clarkc
Standard Member
Dear All,
I have been reading this site on and off for some time and now felt the need to seek some help. I am seeking to modernise/upgrade my system but I am struggling to find the right concept.
My current system is based on T+A components (now around 10 years old): very elegant concept (sadly discontinued) combining stereo amp - LR front channels - and surround receiver - additional 3.1 channels, Benchmark DAC1, Piega speakers and AppleTV
We listen to music stored on my MacMini (iTunes via USB to Benchmark), via Spotify (Airplay) and use the Apple TV for films/TV shows and for Airplay.
Stereo performance is pretty good but I assume that I can get better performance from newer electronics (I tried out a Linn Majik DS for a while which was noticeably silkier). If possible, I would also like to improve usability (currently a lot of switching needed from a battery of remotes, all from different suppliers, sometimes too much for my wife!) with better integration of Spotify, Airplay, etc. I intend to keep the beautiful Piega speakers but everything else is up for grabs!
To be honest, I also just need something new ! ))
To summarise, I would describe my basic requirements as follows:
- High quality stereo playback (source better than Benchmark DAC1)
- Neat integration of decent surround sound (some kind of bypass arrangement?)
- Stereo source likely to be USB DAC as it seems to me that USB is more user-friendly than streaming: allows the better control options from Mac/iPad - streaming options seem to require the generally lower quality apps provided by individual manufacturers (I had a Linn for a while and the app was awful)
- Improve usability / simplicity: would like to reduce amount of switching (maybe automatic source switching is possible?), ideally reduce number of components
- Better Spotify, Airplay integration
- Nice aesthetics (ideally units optically compatible)
Sorry for the many words. Any ideas greatly appreciated!
I have been reading this site on and off for some time and now felt the need to seek some help. I am seeking to modernise/upgrade my system but I am struggling to find the right concept.
My current system is based on T+A components (now around 10 years old): very elegant concept (sadly discontinued) combining stereo amp - LR front channels - and surround receiver - additional 3.1 channels, Benchmark DAC1, Piega speakers and AppleTV
We listen to music stored on my MacMini (iTunes via USB to Benchmark), via Spotify (Airplay) and use the Apple TV for films/TV shows and for Airplay.
Stereo performance is pretty good but I assume that I can get better performance from newer electronics (I tried out a Linn Majik DS for a while which was noticeably silkier). If possible, I would also like to improve usability (currently a lot of switching needed from a battery of remotes, all from different suppliers, sometimes too much for my wife!) with better integration of Spotify, Airplay, etc. I intend to keep the beautiful Piega speakers but everything else is up for grabs!
To be honest, I also just need something new ! ))
To summarise, I would describe my basic requirements as follows:
- High quality stereo playback (source better than Benchmark DAC1)
- Neat integration of decent surround sound (some kind of bypass arrangement?)
- Stereo source likely to be USB DAC as it seems to me that USB is more user-friendly than streaming: allows the better control options from Mac/iPad - streaming options seem to require the generally lower quality apps provided by individual manufacturers (I had a Linn for a while and the app was awful)
- Improve usability / simplicity: would like to reduce amount of switching (maybe automatic source switching is possible?), ideally reduce number of components
- Better Spotify, Airplay integration
- Nice aesthetics (ideally units optically compatible)
Sorry for the many words. Any ideas greatly appreciated!