OK good to know, thank you. I checked out their (Sablon) site and the cable and it seems its in the same cost zone as the FTA so from yours, @M0N s and @hifiDJ s - recommendations I would probably skip the Sablon and go FTA, if that’s the direction I end up going.
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Look forward to what you will have to say - even while knowing you expect it may not be your vibe.
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Ill be sure to post some rhoughts!
Speaking of synergy. An msb discrete (2 power bases) just popped up local to me. Any idea how well it performs in terms of that textural energy ive been bugging you about? Its a dac ive actualy been having a hard time finding concrete sound impressions on (thinking maybe thats cause its not worthwhile?)
Not really, not enough experience with it to comment
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Sounds good. Ill see if i can bug the seller for a demo
Is there a preference here b/w aes and spdif? Rather, which one is more ‘manageable’ to use or are both relatively similar?
I ask b/c I’ve never used either inputs so I’d like an idea of which one to choose over the other. This is assuming both are solid sound-wise, have both inputs, etc…
If you’re asking about the Aqua, they’re probably pretty similar mine has the AES connector, but AES via 3 pin is basically just SPDIF with balanced signaling, it’s not inherently better in a none studio setting, and I wouldn’t worry about using SPDIF over AES.
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Do both connections have the same support as with usb (>96, dsd, etc)?
Yes basically the same standard, minus a few status/handshake bits.
limited to PCM192 and DSD64 using DOP, though there are DAC’s that stretch the standard to DSD128, I don’t think the Aqua is one of them.
USB will support higher rates on some DAC’s, the Pacific is PCM768 DSD512 over USB, but above limits apply for AES/SPDIF.
Not that it really matters, I do have a few DSD128 recordings, but nothing higher that PCM192, and I’m not even sure if the DSD stuff was actually recorded at that rate.
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@M0N just stumbled upon this brand and amps. Any chance you have heard some of these?
edit: this is for Aqua La Voce S3
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Is the 75ohm / 110ohm thing something I need to keep on the back of my head? Or are all of them already set to that spec?
And is the bnc coax the same connector as the rca coax?
The connection impedances are standard but you need to buy a digital cable rather than just use a standard RCA or 3 Pin XLR.
They’ll work if the impedances don’t match, but it will increase Jitter marginally.
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You must 100% be vigilant about it. they are very specific. 75 Ohm for RCA and 110 Ohm for AES. And you’ll find specific COAX cable, no substitute.
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just in case the question was also about the physical connection, no it’s not, BNC coax to RCA coax will require an adapter. BNC usually locks in place, better fit.
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Does anyone have any tips on how to negotiate discounts when buying new equipment from a dealer?
I know it helps when you’re a repeat customer, e.g. I routinely get a discount from Taron at Headphones.com because I talk to him frequently on discord, and I’ve spent quite a lot of money with him, but he’s the only dealer I have a relationship with.
I wish this was like buying a car, where I have a good idea of how much something costs the dealer. And I’m not trying to be unreasonable, because at the end of the day, I want us both to be happy, where I get a discount and he still makes money.
The only information that I think is helpful is the average price of a used item, e.g. on hifishark. Then I can have an honest conversation with the dealer and ask how close can they get to that, with the caveat that I would pay them a higher price for warranty support.
Does anyone have a suggestion on how to do this better?
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So it will really depend on the item at hand, some will have significant markup, some will not, you will just need to feel things out. I’d personally just start out by straight up asking what the best price they could give you would be after you ask your other non price associated questions and talk to them about your system. Typically they will just be honest and tell you, it saves both you and them time, shows you are actually interested in buying (dealers don’t like tire kickers), and keeps it fair for both sides. The goal is to develop a good relationship, and if you try and pressure a dealer or act real stubborn to get the price you want, that relationship won’t develop.
Also have cash on hand, that’s a big one imo, paying in cash is a great way to get a good relationship going and potentially get the best prices
Generally just having a good discussion with them and feeling out what they themselves prefer and what they think would be best for your system is a good idea, cooperating with what they think is the best route also sometimes yields better deals, since they might cut you breaks to make things work if you actually have a clear plan and intent to buy
But really is is sometimes just as easy as asking them what the best price they can give you is. No nonsense associated
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I have found many dealers to be very forthcoming and direct. I ask about the items I want, I tell them what I would like to purchase, ask about method of payment and then take it from there. Every time I have been offered at least a 10% discount. Beyond that I stick to my personal dealer who will quote me his cost plus how much he wants to make and I add a little something extra on top of that because he doesn’t steer me wrong.
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Agreed, this is important to me. When Taron quotes me a price, I normally ask him if he’s making enough out of this deal, because let’s face it, he’s no different from me, just a guy trying to make a living. Or if I’m offered free expedited shipping, and I don’t need it, I say don’t bother paying for that, I can wait the extra 2 or 3 days.
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After knowing what some dealers/shops actually make, it’s honestly really surprising how some of them are in business, you can tell a fair amount of the dealers left are really doing it more for passion rather than profit outside of the huge guys, since that’s really the only way they can continue. You’d think dealers make huge profits from higher end gear, but it really isn’t the case in the end, there’s a reason they are disappearing more and more (although there’s many things that contribute to that outside of profitability). Although I’d rather not get too into this discussion since I’m not a dealer nor would I want to disclose information told to me that I’m not supposed to tell other people lol, but know that the margins are a lot tighter than what people would expect
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