Welcome to the HIFi Miser Forum!

Andre Marc

Member Sponsor
Mar 14, 2012
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0
San Diego
www.avrev.com
Welcome the the HiFi Miser Forum:

This will be a sub forum to discuss great sounding, feature rich audio products that are priced under $1500.

There are so many great products available now both from small artisanal one man shops but also from
larger entities who can use economies of scale.

Right now I am reviewing a Network Receiver from Marantz, the M-CR611, that costs $699.

It streams music via WiFi, Ethernet, and Bluetooth, receives AM/FM, has analog inputs, digital inputs, iDevice USB input,
does Pandora, Sirius, and Spotify, can drive two sets of speakers, and offers 60 wpc.

It also has a CD transport built in!!

Best of all, it sounds really good.



I also just reviewed a passive preamp from Tilbury Audio, the Mini Passive II, hand built in a workshop
in London that offers 3 configurable inputs and two configurable outputs. Real wood face plate with
laser engraved aluminum case work. $129 British Pounds!!

http://www.avrev.com/home-theater-p...udio-mini-passive-ii-preamplifier-review.html

tisburyaudio_mini-passive-ii-preamp-3.jpg

In the coming months I will have an open baffle speaker costing $1295 speaker coming in from Spatial Audio, and
the Berning MicroZOTL 2.0 tubed preamp/headphone amp, costing $1100.

My office system is the “lab” I use to run my Miser Experiments. Right now I have the $800 CLONES Audio 25p power
amp, a Carver Black Magic tube amp, the above mentioned Tilbury passive, the $500 iFi Micro iDSD DAC, with the $499
Micro iUSB 3.0, the $499 SOtM server, several reel to reels I paid under $500 for, and I just ordered a pair of Magnepan MMGs, for $600.

Some basic rules

-Please NO disparaging of more costly, exotic equipment.

-Manufactures, Reps, and Dealers welcome welcome
 

asiufy

Industry Expert/VIP Donor
Jul 8, 2011
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723
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almaaudio.com
Andre,

If you can get around to the iFi Phono, you'll be surprised at what it does, for the cost.


cheers,
alex
 

Andre Marc

Member Sponsor
Mar 14, 2012
3,970
7
0
San Diego
www.avrev.com
Andre,

If you can get around to the iFi Phono, you'll be surprised at what it does, for the cost.


cheers,
alex

Hi Alex:

I don't spin vinyl. However, after hearing and owning half a dozen iFi products, I would break my rule and recommended their phono preamp sight unseen.

Please feel free to recommend products in your shop under $1500 here anytime. The new Auralic Aries Mini is going to be SUPER hot.
 

asiufy

Industry Expert/VIP Donor
Jul 8, 2011
3,711
723
1,200
San Diego, CA
almaaudio.com
Yes! If they can ever ship them... :D
 

asiufy

Industry Expert/VIP Donor
Jul 8, 2011
3,711
723
1,200
San Diego, CA
almaaudio.com
I was talking about the Auralic Mini...
 

Joe Whip

Well-Known Member
Feb 8, 2014
1,733
557
405
Wayne, PA
For under $1,250.00 I nominate the Schiit Gungnir Multibit aka The Gumby. This is one great sounding DAC. The BiFrost is available now too as a multibit for $599.00. I have yet to hear one though.
 

Andre Marc

Member Sponsor
Mar 14, 2012
3,970
7
0
San Diego
www.avrev.com
For under $1,250.00 I nominate the Schiit Gungnir Multibit aka The Gumby. This is one great sounding DAC. The BiFrost is available now too as a multibit for $599.00. I have yet to hear one though.

I have direct experience with a couple of Schiit products and they are the real deal. Build quality and performance seems to good to be true
 

astrotoy

VIP/Donor
May 24, 2010
1,547
1,017
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SF Bay Area
Andre, have you considered the new Andrew Jones ELAC speakers - $200-300 a pair. Larry
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I have direct experience with a couple of Schiit products and they are the real deal. Build quality and performance seems to good to be true

Joe
With a name like theirs they better sound good. ;)

They even make light of it on their website.
 

Joe Whip

Well-Known Member
Feb 8, 2014
1,733
557
405
Wayne, PA
I have 2 of their products, the Gungnir and the Wyrd. I have had the Wyrd for a year or so now and had the Gungnir delta sigma DAC for almost 2. The Gumby is way better that the DS version. Upgrade only $500. I can live with that! Probably the best $500 I have spent in this hobby.
 

Andre Marc

Member Sponsor
Mar 14, 2012
3,970
7
0
San Diego
www.avrev.com
I have 2 of their products, the Gungnir and the Wyrd. I have had the Wyrd for a year or so now and had the Gungnir delta sigma DAC for almost 2. The Gumby is way better that the DS version. Upgrade only $500. I can live with that! Probably the best $500 I have spent in this hobby.

I have the Wyrd and can honestly say it works as advertised.
 

Rodney Gold

Member
Jan 29, 2014
983
11
18
Cape Town South Africa
Squeezebox touch at $299
Any miniDSP product , well under $1k
www.minidsp.com

tidal at $9.99 a month

nu prime ida 8 at $995
http://www.nuprimeaudio.com/index.php/pages/pages-overview/integrated-amps/ida-8.html

J river $49

I use a SBT, a miniDSP product (dirac DDRC 22) and Tidal
all just over $1100 as the front end of a much more expensive system. I dont think their price in any way compromises their excellent performance
 

Andre Marc

Member Sponsor
Mar 14, 2012
3,970
7
0
San Diego
www.avrev.com
Squeezebox touch at $299
Any miniDSP product , well under $1k
www.minidsp.com

tidal at $9.99 a month

nu prime ida 8 at $995
http://www.nuprimeaudio.com/index.php/pages/pages-overview/integrated-amps/ida-8.html

J river $49

I use a SBT, a miniDSP product (dirac DDRC 22) and Tidal
all just over $1100 as the front end of a much more expensive system. I dont think their price in any way compromises their excellent performance

No argument here on the SBT. I have two of them that I used to use as front ends with far, far more expensive equipment. I am selling both mine
just because I have a streamer collection at this point that is getting out of hand.
 

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  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

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