Well, I finally got around to doing a few of the things I said I would, and the system upgrades are drawing to a close:

Power Cords: I ordered the connectors (Wattgate and Marinco) and bulk wire (DH Labs) and put everything together. It was pretty easy; the hardest part was getting the screws lined up on the IEC connector so I could close the housing. No fires yet. I�ve got one feeding the 970 and another hooked up to the amp for my mains.

Interconnects: I�ve built a few interconnects over the past few weeks. All use DH Labs products: some D-75 digital coax cables for my DAC and upsampler, and some analog interconnects using the new BL-Ag bulk, silver interconnect. The technician I spoke with said the BL-Ag comes very close in performance to their top-of-the-line Revelation ICs which are $400 per meter. By comparison, you can build a pair of BL-Ag�s yourself for around $50. Goes to show that shopping around and a little DIY effort can really pay off.

Behringer SRC2496: If there�s anyone out there using an outboard DAC, this is a pretty slick little device. It upsamples up to 24 bit / 96kHz and provides jitter correction for about $130 (online). I�ve got one feeding my Musiland MD10 and things are sounding really, really good. Highly recommended. And even if you don�t like it, it won�t have broken the bank.

All I�ve got left is a multi-channel amp for my surrounds. I�m considering the Emotiva (�Traitor! Burn him!�) The similarly powered Outlaw is almost twice as much, so I just can�t justify it based on the fact it will only be for surrounds for movies.

It�s taken about two years, but the old system is close to being completely replaced, bit by bit. I gotta� tell you though, I�m getting burned out. The upgrades were fun for a while, but I�ll be glad when everything is over. Even my posting activity has fallen off. Not so much here, but I�ve noticed on some of the other boards, the vast majority of threads deteriorate into flame wars where one party defends what they bought/hear/believe, against others who attack the legitimacy of what they bought/hear/believe, which then lead to tangents, which lead to more flames, and so on. It�s a pity; there are a lot of bright people in the hobby, but a lot of egos as well. In some respects, it�s no different now than the audio print press in the 80s. What�s different is that, with the Internet, millions of folks can go at it in real time. And a thread that starts off talking about a CD player turns into a debate over how CDs are pressed.

Don't forget the silver power cables between the main breaker and the street transformer - I find this is almost always overlooked.

Platinum is better!

Flame on!

I heard that your 'fridge will work better too. Solid silver from the pump to the street baby, your beer will thank you for it!

I knew the thread was highly flammable when I posted it

I just get a good laugh out of it. I figure some people buy crystals and sit under pyramids too, and the only thing you can do is try to get a good chuckle out of it.

And be glad it's not you. Or, in this case, me.

Trust me Charlie, if I'm going to buy crystals, I'm going to smoke or snort them. :p

Now, I'm really confused. These crystals; say again what they'd do to enhance the sound of your system�?

Well, depends on the crystals but if they're the ones that they famously import from Columbia then at least there's a scientifically valid explanation for altering the audio experience.

Come to think of it excessive use could explain the "belief in wires as magical objects" thing too.