffer is to get synergy for my money and maybe two flavors out of one system...on demand. Trying to punch way above the price points, everything is so expensive. What do y'all think. Tear me a new one! AI sez it'll all work and I'll retain granular control over that fine volume knob and I won't get drowned out by hiss!
really like the approach to moving away from the mechanical volume pot, should have nice channel tracking at lowest wattage (dial) demands. Should have some control over how quiet I can keep the noise floor via...circuitry? Hopefully, a lot of bang for the buck!
Fluance RT82
entry level reference, .07% wow and flutter. Unless I can find something with comparable or better number than that, at $350, said to be a good buy. Again, an attempt at punching up from the price point.
Klipsch Cornwall 1.5
Very efficient horn loudspeaker, very revealing
from 1983. will undergo JEM recap (oddball B2-ish network, a montage) w/ 3 caps per. These are what I own of the component build. An odd place to start, but there it is! I have already resolved to be happy with the results as I am 65 and this will be the first AND LAST component system I put together for ear candy!
Schiit Audio Mani 2
I won't be doing a lot of vinyl, and do hope to digitize some. Heard that at this price point it punches up and is also a very quiet piece that does little to add to overall gain of system.
Audio Technica VM95ML cartridge
I listen to a lot of classical and jazz, need to get to where the grooves and the piccolos meet in order to hear them. Micro linear stylus. An entry level needle of good quality (approx. 1000 hrs. (what do I know!)). Again, said to punch up.
Schiit Audio Buf
a tube buffer for 6922 family (?) of tubes. When on, I funnel through this to power amp. When off, said to have no bleed as the signal simply passes through unadulterated. An attempt at tubing a system at the press of a button in an otherwise non-tube system. I'm a real noob! I was thinking about looping the Buf through a passive mechanical RCA switch but AI tells me I don't have to do a split off of the pre amp and I can just in-line the Buf, use the "on" / "off" feature to "switch tracks" and rely on it completely so the twain never meet, no bleed in order to get two flavors for little money. Klipsch Heritage and a little tube treatment at the flick of a switch; that should get some head nods! Or, at least an indication of a possibility.
Buckeye Hypex NCx252MP 2 Channel
Dylan is said to give his customers a lot of value in his builds and design. Class D 150 watts, protection circuits, very low THD, heavy build quality where possible, I'll be using his custom RCA to XLR cables off of the Buf to ensure best practice for his amp. So, pairing a highly efficient HORN speaker with a ultra revealing, and uncolored, power amplifier. The preponderous amount of music that has hit my ears at 65 has either been live in rehearsal or from some kind of A/B equipment, right? I'll be straying off the reservation going class D just due to exposure/familiarity of class D sound. That is what the Buf is for; those times I want to take the edge off of "Deedles" by Diane Schuur, baby! But boy howdy will I get headroom and damping!
Sony ST-S500ES
tuner from the 80s. I already own and hope to employ. Maybe a bit noisy but it is radio in a big city.
Sony SEQ-300
7 band EQ from the 80s. Noisy but can be used to do, down equalization (?) to cope with the noise of radio ?? This will be looped between tuner and pre amp and only affect tuner signal. Don't have to use it, but otherwise no tonal controls anywhere else! I already own it, might as well try to incorporate it unless it hisses at me!
Schiit Audio Modi 5
said to be a nice DAC at its price point. Adds little to gain in overall system. This is what will primarily take me into the current age. I'll be able to access digital music and put it through this....how you say...DAC and, voila! music from a computer!
I'm quite sure I'm an odd man out here, listing this generic want list of eqpt. most of you have been doing this a long time and have super thoughtfully well curated components. Wish that I had and wish that I could. I was hoping to through this very modest build up for scrutiny mostly to find the holes or the obvious gaps/problems that would render the choices, just stupid. I know class D and horns. Overall question will finally be: Will I get any synergy out of my selections? I'm getting the idea that noise is where I better be most careful due to the speakers. So, can I keep this system's noise down, by specs or features, and get use of the Schiit volume knob. Seems odd to ask, but wouldn't mind some granular control of these behemoths after all this time living at the lowest end of the dial (Sony TA-F700ES) for so many years. Iffy to try to fix the Sony's.
