Quote:Now i find myself even more confused
I'm not surprised. In fact I have found myself in that state when trying to decide on "what do to next". So a little clarification is in order...
My post was in reference to the concept that mono blocking a pair of UFO25 is primarily to achieve more power not to whether you should or should not get the CSP3 instead of a pair of UFO25's. More power is one benefit but not the only one. Running a pair fully balanced is another benefit and depending on what the object is it may be the primary one to consider.
Since you, like me, are primarily dealing with digital there are "all in one" digital front end components that may be worth considering. At one time I never would have considered an all in one component. I did think that a DAC/Streamer with Pre section and headphone amp capabilities would be full of compromises. Then I came across reviews of the DCS Lina, Weiss 501/502, Chord Hugo TT2/M scaler and the Chord Dave. The Chord components do not include a streamer. The reviewer of these components remarked that the volume control and the streamer were only bettered by a select few top end dedicated components.
I was skeptical to say the least. Until I decided to test those claims, very cautiously. Long story short.. I ended up with the Chord Hugo TT2/M Scaler. It does have a pre/volume section that was the equal of my CSP3 with full anniversary mods! It does have different sound characteristics which I prefer. I must add that my wife preferred the CSP3-A but not by a wide margin. It was a very close call, and it drives my Beyerdynamic T1.2 600 ohm headphones without breaking into a sweat. Additionally it is balanced and it has a hi/low gain setting. With the UFO25 volume/gain controls I can adjust the gain structure.
So you see, I do have a preamp in play but now I can go fully balanced and that will make a difference. That's why I ordered a pair of UFO25's. As CA James said
Quote:running them balanced is a whole new ball game
When I added up the money for an all in one component and compared that cost to the cost of separates... it wasn't all that much more for the top end all in ones.
If you are happy with your front end and don't see yourself changing your front end any time soon then adding the CSP3 is likely the better option especially if you are happy with the way your UFO25 drives your speakers. BUT (always that "but"), If you have any thoughts of changing your front end in the near future you may want to consider all your options, and, what's the risk in doing that????
More confusion?