You have an odd concept of romance ... and comedyAlso a good name for a ROMCOM.
You have an odd concept of romance ... and comedyAlso a good name for a ROMCOM.
I own the Anthem STR pre/power amp and a MiniDSP SHD Studio. The Anthem equipment has a much better UX and physical look and feel.
Yeah, I love Anthem (well, I'm still butthurt about the hdmi board failure though) but I find them too expensive, especially now that they're not made in Canada anymore.For sure, Anthem stuff is always very well built. Here I wasn't able to find the Anthem STR pre+power amp for less than 7.700 Euro (3k the preamp and 4.7k the power amp).
My Minidsp SHD (not the studio, the regular one) was about 1.300 Euro and my Nord hypex nc500 amp was about 1.500 Euro, total 2.800 Euro. Aside of measurements I would as a minimum expect much better look and feel for a 3X price factor. I think it is important to compare apples with apples, Anthem is a well known luxury hi-fi brand, Minidsp is a chinese manufacturer that works very well but not in the same market. That said if money is not an option I'm all for expensive audio jewelry
I am grateful for all the information everyone has given me so far. I am getting the idea that the value of the better measuring Purifi amplifier is more of vanity than performance (i. e. I should get the better measuring gear if I want to be able to tell everyone how great my gear's SINAD is, but nobody would know the difference otherwise). To be honest, both of these options remain very tempting.
I am curious about that, but I would hope to see it measured before I pulled the trigger. Or at least have the specs vetted by someone more knowledgeable than myself.NAD’s new M33 has purifi amps, Dirac, and BluOS, and you can likely find a street price for it that is fairly close to the anthem, I would think. Dirac can be simple or difficult—depending on how far you want to deep dive with it. I’d probably pick it over the Anthem. heres a link, if you’re curious:
https://nadelectronics.com/product/m33-bluos-streaming-dac-amplifier/
I am curious about that, but I would hope to see it measured before I pulled the trigger. Or at least have the specs vetted by someone more knowledgeable than myself.
Also, would the NAD M33 be available 20% or 25% off within a few months of its release? I don’t have much (any) experience with asking for deals on audio and my budget can’t stretch all the way to $5k.
Alexanderc pointed to a new NAD amp (in an other thread) that you should consider as well: https://nadelectronics.com/product/m33-bluos-streaming-dac-amplifier/Those of you that have an Anthem STR: What, if anything, are you using for music streaming (Spotify/Tidal/Apple Music)? The Anthem STR is almost my ideal pre-amp (ARC Genesis / Multi-sub optimization / HT Bypass), but I need to be able to easily stream via Spotify.
Considering connecting a Node 2i via digital out, but wondering if that’s overkill.
Those of you that have an Anthem STR: What, if anything, are you using for music streaming (Spotify/Tidal/Apple Music)? The Anthem STR is almost my ideal pre-amp (ARC Genesis / Multi-sub optimization / HT Bypass), but I need to be able to easily stream via Spotify.
Considering connecting a Node 2i via digital out, but wondering if that’s overkill.
If I were to go the Anthem route, I would be getting a second CD player (moving what I have to another location) so the Marantz ND8006 is appealing. Also looking at the Bluesound Vault 2i. If you might ever consider multi-room, looking at something like the Bluesound or HEOS units might be useful for the future. Plus those seem to be among the most mature of the streaming ecosystems. If I were to get an NAD M33, I might forego the new CD player or just get something inexpensive as a transport.Those of you that have an Anthem STR: What, if anything, are you using for music streaming (Spotify/Tidal/Apple Music)? The Anthem STR is almost my ideal pre-amp (ARC Genesis / Multi-sub optimization / HT Bypass), but I need to be able to easily stream via Spotify.
Considering connecting a Node 2i via digital out, but wondering if that’s overkill.
I use a Yamaha WXC-50 via digital out mostly because I use a WXA-50 for my living room system and can sync them if I want. Other options are Sonos connect, Heos link, Raspberry Pi with Logitech Media Server, etc. Just pick the app you like and get something with a digital out.Those of you that have an Anthem STR: What, if anything, are you using for music streaming (Spotify/Tidal/Apple Music)? The Anthem STR is almost my ideal pre-amp (ARC Genesis / Multi-sub optimization / HT Bypass), but I need to be able to easily stream via Spotify.
Considering connecting a Node 2i via digital out, but wondering if that’s overkill.
Yamaha claims the WXC-50 supports hi res audio, 24/192 i believe, whereas the Sonos S2 os supports only up to 24/45. If true this would be an advantage for the WXC-50 to those of us subscribing to hi res services. Do you know however if the manufacturers are referring to resolutions supported by the on board DACs of these devices or if they are referring to the straight line digital output, or both? I upgraded to a Element i to make sure I was getting hi res output but not sure I needed to, as I was using the digital output from a Sonos Port previously.I use a Yamaha WXC-50 via digital out mostly because I use a WXA-50 for my living room system and can sync them if I want. Other options are Sonos connect, Heos link, Raspberry Pi with Logitech Media Server, etc. Just pick the app you like and get something with a digital out.
Not online yet, but I’m eager to read it!Nad M33 is reviewed in the latest Stereophile by @Kal Rubinson.
The consensus from reviews is that it is much improved. I have used both and the new version has a much cleaner and easier to use interface, and the options for altering settings are much expanded, esp in the STR components. The "quick measure" function is a really useful tool for sub location, you can actually leave the testing on while you move the sub and watch what happens to the response curve. I enjoy using the program and look for an excuse to run it
Good to know! The old arc was not a joy to use. Do you still need to physically connect a pc to the avr?