Sal's system

[AdrianusG]

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A look behind the curtain at Sal's crib.
System was build combining some old school sensibilities and lunacy, guided
by my limited funds and restricted listening room size.

Video System:
Samsung 85" QLED QN85QN90B
Samsung UBD-K8500 4K UHD Blu-Ray Player
Sony UBP-X800M2 4K UHD Blu-Ray Player
Sony BDP-S5100 Blu-Ray Player used for SACD ripping.
XFinity X1 DVR

Music Server(s):
Strawberry, Cantata, Apple TV 4K

Music Server Operating System:
Linux (PCLinuxOS) in Custom Built Tower

Preferred Digital Interface(s):
HDMI. USB, TosLink

Digital to Analog Converter(s):
Emotiva Stealth DC-1

Preamplifier:
Denon AVR-X4700H in full preamp mode.

Amplifier(s):
Adcom's, (2) GFA-545II, (1) GFA-5400, (2) GFA-535II

Loudspeakers:
(4) JBL HDI-3600s, (1) JBL HDI-4500, (2) SVS SB2000 subwoofers.
(4) SVS Prime Elevations ceiling mounted for ATMOS/DTS-X/Auro

Room Treatment
DYI using window recessed areas using
ROCKWOOL ROCKBOARD® 60 in 2" thick material.

Interconnects:
Monoprice Premium
Monster THX
SVS Soundpath

Digital Cables:
Monoprice Certified Premium HDMI
Monoprice UltraSpeed Optical HDMI
Monoprice USB
BlueJean's Toslink

Loudspeaker Cables:
Sky High 12g OFC

Power Cables:
Stock

Remote Control(s):
PC-Remote for media players, the rest stock

Remote Control Apps:
None

Headphones:
Senn HD 650
Grado SR80e

Headphone Amplifier(s):
Emotiva Stealth DC-1

Just out of curiosity, why 3 Blu-ray players?

 

[Sal1950]

Just out of curiosity, why 3 Blu-ray players?

Well I purchased the Sony BDP-S5100 off ebay for $40 a few years back. It has the special ability to losslessly
rip SACD discs to .dsf files on my computer.
The Sammy UBD-K8500 I got a bunch of years back for playing 4k disc's when that was a new thing and I had just
bought a new Sony 75" TV also capable of 4k resolution.. Lately it has been occasionally freezing and acting up soooo
I just recently bought the Sony UBP-X800M2, they're on sale everywhere now for $250. That Sony's a great player that
will spin almost every type of disc, is built like a tank and a generally awesome player...the dropped-to low price I
guess is a pre-discontinuation blow out.
I've got a couple more on the shelf, I never throw stuff out. LOL

 

[Vacceo]

@Sal1950 , If I drop by Chicago for a conference talk, can I send you a note to drop by and say hello?

 

[AdrianusG]

Well I purchased the Sony BDP-S5100 off ebay for $40 a few years back. It has the special ability to losslessly
rip SACD discs to .dsf files on my computer.
The Sammy UBD-K8500 I got a bunch of years back for playing 4k disc's when that was a new thing and I had just
bought a new Sony 75" TV also capable of 4k resolution.. Lately it has been occasionally freezing and acting up soooo
I just recently bought the Sony UBP-X800M2, they're on sale everywhere now for $250. That Sony's a great player that
will spin almost every type of disc, is built like a tank and a generally awesome player...the dropped-to low price I
guess is a pre-discontinuation blow out.
I've got a couple more on the shelf, I never throw stuff out. LOL

I have only one blu-ray player , it's a Panasonic but not UHD,
it has however 1 thing going for it , it's region free for Blu-Ray disks and DVD's
so it can play everything from every region.

As for Blu-Ray vs UHD , modern televisions do up-scaling so well that for me it's not worth it to go UHD, Blu-Ray looks good enough on a 4K set, and prices for Blu Ray movies are less than half of UHD so...

Or does native UHD on a 4K tele look so much better?

My current 11 year old television is 49 inch 4K, but (non Oled non HDR), planning to upgrade probably next Year to Oled 65 Inch.

 

[Sal1950]

Or does native UHD on a 4K tele look so much better?

Naw, I wouldn't be concerned over it.
Some day your TV will crap the bed and when you replace it with a new 4k I'd get the new disc player
if for no other reasons than to avoid any HDMI arguments over capability.
Just like audio, the most important part is the (original) source. Quality engineered HD BluRays look tremendous
on most TV's but when you get into giant size screens I'm sure there's a point the differences between HD and UHD will
become visible but I can't say for sure I've seen it yet.
Video or audio, I will normally flip for the best quality source I can get at a reasonable cost.
Most of the UHD discs I have were purchased off ebay where I can get UHD (discs only) on the cheap, etc.

 

[EJ3]

By no means. I think few experts would disagree that the recent inflation was the product of rising energy prices as a result of the war in Ukraine, which then percolated through the rest of the world economy. This came on top of a booming post Covid economy. Economies have adjusted to the energy supply shock by reducing energy consumption and shifting supplies, and prices have come down, although not yet completely as that takes time. I really don't see anything political in this - it is just textbook economics. The political bit is Russian imperialism, but I don't think you mean that.
Of course, I agree that in normal circumstances inflation does not happen organically, and may be the product of inappropriate government policies.

There is certainly the issue of the politics of war.
My mother is a survivor of what happened in Austria during WWII.
And my father was a merchant marine delivering supplies then.
So, these non-organic things lead to some bizarre economic effects when one government starts something & others step in.