Thanks everyone. To me, the journey is just as fun as the end result and a large part of this hobby is experimenting with different equipment in search of the sweet spot. Dwhitt, I can only hope that at 91 years of age, I'm still on this journey!

Mhnyc, I did brief research regarding other inexpensive DACs but ended up with the Fubar becuase it was easily available, had respectable online reviews and was inexpensive so would be easy to replace. And priced the way it is, I have been very happy with the sound but do plan on upgrading the DAC after perhaps one or two subwoofers!

markt1600 January 14, 2009 12:53

hey there Extra action, this is fun, there was a day i thought i was totally right,especially when it came to audio equipment...first , may i say i like that bedroom system, i would love to have it as a regular music system. It is obvious that you have a very good background in electronics and excellent taste in equipment and layout of visual...i have become over the years, a simple mind, meaning that i personally believe that if you want to enjoy the music rather than equipment, and nobody love listening to EQUIPMENT more than me, i just love to look at it....an even design system in my spare thoughts, but soon as one system is visual, another shows up...that is part of all this that we do, some are more visual,some just want electronics and others want to hide everything and listen to music..i have found over the years that i have done it all, at 91 years of age,my ears and mind have changed but boy is it still fun....you are correct about the subs, i was just thinking simplicity ...that is where i am now, simplicity and quality....thanks for all the interesting thought....and thanks markt1600 for starting all this..hope you find the perfect one, two, etc....dwhitt

dwhitt January 13, 2009 19:55

This looks like a fantastic system, Markt. Did you consider any other DACs before going with the Fubar? My current computer/amp interface is an Apple Airport Express, and I'm looking for a relatively inexpensive DAC (<$500) to upgrade the sound. Anyone have experience with the new Cambridge Audio Dacmagic?

mhnyc January 13, 2009 17:19

Not to sound like a rogue agent here, and as an aside i agree in principal with almost everything that Dwhitt has to say, but i do offer up an different opinion when it comes to subs.
You can purchase two fine Velodyne subs for $150 each to cover the low end. There is a growing train of though that the sub frequencies can be equally well served by several smaller diaphragms than a single behemoth; after all at this freq. range it is primarily about moving air. If it is good enough for Nelson Pass it is probably good enough for me

extra_action January 13, 2009 16:38

we all have different opinions about equipment just as we do about food, music and in general , life.. I would make a purchase of equipment with the intentions that nothing stays the same, especially equipment. I would purchase a good sub woofer and if so expect to receive a fair back in return, i don't know of anyone making money on used equipment , if so , send me the outline, please. the katans are a great speaker, but if you want to enjoy them to their fullest, i would purchase the linn sub...you will enjoy the linn sound and appreciate it more with their sub. i have tried other very good subs with linn product with success but the linn works the best in presentation. they are better active with linn amps also...it is just one of those situations where product line makes perfect sense. i have owned all kinds of equipment together, but there is something to the product line, amp,pre,speakers,cd that seem to be apparent...i would only use a linn sub with a linn speaker. this is why when you shop at a real hifi store, and there aren't too many around...that they use product line to sell there speakers and if the speaker company doesn't make amps, then it is up to the manufacturer to suggest an amp,cd,etc. for the speaker, if not the store manager usually comes up with a great piece for the speaker. as we all know, some units just work together for the best sound....in saying this, hope you find the right sub...enjoy the music..dwhitt

dwhitt January 13, 2009 08:36

Thanks everyone for your advice and for sharing your experiences.

I believe I will upgrade precisely as stated above (first subs then DAC). The tip about being reasonable in choice of subwoofers is definitely appreciated though. If there are any reasonable sub suggestions that might serve as good complements to the Linn Katans, I would love to hear about them.

markt1600 January 13, 2009 01:16

i liked the linns active, but they perform very well non active. i have owned the tukans, keligh and katans, all active. i never heard them with good tubed equipment, i believe that linn overall is very detailed . they are one speaker that i never seem to tire listening. the sub will help a great deal, what is does and did with my tukans,katan , relieved the mid range and upper end to be alot more air around the instruments and vocals. somehow easing the bottom end to the sub ofcourse. i like subs if they are placed correctly and with my monitors , i put it next to the inside and outside of the monitor, depending on my ear....i have owned linn, maganapan, totem, vandersteen, era, quad and linn is by far with magnapan my favorites...they work so well with jazz and classical...the xbox i thought i spotted it, they are fine, i wouldn't mind having one for what they do....i just don't spend enough time in that area...thanks for the conversation..dwhitt ejoy the music...dwhit

dwhitt January 12, 2009 23:35

The Katan's were part of my first serious system. They are a great set of monitors and will serve you well for a long time
Adding a sub helps them immeasurably. Don't waste your money on expensive "musical" subs. A pair of $150 subs corner loaded will work wonders.
After that a used Benchmark DAC.
If you ever decide to move away from tubes buying a pair of Linn amps and setting up the monitors aktiv is also a huge improvement.
Enjoy

extra_action January 12, 2009 23:29

Embarassingly, the white unit on the top shelf is an X-Box 360 that basically goes unused save for some 'Rockband' sessions when friends are over. The system doubles as the television / entertainment center in my apartment so there are a few things on that shelf that are not audio related.

The Tempest/Katan combination is a very nice and revealing combination for me. I agree that a Linn Sizmik sub would probably be the next logical upgrade for this system to add some low end punch. There do seem to be some interesting DACs on that web site although I've been quite happy with the Fubar so far. Would love to hear your thoughts on other Linn speaker combinations you have used.

markt1600 January 12, 2009 16:56

look at pacific valve and electric company website...interesting dac there....don't know how you feel about the eastern equipment...dwhitt

dwhitt January 12, 2009 15:23

interesting system, what is the white units on the top shelve? i am putting together a rather small unit for a 10 X 11 room also. i like what you have done, i bet the rogue with the katans is nice....i have owned linn speakers and love them,,,,get you a linn sub, even the less expensive one, sometimes shows up on audiogon, and you have it going....i can't remember what it is called, but it is part of there small video;audio systme....i am not familiar with the dac you are using. good work and good listening dwhitt

dwhitt January 12, 2009 15:22