The Audio Nerd thread

[greginhali]

this looks interesting Modwright KWI 200, 200W Integrated with built in DAC and Phono - Canuck Audio Mart

but what Hi Fi doesnt review it. Maybe its too obscure?

 

[Vise]

this looks interesting Modwright KWI 200, 200W Integrated with built in DAC and Phono - Canuck Audio Mart

but what Hi Fi doesnt review it. Maybe its too obscure?

Umm, isn't $4800 a bit beyond your budget?

As for the Outlaw, what's the issue with ordering from the site?

 

[greginhali]

Umm, isn't $4800 a bit beyond your budget?

As for the Outlaw, what's the issue with ordering from the site?

Dam! I got excited and read that $480. No wonder it sounded so good.


Im still stuck around the 500 dollar budget. The outlaw is just a bit outside.
Im having a garage sale soon, maybe i can go a bit bigger with some sales. LOL.

 

[danielablau]

I've read conflicting opinions. Does a power amp change the sound of music or does it generally not play a big role?

 

[rswbrixton]

The power amp i find can add some weight to the bass , some more umph in dynamic passages etc - but i find i my experience that the pre-amp and interconnects play a greater role in " changing the sound " . Of course it all starts with the source - album - cd - digital file , then the signal path etc . But i have heard and felt changes in tonality , clarity , soundstage , depth , detail with preamps changed out and keeping same power amp , and similar effect with cables .

This is not super hifi i am using as reference , but amps and pre amps , in the 3000-5000 per unit range and cables in the 100-500 per meter range .

power amp plays a role - but more in the dynamics and depth and breadth of soundstage .

Im on the hunt for new hifi now and considering a mix and match of components .

Speakers , oh my , a whole other conversation lol .

 

[danielablau]

Yeah, I hear what you mean.

From what I gather source material then speakers then the stuff in between.

I'm not looking at hifi stuff. I'm using all old stuff. Rotel RC-1070 preamp and Kef Q65 floor standers. I was using a marantz receiver but that crapped out and now I'm using the power section of a Nikko receiver from the 70's.

I'm on the fence about buying a Rotel RB-1080 power amp used. 200w/c. I'm not sure it's going to make a huge difference in sound quality. I don't listen to music especially loud. The receiver now is a measly 30w/c or something like that.

 

[rswbrixton]

Hey , some of that older 70's and 80'S gear was remarkable in sound quality and specification . Not the prettiest - but for design back in that day it was very good !

If your looking for vintage , bargains , advice etc - check out Canuck Audio Mart !

Love that site ! the forums are kooky but some good info and advice ( from most )

 

[deep]

A couple months ago I picked up a Yamaha Aventage A730 receiver, 5x Definitive Technology Studio Monitor SM45s and a Rythmik LV12R sub. Very pleased with the setup.

 

[danielablau]

I don't have a lot of expendable cash so everythign I buy is used.

I picked up the Rotel RB-1070 amp and yes there is a difference. Music is definitely more transparent, more separation between instruments and sound however having issues with brightness prob due to my wood floors and concrete walls.....gonna have to figure out a solution for it.

It's pretty crazy how deep this all goes. I'm satisfied for now though I could probably use a better DAC and cartridge and needle..............aaaaaaahhhhhh

 

[praktik]

Basically there is never a cieling - its almost infinite how much you can upgrade/improve/tinker

Finding the personal computer has been taking more of my funds lately (a hobby similarly infinite in its ability to drain cash - realize my current main machine represents about $6k in investment over last 2 years), but recently acquired some old Polk Audio towers from a neighbour next to my parents back in ottawa - 200 bones and my god, what an upgrade over the middling JBLs I had previously.

So much better clarity on voices and just overall warmth!

 

[deep]

Computing hardware I've changed my perspectives over the years. Used to go whole hog on systems but then started to agree with the idea that it's best to maximize bang for the buck and upgrade more frequently, anything particularly bleeding edge will carry a higher premium and be bested in a year or two anyways. Although gaming and other high end computing scenarios represents a different use case, I tend to agree with this. At least with audio stuff it's not like someone invents a loudspeaker that offers X% performance improvement over a generation 2-3 years back, so holds steady once you've decided your price point and bought whatever suits your ears at it.

 

[danielablau]

Was able to listen to the Shure SE846...........OH MY GOD. Unbelieveable.

I bought a SE535 second hand. I wish I hadn't listened to the 846 because the 535 would've sounded out of this world.

 

[greginhali]

Depends on what your definition of 'loud' is.

My office is roughly 14x9 and the D3020 is certainly loud enough but my setup is geared towards near field listening and not max SPL. I also have a sub so that helps greatly.

I think if you're interested in listening (vs pounding at reference levels) it would certainly work but 10x20 is a lot of space to fill... are you sitting close to the speakers or far away? Room setup will play a role too of course.

UPdATE:

Just bought a NAD D3020. Stoked!

Plugged in that bad boy and was suprised how easy t was ablt to connect to my mac and my windows box. I had being downloading some top flight FLAC read for this moment.

Simple set up. Foobar playing the flac. USB to NAD to Banana plug speaker wire, to Paradigm Titan 1 speakers.


First impressions. Daaaaam. Sounds good. My ears were waiting for this. Nice clean music. I was hearing the small parts of each song. Even the triangle in some Oasis song. LOl.

Here comes the questions:

1. I find it a quiet unit. Or let me say, from -100 db to -80 db its a subtle receiver. If you max it out at 0 db, yes it is loud, but I don't like pushing the unit a full just to get a nice listening point.

So this means two things. A) I'm deaf. Ruined my ears, and cant distinguish loud from pleasant. B) They unit cant push the V's? I find the increase from0% to 80 % really slow. -50 db is almost inaudible? But the top 10% of the range really high. Anyone else? What are your impressions.?

More reviews / questions to follow. Im just test driving this puppy for the second night.

cheers to sweet music.

gb

 

[The Kid]

I've been looking at that NAD unit also... looks pretty sweet and ideal for the setup I would like to start building... would love to hear any further thoughts since your initial post!

Cheers,

le kid

 

[greginhali]

Yo le Kid

I have been enjoying the NAD d3020 a lot. My new (old) hobby) is going downstairs and listening to music. So much fun. I have only have USB connected to it. It has a few other options and I can see how the bluetooth input would be handy as well. Im funning foobar 2000 on the computer and playing my FLAC files. I hooked the NAD to a pair of Totem Rainmakers and dam they sound sweeeeet. The NAD headphone jack sounds amazing as well. I plugged in a pair of Autiotechnica headphones and music sounds nice. One little annoyance is the volume knob. You have to turn it, and turn it, to get the volume to move. Im not sure if this is be design but it gets a little tedious when you want higher volumes. The unit is super small, so if space is a concern it will fit pretty much anywhere.

Grab one, you wont be disappointed.
Good luck

G

 

[The Kid]

So quick question, if I'm streaming via bluetooth and file quality is 320 in iTunes, will that sound decent on the NAD D3020? Am I going to want to upgrade all my files to FLAC or higher quality?

 

[Spacepilot]

Well, after a year and a half of construction, my dedicated theater is about 95% complete.

It was a learning curve for sure -- not knowing really anything about construction, but I'm happy with the results:

Looking toward the screen wall -- the screen and black velvet panels are off for this picture to show the front speakers + subs:

Looking toward the back, the rear surround and back speakers are located in the columns.

 

[kyfe]

that is sick, what size are the woofers 22's?

 

[Spacepilot]

that is sick, what size are the woofers 22's?

They are 18's. With the cabinets tuned to about 17Hz. With two of them, it really helps even out the response in the room.

 

[ndrwrld]

so the brown towers on the stage are L C and R ?
the screen drops down in front of them ?

 

[danielablau]

I'm not much of a movie guy, how does music sound on it?

Have you tried any dvd concert stuff?

 

[Spacepilot]

so the brown towers on the stage are L C and R ?
the screen drops down in front of them ?

Yah, the Walnut veneered speakers are the LCR. The screen is a fixed 2.35:1 acoustically transparent screen that hangs via its frame on the top and side black bars. The rest of the space on that "faux" wall is covered in Black velvet fabric panels so that the room looks it ends at the screen.

 

[Spacepilot]

I'm not much of a movie guy, how does music sound on it?

Have you tried any dvd concert stuff?

I built the room knowing I wanted a good room for 2 channel stuff. The horn loaded L+R speakers are perfect for classical and jazz which is what I listen to the most. I've tried some surround concert stuff in here also which is just phenomenal... the rear speakers really add ambiance.

 

[Bernnie Federko]

So quick question, if I'm streaming via bluetooth and file quality is 320 in iTunes, will that sound decent on the NAD D3020? Am I going to want to upgrade all my files to FLAC or higher quality?

Website specs state:

D 3020 Hybrid Digital™ Amplifier
2 x 30W @ ≤0.005% THD, >100W Dynamic Power @ 4 Ohms
aptX Bluetooth Music Streaming
Supports bit rate/sample rate up to - 24/192 (via Digital Audio input) up to 24/96 (via Computer/Type B USB input)
Optical and Coaxial Digital Inputs, analog inputs
Subwoofer Output
Bass EQ setting
Separate Headphone Amplifier
Wireless Remote

 

[ndrwrld]

Yah, the Walnut veneered speakers are the LCR. The screen is a fixed 2.35:1 acoustically transparent screen that hangs via its frame on the top and side black bars. The rest of the space on that "faux" wall is covered in Black velvet fabric panels so that the room looks it ends at the screen.

fuck, that's huge. what's the dimensions, corner to corner ?