Happy Birthday Ian!
May you have a blessed day.
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Appreciate the sentiment, but itās not my birthday! The āCakeā in this case is just in recognition of two full years (730 days) of visiting this site.
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Well, Happy Anniversary then! 
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Happy Anniversary Ian! 
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Wellā¦ errrā¦ enjoy the cake!
Kevin
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Hereās to another two more! 
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I appreciate the sentiment, but āit aināt gonna happenā.
Beyond the travel and related activities, Iām going to be far more focused on just enjoying the music than writing about gear or participating in the āonlineā side of the hobby.
I may, or may not, post my thoughts on new gear I acquire - but there is precious little in the pipeline (at least that Iām aware of) that I have any interest in at all. In fact the ONLY thing on the possible horizon that I will probably jump on (and comment about) in the foreseeable future is the potential for a circumaural version of the SR1a. And new bass-enhancing pads for the MySphere.
Though I will still post a full review of the HSA-1a if I receive the updated unit by the end of this week. I have a ZMF Aelous review thatās pending me being able to take decent pictures of my Blackwood set. And a Bifrost 2 review that I need to clean up and post.
Beyond that, there will likely be an āinterest checkā post on gear I am not taking with me around the world (most of which is duplicate stuff, with a couple or three pieces that make up third or fourth rigs that I will no longer need). And then the actual FS listings ā¦
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Totally understand, there is time in our lives we need to step back and enjoy life and seek out fantastic experience. Have fun sailing around the world,
I remember having to make choice what I could bring with me, When I was much younger I would crew on the Bolero I would not want much more than waterproof walkman back then and duffle. I loved working the coffee grinders on her. She just loved a stiff breeze and rolling swell.
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Carrying on from the other thread.
Are there any Tube or Tube Hybrid All-In-One solutions youāre fond of? Specifically ones that wouldnt envoke a divorce?
ā¦and may throw in an option that wouldā¦
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Thereās the MCTH + SDAC that was, I think, $329 and the Lyr 3 + DAC Card at $599 or or $699 depending on which DAC card you choose.
After that, thereās the Woo Audio WA8 āEclipseā at $1,799.
Those are the only three I could say I had any fondness for. The Lyr 3 will scale to better sources very readily. The Woo has a much more enjoyable amp section than it does a DAC.
ALO Audio used to sell (no idea if itās going to be in stock again anytime soon), the āContinental Dual Monoā which was okay - if not particularly good value. I think they went for $1,499 at the time.
After that, itās pretty much the iFi Pro iDSD, at $2,799, which is one of the most prominent examples I can think of being a ājack of all trades, master of noneā. The DAC is uninspiring with gimmicky features, the headphone amp is decent, the streaming functionality is half-assed at best (not even that if you want to use it with Roon) and based on a LinkPlay module (their stuff shows up in ~$50 portable streaming speakers/voice assistants). Unless you use the entire gamut of functionality, I think it is heavily overpriced for where I personally find its performance lands, and even if you do I still donāt consider it particularly good value.
Other than that youāre looking at stuff thatās no longer in production, or that Iāve not heard, and most of that was not great (e.g. the Peachtree iDecco type stuff).
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Slim pickings really isnāt it.
I think Iāll have to stick to a hybrid like the Lyr 3 or Cavalli and have a separate DAC
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Not an all-in-one solution, and as mentioned elsewhere, what about a tube preamp to add to the chain? Schiit Saga+ or Freya+.
I donāt have any experience with these two products so maybe someone else can chime in here.
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Current āchainā is a all in one though. Only problem.
Oh gotcha, because you sold all the other components.
To live a dream fulfilled is but to live twice
Happy sails Ian and be safe, ya hear 
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@taronlissimore Just saw this regarding Audiostream ā¦ I guess that explains the complete lack of worthwhile updates. I wonder if Stereophileās publisher is about to give up the ghost on those satellites?
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Less than 48 hours ā¦ and I ā¦ canāt ā¦ wait ā¦
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Full steam ahead! All the best!
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I look forwards to your list of ten favourite ports of call
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May the winds always be in your favour Torq!
If you can find the time, IĀ“m sure IĀ“m not alone in wishing you could drop by every now and then to tell us youĀ“re ok and maybe even regale us with those great photographic skills of yours.
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