What are some preamps that you recommend? I have had multiple customers report being happy with one of the following: — Topping Pre90 — Gustard X26 — SMSL HO200If you are specifically looking for a tube or hybrid preamp, here are some options that customers have reported work well: — Schitt Freya+ — Black Ice […]
Starkrimson Amplifiers FAQ Read More »
Please watch the video below to see how to accomplish digital room correction (DRC) in your setup with the PecanPi Streamer or the PecanPi+ Streamer. Please note this DRC will not apply to the SPDIF input, I will do another video on how to apply DRC to the SPDIF input in the future. Also, note this process only
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Version 2.0 of the Starkrimson Stereo Ultra is all about power. Orchard Audio had a custom power supply developed to specifically work with our Starkrimson Ultra gallium nitride (GaN) amplifier modules. These new SMPS1K2 -SKU power supplies are developed and manufactured by Micro-Audio. Upsides Purchase – Starkrimson Stereo Ultra 2.0 Pictures are Worth 1000 Words… Here is what the power
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PecanPi vs PecanPi+ Both DACs use Orchard Audio’s proprietary filtering topology and class AB headphone output buffers. Both DACs also have S/PDIF inputs and utilize an ultra-low jitter clock to effectively eliminate jitter. The major difference between the two boards is the DAC chip that is utilized (see more on this below). What are Customer
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The 2023 Florida Audio Expo was my first “real” show. It was a great experience for me on multiple fronts. Setup The below image shows the setup of the Orchard Audio room. There were two systems:1. PecanPi Streamer –> Starkrimson Stereo Ultra –> Soundfield Audio M1V2 Speakers (outside)2. PecanPi Streamer –> Starkrimson Mono Amps –> Soundfield Audio Obelisk B7 Speakers (inside)Both systems used cables from Triode
Orchard Audio at 2023 Florida Audio Expo Read More »
A Rev 1.0 Starkrimson Stereo Ultra ($2900 configuration) amplifier is currently touring the US. Everybody is welcome to join in.Update:As of 04/01/2023, the tour amplifier is Rev 1.0 Starkrimson Stereo Ultra dual mono with capacitor upgrade ($3500 configuration). How does it work? You are responsible only for the costs of properly packaging and shipping the amplifier to
Starkrimson Stereo Ultra Goes On US Tour Read More »
I am proud to announce that we will present at the 2022 Speakerfest in Phoenix, AZ. Orchard Audio will have three (3) audio demo setups at the event.Setup 1:Floor standing speakers (ELAC Uni-Fi Reference UFR52), driven by the Starkrimson® Stereo Ultra amplifier with the PecanPi® Streamer as the source.Setup 2:Bookshelf speakers (ELAC Uni-Fi Reference UBR62), driven by
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Many people talk about speaker placement, and I agree this is very important. However, amplifier placement is also important. Why? It affects the damping factor at the speaker’s terminals. Why is damping factor important? The damping factor of an amplifier tells you how well it can control the load. In this case, the load is
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Product specifications often list the signal-to-noise ratio, sometimes written as “SNR” or “S/N,” but what does it mean? While the math behind SNR is technical, the concept is not, and this value can impact a system’s overall sound quality. SNR compares the level of a signal to the level of noise. In other words, it
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Streamer Questions: 1. Can an external DAC be used with the PecanPi Streamer?Yes. An external DAC can be connected to any USB port on the streamer. This will disable the streamer’s internal DAC. 2. What XLR to RCA adapters or cables can I use?The adapter must have pin 3 floating on the XLR side. This is a
PecanPi DAC/Streamer FAQ Read More »
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E Lins2024-02-12Friendly place, honest and knowledgeable guy. Direct and frank exchange, business-driven up-to-the-point purchases.Wing Ng2024-02-11Leo was great to deal with and responsive in working with me to make sure I was satisfied with his amp.Robert Audet2023-07-18If Leo was a DAC, he'd be top of the line for sure. Few years back when I first heard of Orchard Audio, checked their initial product which was right up their with this new trend of SBCs out of the UK which made robotic learning for kids the new hype, as well as low cost, high quality devices for men and their guilty pleasure, the SOUND. What made it very interesting is that in the world of RaspberryPi, HifiBerry and so many others, you had this company who's owner and creator was a rock star among us men. Everyone was talking about Leo this and Leo that. The product reviews, although always among the most recommended, still came after all the praise for Leo. Yesterday I got my Orchard-Audio PecanPi Streamer from a private vendor. The unit was 2nd hand, it arrived in a box with nothing else but a note: Enjoy the music. Of course nothing worked as I had hoped it would and I was left with no other choice but to contact the company for HELP! I got on a chat line with someone at the company and that person soon discovered that we were both talking different languages and where could not even described my new purchase correctly. Well lucky for me, that person did not give up on me, he tried one thing, and then another, and this went on until we hit a key word that brought us together on the same page, with a sudden clear understanding of what I had to do. 45min. that's all it took after that for me to get my new PecanPi Streamer connected, with a new SD card in and a fresh configuration. That was the moment when music started playing, not any kind of music, but for me at least, the MUSIC that I as a man have been evolving to. I have now reached plenitude and am now ready to die if I must, but before, please let me listen to that music a little while longer. Oh!, did I mention that the poor sole at the end of the chat, the one who walked me through Dante's Inferno, well, yeah it was indeed...Leo. Leo thanks for the MUSIC and for being you. Robert AudetRobert A Rust2023-07-01Leo, after our discussion at the Florida International Audio Fest, I am so glad that you built a three channel amplifier, the Duo/Trio. Just having a single power cord to get your amplification over three mono amps with power supplies and power cords is a great help. More importantly, it goes extremely well with my tube amplifier used for my front speakers. I think the GanFet class D works well for the other three speakers because it matches closely to the power rating of the tube amp, adds clarity to the center channel, and balances the frequency in the rear speakers, without competing with the front speaker pair. I also think that the use of the RCA to XLR converters are important to use instead of XLR to RCA cables. The increase of 6 dB improves the sound and allows the Duo/Trio to work optimally. Why buy an amplifier and then not use it to its full capacity? Anyone who wants to purchase this three channel amp, or any other of your amps, should seriously consider adding these converters to their system. To this point, I like the converters so much that I am ordering a third for my tube amplifier to insure that I am getting a fully balanced performance. Great job all around, thank you for taking the plunge. I hope this amplifier helps all of those people looking to upgrade their amplifiers using an Audio Video Receiver or processor, including those with tube front channels.Ronald Hale2023-06-16Leo is awesome! He is the owner. Very quick shipping! Great product! And great customer service. I have asked way too many questions. And he always answers the same day.Dominic Rushe2023-04-25TL/DR: Sounds amazing. Extraordinary customer service. Highly recommended. I have wanted to add a streamer to my hifi for a while - Rega Brio, KEF LS50s, CD and record player. But which one and what sort? Roon? Sonos? Bluetooth? WiFi? I went down the rabbit hole of reviews and forums. I am not a technophobe by any means but a lot of the info I found was too technical and confusing. I just wanted a plug and play streamer for Tidal and was thinking of getting an Audiolab 600N. I didn’t want to spend too much as the tech seems to be advancing. Then I read a John Darko piece about Raspberry Pi streamers and thought that seemed like an elegant solution but one that was too much of a DIY project for me to do by myself. More Googling and I found Orchard Audio. Here’s a dude (Leo) in New Jersey with “decades of engineering expertise” at big companies making reasonably priced streamers that get great reviews. What’s not to like? I bought the PecanPi, it arrived really quickly. It’s small, sturdy and has a solid, homemade feel that I love. I couldn’t wait to try it out. I chose the Volumio option after discussion with Leo. Plugged it in and nothing. Ugh. I rebooted everything (all very IT Crowd). Nothing. So I emailed Leo. Ten minutes later he had emailed me back. Problem was fixed (turned out it was just some glitch in my internet) but it was clear to me that Leo was on the case if I had issues. So now it is up and running and it’s phenomenal. Hifi descriptions of sound are as impossible as wine reviews, it’s so subjective, one man’s blackberry and slate is another’s blueberry and tar. But for me the PecanPi (in my smallish NY apartment) is big, detailed, has a great, intimate, 3D feel and sounds as good playing Satie as it does the Oh Sees. Very happy customer. Thank you!Jonathan2023-03-29I was looking for the best GAN based Class D amplifier I could and stumbled across some positive reviews of the Starkrimson Ultra Gan amplifier. My initial buying experience was atypical in that the amplifier wasn't able to deal with my 125vac due to it triggering the overvoltage circuit to cut off the amplifier. I'm not going to sugar coat it; I reacted a bit too hastily with my words g g and well in the end cooler heads prevailed and Leo agreed to put a better regulated replacement power supply and solved the problem for me. Right out of the gate this amp has a very deep punchy bottom end. The midrange drivers and AMT tweeters sound as good as I've ever heard them now. I'm glad I kept this amplifier as it offers so much better control over the bass with extremely natural sounding mids and high. I highly recommend you audition the Starkrimson Ultra before checking out other class D or Gan based ampsMichael Valentiner2022-12-29Orchard Audio Starkrimson Stereo Ultra Review Michael Valentiner A big thanks to Leo for the opportunity to evaluate the Orchard Audio Starkrimson Stereo Ultra amp. It is hard to add anything that hasn't been already said about this amp. It is detailed, dynamic, lively, has well defined bass, etc. Superlative in many aspects. Detailed, smooth, and bright. Musical notes are very articulate and distinct from one another. Great separation of musical instruments. Percussion instruments are rendered in great detail. I was hearing things I hadn't heard in the mix before.Riley Leclerc2022-11-26These little monoblocks paired with the streamer as a pre-amp is the smallest footprint endgame stereo set up out there.stuart cadman2022-10-08I bought a PecanPi 18 months ago yet Leo didn't hesitate to advise on solving a technical issue I ran into today. Top Man!
