Ever since I saw the tube sticking out of a Schiit Saga+, a preamp that retails for just $399, I knew I had to purchase one. I wanted to hear how that tube sounded in my system. Would it offer that traditional warm “tube-y” sound that I hear in a traditional preamp like my Primaluna EVO-100? Or is the role of the tube different than a traditional tube preamp and therefore not offer any sound difference at all?
After several weeks of listening to the Saga+ (along with my Primaluna EVO-100 tube preamp), I liked the operation of the tube, but not in the way you might think. I discuss the tube “sound” provided by the Schiit, along with the reasons I love this preamp, in more detail below.
I’ve been buying and selling audio gear for several years now and have always relied on using the built in phono stages for my vinyl playback. But recently I’ve been interested in using a stand alone phono preamp instead of the built in phono stage in order to improve the overall listening experience. Lately I’ve been buying phono preamps at different price points and reviewing them here for friends who are curious in improving their vinyl playback experience as well.
I recently purchased an Emotiva BasX PT-100 preamplifier for just $250 during their Black Friday sale. I’m always interested in listening to affordable audio gear so I can make recommendations to friends who are looking to buy new stereo gear on a budget. I am currently working on a review of the PT-100, but in the meantime, I used the phono stage on the Emotiva to A/B test a Vincent PHO-8 phono preamp that I purchased second hand on Facebook market for $200.
I’ve always suggested ELAC bookshelf speakers to friends, but that might be changing thanks to the Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ speakers.
I live in Nashville and buy a lot of audio gear, both new and vintage. During the pandemic I decided to buy a new amp and bookshelf speakers from Emotiva.
Emotiva is located in Franklin, TN, just about 40 miles from where I live. I’ve heard a lot of great things about the company the past few years, but haven’t purchased any of their products.
During the holiday season, my wife and I decided to remodel our living room instead of buying each other gifts we really didn’t need. We moved into our house six years ago and still hadn’t painted the walls or hung any of our framed concert posters. I had an old entertainment center that held my vintage stereo components along with the flat screen TV sitting on top. I wanted to mount the TV on the wall and make room for more stereo components on the shelf underneath.
I thought this would be a good time to introduce new pieces of gear into my stereo system and Emotiva seemed the right company to try out after reading many positive reviews and being impressed with their affordable prices.
After a lot of research online for the best music streamer, I bought the Andover Songbird and have been very pleased with my purchase.
5 Reasons To Purchase The Andover Songbird Wifi Music Streamer:
Affordable price of just $179.
Easy to set up and beginning using straight out of the box.
Streaming sounds better using wifi rather than bluetooth.
The size of the unit is small and easy to store on an equipment shelf or rack.
The Songbird app is easy to use.
Let’s discuss each of these reasons in depth below…
Judging by the name of this site, you understand that I’m a big fan of physical media whether it be vinyl records, cassettes or even CDs. But I’m also a fan of streaming music services which allow me to discover new artists or reissues that I want to buy on vinyl.
I’ve been buying records for over 20 years now and the good news is I have a wonderful collection. The bad news is I have over 2,000 records that take up a lot of space in our 1972 ranch home and I’m running out of room to add any more to the collection.
In an attempt to slow down the record acquisitions (until I can further address my storage issue), I began researching music streamers that could be added to my vintage Marantz 2270 receiver. This way I can listen to albums before purchasing to make sure they are must haves for my record collection.
I spent several weeks doing a lot of research and was about to pull the trigger on the Bluesound Node 2i, but I was nervous to spend $550 on a music streamer. Everything I read about the Node 2i made it seem like the perfect fit for my needs, but I just couldn’t shake the idea of spending over $500 for a music streamer. In all honesty, with a collection of over 2,000 records, how much will I really use a streamer?
I kept researching for more affordable options and I finally stumbled on the Andover Songbird music streamer and decided to take the plunge.
Below are five reasons I fell in love with this streamer.
