Other Products I Like

Schiit Audio

Phono Preamp
MANI

I love Schiit! I like their attitude - similar to Armadale Designs. Of course they are a lot more mature than we are, but they have great “pragmatic” products, hand made in the US, at very reasonable prices! This is the phono preamp I use when I’m spinning the old LP collection. (My only complaint is that the front panel LED is way too bright, so I have stuck tape over it.)

Schiit Audio

DAC
MODI+

This is a super-affordable, great little DAC, with several useful features. It can support up to 24 bit / 192kHz streams. It has a nice, strong 2 V analog output.

Here’s a great review and test: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/schiit-modi-dac-review.39435/

Klipsch Speakers

Heresy
Legacy Serices

Really classic, moderately sized, floor-standing, very efficient (99 db sensitivity), introduced in 1957 and updated several times. Very well matched to vacuum tube amps. These are my current daily listeners!

This one’s the bomb. I had a pair of Forte 1’s - best speakers I’ve ever heard. Sadly, I had to get rid of them (“didn’t suit the decor”). Now, we’re being pragmatic here. Of course there are a lot of other options, but if you have the space, decor compatability and the $$, I highly recommend these - any series. And if you have an older series, you can re-cap them and put Bob Crites tweeters in them. (I can advise you on that if you’re not sure.) You can find lots of these used on Craigslist, etc. 99 db sensitivity.

This unit is no longer made but is easy to find used from sources like eBay. You can expect to be less than $100. It provides a very high-performing DAC, with streaming via WiFi (not Bluetooth) using Apple AirPlay. (Be aware though that its max digital stream performance is 16-bit / 44.1 kHz. Any higher res streams get truncated down to this.)

Here is a great technical review, complete with recommendations, etc.: Ken Rockwell Apple AirPort Express Review

And here is a little excerpt from that review:

The AirPort Express DAC is also very, very good. In some ways it's not quite as good as a $3,000 CD player, and in others it's even better. I'm very happy, this new AirPort Express has much better analog audio quality than the old AirPort Express.

What's superb about this AirPort is that it has a full 2 Volt RMS output, not a wimpy 1 V or less output as we get from the jacks of iPhones/iOS devices or many other and more expensive outboard DACs.

It's a little more difficult to set up than Bluetooth, but has no coding loss to affect the audio that Bluetooth does.

At any price, the Apple AirPort Express is a great DAC. It sounds great, with a completely silent background, full 2 V output, smooth detailed sound and full infrasonic bass response.

Klipsch Speakers

Forte
Legacy Serices

Apple AirPort Express Streaming DAC

Model A1392 (2nd Generation)
Circa 2014