New Boulder 866 Integrated Amp ?

[bart]

disc, welcome to AudioAficionado!

[disc]

Thanks Bart!
Any isolation suggestions people?

[Masterlu]

disc… Welcome to AA!

[ACAUS]

Is anyone using Stillpoints Ultra SS under their 866, or any other devices. Not sure about the stillpoints compatibility.

thanks

[disc]

ACAUS, I have experience with older Stillpoints. All of my iso gear is from a system I built 10-20 years ago, so it's a bit long in the tooth. I upgraded to the 866 and a Pro-Ject RS2 transport with a Linear Tube Audio power supply, and I'm slowly upgrading the cables, etc.

I have the three older Stillpoints under the LTA, and a set of 4 older Aurios under my 866. I previous had the Stillpoints under my old amp (a modded Spectron Musician III) and loved them there. I matched them this way in my current system because (1) the Aurios are wide and don't really fit under the LTA (it's long and narrow) and (2) I feel like I need 4 iso devices to use with the 866 (because of the way the bottom of the case is configured and the weight is distributed -- please correct me if you found a way around this). The system sounds good, but then I wouldn't really know what I'm missing and the limiting factor is likely the speakers (LSA-10 Statement). I am contemplating buying a set of new Stillpoints Ultra or Townsend pods for the 866, but was hoping to hear from other owners that may already have done some experimenting.

On a related note, I'm using an older Elrod power cord on the 866 and am wondering if a newer option would improve the sound. I'm not willing to lay out the coin for a new Elrod (I had two kids since my last system), but am guessing the tech has improved since the early 2000s and there might be some excellent lower-priced options (<1500).

Thanks for any ideas you may have.

[clpetersen]

Originally Posted by ghasley

My pleasure gds7368. I hear you loud and clear. When you do the math on the 866 qualitatively you begin to wonder how they can offer it for the price. I know part of the fun in our hobby can in fact be the unnecessary complexity we enjoy introducing but for me (and for those who I want to enjoy the hifi) the 866 eliminates the vast majority of the variables. The Roon integration is also quite clever.

I recognize that many in our hobby won't explore the 866 BECAUSE it isn't like most offerings but somewhere, deep down, if they listen to one they will have to admit it accomplishes the playback of music in an extraordinarily simple and high quality way.

A very unique design. But one question - how would one integrate headphones into an 866 set-up? Not seeing an analog out.

[Big B]

+1

[Formerly YB-2]

Originally Posted by clpetersen

A very unique design. But one question - how would one integrate headphones into an 866 set-up? Not seeing an analog out.

Like my new Pass Labs INT-25, only 3 analog inputs and no analog out. I'm going to order a GoldPoint https://goldpt.com/index.html 3 RCA input/2 RCA output switchbox. With 3 tuners, 2 TTs and a digital the switch box will give me five inputs and the ability to switch 3 of them to a headphone amp.

[nelson1952]

I own a Boulder 866 and it is a beast.