I seen some of the aegir 2 info from Schiit on their YouTube channel. Do you feel that your Are equipment sounds close to tubes? I am building my NX-otica's and I have a really good sounding SMc audio A/B amp but I feel like I will probably need a tube preamp. I tried to find out the output impedance on my amp but wasn't successful.
I guess I would answer this by saying "yes, it sounds close to tubes"... but here's the thing, having something that "sounds like tubes" isn't the ultimate goal, for me. What I want, is stuff that is completely musically satisfying. Completely fatigue free. I want to be able to listen to it for hours on end and it sound "right". When things don't sound "right" to me, I know it very quickly. Something is "off" and it makes me not want to listen. Tubes are a really good way of getting to that goal, which many people have. I would say that my Ayre gear provides that experience, but it's not the only way to get there. What I'm sharing about feedback / damping factor is because I think those are key traits that impact why the Ayre (and other) gear delivers that experience, for me. I could be giving you bad advice. This is what works for me. What I'm suggesting is to try something like what I have, to see whether you like it. The Aegir 2 "may" be a way of sampling what I'm talking about, without a big commitment. And, it could end up even being the best choice... you never know.
I don't feel like I "need" a tube preamp. My Ayre KX-5 Twenty preamp may even be "better" than the amp. In fact, I think Ariel Brown (and maybe others) think that preamp could be the most important piece of all. I've been playing with DACs lately, some that can drive the amp with its own volume control. Right now one of them is the RME ADI-2 DAC FS (It's a really impressive piece for everything it does). See the pic I posted of the Remote interface that works on iPad / Computer. PEQ, different digital filters, presets, etc, etc. etc. It goes on and on. I've never used a more flexible device. And, it also happens to sound really good! However, I may have found taking my Ayre preamp out of the chain was a step backwards in "musicality". I can't measure it... I still have some "back and forth swapping" to do - and that's fun. If I didn't already have the Ayre preamp, I would be happy and I'm sure I could just "tune it" to exactly what I wanted. In fact, I'm playing with some of the now. The RME unit is WAAAY different than any of my Ayre gear... but I'm still playing with it. I'm having fun with all of this stuff.
If I had a pair of NX-Otica, and I were starting from scratch... I would try this:
- Used RME ADI-2 DAC FS
- Schiit Aegir 2
That is a super simple setup that I have a hunch would sound incredible. If you don't like either or both of those units, you can sell them without getting hurt.
Whenever you can, buy gear used. Setup a login on hifishark.com to look for gear for sale, get alerts, check pricing for what gear sells for. If you buy stuff right, you'll be able to use it for "free" and have fun / learn along the way.
Oh by the way I was checking out your work website and curious approximately a day at the track cost with a car?
That's not my "job", but I'm on a racetrack ~30 days per year, so it's pretty close! "How much?" can vary by event, but when all is said and done, it's at least $500/day - maybe a little more. You'll see the fee for different events, but then there's fuel, tires (wear), brake pads (wear), hotel?, food, etc.
"Everyone" should do it, at least once. It's a guaranteed lifetime memory.
