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From what I have read people are very divided about Lukasz Frikus, all I can say is that he is the reason I have come here, and the reason I intend to buy TP products. I am as I said in my last (first) post, a complete beginner. I stumbled on Lukasz's site some months back & have since built a pair of his P17 & applied one of his valve output stages to a cheap Chinese Zero Dac & I am hooked, by the way the speakers sound great, except a dodgy ebay seller sold me some suss 15" Altec Bass Drivers, there ok a lower levels but turn it up to my sons listening levels, and its not so good. They cost a fortune to ship from the US to Australia. The Saba mids sound fantastic, the tweeter I'm still not completley sure about.
Lukasz can be a very hard road to follow especially for a beginner, but he has got me hooked on DIY and know I want to build another DAc using TP products but applying the tube/valve output stage. Unfortunately, as I'm sure you are only too aware, he wasn't kind in the last part of his post on your latest buffalo(or was it a previous product, comprehensive information is not his specialty, but at least he warns you about that) He still has your DAC as number one though.
I will be using a Squeezebox as the transport, to the DAC/Tube Output Stage (TOPS) & then either straight to an amp or via a Preamp.
I desperately need help to get me there, my questions are.
Does the latest Buffalo have in built opamps, or can I come straight out of the Dac to the TOPS?
What else would you recommend I buy to go along with the Buffalo?
I assume it would be a very good idea to buy your Placid power supply?
Any other positive feedback/advice would be more than welcome.
Even though I am running a Kingrex TU20 Amp, I have been captivated buy the valve/tube thing, I love the old world feel of it all & the general warmth of it. Dont get me wrong I'm not comparing, I have never heard a valve amp, one day.
david
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It's nice that you like the valves/tubes, but I personally don't believe they are necessary for the best audio reproduction. In fact I believe them to be inferior (yes, I know what Fikus has to say on the matter!). Personally, I think Fikus is slightly un-hinged but if he inspires you to get creative then it's all good.
Having said that, I'm a biochemist not an electronic engineer but I like to think I can sort what from chaff. Most of what I have learned has been from the diyaudio website and from my gurus Russ and Brian (whose opinions and knowledge I trust) and from Siegfied Linkwitz (whose Pluto speakers I have built) whose reputation speaks for itself.
Happy building.
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kesgreen wrote:It's nice that you like the valves/tubes, but I personally don't believe they are necessary for the best audio reproduction. In fact I believe them to be inferior (yes, I know what Fikus has to say on the matter!). Personally, I think Fikus is slightly un-hinged but if he inspires you to get creative then it's all good.
Having said that, I'm a biochemist not an electronic engineer but I like to think I can sort what from chaff. Most of what I have learned has been from the diyaudio website and from my gurus Russ and Brian (whose opinions and knowledge I trust) and from Siegfied Linkwitz (whose Pluto speakers I have built) whose reputation speaks for itself.
Happy building. I too am in awe of Siegfield Linkwitz, but unfortunately his teachings are beyond my budget, as a biochemist I imagine they are not beyond yours. I also believe he (Lukasz) is a bit unhinged, that is a part of his appeal. As I said I wasn't doing any comparison. what best etc, Just letting you know who I was & what I was after. So can you help me at all? with my questions. Once again I imagine as a Biochemist & a follower of Brian & Russ you would have the knowledge I need. David
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The Buffalo-II has no (zero nada zip) built in output stage. You can use it directly into almost any type output stage, so long as you understand how that output stage works. I would Suggest a Placid and Buffalo II, along with a Volumite. Cheers! Russ Edited by user Tuesday, August 17, 2010 6:17:08 PM(UTC)
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Russ White wrote:The Buffalo-II has no (zero nada zip) built in output stage. You can use it directly into almost any type output stage, so long as you understand how that output stage works.
I would Suggest a Placid and Buffalo II, along with a Volumite.
Cheers!
Russ Thank you, Russ, I understand very little, but I am learning, I will place an order when I get home. david
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Well I was too slow by the time I got home the Buffalo's where sold out, next batch I guess.
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DQ828 wrote:Russ White wrote:The Buffalo-II has no (zero nada zip) built in output stage. You can use it directly into almost any type output stage, so long as you understand how that output stage works.
I would Suggest a Placid and Buffalo II, along with a Volumite.
Cheers!
Russ Russ If I am going to run the Dac into a Preamp or straight to an amp, why would you recommend I install the Volumite? What is the advantage? With the Dual Mono, I assume this system requires that you have two power amps, one for each channel?
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Quote:If I am going to run the Dac into a Preamp or straight to an amp, why would you recommend I install the Volumite? What is the advantage? The volumite uses the digital volume control of the DAC. It's a very good system, as it offers very tight matching between the 2 outputs and very low distortion. When using it, you no longer need a preamp, just a power amp. Quote:With the Dual Mono, I assume this system requires that you have two power amps, one for each channel? Altough 2 mono blocks would be nice, it is not required. In a dual mono setup, each of the boards handles a single channel. So you use all of the 8 DACs in the ESS chip to handle a single (left or right) output. This further increases performance, but obviously you need extra parts: 1 DAC board, 1 output stage, 1 PSU, 1 15V transformer.
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Thank you, learning all of the time.
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Russ White wrote:The Buffalo-II has no (zero nada zip) built in output stage. You can use it directly into almost any type output stage, so long as you understand how that output stage works.
I would Suggest a Placid and Buffalo II, along with a Volumite.
Cheers!
Russ I assume I need a S/PDIF or Toslink reciever to go with the Buffulo?
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Only for Toslink, you can hook up 1 SPDIF or 1 I2S input to the DAC board. There's a switch on the board to select the active input.
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LeonvB wrote:Only for Toslink, you can hook up 1 SPDIF or 1 I2S input to the DAC board. There's a switch on the board to select the active input. Thanks again, now all I have to do is wait for the buffalo's to be available.
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You may get lucky, I've just canceled one BII. From the looks of it it might take a while before more batches can be manufactured due to lack of clock modules.
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Russ
Are thier any Buffalo's available given that Leon cancelled one? PLEASE
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Well after all of the reading I have done I am convinced, the Ivy output stage is the way to go, especially after the trouble Iv'e had with my venture into valve/tubes. All I need now is the Buffalo's to be back on the prairie, the waiting's killing me.
David
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David, That leaves you plenty of time to decide on the casework. Always (almost) the trickiest part of diy. 
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I was thinking about making the casework out of timber. Given that the various components are usually grounded to the chassis, what would be the best approach for a timber case, maybe ground them onto a copper rail?
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I thought about that, but decided to use a Hifi2000 case instead. In any case I'd use aluminium for the bottom: it's cheaper, easier to obtain and good enough in terms of conductivity.
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