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In Reply to: RE: Too lazy/busy for DIY posted by Neff on June 06, 2009 at 08:41:51
You're going to get many answers on this. Some of them will be above average, some will be bad.I've been enjoying music and film for many years now, and I know many like ourselves who've been the route-- using both DIY and purchased equipment.
To me, the object is to combine long-term reliability, totally eliminate all fussiness, including any and all adjustments except for volume control and maybe that to be a remote, eliminate any and all need to replace anything for up to ten years or so, and after that TUBES ONLY, and to get musical fidelity that no DIY person or commercial manufacturer has yet accomplished. This is not meant to be bragging or exaggerating, today it is easy to accomplish.
All other amplifier parts should last for at least 100 years and WILL in the best equipment, since today we use very few capacitors and all of those are oils or Tin-Foils, etc., (no electrolytics, ever).
To me, linestage preamps are now obsolete-- we now have passive volume controls that are FAR more dynamic than any powered preamp, and the extra transparency of the passive makes all else sound like it's more musically challenged--in one way or another.
Today, your best digital sources are all capable of outputting 2-4 volts, and that makes the passive attenuator virtually perfect going into a good amplifier.
You'll want to listen to vinyl, so why not design all phono preamps to put out exactly the same 2-4 volts? To me, all other powered preamps are now obsolete, especially in overall musical performance.
Here's what has become the state of the art today, and it isn't complicated or fussy at all:
(1) Start with really good, low-power amplifiers. By that, I mean under two watts per channel. Why would I do this? There are many reasons-- all of them good. A few of these are (a) reliability and simplicity, (b) vastly superior dynamics and transparency, (c) virtually no heat problems, (d) no need to use components that are too large to completely honor all that is on a modern recording. There are other reasons.
(2) Choose speakers to match THOSE amplifiers ONLY. Eliminate all speakers that are under 98 db/watt sensitivity if you really love music. Never use them, period. Today, they are also obsolete-- in the extreme!
(3) Use the BEST passive attenuator to control all your music sources. The attenuator can easily lose the signal's power and dynamics unless it IS the best. If it is, then NOTHING can compare with it. Ladders and "L" pads are the ways to go here.
(4) Find, or have custom built, a phono preamp that outputs the exact same voltage levels as a good CD player, DVD player, or computer sound card.
(5) If you want great sound from digital, you can use any really good deck or transport, and run it into a MYTEK Stereo 96 or BENCHMARK (DAC 1), or other, etc., mini-studio DAC. To spend more bucks, you can use LYNX Studio stuff, and there are things even better than that-- such as Sonic Studio, DAD, Pacific Microsonics, etc.
There's no need to throw big bucks at mega-buck studio rigs, however. Simply use the best interconnects you can get on basically good digital stuff, and you'll be there. If you love Home Theatre, then run it in Stereo and forget about all those bullshit extra channels, which are sales gimmicks. Your stereo system will handily outperform all of them.
(6) Maybe you just want good picture and good sound, and like CDs to sound good also. You can do it all by buying a Pioneer Elite DVD unit. Since Blu-Ray is now "hot", you can find a Flagship model of the 1 or 2 year old DVD units that had cost up to $2000-- for peanuts. I just bought two of these for $399 from a Pioneer Elite T.V./Video store. Bang for the Buck? Oh yeah!
Put good cabling and A.C. cords on them, set one up on Golf Balls, and be pleased!
There it is: Start with the BEST POSSIBLE amps-- Under 2 watts. Next, get REALLY GOOD Hi-Eff speakers. Don't compromise here-- these are a must. They WILL be large. Make yourself think, and NEVER buy a small speaker-- except for your computer or your auto. Next, get the best possible passive attenuator and interconnects. You'll save a pair of interconnects by letting the passive preamp handle all the signals.
Speaker cabling should be really good also. Here, you buy the bulk wire that the ultra-pricey speaker cables use, and get the same performance for about 1/10th their price.
Such a system is simple, has zero amp and speaker problems, and only needs an occasional replacement of source components-- as these have motors in them, etc., and these things do not last like the speakers and amps should.
The best amps and speakers should last through several lifetimes with NO parts failures. Figure about 5 years or less for the things with motors or belts in them.
Tube replacement-- in any amplifier that has under 15,000 hours of use on it-- is pretty ridiculous, and shows extreme disregard for proper design and engineering. It is also the norm, even today, and that is why most consumers hate tube equipment. That is sad, because good tube equipment will far outlast solid-state, and the tubes in it will also.
Tubes are like auto tires. Some people run them right and they last a long time. Others like to "burn 'em up". In reproducing music, that is stupid, as conservative operation sounds much, much better if the equipment is designed and built right.
---Dennis---
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Edits: 06/07/09Follow Ups:
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