There you go Colin; I am in the same boat, I could read and study this stuff all day but w/o actual hands on I might as well be reading Urdu. This little project I am on now is really exposing me too things that have made the theory gel in my mind. I would love to see a DAC project up and running. It seems fairly easy and utilises both Tube and SS examples. Like I said in my post the parts are really the hardest thing. Also it is the occasional question that needs answering at 10 pm that would be most served by a forume or group build type endeavor. Bottlehead does this thing well but then you need Bottlehead stuff. Nothing wrong with that but it really holds your hand so much you are an assembler rather than a learner. There are cheap PC co. out there that will build your design for next to nothing and group parts buy is much easier than a loner. My 2c.