I’ve got the speakers I want identified, and probably the 2-channel power amp as well. However, I am trying to determine whether (or how much) I benefit from also getting the relatively costly pre-amp and streamer unit (costs as much as the power amp), versus putting the power amp behind my existing $500 Yamaha AVR with a $200 Nvidia Shield for the streaming. Obviously my old home theater amp can’t power the speakers on its own, so I know I have to do the speakers and the power amp together to get anywhere initially, but I’m then questioning why I can’t use what I already have for the ‘control’ and source aspect. Essentially, I’m struggling to conceptualize the value of the pre-amp & streamer unit over the existing AVR and Nvidia. Am I nuts or is that logical?

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  • Woofy98102@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    My first system I got all at once, a turntable, tuner, cassette deck, integrated amp and loudspeakers. Over the years I’ve replaced one part or another, until I had enough orphaned components to assemble a second system I could use in another part of the house. I have done that for years.

    I added surround processors, additional amps and speakers so my main system could also be used for watching movies. My main system has a stereo preamp with an HT bypass, surround processor, a five channel amp, a pair of monoblocks for my stereo loudspeakers.

    My current system still has the same B&O 4002 turntable I bought in 1975 along with the latest Schitt Mani 2.0 Phono Stage for analog. It’s about to be temporarily replaced by a Technics SL-1200 MK7 while the B&O undergoes a multi-year long restoration, motor rebuild and optical systems update.

    I’m approaching my end game for digital. There’s a NAS drive to store bit-perfect FLAC files. A custom PC running JRiver Media Center that manages the library and features bit-perfect playback and DIRAC Live room correction. I stream music with a Wiim Pro music streamer, An old Sony ES stable-transport handles cd playback. All three are connected to a digital processor that buffers and galvanically isolates the digital data stream before dual OCXO’s reclock the data stream and sends it via i2s to a discrete R2R DAC that decodes either PCM or DSD digital formats.

    Of course, it all goes up in flames if something new comes out. (sigh)