Solved AUDIRVĀNA (and other audio related chitchat)

Edwin · Feb 25, 2023

I remember the good ole days, goin to Toronto on a Saturday and spending the whole afternoon in Bay Bloor Radio and Sam the Record Man!!!

badrobot · Feb 25, 2023

Edwin said:
I remember the good ole days, goin to Toronto on a Saturday and spending the whole afternoon in Bay Bloor Radio and Sam the Record Man!!!

Sam the Record man is closed for business now but I think they kept the famous sign on.

badrobot · Feb 25, 2023

Edwin said:
I'm not knowledgeable about that product..., nice looking component though!!!
Reviews are good, from what I've seen.

Offer him 500 bucks!!!

Ok, so I told my friend I don't really need one right now but if he is going to let it go for CAD$500, I might take it. And he said $500 is okay. Now I have a decision to make. :ROFLMAO:

It will fit nicely here where my lonely laptop sits.

Edwin · Feb 25, 2023

badrobot said:
Sam the Record man is closed for business now but I think they kept the famous sign on.

I read about that!

badrobot said:
I told my friend I don't really need one right now but if he is going to let it go for CAD$500, I might take it. And he said $500 is okay.

Sounds like a sweet deal!

badrobot · Feb 26, 2023

Edwin said:
Sounds like a sweet deal!

I am still 50-50 on this one. I want to get it but if I do, I will have to redo my audio setup. The built-in amp of my Kanto Yu6 speaker will become useless since I have to connect the speakers directly to the Marantz to make full use of the system. I do have a spare Kanto Yu6 passive speaker and I just need to disconnect everything from the active speaker. And then re-route the sub to Marantz.
The only feature I will truly enjoy with this Marantz system is the CD player. Not the receiver part.

Dru2 · Feb 26, 2023

badrobot said:
I am still 50-50 on this one. I want to get it but if I do, I will have to redo my audio setup.

View attachment 53707

Yeah, it turns out there's more to it when you add a new component. It's never just "simple"

badrobot said:
The built-in amp of my Kanto Yu6 speaker will become useless since I have to connect the speakers directly to the Marantz to make full use of the system.

Same here - speakers, sub, and DAC have their own volumes controls, but I simply set the speakers to a fixed volume and use the DAC as the Master control volume. Set up is DAC to Sub (Passthrough). Sub to Speakers. DAC becomes Master Volume

Edwin · Feb 26, 2023

Can't you run everything through the Marantz?

badrobot · Feb 26, 2023

Dru2 said:
Yeah, it turns out there's more to it when you add a new component. It's never just "simple"

Same here - speakers, sub, and DAC have their own volumes controls, but I simply set the speakers to a fixed volume and use the DAC as the Master control volume. Set up is DAC to Sub (Passthrough). Sub to Speakers. DAC becomes Master Volume

My setup is straightforward. Sub (with preset freq and volume) is connected directly to the sub out of the active speaker. So the main volume control is the active speaker knob or the remote. Then I have different sources connected via RCA, Aux, 2xOpt and bluetooth.
Adding the Marantz will require some additional wires and cables which I hate. Haha. I am so done with my cable management.
My friend is an audio enthusiast. Not necessarily an audiophile. He also has a Tangent CD II and Marantz CD-5001 that he wants me to have if I don't want to get the Marantz all-in-one.

badrobot · Feb 26, 2023

Edwin said:
Can't you run everything through the Marantz?

I can. That's exactly what I have in mind. But I have to put the Yu6 active speaker in the storage? Haha. The Yu6 actually has more connection interface than the Marantz. The network part is easy using chromecast audio via optical which I have right now.

badrobot · Feb 26, 2023

He is offering me the Tangent CD II for CAD$200 which is still a good price considering it is still almost new. He is clearing up his room because they are selling their place.
I am going for a compact semi-hifi system. Just my preference if I need to get more hardware for my room.

Dru2 · Feb 26, 2023

Dru2 said:
Same here - speakers, sub, and DAC have their own volumes controls, but I simply set the speakers to a fixed volume and use the DAC as the Master control volume. Set up is DAC to Sub (Passthrough). Sub to Speakers. DAC becomes Master Volume

badrobot said:
My setup is straightforward. Sub (with preset freq and volume) is connected directly to the sub out of the active speaker. So the main volume control is the active speaker knob or the remote.

I had it backwards - it's DAC to Speakers. Speakers to sub, so yeah, this allows the speaker to control the sub, while the DAC still remains the master volume controller.

badrobot said:
He also has a Tangent CD II and Marantz CD-5001 that he wants me to have if I don't want to get the Marantz all-in-one.

Even if you just got the CD player, you'd still need something to connect it to. That's why the AIO works better (my opinion).

badrobot said:
Adding the Marantz will require some additional wires and cables which I hate. Haha. I am so done with my cable management.

Lucky for me all I needed was space for my CD player and a single digital coaxial cable. For wire management, all I had to do was attach a single tack on wire clip

badrobot · Feb 26, 2023

Dru2 said:
Even if you just got the CD player, you'd still need something to connect it to. That's why the AIO works better (my opinion).

Lucky for me all I needed was space for my CD player and a single digital coaxial cable. For wire management, all I had to do was attach a single tack on wire clip

The CD transport can still connect to the Kanto Yu6 via Optical port or RCA.

If I get the AIO, I will have to transfer everything to it.

I just had second thoughts about the Marantz when I realized I really don't need another receiver. The YU6 can still take more components. So, if I get the CD transport only, I will only need a single optical cable or an RCA cable.

I appreciate your input about this.

I also have this DAC that I can use.

Dru2 · Feb 27, 2023

badrobot said:
I just had second thoughts about the Marantz when I realized I really don't need another receiver. The YU6 can still take more components. So, if I get the CD transport only, I will only need a single optical cable or an RCA cable.

So those speakers have an input selector? Suppose you want to play from PC how would you then switch to it? Of if you're playing from PC and want to hear a CD. How would you switch to it? Those speakers would have to have an input selector unless everything goes through the same channel and thus, you'd have to turn something off or disconnect.

This the whole reason you want something DAC / Preamp) with an "input selector". My DAC has an input selector (smaller knob), and why I can run multiple devices without disconnecting anything.

Speaker inputs / outputs

CD Player and DAC backside. Here the DAC is connected to the PC via USB cable, and the CD player's Digital Output is connected to the DAC's (digital) Coaxial input. Here everything runs through the DAC. Note though that when playing CDs, the PC is bypassed since the CD player is directly connected to the DAC. And that the Speakes run off the DAC, no matter the source playing.

The setup...

With that Marantz AIO, I (you) can do the same thing. The only question then is where it the DAC going?

badrobot · Feb 27, 2023

Dru2 said:
So those speakers have an input selector?

Yes.
My Yu6 speaker have a total of 5 source inputs. 1xRCA, 1xAux, 2xOpt and bluetooth.
To select the audio source, I just need to press the volume knob to toggle between the 5 source inputs.

https://imgur.com/a/CFtAYfw

Or through the remote control.

My PC is connected to Opt 1. My chromecast audio (for network streaming) is in Opt 2, my midi controller is in Aux. I can connect the CD transport via RCA from the DAC.

badrobot · Feb 27, 2023

I can also stream my FLAC from NAS to Kanto speaker with Chromecast Audio connected to Optical port through my phone.

https://imgur.com/a/Fg69QZa

My Kanto speaker works exactly like the Marantz AIO receiver except for the CD part.

Edwin · Feb 27, 2023

You've got a whack of gear with lots of inputs/outputs, I'm confident you'll be able to get everything connected and up and running!

Dru2 · Feb 27, 2023

badrobot said:
Yes.
My Yu6 speaker have a total of 5 source inputs. 1xRCA, 1xAux, 2xOpt and bluetooth.
To select the audio source, I just need to press the volume knob to toggle between the 5 source inputs.

Or through the remote control.

My PC is connected to Opt 1. My chromecast audio (for network streaming) is in Opt 2, my midi controller is in Aux. I can connect the CD transport via RCA from the DAC.

That's interesting. Those speakers are also a pre-amp. Mine doesn't have that option, but even if it did, I'd still use the DAC.

Anyway, yeah, that gives you more connectivity options with those speakers.

Dru2 · Feb 27, 2023

badrobot said:
I can also stream my FLAC from NAS to Kanto speaker with Chromecast Audio connected to Optical port through my phone.

Yeah, I can do the same with my FLAC files from my NAS via Plex. All media sound output runs through the DAC

Local (non-streamed) Play via JRiver Media Center...

badrobot · Feb 27, 2023

Dru2 said:
Yeah, I can do the same with my FLAC files from my NAS via Plex. All media sound output runs through the DAC

But do you still need your PC to be running to stream? Or you also just use a phone? How do you stream from NAS to DAC?
My streaming is PC-less. From NAS to YU6 direct.

badrobot · Feb 27, 2023

Dru2 said:
Anyway, yeah, that gives you more connectivity options with those speakers.

okay. Now that I've sort of convinced you and @Edwin that the Marantz AIO is kind of redundant, there is just one last decision to make.
For the CD transport, should I get my friend's Tangent CD II? Or the Rotel RCD-951? (regardless of the price).

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