Hello, I just joined, primarily for the audiophile products. Looking at purchasing the NHT C3 speakers for our new living room. Space is about 15 feet wide by 33 long and they will fire long ways. Space is just for general listening, music room with all equipment is downstairs, so hoping they will fill it with sound nicely. Cheers.
Mar 18, 2024
"good reputations in China and Taiwan..." LOL as if this means anything.
btw. how do I turn off notification of this chat?
2) I called Gustard unknown because nobody knows anything about their factory, designers, staff. They don't even have a damn website you moron. Apex HiFi is known for example, as one of the two lead designers is Pete Millett, a legend in the industry who constantly puts out excellent designs. Therefore, a known brand. What does anyone know about Gustard other than their product line? So no, I am aware of Gustard's other products. Me calling them "unknown" doesn't indicate that I don't know their products, it is an informed opinion as I have just explained.
3) Bias toward Chinese stuff? You really mean to say biased AGAINST. But I just acknowledged that Audio-GD is actually above average in component quality and design quality not to mention nice interior chassis design usually. Antique Sound Labs also makes pretty decent stuff, and if you know where to look you can get some nice transformers from China believe it or not (obviously you have to sort through mountains of crap to get there though).
So you are wrong on all accounts and haven't pointed out any false information. This back and forth is just me constantly educating you.
Superbestaudiofriends has unknowledgeable hype trains like head-fi but they won't delete posts that expose brands, and they do have an emphasis on measuring headphones which is nice.
Head-case.org is the most knowledgeable and objective but not very active. I definitely suggest looking up amps there before anywhere else though. Avsforums has good discussion but no focus on headphones. Ultimately these two are my most visited. Audiogon and audioasylum have good technical discussions from back in the day, but aren't as active now.
Also are you asking about this DAC regarding price?
Reading comprehension clearly isn't your strong suit, and you definitely know what it's like to be a pretend know it all. I'm skeptical of Gustard due to the reputation and copycat nature of the H10 (and the fact that they copied a Violectric amp of all amps) and also the tech in their DACs, but that has nothing to do with Audio-GD offering excellent budget products. Audio-GD actually charges less for their products than what it'd cost us to build it ourselves, not that you'd know anything about that.
Latin perhaps Hoc est, ut de foro quomodo sentio te
En Français peut-être; Ce n'est pas le Forum pour discuter de ce que je ressens pour vous.
Có lẽ Việt Nam; Đây không phải là diễn đàn để thảo luận về những gì tôi cảm thấy cho bạn
May be a bit rusty, but alas I've had my fun with you, so I won't be entertaining your little games anymore. If you'd like to discuss this like a man, I'm more than happy to deal with you on Twitter little boy. Other than that, I don't with to discuss anything further. And again, I 🙇 to you oh mighty Oracle! But you can continue on, but I have some resting to do before skiing tomorrow. And yes I live in the Southern Hemisphere, and yes we have snow here, and yes it is winter now. Just in case you thought the earth was flat. 👍👍👍 Twitter is waiting.......
Also before getting a Cavalli amp, please read the Cavalli Liquid Carbon, Liquid Carbon X, Cavalli Tube Hybrid, and Liquid Lightning threads on head-case.org. Skilled engineers open them up and analyze them, effectively exposing them.
As I said earlier, I've met MIT graduates who can't figure out how to light a bulb with a 9v battery. You certainly do seem on that level.
One of the best,and most versatile would be the Sprout 100 (designed by an audio legends son, Scott McGowan, his father Paul is a family friend, so maybe a slight bias) but truly a extremely well rounded dac/amp. Many use it just for headphones but can easily be used as an all-in-one for a 2 channel setup as well. I've found that while it does easily power most PM headphones, the midrange can become a bit lost; but with dynamic headphones it's amazing. Obviously at the top end of your budget, but due to its versatility, it can really be a great product. Also handmade in CO.
Next I'd say the Audeze Deckard. Obviously an amp biased for its own headphones, but plenty of low end grunt and enough power to power the most difficult to drive cans. Extremely subtle but a very balanced and warm amp as well.
Arcams rHead is also one great amp and about half your budget, but there isn't a built in DAC with this one, but probably one of the best sounding amps for under 1k. It's a very clear and focused amp which I've found to be one of the more natural sounding ones around. In essence you hear what the artist intended you to hear. But some people don't like the lack of over accentuated lows to highs. More of an old school amp imho.
Burson Audio Conductor V2 is one helluva amp/dac. It has a Sabre32 DAC, which is pretty amazing. You should be able to find this in the States for under a grand.
Simaudio Moon Neo 230HAD another great versatile amp/DAC et cetera. Very linear and warm sounding, and an amazing low end. Not quite the clarity you'd expect at its price, but what it lacks in that aspect, dynamically is amazing. Now the last two I've mentioned would be pushing your budget, but easy to find on sale.
Schiit Audio Lyr 3 Hybrid with your choice of optional DAC (should come in around 1k) I've only listened to it a few times but was blown away. For the price probably once of the best hybrids out there.
Schiit Jotunheim Balanced amp with your choice of a DAC, Phono or Multibit DAC. Another amazing product from Schiit. Mike Moffat is what Rhamnetin thinks he is lol. He's a brilliant guy who can make these amps compete with ones costing 10 times what they cost. One great thing about Schiit is 98 percent of every component they use is made in the US. While many audio firms make their products in the US,not every single bit of say an amp is made in the US; a DAC may be made elsewhere, but Schiit is committed to everything locally sourced. And it shows. This is one of my favourite amps for under 5k. It's truly amazing. Punchy, transparent, dynamically sound, amazing build quality and an amazing warranty if that matters to you.
A Woo Audio WA7 is also a great tube amp,but I'd only recommend it if you can swing to also get the WA7tp PSU, as the standard PSU isn't the best and it does lack the deep lows you'd expect from a tube amp. The sound is "cooler" than most tube amps, which is a personal preference, but it's a great combo.
The Woo WA3 and WA6 are also excellent as well,minus the DAC, which may blow your budget. The oversound are very similar amongst the Woos, so it's all dependant on what you like. One issue is tube rolling is pretty much impossible with the Woo Audio tube amps, so if that was something you'd be into, scratch that off your list.
Little Dot, although Chinese do indeed make some decent gear for the price. I'd say if you wanted to start with a very inexpensive tube amp, and roll, and play around,I'd say to try one out. If you buy direct, Yang usually offers a lifetime warranty, only caveat is you must pay shipping back to Shenzen I believe after the first 2 years. But it's a definite showing of confidence in his products. And they are a tube rollers dream. Granted I wouldn't get anything below a MKIV, although Chinese made, their components are very high quality, and they do give mainstream manufacturers a run for their money. I have a Little Dot MK VIII SE which is a great little amp for under 1k, and I use it mainly to compare with other amps I've been buying, and it can definitely hold its own. Don't confuse it with a McIntosh MC275, but for its price, cool little thing.
Hope some of this helps, of course everyone has their own preferences and I'd suggest to find a good hifi dealer than has a generous return program, or even has loaner products you can try out and if they don't work for you, you can return them.
Cheers
You make your own thread here trying to show off a Woo Audio WA7, while I posted a photo of my Stax SR-009 × Mjolnir Audio KGSSHV Carbon + Chord Hugo 2 in the showoff thread. Who is the one needing a new job? Certainly not me.
And hope it helped some SchrodinStein
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