[Roosta Man]

Hello. I have been on the road for some time and have been slowly upgrading my audio system in anticipation for my eventual return. Currently I have a Bryston 14B-SST and totem acoustic mani-2 signatures at home in boxes. I want to leave my CDP (Arcam FMJ CD 23) behind for the convenience of a network music player and I believe I need a preamp to achieve the full potential of my components.

I am considering a slim devices transporter and a Bryston BP 25 or 26 to complete my 2-channel audio. I have not had the opportunity to audition all of these components as a system but rather have based my purchasing decisions upon reviews and exposure to totem and bryston products owned by friends.  Am I on the right track or should I look at different network music players and possibly a tube pre-amp in lieu of a SS pre-amp?  Thanks in advance.

[ajzepp]

I'd say those would be pretty good choices.

[guest41324]

Hello. I have been on the road for some time and have been slowly upgrading my audio system in anticipation for my eventual return. Currently I have a Bryston 14B-SST and totem acoustic mani-2 signatures at home in boxes. I want to leave my CDP (Arcam FMJ CD 23) behind for the convenience of a network music player and I believe I need a preamp to achieve the full potential of my components.

I am considering a slim devices transporter and a Bryston BP 25 or 26 to complete my 2-channel audio. I have not had the opportunity to audition all of these components as a system but rather have based my purchasing decisions upon reviews and exposure to totem and bryston products owned by friends.  Am I on the right track or should I look at different network music players and possibly a tube pre-amp in lieu of a SS pre-amp?  Thanks in advance.

Stick to the computer as a sound source and use the new BDA1 DAC from bryston.

[wilsynet]

I agree with Serendipity.  Get a Macbook or a Windows Vista laptop, use the USB output from the laptop into a USB DAC like the Bryston BDA-1.  You'll have superb sound quality and ultimate flexibility.  If you have a spare PC around, you can of course use that too.  The only thing to be concerned about regarding computers as transport is quality of the USB implementation, which is why there are many fans of the Macbook on AudioCircle (the USB implementation is a known quantity and there isn't a lot of second guessing about it or the software).

Add an iPod Touch or iPhone to remote control iTunes and you'll never look back.

If you do decide that the Transporter is a better solution for you, you certainly won't go wrong, but I think the laptop + USB DAC is the way of the future for the computer geek audiophile.

As for preamps, I'm a fan of tube preamps.  Some preamps to consider are the Modwright SWL 9.0SE, the Eastern Electric Minimax, and the Prima Luna.  But there are a lot of choices out there and it really comes down to synergy, budget, and your personal preferences.

After initially basing a system around a Squeezebox and a Benchmark DAC, I eventually ditched both the Squeezebox and the Benchmark DAC for a USB solution and a USB NOS DAC.  I now have an old Powerbook 12" from 2003 acting as USB transport, a Red Wine Audio Isabella preamp + DAC, the RWA 30.2 power amp and Zu Druids as speakers.

[Roosta Man]

So, if interpret correctly I have a recommendation for a transporter into a SS preamp, another for a solid state pre-amp with built in DAC (I assume fed by a USB) and the last for a mac-based solution via a USB into a tube preamp. I see the advantage of controlling the music via a laptop.  The stock remote appears to be a limiting factor for the transporter. I don't know about the tube preamp versus a bryston SS preamp, I suspect I need to audition some products to find out.

Here are my final queries - is one computer operating system (Windows or Mac) considered less prone than the other to generating spurious white noise?  Is there a simple way (hardware or software) to protect my speakers that negates this concern?  Thanks for the advice.

[wilsynet]

The remote that comes with the Transporter is indeed quite limiting, but if you really do want a Transporter, the Duet Controller, which is a touch screen remote control, will also control the Transporter.

Even so, I prefer using iTunes, a Mac (or PC), and an iPod Touch/iPhone.  But that's me ...

The Macintosh in particular is known to deliver a good out-of-the-box experience with respect to outputting music to a USB DAC.  No spurious white noise issues.  Ever.

There's nothing wrong with a PC either, but because of the large number of different PCs being made out there with wildly different executions you'll find that your mileage may vary.  For example, this thread shows you how some problems people have with their Dell laptops and USB audio.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=57482.0

In this case, it's not a Windows problem (I have nothing against Windows), it just turns out that with so much choice in the PC world it's hard to know what's good without giving it a whirl.  In the Macintosh world, there are only a few models out there and they're all good.  It also turns out that iTunes on the Macintosh is quite good too.

The Bryston BDA-1 is a DAC only and it has USB input.  The RWA Isabella is a preamp, and it also has an option for a built-in DAC.  RWA also sells their DAC as a stand-alone unit called the Isabellina.  If you do decide to consider a RWA product they do have a 30 day no questions asked return policy.

Other USB DACs to consider are made by Wavelength and Empirical Audio.  When putting together my system, I also strongly considered the Wavelength Cosecant v3.  Wavelength is of course very well regarded and has a long standing reputation.  I especially like how the DAC board in the Cosecant is modular so you can swap in either an oversampling or a non-oversampling design.

[NewBuyer]

I think your original choices of Transporter plus Bryston preamp are definitely the best ones here. 

I'd definitely stick with those.

[Roosta Man]

I have considered all the advice provided and purchased a used transporter. The jury is out on the preamp.  When I finally return home, I will endeavour to track down an ARC tube as well as Bryston and Ayre SS preamps for auditioning.   Thanks to all, and in particular Wilsynet (a very informative PM was also sent), for your input.  It is nice to know that I am in the ballpark for good sound.  Bottom line, I suspect I will be pleased with the move up from my Pioneer SX-1980 driving Energy Veritas 2.3is (although  I may miss the distinctive smell given off by the heat sinks of the old tank when I have Gov't Mule rockin' the house).

[wilsynet]

You certainly didn't go wrong with the Transporter.  And if you ever want a sonic upgrade, although a bit pricey, by all accounts the Modwright Truth modifications bring the Transporter up a few notches.

As a bonus, I just read recently that you can control a Squeezebox/Transporter/Duet with an iPhone/iPod Touch application, iPeng, found in the iTunes application store.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=63059.0