Would you get speakers or a receiver first?

[chasw98]

Something to think about. So many new refinements in electronics are on the verge of coming out that I think you would get a better receiver a year from now for the same money and end up with better speakers by buying them now. Look around at all the CES hype about new products that aren't here yet, but will be. Denon is bringing out some nice inexpensive HDMI switching units. Electronics change faster than speaker design. Ask DaveF how long it took him to come up with a better design than the original 340's.

[Eddie]

I'm using one of the creative sound cards. I'll have to check the model number later. Will it make a difference what card you're using when it's outputing SPDIF? I have my desktop hooked to my projector to watch movies, so I listen to music from it too...

I'm not sure, you might want to ask on a computer forum about that one. The reason that ChainTech soundcard has gotten raves is because for 2-channel listening it uses Wolfson DACs and with an optical cable you get 24-bit/192KHz resolution, something usually found only in cards costing $100 and up like M-Audio. Some users report glitches with surround sound and video games but that's not what you should buy it for.

[Ivory05G35]

I'm not sure either, but I think by using the SPDIF output I'm bypassing the DAC's right? So it's only beneficial if you use the analog outs from the card which I'm not currently doing. I'll have to read up on this to make sure.

[bikeman]

I'm not sure, you might want to ask on a computer forum about that one. The reason that ChainTech soundcard has gotten raves is because for 2-channel listening it uses Wolfson DACs and with an optical cable you get 24-bit/192KHz resolution, something usually found only in cards costing $100 and up like M-Audio. Some users report glitches with surround sound and video games but that's not what you should buy it for.

The benefit of the 710 is kernel streaming. It allows bit perfect playback instead of upsampling everything to 48k like most Creative and so many others. I'm not familiar with the newer Creative cards but in any event they're not competive at this price point for two channel.

David

[Eddie]

The benefit of the 710 is kernel streaming. It allows bit perfect playback instead of upsampling everything to 48k like most Creative and so many others. I'm not familiar with the newer Creative cards but in any event they're not competive at this price point for two channel.
David

Ah, thanks. I'm waiting to receive a 30 foot optical cable which I'll use to connect my Creative Soundblaster MP3 external usb sound card to my xr55, if I'm not happy with the result I might order that 710 myself.

[BGHD]

Am I better off with a new receiver for now and running my matched Athena setup with the Krell amp until I can get some Ascends? Or will the Ascends be that much better than my Athena's that I should bask in their glory and do the receiver later?

IMO, upgrading the speakers would be a 'safer' route. The SE's just came out, so they probably won't be changing anytime soon. But, electronics will. HDMI's in a constant state of flux and, although I don't know the details, the new audio codecs (trueHD, etc) are coming out.

[Ivory05G35]

I think my decision will be based on what day of the week it is. I was leaning towards a new receiver because I think my Athena's could benefit from the AutoEQ and the Krell amp, but now I'm thinking my center channel is a little garbled and cannot keep up with the F2's (which seems to be the general vibe among athena owners).

So today I'm leaning towards a 170/340/170 setup across the front...

[rajacat]

Instead of using the Chaintech 710, you might want to consider the Squeezebox which has an internal DAC, can be wireless and has superb lossless fidelity especially with some modifications offered by several small audio companies. Another possibility is to use the wireless Squeezebox, as a small preamplifier and wire it directly to an amplifier thereby really simplify your system when operating in two channels. You then can put your CDP on Audiogon. One more option would be to use the Squeezebox as a transport only, via SPDIF, to an external DAC>audio outs then to the receiver . One more option would be to purchase an USB DAC to stream audio to your receiver. I haven't throughly investigated this possibility yet and some of these options can be a little nerdy but they might be worth the effort if you want to have the advantage of storing your music collection on your computer and also have enhanced fidelity by eliminating the CDP which is a weak point in audio reproduction because it has a tendency to increase jitter. The Squeezebox enables you to wirelessly access your computer and your CD collection from your easy chair.

[rajacat]

Link for the SQUEEZEBOX. http://www.slimdevices.com/

[Eddie]

Link for the SQUEEZEBOX. http://www.slimdevices.com/

wow, that's a sweet-looking little thing.

only downside is $300 pricetag, vs. $23 for the ChainTech.