Roon Lifetime Membership, $500.
Roon endpoint: Allo USBridge, $180.
Linear Power Supply: CI Audio VDC 5 MKII, $329.
Roon bridge: Old laptop with upgraded 1tb SSD, ±$300.
DAC: Dragonfly Red, $200.
Speakers: Q Acoustics 3050i, $800. https://www.whathifi.com/q-acoustics/3050i/review
Amp: Outlaw Audio RR2160, $800. https://www.cnet.com/news/outlaw-audio-rr-2160-the-audiophile-choice-for-stereo-receivers/
Speaker cables and 3.5mm to RCA cable from Blue Jeans Company, $60.
Total: $3169.
Tidal subscription: $20 per month.
I am thinking about upgrading to the Mytek Liberty DAC.
Please feel free to comment, give advice, and tell us about your system.
PS. The cost of my music collection, and the cost/time to rip my CDs to the hard drive are not included.
I guess you don’t play CDs?
No CDs. I ripped all my CDs (FLAC) to my 1tb SSD hard drive on my laptop. I don’t have a huge CD collection - 1tb is fine for me at the moment.
1tb I assume?
So technically your system has a higher cost. There was the cost to acquire the CDs in the first place and then the time to rip them. You are kind of being disingenuous by leaving the cost out of your under $5000 system. I have thousands of CDs collected over time. If I chose to ignore them then the cost of my system goes way down as I probably have over $20,000 in CDs alone. By the way I hope you have a back up strategy for the 1TB SSD.
@John_Aiello That is true John, I did not include the cost of my CDs and to the cost/time to rip them. The topic is more about the hardware, not so much about the value of the music collection.
@John_Aiello, I edited my original post to point out that the cost of my music collection, and the cost/time of ripping my CDs to the hard drive are not included in my calculation.
Fair enough. Nice system. I have a USBridge also. Not a big fan. Of all the Allo products I have that’s the one that gives me the most trouble especially when an update is available.
@John_Aiello Thanks John. It sounds really good to my ears. But I also have problems with my USBridge… whenever I play MQA tracks, there is a loud buzz coming from the left speaker. It quiets down after about 15 seconds, but it is very annoying. It seems that there is a compatibility issue with the USBridge and my Dragonfly DAC. Rahul @rahulkc_s from Allo support is trying to help me to fix it.
I had a DragonFly Red connected to my USBridge for a short while and don’t ever remember any buzzing so you will probably be able to sort it out with their help. Good luck.
thank you! I hope so.
I hesitate to post a picture of my Google Home Mini 
.
nice one Bill!
Two Vidars (run as monoblocks) - $1400
Freya preamp - $700
Triton Fives - $2000
SMS-200 (because it wasn’t being used) - $350 (bought used)
IFi iDAC2 - $300 (?)
IFi Nano USB3 (purely a superstition) - $200
Various BlueJean cables and speaker wire < $100
Prices are converted from CAD to USD. Brokerage, duty, and scarcity of used gear in Canada often means overpaying if you want something specific. That was the case with my Outlaw amp, because analog bass management was a priority, and Emotiva and Parasound are even more steep here. My system is currently in a 9x10 room in a fifth wheel trailer and it sounds pretty good given the constraints. I’ve heard high end gear, sure, for example a neighbour just got in Sonus Faber Serafinos. Anyway, apples and oranges… or apples and simuated orange drink from powder found in the back of the cupboard Still, more satisfying than my Hifiman headphones, that’s for sure.
Outlaw RR2150 - $800
Dynaudio Emit M10 speakers - $750
Skylan SP-27 stands - $200
SVS-SB1000 sub - $575
iFi iDAC2 - $350
Schiit Wyrd - $125
Cubox i4 endpoint - $125
Ghent Audio cables - $125
Homebrew i7 server - $750
HQPlayer - $150
About 4k. Sold a modest record collection and a Rega P3-24 to put this setup together. Very satisfied.
Can’t resist. Here’s my higher-end system:
Roon software - $10/month
2010 Core 2 Duo mac mini running Ubuntu 16.04 and Roon core - $200 (used)
scavenged speakers from a discarded 1971 all-in-one Bell & Howell stereo - $0
Chromecast Audio on sale - $25
Fosi Audio 50 watt stereo amplifier, version 1.0 blue - $60
Amazon Basics 3.5 mm to dual RCA cable - $6
Oodles of digitized music - >$10,000
So $291 plus $10/month for Roon. The music is a sunk cost. And the bowl doesn’t count.
Update: Apparently “scavenged” is the wrong word; I’m told I should call them “vintage” speakers instead. I have to say, they still sound great. Maybe Bell & Howell knew something about making speakers.
Ha, Ha. You visit this forum long enough, brother, and that won’t last.
I dunno. I’m pretty cheap.
My latest placebo thanks to this forum was wiring my router and endpoint into the trailer’s 12V DC battery system. Not bad for $20 worth of bog standard cables !