> Why do > you want to do D/A. I would maintain digital all the > way unless I've got some external analog gear that is > very high quality. Well, in your mastering room I know you've got Mackie powered monitors, so I'd expect you're using a digital input on those and the D/A I'm talking about is taking place on a board inside the speaker. In my case, I already have some good amps and passive speakers - I'm intending to use a Cyrus Two amp and a pair of Tannoy Cheviots, which have the 12" dual concentric HPD drivers, a later version of the Monitor Golds. These are much better than most target listening devices, and since my house isn't very big the mastering suite has to double as the lounge! (Some acoustic treatment will no doubt be required, as I can hear flutter echoes at present.) The source material is recorded on a Delta 1010, so I'm now thinking an appropriate setup on the mastering machine would be an Audiophile PCI, with maybe an external DAC upgrade later. The plan is to make the mastering box (which will be an Opteron 240 with 1GB RAM) run headless with a wi-fi card, so the display is on a laptop or tablet. Then I'll be able to sit on the sofa and listen away from the nearfield, and tweak settings without having a large noisy machine between me and the speakers. That's the theory, anyway... Thanks for all the advice! Daniel
