(I posted this question earlier--did it get deleted for some reason???) How does it make sense to compare heavy-gauge Naim speaker wire to Radio Shack 16-gauge dinky-wire? Why not at least compare the Naim to zipcord of the same gauge. It's not too surprising that 16-gauge wire doesn't give you great sound...

Post deleted by Bob Stern

This is my first post on Stereophile !

I am shopping for an entirely new system. Right now my only audio source is a ipod connected to a pair on Sennheiser 555. I do enjoy music and I feel that investing a bit in a audio system would be rewarding.

I have a 2000$ budget for a DAC, an amp & speakers. The music is exclusively coming from a pc with, among other things, flac-encoded files.

I would really prefer to go for a cheap sound card with a toslink/spdif output and move the processing into either a dac or an amp with a dac.

Rega Planar 3 Hifi Audiophile Turntable - $400
"An older Planar 3 that hasn't seen a whole lot of use and is in great shape. The cartridge definitely still has some good life on it."

Is this a good deal for $400?

I liked the review a lot, especially the comparison with the Boulder integrated, which costs a chunk less than the CTH8550, although still pricey. Thought WP handled it well, the high price issue, voicing his preferences conscientiously and without being snarky.

What section of Stereophile do you turn to first each month? Are there parts that you don't read at all?
Just wondering. Thanks.

I'm considering replacing my Fog v3 with the Unico CD. The Cairn is very "musical" and being "in the music" is a good description most of the time. But, I know it places an unusual emphasis on certain parts. This drives me crazy when I "know" a song should sound different, e.g. the rhythm guitar should be further in the background.
I want another CDP with digital inputs and am very happy with my Unico SE integrated, which has put the Unico CD at the top of my list.