surface mounting 10.2

[markaudio]

Thanks Mark for valuable suggestions. I have huge collection of flacs and some CDs. infact i am still under confusion, whether a CD player will be better than a mediaplayer/laptop/pc->soundcard/DAC combo!? 😕
to add more confusion on top of that, recently i auditioned an all analog solution (turntable->2A3 tube amp->Altecs voice of theatre speakers) at my friends place and my whole understanding of audio has changed...

Hi S,
I've spent some over recent times comparing the best loss-less downloads (via Onkyo hard/software). I've also listened to several other systems here in HK and the same music from CD. I personally found CD remains superior. I should say that most of the music played was classical and some vocal.

The new technology is getting better and CD-player development has pretty much run its course. Maybe a matter of time before it over-takes CD. Others may differ from my observations. I know some folks feel downloads with the a good processing gear is the way to go.

Personally, I'd still try to buy a nice CD player and start a growing a CD collecting. Its allot of fun.

Yes, 2A3 + turntable, considered a nice potential audiophile combination.

 

[soundnovice]

Hi S,
I've spent some over recent times comparing the best loss-less downloads (via Onkyo hard/software). I've also listened to several other systems here in HK and the same music from CD. I personally found CD remains superior. I should say that most of the music played was classical and some vocal.

The new technology is getting better and CD-player development has pretty much run its course. Maybe a matter of time before it over-takes CD. Others may differ from my observations. I know some folks feel downloads with the a good processing gear is the way to go.

Personally, I'd still try to buy a nice CD player and start a growing a CD collecting. Its allot of fun.

Yes, 2A3 + turntable, considered a nice potential audiophile combination.

i have made up my mind to go for USB DAC (JDS lab's objective DAC to be specific-this is selected as several reviews claim its 'neutral' sound signature). i feel its lot more convenient when music collection resides in soft form and browsing becomes easier, especially with android phone acting as remote controller. moreover i could assemble a pretty high end HTPC (atom based fanless ofcourse) in the price of a medium end cd player! my planned chain is,
HTPC->objective dac->preamp(?)->amplifier->speakers

@Mark: what is your opinion about preamp? is there any preamp you suggest suitable for Alpairs? perhaps a tube based preamp would be a nice addition. i am in no way interested in tone controls, just volume and balance knobs.