DAC: Worth the cash?

[Ted Dansons Wig]

Thinking of shelling out for one of these as I mostly stream from the mac or pc to the hifi via an airport express.

Anybody know if these are worth the spend or what - and if so can anyone recommend?

Ta muchly

[eFestivals]

if I were you I'd avoid using AirStream - it gets expensive, and it's proprietary - and instead use DLNS to control devices.

When you say "dac", what exactly are you meaning? I'm guessing that you mean a media server to stream mp3s (or whatever) to various receiving devices that'll play the stream?

I've recently bought a Marantz MCR603 - £300 in Richer Sounds, and it's superb. Two years ago it was winning "best £500 system" and the like in hifi mags.

I've now got some Diamond 9's hooked up to it ... and the sound is wow!

Edited October 7, 2013 by eFestivals

[t8yman]

OOh, I quite fancy that Marantz number, have they added wifi support to it yet?

How much did you pay for the diamond 9's?

by squeezebox boom pisses me off a lot, it sounds great, but its networking is very touch and go.

[eFestivals]

OOh, I quite fancy that Marantz number, have they added wifi support to it yet?

nope. Wires weren't a problem for me.

There's an updated version (510, I think it is) which might have wireless, but it doesn't have a built-in DAB and instead only has internet radio. Quite why anyone would want to take a lesser quality over their 'net connection when the airwaves are 100% free beats me.

How much did you pay for the diamond 9's?

they were a right rip-off .... forty of your English pounds.

If there's any better speakers for that price I'll happily eat my sons cooking.

I believe they're now discontinued, so don't hang around in buying them, I'm guessing they won't be around for long.

The downside is that they need stands, and the only stands that Richer had were quite chunky ones ... which they look a bit stupid on. But the sound......

[t8yman]

they NEED stands? can I not just put them onto a surface as they are?

richer are still listing them, best move fast on it...

[eFestivals]

they NEED stands? can I not just put them onto a surface as they are?

richer are still listing them, best move fast on it...

they're designed for stands. They'll sound worse if put on the floor or on a shelf.

There's a reason why bookshelf speakers are called bookshelf speakers. It's not purely due to their size.

Speakers work by moving the air, and the amount of air (and where it is) they're able to move is dependent on how they're mounted. For any speakers that have a proper scientific audio design to them (rather than just being some speakers thrown in a cabinet) the designer has to know how they will be mounted before he can start that design process.

You could of course put these diamond 9's on a shelf, but then you might as well be buying less good speakers, or speakers design to go on a shelf.

[eFestivals]

PS: for the best sound, speakers should be mounted on pins or hung on strings, and not a flat surface .... ever wondered why speakers at festivals often hang in the air? Now you know why.

(apologies to any real audio engineers for my shit layman's description)

Edited October 7, 2013 by eFestivals

[t8yman]

I guess I'm a bit of an ignoramus on this, I'm looking to put them on the kitchen windowsill, so may look for a short stand.

thanks for the advice.

[Ted Dansons Wig]

if I were you I'd avoid using AirStream - it gets expensive, and it's proprietary - and instead use DLNS to control devices.

When you say "dac", what exactly are you meaning? I'm guessing that you mean a media server to stream mp3s (or whatever) to various receiving devices that'll play the stream?

I've recently bought a Marantz MCR603 - £300 in Richer Sounds, and it's superb. Two years ago it was winning "best £500 system" and the like in hifi mags.

I've now got some Diamond 9's hooked up to it ... and the sound is wow!

[windy_miller]

I have had some Diamond 9.1's for a few years. I only recently got round to buying some stands for them and the increase in sound quality is amazing.