A regular network SFP adapter may do more harm than good, and defeats the purpose of using optic link. A LHY converter or switch with a SFP input is the way to go.
Thanks for the advice
I will mention that the Stock Market has been very, very nice to me lately. I am in a very good position to try speakers that cost less than some of my cables. As for the gear I have now, I have no real need to sell it. Unless I want to make my wife less angry. I am not certain that is even possible.
If the current stock market is not being nice to you, youâre not in the market.
Youâve been exposed to so many more streaming solutions than I, Al. Therefore your Aurender views remain of value to me, and - who knows, my streaming front-end may change in the future.
However, if I recall correctly your Aurender comments seem to have been mainly directed to itâs interface, and not as implemented in the AP20? As youâve mentioned elsewhere - the streamer itself seems to be way less important in the sound chain and so from that perspective, sans interface and whatever else, the Aurender purely as streamer I take it should be as good (or bad) as anything else?
To me, the AP20 was my first streaming experience [due to reasons, the Rose RS150B doesnât count]. My love for the AP20 I reckon stems less from itâs streaming capabilities or interface - but, rather for it being an integrated solution. Hence my interest in your remarks about the Kii, and now the possible JansZen routes. The approaches in design between AP20 / Kii / JansZen may be different - yet remain the same in one important (to me) philosophy: Simplification; De-cluttering; Integration.
I donât like the interface, but I have learned to work with it. No big deal there, personal prefernce.
The sound from the Aurender gear I have heard is fine. My buddy thinks itâs better than Roon. But now he runs Roon and has no Aurender. Curious.
Itâs good sounding gear, that I am sure of. It is fussy at times, but that isnât limited to Aurender. No need to hurry to find a replacement my friend! No need at all.
It can only last so long, as some of the market performance issues are hidden by the over performers driving market indices up. Increasing bond rates could have significant negative impact on the market as corporate debt obligations come due. Pension funds and 401ks will likely take a large hit. Add to that A.I. driving workforce reductions and limiting new hires spending will not be there to sustain the current economy. Should A.I. reduce the workforce significantly the tax base will shrink without significant changes to the tax code. The Oligarchs have already signaled where this liability will land. Something has got to give. Yes, I am in the stock market, but being retired and on a fixed income I have been reducing my exposure gradually.
Me tooâŠ
I get all sorts of advice to FLEE THE STOCK MARKET IMMEDIATELY from well meaning individuals. So far, not listening to them seems nice.
Buy Gold! Buy Silver. Na.
Like any good captain, I am going down with the ship.
Although Iâm benefiting from the rapid market upswing, I felt the current market craziness is quite unhealthy. I have been invested in stocks for 50 years and the recent AI stocks movement mirrored dotcom bubble. One of my chip stocks went up 400% in 6 months! The market breath is getting narrower day by day. I donât know when will this ride end, but the gravity pull will be harder for many AI stocks since I donât believe many will be able to produce the revenues as hoped.
But for the time being I am enjoying the ride..
There has never been a time when doom has not been predicted for the market. Especially around election cycles. The editorial usually starts with âthis time itâs differentâŠâ
In no way am I recommending fleeing the market, but understanding what is driving index gains and market perceptions is key. Adjusting for risk, seeking value where it can be found and investing incorporations that get the fundamentals right is key. No I am not investing in precious metals. Hard to predict a market adjustment, but if history is any predictor we are due for an adjustment. We are likely headed into a prolonged period of stagflation fueled by current government policy decisions.
Agreed, and the key is when to take the profits and move on. The problem, no obvious safe havens. I anticipate lower returns in general; the question being will they keep up with or exceed inflation?
This may be a more political post than anything about Markets, but in the current environment and laws, the economy is less and less tied to the market more than ever. People and economy can be stuck, or lean but the market tied to stock is rising due to tax rules, inflation (yeah the make their own inflation sometimes) and stock buy backs that happened in the recent years. So market is doing much better than the economy overall which seems stuck in Stagflation mode. My money is all tied up in retire accounts so I dont have the option to pull it when I want it so it does not matter. I have never had the ability to invest on my own. Too much live for now I guess.. thats on me.
But I do have a nice fat old school pension waiting for me when I retire, so thatâs another reason why I live the way I do.
Any chance we can veer back into the âYour Next Upgradeâ topic?
Why? It is an open forum after all. Some here claim market performance drives upgrades.
My next upgrade will be another Tung-Sol black glass 12AU7. At the moment my main system has all tubes, I mean ALL, that are either black glass or have carbon spray liners or darkened liner or glass of some type. And. . . I like the sound a lot. One of my two Tung-Sol 12AU7s had rather low numbers and Iâm keeping an eye out for a cheaper, better one so that I can replace that and have a back up. I really like the sound Iâm getting from this system now. . . best ever.
Edit to add: after looking around a week this morning one popped up at a great price and I gnabbed it.
Repost this since it was at the wrong thread, too early.
Okay, here is a related post for this thread. I made an offer on a pair of Audience FrontRow Reserve XLR. This will be my 2nd pair to be used on PMG512. Then I will have the same ICs for PMG and MU2, and almost the same Stealth PCs too (CGLE and The Grande).
The PMGs took way more than 200 hours to fully break in I felt. The SQ is much more relaxed than the first few weeks. So, I believe FRR XLR will do better on PMG512 then Fidelium.
Which means my search for IC is done too. 
I also will have a 4.5â Fidelium XLR for sale soon (assuming I like FRR better than it on PMG512).
Market analysis is readily available in other venues. I merely asked if we could refocus on the topic.
