To play a disc with Technics' new SL-1300G record player means pushing its round On button, then touching one or more of its rectangular speed selector buttons, then pushing the big square [Start:Stop] button, then unclamping the tonearm and using its cue lever to raise it up.
Next comes the part where my heart beats a little faster: using the headshell's…
KC92s with the PS Audio Aspen FR5
This user configuration is one of the most likely for the KC92, and I found that it worked well. Setup with these small standmount speakers was not as streamlined as with LS60s since the KEF app does not know them. One could use an external program (eg, Roon, JRiver, etc.) to split off the bass to the KC92s and high-pass the rest to the FR5s. Instead, I connected the full-range L/R signals to the subs and fed the main amps and FR5s from the KC92s' line outputs (footnote 4).
Physically, I placed the FR5s where the LS60s (which are usually my…
Description: Powered, sealed-box, dual-driver subwoofer. Drive units: two 9" cone woofers in force-canceling arrangement. Inputs: stereo or dual-mono unbalanced (RCA), speaker level input via Euroblock speaker level connector (included). Outputs: stereo or dual-mono unbalanced (RCA). Controls: Level; Low-Pass filter (variable, 40–140Hz, 24dB/octave, LFE); Phase control (0°, 180°); EQ (Room, Wall, Corner, Cabinet, Apartment); Power/Standby Mode; Ground Lift (On, Off); Line Out High-pass filter (Variable, 40–120Hz). 12V trigger input. USB-C service port. Expansion…
Digital sources: Custom Intel/Win11 music server running JRiver Media Center v32 and Roon 2, Merging Devices Hapi II and Okto Dac8 PRO multichannel DACs. QNAP TVS-873 NAS. Oppo Digital UDP-103 universal disc player.
Power amplifiers: Benchmark AHB2, NAD M23.
Loudspeakers: KEF Blade Two Meta with IsoAcoustics GAIA II feet, KEF LS60 Wireless, PS Audio Aspen FR5.
Cables: Digital interconnects: Mogami Gold AES TD DB25-XLR0 snake.Analog interconnects: Mogami Gold AES TD DB25-XLR snake, Benchmark Studio&Stage XLR–XLR. Speaker cables: Blue Jeans…
Enter Simaudio's Moon 891 network player/preamplifier ($25,000; footnote 2). Also called a "streaming preamplifier"—Simaudio frequently struggles with how to clearly and succinctly brand its Moon products—it includes a DAC…
Description: One-piece network player/D/A processor/analog preamplifier with phono stage, BRM-1 intelligent remote control, and built-in Moon damping base. Integration: Roon Ready, Apple AirPlay, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, local media servers. Streaming services: Qobuz, HighRes Audio, Deezer, and Tidal. Digital inputs: HDMI with ARC for TV, AES3, S/PDIF (2), optical (TosLink) (2); USB Audio, USB (type-A) host, network/RJ45 (2). DAC decodes PCM and MQA up to 32/384, upconverting 24-bit to 32-bit, and DSD up to DSD256. Analog inputs: two pairs line RCA (single…
Digital sources: dCS Vivaldi APEX D/A processor, Vivaldi Upsampler Plus, Vivaldi Master Clock; EMM Labs DV2 Integrated DAC, Meitner MA3 Integrated DAC; Innuos Statement Next-Gen Music Server and PhoenixNET network switch; Small Green Computer Sonore optical Module Deluxe with Broadcom/Avago AFBR-5718PZ 1GB SX-SFP, Gen 5 Fiber Optic module (2); Nordost QNet switch and QSource linear power supply (2); Sonore Audiophile Linear Power Supply; Synology 5-bay 1019+ NAS with Ferrum Hypsos linear/switching hybrid power supply; Linksys MR9000 mesh router and Arris…