My Recommended Best Audio System

For many decades, I’ve built and represented (as both a dealer and distributor) many audio brands. I tried all of the significant system gyrations (sealed speakers, ported speakers, open baffle, tube amps, solid state amps, tube preamps, solid state preamps, power supplies, cables, and you name it). I’ve tried almost every combination I could think of (including multi-amp systems with electronic analog crossovers outside the speakers) and used speakers requiring two people to move. Only one of these systems was ultimately satisfying (the one with the electronic analog crossover unit).

When I was in my 20s and purchased my first Linn LP12 turntable system, the retailer I worked with experimented with me. He connected my upgraded LP12 vinyl turntable to an inexpensive pair of speakers. The system sounded excellent and surprised me. Then, he connected a cheap turntable with the best speaker in the store. This combination didn’t sound anywhere near as good as the first. He found that the source was the #1 thing everyone should have, even if they couldn’t afford much. I always remember that exercise and see it, even today, to be very accurate. It’s true.

The source is the #1 component you can purchase in audio, and that is why I’m meticulous about using only circuits that many others like and have been perfected well over time. I spend too much of my time and money on anything mediocre. I’m not interested in mediocre—only the absolute best.

The quality of your source is your #1

If your source is intact and at the highest quality, your speakers must be upgraded to play more of what your source can produce. If they are limited, your source is limited, but the quality is still excellent. However, if your source is restricted, you cannot create the sound quality you should have. It’s that simple, and that is my approach.

I have a Bricasti M12 instead of their excellent-sounding M3 DAC because I can. I wanted to own the best source, even though its cost might not be proportional to the sound quality received. The M12 is still noticeably better, and it should be for over twice the price!

I’ve always been a near-field listener and enjoy listening to music while I work at my computer terminal. Hence, most of my systems have flanked my work desk, including the giant behemoths that require two people to move. I use a 1 1/2″ thick solid walnut top custom desktop on an electric sit/stand desk. My desk chair is a Herman Miller Embody chair, and my bookshelf speaker stands are also electric and height adjustable (made by Space Labs). When I use floor-standing speakers or the OGY/BOB combination that I recommend, I move the stands and place the speakers in the same position.

Photo Of The Rear

I’ve found that most speakers are too forceful for near-field listening (sitting up close) and even when mid-field listening 6 to 8 feet away. I eventually gravitated toward trying the Linkwitz 6-channel system (to adjust the volume on each of the six channels of the electronic analog crossover that Nelson Pass designed). I used speakers purchased from Linkwtiz in Germany (the LXSirius +2, which includes two 10″ subwoofers).

I have built several Pass-designed six-channel analog crossovers (available only through Linkwitz in Germany with over 500 parts that need to be soldered) and used custom Hypex-based amps for this system, all with custom cables I built. I’m a Hypex OEM and have used their modules for these amps and designed my CNC chassis. Even though this system was excellent, it wasn’t the system I’d been looking for, even though it was very close.

The Linkwtiz system showed me the acoustic issues in my room (even after considerable room correction techniques and the use of DSP systems, including the expensive Genelec 8350 speakers with subwoofer (another system that cost close to $15,000 for this DSP-based two-speaker system with subwoofer). I’ve benefited from listening near-field critically instead of mid-field or far-field, as many are doing, and consequently, I can hear things that I can’t when listening 6-8 feet or further away.

However, the music still didn’t sound right with the Linkwitz system, and I kept experimenting. This latest work was done within the last two years, so it’s a very recent experiment. Before that time, and for decades prior, I kept trying by building what I couldn’t find and also represented and sold some of the best components available. I kept buying and selling gear, and that process eventually cost me what I consider to be the price of a small house. In one of my wire experiments, I had custom-annealed platinum, gold, silver, and copper wires created for me, which cost between $5,000 and $10,000. None of that cost was re-sellable, and I “ate it,” I’ve tried – more than anyone I know or have bumped into. And that is just one example amongst too many that I have incurred to count. I’m honest when I say this system is the best I’ve ever heard. It is, and that’s not just some marketing hype.

Despite all these attempts, I kept learning and gradually came to some conclusions. Nelson Pass is right. The most essential watt is the first watt, hence his experimentation with the First Watt amps. However, 1.8 w’/ch wasn’t enough, even though I had found my 45-tube amp to have the best sound quality I had created to that point in time.

Beyond the 1st watt, the sound quality enters your room, and the extra wattage (or power) is required due to the need to hear your system, with the room sucking up its share of the equation. The musical quality is contained in the first watt, and you want to stay as close to it as possible. Hence, I experimented by building my 45-tube power amp, the 2A3 tube power amp, and the 300-B tube power amp. The real world requires more than 1 watt of power to sound good in any room (even listening near-field with high-efficiency speakers). The best amp I’ve ever used with adequate power, sound quality, and flexibility came from an eight w/ch 300B tube amp with a 99db Voxativ full-range driver. That is the combination I recommend you use if you want the best sound quality. There isn’t anything better. Different? Yes. But better, no.

Sound quality suffers if you are too far from that first watt, so anything beyond the 300B tube power amp will not be delicate enough and be too forceful. Using high-efficiency speakers with low-power tube amps (maybe 1.8 to 3 w/ch) doesn’t quite work well either, and staying too close to this first watt is not the best solution. If you operate their wattage at around 40% of total power to keep within their most linear realm, they will put out only .72 w/ch to maybe 1.2 w/ch. That’s not enough, so I will only use the 300B amp now. That puts out maybe 3.2 w/ch at 40% of power. But it needs to be fine-tuned correctly, and that’s the problem. Most 300B amps are not!

I’ve tried this approach for many years. My favorite low-powered tube amplifier (which I’ve built myself using the best parts I could source, including Yamamoto tube sockets, Hashimoto transformers, and all film caps) is the 45-tube model that puts out a maximum of around 1.8 w/ch (.72 w/ch in its most linear position). The problem, however, was not the amp. It was excellent!

The problem is the lack of good speakers that are efficient enough to play well with only around .72 w/ch of power, adequate headroom, and reasonable size, weight, and cost. The cost of the driver and the cabinet used are also serious considerations when assembling an excellent audio system.

There isn’t enough “headroom” to use an amp with power output less than a 300B tube amp that allows you to listen to highly complex music (either classical or rock). The law of physics gets in your way, and if you go in this direction (using only 1.8 watts/ch), you will only be satisfied with super high-efficiency speakers that are the size of refrigerators and require two or more people to move. That is the best way to use low-powered tube amps, in my opinion.

I also share this from experience since I’ve tried to avoid it, and the sound quality was much better when I gave in and increased the power. Also, any good tube amp’s most linear sound quality requires you not to exceed maybe 40% of its total output power. 40% of 1.8 watts/ch is tiny! This is why you need a Voxativ speaker system that is 99db sensitive. Anything less, and you are listening to the crossover in the speaker and using much more power to get the speaker to sound good. But it’s never as good as an appropriately tweaked DHT 300B amp. When you remove having to play low bass below the crossover point, you receive the absolute best you can from this amp.

Unfortunately, an excellent single-driver speaker that doesn’t use a crossover is costly. Voxativ makes the most transparent driver I’ve ever encountered, but it isn’t cheap. The Voxativ driver without a cabinet costs more than most people spend on their speakers, complete with crossovers and cabinets. The law of physics also holds for creating a good speaker driver that sounds the best. There is no “free lunch” in audio. It all costs a lot if you want excellent sound quality.

The large cabinets produce bass, and that’s why you use them. It’s not for the high bass, the midrange, or the treble but rather for making low bass requiring large cabinet sizes. My approach doesn’t need a large cabinet and sounds better when using a bookshelf monitor like the Hagen. I found the best bass (without the BOBs) from a small Voxativ driver (the A2.6 at 99db efficiency) in a short horn-loaded cabinet (the Hagen). I could also augment it with. the BOBs and provide bass that satisfied me by adding a pair of BOBs to each channel.

If I wanted more bass, the best thing to do was stack two 12″ open baffle bass systems on top of each other and use this stack as a stand for the small Hagen. It works! And that approach sounds considerably better than any sizeable two-person bass cabinet costing a fortune. This is the system I’m referring to: Hagens with Bobs bi-amped using an electronic analog crossover.

I’ve tried to find good speakers that are 100 db efficient or higher, sound good with all music, aren’t the size of refrigerators, and don’t require two or three people to move them. I’ve given up on that direction. It isn’t possible. Those who tell you it works are so invested I wouldn’t believe them. The law of physics can’t be “bent,” except maybe in a way I’ve uncovered when using a pair of BOBs per channel.

The optimum speakers are at least 99 dB efficient, and the Voxativ A2.6 single-driver speaker is the best driver I’ve ever worked with. You don’t want your speakers to be much more efficient than that. To receive 99 dB efficiency also does not require additional components (no capacitors, resistors, or inductors) and, as a result, creates the most transparent, life-like sound quality you can listen to. There is no crossover or coloration that a speaker designer tries to hide.

Everything in audio is a compromise, but this is the best speaker I can use for a system that costs under $40,000. $40,000 is a lot of money, and my goal for this ultimate system was to satisfy the person who barely could afford it and was interested in getting started (at a much lower cost) and the critical audiophile with a considerable budget. I’ve finally found that solution, and I highly recommend using it.

Good two-way stand-mount bookshelf speakers sound better than floor-standing speakers but still have issues. You can’t control the amount of bass to fit your tastes and listening environment if you use floor-mounted speakers. Crossover-less single-driver speakers sound even better but are also a compromise if not chosen well. Bi-amping your system is the only way to go, in my opinion.

I recommend the Voxativ Hagen speaker with its AF-2.6 driver solution, the best-sounding single-driver speaker combination I’ve ever heard. This is the best system I’ve used, and I’ve used some esoteric, expensive single-driver speakers and almost every crossover speaker design available. I’ve been a distributor for Rethm speakers (out of India) and brought four pairs of their speakers on pallets and freight trucks. I couldn’t wait to sell all of them and “run away” from that approach.

Brian Charney also uses this 99db sensitive Voxativ driver in his Tractix Horn-designed speaker models (all of them). We have found them to be the best of anything we could use. So I’m not the only one. The bass in Brian’s Tractix horn speaker cabinets is even better than the cabinets designed by Voxativ. But both are excellent. Bass reproduction, however, is even better using my BOB approach and bi-amping.

It doesn’t seem to make much sense initially, but if you listen to the Hagen’s with the correct amplifier (an excellent and adequately tuned 300B amp), you’ll understand that my sharing is accurate. These are the best speakers I’ve heard, even though the bass might be somewhat lacking (if you want to go seriously below 50Hz).

I’ve never listened to a speaker sound so full with such a great body, particularly when combining the Voxativ Hagen’s with a pair of BOBs (stacked under each Hagen) and bi-amped. Even without the BOBs, the Hagens sound lovely. However, they sound too lean if you use anything other than a tube power amp, and the best tube amp is a DHT 300 B-based amp that sounds good. Those are the only areas in which I can fault the Hagens.

My Recommended 300B Tube Amplifier

I also recommend using the Hagen monitor with the BOBs, as this combination sounds incredible when using a 300B tube amplifier.

The power is just right, and the 300B tube amp can be tuned to your liking using a specific amplifier and tube complement (either smooth and full or tight and more linear). The 300B tube amp is perfect for this system and is the most potent yet delicate triode-based single-ended Class A type amplifier I’ll use. It’s the perfect compliment!

Bi-amping the BOBs provides plenty of “grunt” for the large 12″ pair of drivers per channel, while the 300B amp perfectly matches the Hagens. By doing this, you can now play beautiful music without producing low bass below the crossover point for the 300B amp. You probably gain close to a 20% increase in sound quality when you do this, and the expense is very low compared to other alternatives. Try it, and you will agree. What I share is true!

If you don’t want to disturb your neighbors and listen at low volume at night, these (the Hagens) are probably the best speakers at any price and need no bass augmentation if you can’t afford it.

But with the addition of the four BOB open baffle 12″ drivers, you end up with one of the finest-sounding audio systems you could put together at any price. Bi-amping this system with an excellent 300B amp for the Hagens, a Class D amp for the BOBs, and an electronic analog crossover to mesh the two together allows you to hear music produced by a system that would easily cost 4 to 5 times as much if you were lucky enough to find a good one.

Volume is fully adjustable on the BOBs when you use a suitable Class D amp. This system will play near-field, mid-field, and, if placed correctly, even large rooms. It is more flexible than anything I’ve ever found, and I like what I hear – so much so that this is my favorite system to show to my local customers who want good audio in different price ranges. The components don’t change. Everyone keeps adding to the primary system if they want to go further, but they can also stop anywhere.

Speakers like the Hagens don’t have crossovers, so your power amplifier needs to put out only around eight watts into 8 ohms. Also, by using the electronic analog crossover, the 300B amp doesn’t need to produce the deep bass; this alone allows you to vastly increase your system’s sound quality The BOBs play the low notes using a powerful but surprisingly inexpensive Class D amp. This amp provides the grunt and the tight and fast bass when using a pair of 12″ open baffle speakers like the BOBs – and it doesn’t need to be expensive!

But of course, those 8 watts need to be good ones since you can hear everything above the crossover point. When you bi-amp the Hagens, take the bass production away from the 300B amp, and place it on a Class D amp to power a pair of BOBs per channel, you may gain a 20% increase in sound reproduction. I’ve never done anything in audio that provides this great benefit. Audiophiles spend a considerable amount of money on their system chasing the last 5% of sound quality, and this change creates a 20% increase. Amazing! I have no idea why people don’t go in this direction. It’s the best way to create high-quality, reproduced sound.

The Hagen bookshelf speaker driver has a maximum power rating of around 25 w/ch. An excellent 300B-based amplifier (not a low-cost 300B amp from China) will power these speakers in an ideal fashion. I recommend using a superb amplifier because the Hagens are incredibly transparent, and you hear everything, good and bad. The cheap tube amps typically have issues you can’t get around, and you will find these problems easily if you buy them and listen to them over time. Plus, getting them repaired is probably impossible. The cost of tubes is high for a good 300B amp, but so is the price of the tubes used. You want one that is kind to your tubes since they represent such a large portion of your cost, and that is a difficult challenge. Even the most expensive amps have issues you might not be aware of.

An excellent and suitable 300B tube amplifier like the one I’m recommending also takes the edge off the tremendous transparency those single-driver speakers have without a crossover. That’s not a fault but rather a benefit, and the Hagens like to be driven with an excellent tube amp to sound their best. The 300B amp creates clean 2nd order harmonics that our ears crave, which leads to an emotional connection to our music. Solid-state amps don’t do this, and some people only use tube amps to gain that emotional connection.

The power amp needs enough power to operate a 99 db speaker with the grunt to sound good, but only when using the Hagens alone (without the BOBs). However, at eight w/ch, you can’t expect the bass to be super low because producing bass requires plenty of current and power. 150w/ch would be more like it. Eight w/ch is way too low, in my opinion, and is the reason to use a powerful Class D amp just for the bass.

If you use two BOBs per side (four in total) to gain the “grunt,” you would expect good bass from those large 12″ open baffle drivers. To power them, you will add a low-cost Class D second amplifier to play just the 12″ drivers (they take up more power due to their size and the length of the low frequencies). The best way to do this is to bi-amp this system using the 300B amp for the Hagens with a low-cost volume-controlled Class D amp for the BOBs. I’ve done it and know that a low-cost Class D amp works well in this system. I’ve experienced the result and like it.

Bi-amping is the only answer if you are like me and want the ultimate sound quality.

Yes, it costs a bit more, but an excellent volume-controlled Class D amp that I recommend you use for the BOBs doesn’t cost that much (probably around $500 with built-in volume control) and is still affordable by almost all end users, along with my recommended electronic analog crossover unit (another $1,200). That is a small price to pay to power the BOBs adequately.

I’ve purchased many different Class D amps and have used four different electronic analog crossovers to find the combination that provides the most excellent sound quality for the least money. By doing that, I’ve lost a considerable amount of money. But I’ve done it and will share what you should use in your system to optimize sound quality and minimize cost if you are a customer.

Solid-state amps yield a better result when powering low bass in an audio system. That’s a known fact. Tube amps do better in the higher regions (high bass, mid-range, and treble). That also is a known fact.

The Hagen/BOB electronic analog crossover is designed to optimize both so each system sounds its best. When you use this combination of amps, you’ll create a sound quality that is difficult to beat, particularly at the much lower cost of what I’m recommending. Both systems (300B amp alone or bi-amped using a Class D amp as the 2nd amp) are first class without compromise. Plus, with a tube amp, you can “season” your system to sound exactly like what you desire and your room requires by changing tubes. You can’t do that with a solid-state amp.

Bass reproduction isn’t as fussy as midrange and treble reproduction but requires plenty of clean power and current to create a fast, tight bass. The Hagens play to 60Hz and then begin rolling off. That’s what physics bestows due to their small cabinet size. Even so, their bass is present and many can use it without bass augmentation.

Bass reproduction is enough using the Hagens alone, but US people like even more robust bass that borders on the Surreal. Here is what they want: bass augmentation that is done well, similar to adding an excellent floor-standing speaker, but with the imaging of a good bookshelf speaker on a stand, the benefits of open baffle bass, and a total cost that is much less and more effective than using a typical floor-stander speaker system.

This system also needs to be tweakable and use the best sound reproduction method for the treble and midrange, as well as a different, more appropriate system for the bass. If you want more body and even more robust bass, you’ll add the BOBs and use them as stands to place the Hagens on top of them. Floor space requirements are minimized (about the same as stands for just the Hagens) and can be tuned to your environment and personal preferences. With or without the BOBs and with or without bi-amping, the Voxativ speakers sound excellent and are a rewarding purchase. They are a fantastic purchase to start with, and continue to please by adding one component at a time, as you can afford to do so.

This ideal solution and building block strategy allows you to listen to your system and confirm that each addition you make is an improvement. I can’t think of doing better than this. Cost-wise, the improvement you gain is excellent and not the typical high cost for low improvement that you’ll find with other solutions.

Also, all of the components I use are archival, and no one component weighs more than the 300B amp. That’s your max at around 32 pounds. Anyone in your family can lift every single component in this system, which is one of my requirements for assembling a system like this long-term (no more than 40 pounds for any one component).

The sound quality of this system exceeds that of other much more expensive systems that typically use heavy and oversized components in a dedicated audio listening room. This tremendously flexible system can satisfy even the most discriminating audiophile. It can be used in near-field, mid-field, or in large rooms.

Most people will love the sound this system creates at whatever level they decide to stop. However, the components must be carefully chosen and combined since the Hagen speakers are incredibly transparent and deserve excellent equipment.

WAF is also important and one of my concerns. Doing this as I describe and building my recommended system will minimize the pushback you would get with other typical audio system designs when you begin with the Hagens alone. If you do it my way, you’ll possibly get others in your family involved since this system is universally acceptable regardless of gender, age, and enthusiasm (even though enthusiasm might initially be low). All that is required is to hear the sound quality once, and then you’re hooked, and probably you’ll warm up to this system approach.

In conclusion, the best speakers must be small bookshelf types (the Hagens are the best I’ve found), which provide superb imaging and a soundstage to create the best sound quality for the money.

I’m also recommending a system that will turn circles around the “all in one” approach used by the younger generations. Eventually, they will understand that what I’m sharing is accurate and separate their power amp and DACs. DACs are like computerized screens inside a car. They do fail, and probably less than ten years after purchase. You want your DAC independent of all other components, so you can either throw it away (it becomes an expendable) or send it to Bricasti for repair (as I do). Bricasti is the only US-based DAC manufacturer that I have found that repairs its ancient gear. Everything is replaceable since they have all of the CNC files and make all their parts, including the buttons on the front panel.

However, this young professional group will have spent a good amount of money going in the incorrect direction by following the group’s thinking and eventually realizing that they need to think for themselves. Audio is not a fashionable field. It’s only fashionable when you focus on the “bling factor” that provides sound-wise little benefit. I, too, am guilty of doing that, even though it is done differently and is part of the journey and the learning. So, if you are into the “all-in-one approach” with Hi-Fi Rose, Eversolo, and others, you’ll eventually return to what I’m sharing and maybe accumulate an excellent system like this.

The “old guys” that were my original clientele have died off and gone away (they were picky and very challenging to work with). They were replaced by a group of young professionals who have money but would not build the dedicated audio rooms their fathers and grandfathers built.

Essentially, this group enjoys listening to music more than component chasing, gradually stopped using MP3 players (Apple iPods, for example) and moved to expensive headphone rigs. I was a Chord Hugo dealer when the first portable Hugos were offered, and I sold them like popcorn to this group. I also was an Audeze headphone dealer but didn’t like the weight, the clamping pressure, or the lack of proper sound quality that the headphones provided. I like using speakers much better. Even though I’ve had many headphone rigs, my Sennheiser 800S headphones (that I preferred from a comfort level) are in storage.

I’m not fond of headphones. I’m a speaker guy. You would be, too, if you had my recommended system in place.

I’ve played both piano and trumpet and was a professional jazz piano player for many years and a member of the musician’s union in my town. My gigs were booked more than two years into the future, but I no longer play professionally. Instead, I’ve tried assembling the best audio system I could and have tried many alternatives to get the sound quality close to real music. You can learn from me if you take the time to listen to what I have gone through.

My finest piano acquisition was a new Bechstein Model B 7’6″ grand piano (its cost today is $250,000), and I housed it in a custom acoustically treated room (priceless).

I built a custom room for this excellent piano, and the sound quality was superb. For me, playing the piano is like riding a bicycle. I can always get back to playing some excellent “chops” no matter how long I stay away from the piano. I’ve put in 10,000+ hours on that instrument and can only say that my audio attempts have focused on getting the same sound quality I experienced when I played in my jazz quartet on stage with a good piano.

I have also spent 10,000+ hours on my audio exploration and spent my money trying to do this over a long time. I wasn’t searching for profitability but rather the best sound quality. With the piano, I’ve played in different environments using different pianos and found that they were all different, much like room acoustics and personal preferences for audio playback.

There is a common thread, which I now use to evaluate the absolute best affordable audio system. What I’m sharing isn’t cheap, but it is affordable for anyone interested in building the best-sounding audio system – for them. Plus, it can be acquired over time, one component at a time. I can’t come up with anything else that comes close to this system.

Steve Huff recently reviewed the OGY and BOB combination using a single Class D amplifier to power it. No one has reviewed the considerably better combination – the Hagens on top of two stacked BOBs. But I have done it and am sharing the results.

You want the Voxativ Hagens and not the Closer Acoustics OGYs! The Hagen’s sound incredibly better than a pair of OGYs. However, the BOBs work well and can be used with this system and many others. The BOBs are probably the best commercial built-for-you option available. An even better solution is to build your own DIY ripole bass units with the same driver as in the Hagen bookshelf cabinets, but this time, mount the Voxativ driver open to the back on the same baffle board attached to the front of the ripole bass speakers.

To do this, I’d cut a rectangular hole for the output of the ripole bass and a round hole for a single Voxativ driver and operate both speaker system bi-amped and open baffle. This board can be a single piece of exotic wood, and it can be mounted on a painted Duratex finished ripole cabinet. That’s how I would do it. You cannot create a better-sounding system that minimizes cabinet size for the amount and type of bass produced. Using two 12″ open baffle bass drivers is the way to go. It’s the ultimate, in my opinion.

I read all the reviewers, and Steve Huff is a reviewer that I don’t like as much as others, but I enjoy what he does.

His mp3 sound quality convinced me that the OGYs plus BOBs could be one of the best audio systems anyone could put together at a low price. In the following review, Steve is correct, and the sound quality is front and center to back up what he shares. However, he isn’t familiar with open baffle bass (he is just getting started). He seems to be glued to a Class D amplifier design, doesn’t use a tube amplifier on the upper speakers, and doesn’t use an electronic analog crossover and bi-amping. Every system he reviews is the best he’s heard, so I would take Steve’s review with a “grain of salt.” But what he shares in his review of the OGYs and BOBs is true. It is a great system and much better when you substitute the Hagens for the OGYs and then bi-amp the Hagens and the BOBs.

However, when you listen to the mp3 files Steve shares, you’ll hear the potential here. It’s real. With the Hagens substituted for the OGYs, the result is stunning. Poor Steve. If he only knew how to maximize the BOBs correctly! Steve’s review of this system shows that the BOBs are unique, not the OGYs.

This is only a little about me and the best system I’ve put together, and I don’t want to bore you any further so that I will get to the point.

HERE IS WHAT I RECOMMEND TO GET STARTED

1. The Bricasti M3 DAC with optional remote control and optional network card are the items I cannot recommend more. Yes, it’s expensive (at $7,500 retail), but it is one of the best values in audio that I know of. The network card that sits internally within this DAC has a sound quality that competes with the $20,000 statement-level Innuous streamer. The volume control that comes with this DAC is world-class, and I’ve found that the volume control is the “brick wall” in audio. When you don’t need a preamplifier and don’t use USB from your computer or streamer, you benefit substantially; the network card option is only $1,000 of that $7,500 price tag and provides almost $20,000 of value. I recommend streaming and playing music using an RJ45 cable and how I go from my modem to my DAC, not using a USB cable.

If necessary, I can start you out with any DAC (where you like the sound quality), but I recommend you save up and purchase a Bricasti M3 with its network card if and when you can afford it. That’s my best advice. You won’t be sorry. Bricasti DACs are made here in Massachusetts, and they repair old components they built. Everything they use is custom-made with their own CNC equipment. You receive the best quality from Bricasti and the knowledge that your gear was made in the USA and will be serviced here if needed.

I’ve owned over 50 DACs in the last eight years and can only tell you that low-cost DACs are improving, but until you reach the $6k to $10k level, you won’t improve your sound quality by spending more. Instead, you will obtain a different type of sound, and I can help you make that choice.

You’ll notice I no longer use a vinyl disc turntable (I gave that up long ago). Turntables cost too much and are a pain in the butt to use. I’m too fussy in what I like and might only like one song on both sides of a record. I’m unwilling to go through the gyrations needed to own a turntable. I’ve sold my LP12 Linn custom upgraded turntable and have never been happier. I only stream music from Tidal and Quobuz, and my NAS drive uses ripped CDs. That’s it. I recommend you do the same and put all your money into purchasing an excellent source (your DAC). Then, I recommend that you carefully upgrade everything around it.

By the way, I was using a Lamipzator Baltic 4 DAC with Innuous Phoenix USB device before hearing the Bricasti M3. Brian Zolner at Bricasti (30 minutes away in Medford, MA) sent me home with his fully loaded M3 in a Pelican case. When I first connected it, it blew away my Baltic 4 DAC with volume control, custom paint, and the Innuous Phoenix USB device. That Lampizator DAC system cost me over $10,000; the M3 was much less and sounded considerably better. I no longer use USB to access my DAC; instead, I use an optical RJ45 cable. I’m willing to share how to do this properly with my customers. This excellent knowledge will not be shared with others until they become customers of mine.

Also, the Bricasti factory is only about 45 minutes from me (near Boston, MA), and I pick up my orders in Shirley, MA, where the DACs are made. I’m no longer interested in any DAC made overseas or in China. The Bricasti DAC is the finest DAC I’ve enjoyed using out of all of the DACs I’ve owned. Its my “desert island” DAC.

2. The Hagen’s retail cost is now nearly $9,300 (for the A2.6-based 99db Hagen pair that I recommend using, and the extra cost required for the BOBs is in addition to that), and only the well-heeled audiophile might be interested. However, anyone can save up for these and purchase them over time.

Yes, the Voxativ A2.6 units are better than the A1.6 drivers (99db into 8 ohms for the A2.6), but it’s all a matter of what percent sound quality increase you receive for the money spent. I’ve used the Voxativ A2.6 in a pair of Charney Maestro Extreme cabinets and love them. I demoed the lower-efficiency A1.6 in my studio and won’t use them. They don’t sound nearly as good as my A2.6 drivers and have too low an efficiency to use my 300B amp at about 40% of total power. They don’t provide the same sound quality, so I now use the A2.6 exclusively on all my speaker systems even though they cost more.

If you want the best sound quality, the Voxativ Hagen’s (with the 99db efficient A2.6 drivers) and BOBs would be my choice over the Charney Maestro Extremes or the Charney Companions. Brian Charney also will only use the A2.6 drivers if you ask him. The Hagen monitors are a similar size to the OGYs (similar driver height and size), and when combined with the BOB open baffle units (that they also sit on top of), they sound excellent. They also sound fantastic on their own, even without the BOBs, but with the BOBs, these are the absolute best speakers I’ve ever heard.

The Hagen speakers’ higher efficiency allows for low-powered tube amps without strain, which is one reason I like the Hagens over the OGYs (91db versus 99db into 8 ohms). Plus, they sound considerably better; there is no comparison when you hear both. The OGYs sound weak and recessed and don’t play music anywhere near as well. They are only a decent starting point but one I would avoid if possible.

If you add the BOBs (and I highly recommend that you do), I would use a low-cost Class D amplifier with volume control, much like the amps I’ve used in my Linkwitz system. However, the bass extension doesn’t require the most expensive sound quality since it doesn’t play above the crossover point (I’ll share what that is and how to find it only with my customers).

A reasonable-cost volume-controlled Class D amp would be a perfect second amp for this system and allow you to match the volume to the tube amp you use for the OGYs or Hagens on top. You do not need an ultimate-cost Class D amp to power the BOBs! You also do not want to use Class D amps, no matter how expensive, with any of the Voxativ-based speakers (all of them). Voxativs sound best when powered by a good 300B tube amp.

3. Acquire an excellent 300B amp. I’ve built mine, and you can purchase a good one (almost identical to mine) for a much more reasonable sum than I did by following my recommendations on what affects sound quality and longevity. You can make it yourself or have Sun Valley build their kit for you (with the Hashimoto output transfers) for an additional $400, plus the added cost of the ODAM crossover caps. You can have them upgrade the four coupling caps with the ODAMs, which would be a “must” rather than an “if.” They will include the ODAM caps and build those into the amp at their standard build cost, plus the cost of upgrading the coupling caps. They won’t replace the resistors, caps, and other items I have. So this amp won’t be “as good” as the one I’m recommending you build or have built locally, but it will be really good.

However, everything else in their amp will use standard kit parts, and I upgraded those parts to increase sound quality and longevity. The only way you’ll be able to obtain a “super” version of this amp as I build is to build it yourself while following my recommendation as to what to upgrade and with what component or to have someone locally build it for you. I won’t do it.

Point-to-point construction (which this amp uses) is not a first-amp beginner project, so you should be somewhat conversant with building and soldering already and have built an amp or two before doing this. If you’re interested, I will share more about the optional parts and what you should replace in the kit parts to create a sound quality like mine. Both user external items and internal components need to be changed. However, the circuit values are all kept the same.

4. Following my suggestions, I’ll guide you in placing your audio system in your room. Suppose you are more of a mid-field to large-room listener. In that case, room treatment will become even more critical than a near-field listener since your room’s acoustics will affect your sound quality more than your components. You will eventually need to do both to get the best sound quality. Listening near-field can save a lot of money and allow you to perfect your sound quality at an unheard-of level since you don’t have to spend as much time and use as much money treating your room. But . . . of course, that is up to you and what you can afford.

I can help you acquire this entire system, including bi-amping, if that is within your capability, or possibly help you use components you already have and help you head in the right direction. Purchasing a pair of Corian-clad OGY speakers would be the first thing I’d do if you didn’t have the money to spend and wanted to get started quickly. But that isn’t an option I like and would be eliminated if possible. If doing this allows you to purchase a good DAC first, I would possibly do it.

I’m willing to work with you to design an audio system with good WAF due to the quality and looks of what we assemble. Cost is always a consideration; you accept a compromise or wait to accumulate what you need. I would wait, but you might want to get started sooner. Again, that decision is up to you.

5. Optionally add two BOBs per channel (4 BOBs) plus a low-cost, volume-controlled Class D power amp and bi-amp (two power amps). This system uses an electronic analog crossover unit and two power amps. I use this same approach for my demo system; you would do the same if you heard it. However, everything you read and see I use costs around $40,000. That’s a lot of money, and I don’t expect you will be willing to do the same. I will also create a system for those of you who want to spend less, but this lower-cost system will still be $10,000 or $20,000, depending on how it’s put together. That’s better than $40,000 but still is expensive. You are welcome to listen to my system if you make an appointment to visit my studio. More about that will be shared in another section of this website.

Closer Acoustics OGYs Bass – Specifications

Low-frequency section with open baffle bass
EMS B12 woofer chassis from Electro Magnet Speaker France
Impedance 8 ohms
Efficiency 94dB, adjustment to bookshelf speaker via inductor coil at 125Hz
Recommended power up to 100 watts
Size 44.0*38.5*80.0 cm (w*d*h)
Weight 15.5kg
Suitable for OGY, Hagen (with A2.6 drivers), or almost any bookshelf or floor-standing speaker system

LET ME KNOW IF YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ONE OF MY SYSTEMS