Hi, I'm new to the stereo game, so I figured any advice would be helpful. I should note that I'm rather cash-strapped, so I'm going to build my system piece-by-piece.
Right now, I have a Realistic EL84-based tube amp and Axiom M3 speakers, and I'm reasonably happy. However, this system is about to hit a major wall; I'm using my iPhone as the primary music source, and using the headphone jack and an 1/8"-headphone-to-RCA cable (I know, I know, it's crappy, but it's what I have), but that's because I've been waiting for my TV and AppleTV to show up.
Once I have the AppleTV, I will be using Airplay to play music from the iPhone (both iTunes and Pandora) and from my laptop. If you don't know the AppleTV, it's just a network streaming device that allows you to send pretty much any sound signal (using the Airplay protocol) via the network. It has two outs: HDMI and optical (TOSLink) audio. I think have two choices (but if I'm missing one, let me know):
1. Get a DAC that will take the optical-in from the AppleTV and output to RCA (and same for the DVD player, so two inputs would be good)
2. Get a receiver that supports Airplay (Denon makes them, starting with the AVR-192, which sells for about $500)
As I said, I'm cash-strapped, so what I would really like to do is buy a DAC for less than $300. My current amp puts out sufficient power (I live in a duplex and would like my neighbor to be happy), so getting a Denon receiver/amp seems like a waste of money, money that I would rather save for a future amp purchase anyway. I know I can do #1 for as little as $50-60, but I have a bit more to spend than that.
Oh, the room is 10x14, but that layout includes an open doorway, so the area I'm dedicating to music is really 8x10. Also, I'm going to get TOSLink and RCA cables from bluejeanscable, after reading earlier discussions. Right now I'm using *gasp* lamp cord (18 gauge) for the speakers, which I may upgrade as well. Also, I've looked at the Wadia iTransport, but it really doesn't meet my needs; I want to use my iphone as both a head and a remote, and it's always in a case that can't reasonably be taken on and off.
Hi, I'm new to the stereo game, so I figured any advice would be helpful. I should note that I'm rather cash-strapped, so I'm going to build my system piece-by-piece.
Right now, I have a Realistic EL84-based tube amp and Axiom M3 speakers, and I'm reasonably happy. However, this system is about to hit a major wall; I'm using my iPhone as the primary music source, and using the headphone jack and an 1/8"-headphone-to-RCA cable (I know, I know, it's crappy, but it's what I have), but that's because I've been waiting for my TV and AppleTV to show up.
Once I have the AppleTV, I will be using Airplay to play music from the iPhone (both iTunes and Pandora) and from my laptop. If you don't know the AppleTV, it's just a network streaming device that allows you to send pretty much any sound signal (using the Airplay protocol) via the network. It has two outs: HDMI and optical (TOSLink) audio. I think have two choices (but if I'm missing one, let me know):
1. Get a DAC that will take the optical-in from the AppleTV and output to RCA (and same for the DVD player, so two inputs would be good)
2. Get a receiver that supports Airplay (Denon makes them, starting with the AVR-192, which sells for about $500)
As I said, I'm cash-strapped, so what I would really like to do is buy a DAC for less than $300. My current amp puts out sufficient power (I live in a duplex and would like my neighbor to be happy), so getting a Denon receiver/amp seems like a waste of money, money that I would rather save for a future amp purchase anyway. I know I can do #1 for as little as $50-60, but I have a bit more to spend than that.
Oh, the room is 10x14, but that layout includes an open doorway, so the area I'm dedicating to music is really 8x10. Also, I'm going to get TOSLink and RCA cables from bluejeanscable, after reading earlier discussions. Right now I'm using *gasp* lamp cord (18 gauge) for the speakers, which I may upgrade as well. Also, I've looked at the Wadia iTransport, but it really doesn't meet my needs; I want to use my iphone as both a head and a remote, and it's always in a case that can't reasonably be taken on and off.