Minimalist Setup I am thinking of setting up a very minimalist setup similar to others mentioned here. It will consist of the following: Speakers: PMC AML1 Active Speakers Source: Either one of the following sources: a. Slimdevices Transporter b. Linn Majik DS c. Squeezebox + Benchmark DAC-1 I have 2 questions: 1. Which do you think would be the best source(in terms of pure sound quality)? 2. Do I need a preamp for any of these sources? I'd also be interested to hear of peoples' experiences with the AML1s as this will be my first foray into pro-audio speakers. Many thanks in advance for your help. Dami0n
I would go for the SB3 and Benchmak route, for no other reason other than I recently bought an SB3 and use it into my Theta dac. I really do think a dac needs to come into the equation, so that counts out the Transporter if there is a limit on your budget. Dont forget you will need ample hard drive space after youve ripped your cd's, especially if using a lossless format, which makes them virtually indestinguishable from the original cd.
Dami0n, I went the Apple Mac Mini > USB > Benchmark DAC1 > PMC AML1 and think it is an amazing set-up. As simple as it gets! Just want to through another pair of speakers into the equation that are a similar price to the AML1 - Klein & Hummel O410 an active three way speaker, bigger than the AML1, but they kick ass! Monty