I was able to put this system together despite a tight budget. I got some of the equipment second hand from my dad and uncle. (also audiophilers)
The PS audio amp, Audio Research Dac as well as the cables, were given to me. I use a computer for 90% of playback. When money allows it, I want to upgrade my speakers. But I won't be doing anything major for a long time and am content with my system now.
I also listen to headphones sometimes. I mostly listen to Radioshack brand headphones that are re-branded koss 'phones.
****Update****
I have made my first big purchase and bought Monitor Audio RX6. They really reveal a whole new level of performance. Extended, detailed and space.
****Update****
My Little Dot MkII which I was using as a preamp simply didn't cut it once I upgraded my speakers. The Little Dot is designed as a headphone amplifier and does a respectable job doubling as a preamp. However, I stumbled into a Threshold SL-10 preamp and have had all the caps upgraded. The Threshold is built like a tank and is very heavy. The external power supply oversized and is a great candidate to upgrade the caps.
****Update****
After updating the Threshold and installing better / bigger caps, I decided to do the same for the PS Audio amp. Both have opened up the system to be more revealing.
Vintage Preamp from 1979. Has been restored and upgraded with better caps.
PS Audio Two-C plus
70 watt power amp from the mid 80's. One of the first good sounding solid state amps. The key to this amp is the beefed up power supply that the plus model has. I have had the amp restored and caps upgraded.
Audio Research DAC-1.20
Vintage Dac. Does not have the most recent technology and is not capable of 24 bits. But the sound is very good.
I am so down with the no pre-amp set up. For years, I ran a Marantz CD player, which has variable outputs and volume control on the remote. The volume range was very limited however; do you find the same with your DVD player? Luckily, my Audionote Kit Four tube amp also had a volume pot built in. Go Eagles.
System edited: Added new headphones for on the go. The Shures sound nice when you get the right fit but they just didn't work well with my ears...maybe i have weird shaped ears. The problem with the Shures was more comfort and practical reasons they still sounded good. The Sennheisers are extremely comfy and can collapse into a hardshell case in about a minute. Most of my headphone listening is on the go so they work very well for me. They sound good and have good frequency response.
System edited: Finally updated the pics to my current setup at college...although I will be back to the same summer setup in a less than a month. The system sounds better in the college setup because I have a room all to myself to arrange it for ideal audio setup unlike at home where I have to fit it where I can. At school the speakers are pulled out from the wall far enough past all objects and the subwoofer is between the mains. It's funny when my friends come over and are surprised at all the bass these little speakers have without knowing about the subwoofer under the tv. lol I just cut plywood into a circle and put it on top of the sub then covered it with the table cloth. Hides that ugly looking sub. Ingenious if you ask me..but I'm biased.
If you have internet access, add a Roku Soundbridge for $129 at Best Buy and upgrade the connector to an Audioquest G-snake for <$30 on Ebay to add and enjoy many good sounding Internet radio stations from all over the world on your system. Use the Radio Roku website to control your Soundbridge from another computer or laptop on your network. I think the Soundbridge can also serve up your songs from Itunes, if you're an Ipod user or from various other music servers, but the high quality Internet radio sources alone are worth it.
I haven't been on here for a while but thanks for the input on the CD player from everyone. I think I decided that a CD player would be a marginal upgrade. I was also toying with getting an active crossover to better mesh my mains and sub but am undecided if I want to spend money on that first. I have started saving money for Green Mountain Europas. If I bought them for around $500 used that would improve the sound more than a cd player and or a crossover. It's gonna be a long wait tho. Tuition always seems to be going up......
Sherwood Newcastle makes some nice affordable units with Volume on face and remote, also able to hook up to a DAC, be aware that MOST cdp volume controls only work with Analog RCA jacks so when using a digital wire for a DAC the volume feature is useless.
System edited: thanks for the advice. i didn't know Adcom made such a cd player. i will keep my eye out for one next time i need a cd player, which might be soon with this cheap walmart one. lol here are some new pics from my setup at home for the summer.
You should check out the Adcom GCD-575 single disc cd player. It has a built in volume control on the face, though not on the remote. It also has static and dynamic RCA outputs for your case where you will send the output directly to an amp and use the front volume control. I've used this unit and thought it had a very good sound and accepted a lot of burned discs. It also gives you digital outs for a later DAC upgrade. You can only find them used, but, shouldn't cost you more than a couple hundred dollars. Cheers.
I am toying with the idea of upgrading my cd player. I don't want to spend too much money because i think i will eventually end up with a computer based system. I am going to wait until i get a computer with Windows Vista and i don't need a computer now. In the meantime (next few years) the cheapo DVD player is working for me but i'm sure i could get better sound. I know there are reasonably priced Marantz cd or dvd players but does anyone know if they have a volume control on the remote? That is a must for me because i am running it directly into my power amp with no preamp involved. Also i heard oppo has dvd players with volume control too. The oppo 970 has a volume control and sells for only $150. It also had a lot of audio awards for good sound. Any input would be appreciated.
Enjoy what you are doing lad! Someday you'll look back and think to yourself - I come a long way! ( and you'll laugh at some of the gear you used to own!)
I will listen to vinyl ocassionally on my dad's system but i don't plan on adding it to my system. thanks for your comments and i will look into a used cd player on audiogon. i do need my cd player to have a volume control though because i don't have a preamp. preamps are just too expensive for me to get a good one now. i don't want to degrade my system with a cheap preamp.
Have you ever considered getting into vinyl? Have a look at it... you don't always need very expensive machinery to get into vinyl. Have a look at the SOTA Moonbeam - a great machine for a great price.
Your speakers and subs look good aswell as your amp. Regarding a CDP - try getting a second-hand Marantz or Arcam for the meantime. I still use a 'vintage' Phillips CD482 and have not heard a CDP that beats it so I kept it... it cost me about $50. You can get a decent Marantz for that price.
