Thanks Wisnon. I'll look into it.
I am, very interestingly, beginning to feel that although everyone tells me my room is "medium" sized, that I would get the best sound out of a much smaller speaker. Because it is a basement room with concrete floors, solid wood door and double sheetrock with visco-elastic glue and fully insulated walls and ceiling, the room pressurized very easily with no give - like being inside a Vault.
Part of my listening comparison is to determine which is better for my room: a larger multi driver speaker (like my Der Muzik or your suggested LumenWhite Silverflame) or a smaller fewer driver design like the Hansen Prince E, Coltrane Tenor or the downright petite Boenicke W8 or essential satellite sub system that is the Perfect8 Cube.
I seam to find that because my room is only 18.5' long I am having a hard time getting the speakers properly out into the room without me being pushed pretty close to the back wall; which is an issue because that's where the boom in the room is at its worst. It appears that rear ported speakers sound more boomy then front or bottom ported speakers, or sealed designs.
My gut is telling me that I will end up with something smaller then my Muzik's to suit the room best. I'm thinking Coltrane Tenor, Kharma Exquisite Galileo, Perfect8 Cube, Boenicke W8, etc. I think the mid size Schweikert VS-55, Vandy 7, LumenWhite Silver, Muzik, etc are going to prove themselves to be too much for my room.
Let's see. |
I've spent on professional help. A LOT!!!!
I have hired 2 professional engineers who have worked on the job. And payed 2 treatment companies additional fees for room calculations to advise on treatments. But none are local and one have come to see the room, measure it or listen.
To all out there reading who are not posting, and I know there are a lot of you (since we are at almost 700,000 views), if you are building a room PLEASE PM me so I can tell you what I have done wrong so you don't have to spend on what I did….
What you need is a professional LOCAL guy who can come over, measure & listen, make suggestions and then come over AGAIN & AGAIn to and measure & listen. Otherwise you have to pay for plane tickets and hotels and such….
I have done everything right in my room. I know I have, and I have been told I have by all of the people I have paid to help me up to this point. And yet I clearly have a node issue that can, I know, be fixed with the right "tricks"….
I know John from Audio Connection is a great resource, but he's not an engineer and his solution is going to be for me to buy a pair of Vandy Sevens so he can adjust the Sevens to avoid the problem. I haven't ruled that idea out, but id rather cure the disease then treat the symptoms. And I can always put an Accuphase parametric equalizer or other electronic room correction device into my system to do the same thing that the Vandy adjustments allow so it can be applied to any speaker system….
I will fix this, oh yes. And when I do my room will be amazing!
It will, dare I say it, be the Shizzle'ist of the Shizzle! |
Goose. I had one of the engineers give me a very detailed node diagram. The problem is that becauseof my rooms measurements the optimal place for me to sit it 7'10" from my rear wall. Which, with an 18' long room, puts me 10'2" from my front wall. If I then put my speakers 3-4' out into the room I am essentially wearing them as headphones.
Second best is 7' from the rear wall. Essentially the same issue.
Here's my plan:
When the flooring is being changed, all my corner traps must be removed. All I will have left in the room will be wall and ceiling diffusers and a few Vicoustics Wavewoods which are combo diffusion/absorption. After the floor change I have several people coming over with speakers for me to audition. I will take advantage of their abilities and let them help me to pick the best speaker and seat location and put the corner traps and other floor standing treatments slowly to get the best result. If I still can't tame my issues with all of that help and fund of knowledge, then I will have no choice but to pay someone to come in and measure and truly fix my issue however it needs to be fixed.
I am thinking that if I start from essentially scratch with the proper flooring and move everything around that I will fix 80-90% of my issues. I hope. |
I have also been advised by a room design guy to consider this:
http://www.bagend.com/products-category/active-bass-trap/
It's a Bagend active Base Trap.
"it looks like a small subwoofer without input termi- nals. Fore and aft are two small micro- phones; either one can supply the input to, effectively, two single-band paramet- ric filters (range 20–65Hz) that add tar- geted resonance peaks to the feedback circuitry that powers the driver. As a result, the input signal at those peaks is amplified and output via the 10” driver but, cleverly, opposite in phase to that of the input. Place the E-Trap in a high- pressure zone, such as the junction of two or three room boundaries, and its output will oppose and cancel the nodal energy in the room" |
The Big Picture:
I was speaking with someone the other day about my Audiophilio Nervosa diagnosis and he kept saying he just doesn't get it, or the hobby. I delved deeper and realized that he really didn't listen to much music at all and it hit me like a train... This man completely lacks the capacity to be emotionally moved or otherwise effected by music in any way. It does nothing to him. My incomprehension quickly turned to pity as I thought of what he was missing out on.
I then began to think of how fortunate I was that I have the capacity to not only enjoy music (like my wife who loves listening but it doesn't truly touch her soul) but be truly moved emotionally by it. To be swept away into a place that only a song can take us is a gift that few have. Not just tapping our toes, but a total immersion in the auditory moment to the level that your other senses actually shut down and say to themselves ," geeze, the ears are getting a special treat, let's just shut down for a bit and enjoy the ride...."
We should all count ourselves truly fortunate to have been given this gift. Because many many people lack it. |
I have a pair of Nola Metro Grand Reference Gold speakers coming on Sunday. Which is good because I crated up my Muzik's and my MM3's, and I returned all the other speakers I had. So I am actually speakerless right now.
The Metro's are rear ported. But the dealer and manufacturer feel that since the woofers are two small, very fast 6.5" woofers, that the rear port will not interact as poorly with my room. I'm not sure I believe that, but they are willing to put them in my room to prove it. They are very aware that I am skeptical, but I certainly won't argue as they are supposed to be great speakers. Also, if I do like the voicing but the woofer ports are an issue, the next larger model up (The Baby Grand Reference Gold, which is still a reasonable size for my room) are sealed enclosures. They are, of course, also twice as expensive. |
Wisnon - pm sent
I know of the MM7. It's their statement product. Four huge towers. I think the MM3 is their "realistic" reference product.
Ypsilon doesn't have any speaker on their web site, nor does the U.S. Importer. No matter the name. It's just not there....
AG speakers are great. I'm hesitant because of my 11' listening distance and my smallish room. I think my Burmesters are fast enough for the AG and up to the challenge.
I set up an audition for the Pearl 3 next Tuesday. I'm hoping to get to hear the Avalon within a few weeks as well. |
Wisnon just asked me off thread what SQ I was looking for. Here was my response:
SQ - as I explained, I want tight accurate base with finesse and refinement but I want impact and scale. I want to feel
It. I want the second and third harmonics from the base that makes the music engaging. I want leading and trailing edges that are accurate but not overstated or blunted.
I want mids that are full and textured. I want complexity and layers and nuance. I want highs that don't shriek and make me wince. Just extended properly reproduced highs with clarity and detail with an inner core of music and depth.
Most importantly, I want my feet to be tapping and I want to be emotionally engaged. I don't want to think about the next song I'm going to hear because I'll be to caught up in the one I'm currently listening to. I want my eyes closed and my body & soul swaying and bobbing to the music, no matter if it's a crappy MP3 or hi-Rez or vinyl.
Is that asking too much? |
Olympic III only goes down to 35hz. The Amati Futura and the Strad are amazing. But neither integrate well into my room with their port location.
The Nola Metro Gold's arrived today. I listened briefly. As expected, the rear ports activate the room and pull the room into the equation. With the bottom or front port the room is silent, it's there but neither adds nor detracts from the music. The two low frequency drivers are listed as 6.5" in the specs but I measure them as 5 3/4" edge to edge. They measure in the specs to 25hz. Audibly they do that, but the visceral sensation of low frequency extension is not truly there; it is coming from their interaction with the room as opposed to directly from the speakers. Its reliance on the room to augment extension is exacerbated in my room with my nodal issue. The reason it's not as bad as some of the other speakers is that the speaker doesn't extend as forcefully as, say, my Der Muzik's. They have refinement and finesse in the low frequencies and aren't lacking. But they don't punch and have impact like I am after.
The rest is, at least on first listen, rather musical and engaging. The ribbon has shown me no sign of harshness or shrill behavior and the mids are proper, layered and just on the warm side of neutral.
I'll keep you updated on their progress. The amps and preamp were cold.
|
Mitch2 - I don't disagree with your thought. But I have also spoken with others who feel that a well done computer server is just as good, and this from people have have compared them directly. I am looking at Lumin, Aurender & Antipodes. I don't have the dedicated funds until I decide on speakers to get. I'm assuming that whatever I have currently will only sound better with a dedicated server. But I'm a try before I buy kinda guy (shocker there)! I'll get all three in and see which works best for me, or that my Mac mini is actually better then we all think.
Richfield and CTSooner will be happy to hear that I have an extended audition this Thursday morning to hear the Vandy 7/2. I will report my findings.
I did get to hear the Vivid Giya2 and the Joseph Audio Pearl 3, and neither was for me. The G2 was very laid back and although the base was extended I found it tubby and disjointed from the rest of the sound. Setup and the room where clearly a factor - they have these strange sort of forward firing side ports and side firing woofers and I think the speakers were set up too close to the side and back walls. But they were simply too laid back for my tastes. The Pearl3's had a very nice engaging midrange and did wonders for vocals and piano. I found their highs to be a bit in my face occasionally and the low frequency extension doesn't go as low as I want. What it did have was tight, impactful and musical. They lacked the sense of scale and complexity I am after. With complex orchestral segments I found the speaker lacking union and cohesion.
But they did have a speaker that wasn't even on my list but works fantastically for my needs. But it was set up with mid powered tube gear and really needed high power solid state gear to shine considering its 84-85dB sensitivity. The Dynaudio Consequence Ultimate. I will be going back next week for a second listen. At 250 pounds a speaker there is no opportunity for an in home demo. I gotta do it the old fashioned way and hear them in a store.....
I'm going to try to get back next week to hear them set up with solid state gear.
I'll keep you posted. |
Lmao Agear. You may be right. But I won't go gently into that good night!
As I proved when I started this thread, I have a pathologic need to hear as much as I can before feeling comfortable with a decision. Although DAC's can get expensive, they are easy to ship. Speakers, not so much......
I'd really like to hear a pair of Avalon Isis, BMC Arcadias, T&F Isis and re-hear the classicly redesigned Dynaudio Consequence Ultimate with solid state gear before making that final decision. And Wisnon will probably send me an envelope of Anthrax if I don't try to hear the Goldmunds (just a joke if the government is reading this, or if you just have a complete lack of any sense of humor).
If I could sell my MM3's and Muzik's I'd have the money to bring in the Arcadia and maybe the T&F Isis. But speakers are much harder to resell then DAC's and way harder to ship. So I can't use my same model that I applied to my DAC search of: Buy/Try/Sell.
I asked the T&F inporter again if I can do an in home audition if I'm willing to pay for freight. No answer yet. BMC said no way since they are almost 200 pounds each plus external crossovers. I understand that. As I said, I have a great deal for the Arcadia's on the table.
I have to admit that I went to a generous owner of Salk SS8's in PA to hear them and they were very impressive. I have an opportunity to get into a fully upgraded pair of SS10's for a very good price. They are not up to the other speakers I am looking at, but if I decide I don't like the Dynaudio's when I go hear them, I might just buy the SS10's and keep looking; and wait until the Muzik and MM3 are sold and then sell the SS10's and go for my final speaker. It would buy me time to sell what I have and time to hear what I want to hear before spending the big dollars. Remember that with my Muziks now packed up for sale and the MM3's safely in crates in my garage I literally have no speakers for my room. I have many fine qualities, but patience is not one of them. I need my room up and running. |
$70k for PL Mk2 are cheap if that includes speakers, amp and DAC; and allows me to sell most of my cables. The Tenors are more and are "just" speakers. My curiosity is piqued. I'll call Bob next week.
I arranged to get down to hear the Dynaudio Consequence Ultimate again this Friday and then will go listen to the Avalon Time and Isis right after.
I also got approval to "borrow" the T&F Isis if I cover freight. I will call the distributor and discuss voicing to confirm the speaker is for me since he felt that the speakers I like thus far have a very different sound then the Isis.
I'll hopefully be a bit closer in my quest by Saturday.
I'm waiting to hear back from PMC if there is someone local to listen to their SE speaker line with.
Wow, what an experience! |
DAC update - i tried the Allnic D5000 today and it needs to be re-tubed. The bias was off and the bass in the right speaker flubbled and broke up badly. I can hear it has potential, but it didn't sound right from the moment I started using it and then the sound broke up badly, and i pulled it. I have contacted the dealer, who is a very good guy, and he will be coming over to re-tube it later this week (hopefully).
I am waiting on tech support for the DX to learn how to access my music collection on my Mac from the DX. I do not want to copy my entire collection onto the DX since thats not where it will live… I can't compare the Mac and the DX until i know how to do this.
The Isis is settling in nicely. It is showing me a massive soundstage that is deep, wide, tall and all around amazing; one of the best I have heard. Instruments within the soundstage are properly placed with the correct presence, size and scale. There is definitely a recognizable sound to the Isis, or lack of a sound as the case may be. I see thats its not really rolled off but it doesn't highlight the highs the same way my CU do. The distributor suggested that my listening position may be low which is accentuating the mids and lows while time delaying the highs enough to make them sound slightly laid back in comparison. I'm going to play with rake angle a bit to see what it can do.
I still think it sounds like the SET of the speaker world, an 845 SET speaker. LOL. It has luscious mids and gentle, non obtrusive but accurate highs with complex, dynamic lows that hit hard and fast. My neighbor may actually buy the demo pair when he comes over later this week, which will save me return freight costs. hehe... |
No more Shout. The shout is out.
Just after I put the Isis in I pulled some of my newer diffusers out because I thought they were over-diffusing (I don't think thats a real term) and I didn't like what they were doing. I just left one diffuser each at the four side wall first reflection points (each is 24" wide by 48" tall) - 2 on each side basically. . I had 2 more on each side wall basically covering the entire side wall from next to the speakers back to the opposite speaker 1st reflection point.I thought it was too much… The room sounded better with the extra ones out. I dialed in the Isis a bit more based on the distributor's suggestion and had to push my mono blocks together a bit more to get the speakers a little closer together. It was starting to sound really good so I figured it would be a good time to bring the Consequence Ultimates back in and compare them briefly before letting the Isis cook for another day or so.
When I put the CU back in, I placed them in the new location of the Isis (4" closer on each side (8' closer together overall) and 1-2" closer to my listening position. I'm not sure if it was the position adjustment or the removal of the extra diffusers (which is what I think did it), but I found that the CU were playing much louder at the same volume setting so I needed to turn the volume on the pre-amp down to achieve a comfortable listening level. The combination of a lower volume magnitude (and subsequently less gain from the pre-amp) and the position change has all but eliminated the CU shout. Its still there a bit, but it's clearly a room interaction and not a speaker byproduct. I had a 45 minute wonderful listening session with the CU and then put the Isis back in to finish cooking.
But with the shout gone, I can actually compare apples to oranges without one of the fruits having bugs in it…. |
No worries CT. I don't offended easily nor was I with your last post. I understood.
Thanks Aziz. Got it.
Mapman - yes $20K will get DCS but not top level DCS. And DCS is one of the few brands that I have heard (although not in my room) and liked, but don't want to go there because of the massive amount of space they need and extra cabling, power cords, etc. with the other top stuff out there I feel comfortable looking past DCS.
Agear, CTSooner, Wisnon, Guido and the rest - I have decided that you guys are all as crazy as I am. Its bad enough I've gone on this insane fools errand. But you guys just came to watch me go on the errand. Which makes you fools as well…. LOL. Grins. HEHE and all that. My pathology appreciates your pathologies! Thanks for the company guys, and for all who have read, contributed to and followed along for well over a year now! |
Thats great to hear Mike! its nice to know we can find landings to relax and enjoy for lengths of time as we slowly climb this crazy mountain. Sounds like the Trinity might be as good as those initial reviews suggested.
I tried a few of the upsampling and filter settings. Upsample 3 doesn't work (I think its a test sample that needs to be removed from what I was told). Upsample 2 and 1 are subtle but 2 seams to highlight the low frequency punch a bit more and widen the soundstage a bit. I haven't decided overall if I like upsmapling on or off yet, but it definitely gives a perception of accuracy over turning it off…
The filters were way more dramatic. On a quick listen (had to run to work) the 32x seams to romanticize things a bit compared to the 16x which seams to be more neutral. the 16x also highlighting trailing edges more giving each instrument more life and character. The Lanczos filter sorta freaked me out a bit… It gave me detailed and highlighted little ancillary sounds that I had never ever heard before. Clicks of a stick on a drum and taps of a stick on a high hat; fingers actually plucking strings. I swear I heard someone sigh at one point in the recording. The 16x did this as well but it was more uniformly integrated into the music. The Lanczos actually highlighted those ancillary sounds to almost a distracting level. On initial attempt, I prefer the 16x. I didn't try the minimum phase setting yet. next time... |
Hi Guido. Wasn't the Daemon. Was the Continuum. I asked "off Thread. " |
And that, Agear, is why we shut him down......
Because a one horse pony show gets boring very quickly. Especially when only Palomino's are allowed to compete. |
What are opinions on the new DCS line? Rossini? Looks like a DAC, transport, renderer and up converter in one box. Only leaves the external clock as a separate component.... A simplified Vivaldi. |
Ah crap! I hate DEADlines!!!!! |
Warm - what my room feels like after about 2 hours of listening.
Rich - what I have made the dealers I bought all my gear from.... |
George's techno babble was great, I enjoyed that actually. But his incessant ranting about there only being ONE and ONLY ONE way to convert digital to analog quickly became counter productive and was killing the thread.
As far as that definition goes, I resemble that remark!!!
Sorry all for the delayed review. I have been getting practically killed at work and it's been relentless. I may get a chance to listen again Monday. But I feel that everything is so new and not yet burned in that I'm just giving lots of first impressions. I'll do my best. But take my impressions with a grain of salt. Early impressions don't necessarily imply accurate impressions. |
Guido - in your wonderfully eloquent way, please provide us with your definition of "analog" sound. So many equate warm and analog and in my opinion they are very different. |
Cerrott- well said. At the end of the day the music is analyzed similarly in all of our brains but perceived and appreciated very differently. As it passes our conscious processing and enters our subconscious happy place it pushes different buttons for each of us. At the end of the day that's what it's all about. Sometimes I wonder how we would each enjoy our systems if we never spoke wih each other and never read any reviews. Is our capacity to enjoy different and are our happy buttons different then they would have otherwise been? I would hazard a yes. Of course experience, age and maturity always play a role as well.
This journey has taught me SO much. |
I agree. But Mike L. was very specific to use the term analogue as a descriptor. I guess we all have our own interpretation of what that implies. But you are 100% correct Guido. Same as tube vs. solid state. As they get better they become more and more like each other. |
Oh. Forgot to mention I also have an Electrocompaniet EMC1mk3 sacd player inbound. Always respected those 1up CD players. Didn't want to spend a fortune on a good sacd player. Mission accomplished. |
Berkeley Reference DAC fed spdif direct from Aurender N10 (about 160 hours on the Berk Ref and about 330 hours on the N10):
Physically, the Berkeley is absolutely stunning. A solid piece of beautifully honed metal with tolerances that NASA would be proud of. Ultimately simple in setup and simpler still in control. A few buttons that offer as few options as possible and make it practically impossible for this DAC to do anything but make music from incoming zeros and ones… Pick the input, set the output volume (54.0 is you are using it Unity Gain) and listen. The remote is very nice and well laid out; and completely useless if you aren't using it for volume control. If you are, then its great and very comfortable in the hand; I really liked.
I have not yet run it direct to amps. I have done so time and again and always found I liked it running through the pre-amp better. But I will continue to try to be fair.
Digital inputs on back give the typical Berkeley offerings with the typical Berkeley lack of USB, relying on their external USB to SPDIF converter, which my neighbor happened to order (what a swell guy!). It locked instantly onto any signal and stayed locked with different resolution files. The MSB DAC V, interestingly, lost link every time files changed resolution; requiring me to shut down the software on my Mac and reopen it.
I literally just today read Robert Harley's review of the Aurender W20 in Absolute Sound, i mean Rave review. Of course Baetis also had a Rave/pruchase of their Reference Media Server by Andrew Quint in the same issue. You would think they would have lent their servers to each other to compare. Because, well, that would have been freakin useful to any of us interested in buying them since they are practically the same price and both supposedly top tier servers…. At least Harley did comment on the lower price N100 which is equivalent, essentially, to the N10 and does define differences after listening. I will admit that was very useful. But the Aurender, Baetis and YFS are my three top runners to replace my Mac Mini if such a time should come. and a direct comparison would have helped… oh well.
Sorry for the rant. My primary reason for mentioning it was that Robert said something surprising and I didn't quite understand it. Because Robert used the very same DAC, the Berk Ref, for his review and he said that the USB out to Berk converter to spdif in on the Ref DAC was the W20's best output. And later he said that he would assume it would be ever better if he could have run it direct without the Berk converter. Huh? The W20 has: USB, Coax/
& BNC SPDIF outputs, dual wire AES/EBU (R&L) and Optical. I dont understand why he didn't run SPDIF BNC straight into the Berk Ref… Thats what I did with the N10. Robert, if your reading this can you please clarify? Its actually an important point.
I did not yet compare the USB output of the N10 running through the Berk converter into SPDIF in the Berk to SPDIF direct, but I promise I will. Its something I have been longing to do since i started this thread way back when.
I did compare the N10 SPDIF/BNC out into Berk Ref DAC to N10 USB out into my Mac Mini a few days ago. But break in has made such dramatic improvements that I don't consider that comparison worth reporting. I will just say they sounded REMARKABLY SIMILAR at the time.
I have read several times and heard more times that there is synergy between the Berk Ref DAC and the Aurender products, and I 100% agree! especially after they burn in. The Aurender N10 has begun to show its true abilities, and I am starting to get impressed. Jury is still out until the server has over 500 hours on it, but its getting better and better. The Berk Ref DAC is still young and needs more time to mature, but its showing me signs of majesty.
As I briefly said, the Berk Ref initially sounded remarkably similar to my ODSE, out of the gate. similar voicing, similar nature, soundstage, imaging, texture, layers… Wow, its like they were made by the same person with the same goals (Sorry Steve, I don't know if thats a complement or an insult). But there was, even at first, more nuance and complexity but not a lot more. With just a touch over 100 hours I can start to see Mozart growing up from his first symphonies as a child protégé to a seasoned composer. The only way I can describe it goes along with that same analogy, CONFIDENCE. the Berk Ref is more confident, more composed, more in charge. As it gets better its turning into an ODSE on steroids. I would bet Steve's soon to debut ODSX will give the Berk Ref a run for its money. But for now, the Berk Ref is taking the lead and, I think, will continue to mature and improve with more time. I get to hold onto it for another 2 weeks. So I'll keep reporting until it has about 470 hours on it +/-.
Is the Berk Ref better then the Emm? Not better, different. My neighbor also ordered a DA2 with me, so he will have both in house to compare. Once the Berk Ref is fully burned in with over 1000 hours on it and my incoming DA2 also has over 1000 hours I will compare them again. stay tuned. The MSB was not to my taste as the filters warmed things up too much. Vince from MSB has a new filter he wants me to hear and he is working on putting that together for me. Can't wait to hear it!!!
The Aurender is getting better as well, but I haven't compared it again to the Mac Mini and won't until it has over 500 hours on it.
Sorry for the short opinions, but I don't want to make any definitive statements until everything is properly cooked.
I will add that the High Fidelity Reference Helix AC power cord is gracing my presence but I have yet to put it into the system since Im desperately trying to keep my variables limited during the reports stage. I will admit that I upgraded my speaker cable to the top line Analysis Plus Big Oval Silver with silver spades and my stage, imaging and pretty much everything else made a huge improvement over the Audience AU24SE shotgun run. And they are brand new. I got them for under a grand and I figured it was worth the money until I go stupid cable, or get someone to send me stupid cable. I had the Jorgen and a few other $10K plus speaker wire and it all makes a difference. My neighbor has the top tier Wireworld Platinum 7 speaker cable coming so I will be able to try that as well…
Its fun to have access to this stuff, but its hard to stay honest and keep the variables limited so my opinions and reports are reliable and consistent.
Oh. I also secured a deal on a Zanden 1200mk3 phono stage which should be arriving in a few weeks. I figured that if I was going to introduce tubes into my system, the phono stage should be where they go. I will also start working on plans to upgrade my table/arm/cartridge to match the quality of the incoming phono stage. Ill post a few thoughts on table considerations in an upcoming post. this one has a TON of info all ready.
questions? |
This thread started off with many many under $10k dacs. I initially was looking in the $4k-$12k range. I spent a lot of time wih a lot of dacs. It's quite a few pages, but a good read. |
Yes. PS Audio direct stream came and went a long time ago. I have not tried it since then and it has gone through many many upgrades in software.
My ODSE is about the same price and in a different class altogether. For the money (well under $10k) the ODSE is an absolute juggernaut! Nothing can touch it's capabilities for anything close. |
To all those who are posting on the new upgraded forum version, those posts don't propagate to the older forum style. Try to keep posts on the older style until they discontinue it now 30th. |
Can't go. So bummed!! I made it to all the other big shows and the one in my "backyard" I can't make. Sigh.
Richfield - give us a review. |
I heard it at RMAF. Awesome! Huge power, unlimited dynamics, but subtly and refinement. Worth a listen if you can get your ears on it.
It is a piece for a seasoned audiophile tired of the gear and cables and placement and everything. Plug it into speakers and the wall and provide a source and your making music. |
CT - you always like Ayre better! Lol. And Guido always prefers Rowland.
Each has a very specific voice of their own. Although I found the Daemon to be the least Rowland sounding Rowland I have heard thus far in rag area to its brand name voicing. I'd like to do that comparison as well CT! Or against the newer top tier Twenty XR series. |
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I ran the same comparison again. I prefer the ODSE to the Berkeley with my Burmester preamp. With the Rowland pre-amp I think I like the Berk better, but it's close. There was a bigger difference in how much better the Emm was over the ODSE then the Berkely Ref. I just felt the ODSE gave a more realistic representation of what was recorded. Though I preferred piano on the Berk Ref a tad more tonally, the actual sound of the piano was more real on the ODSE.
The Aurender is clearly superior to my Mac Mini. That's great to see. It was sort of bothering me that I couldn't find something better. But the N10 really needed tons of hours on it to get there. And I'll bet there's more to get as it hits 1000 hours. I'm near 520 now I think. The Double Bass on the N10 gives texture and tone as if the sound is emanating from the instrument, with resonance and palpability. Drums hit with a sense of natural impact and resonate properly. And vocals and piano are just right. I just need to get me ears on the YFS server to compare the two and I will be buying myself a new music server.
Finally, the HF Ultra Ref Helix uber power cord.... That heavy magnet in the middle is a PiTa. I would imagine a wire tie to the rack column would be the best solution. Plugged in and brand new, it gives more volume at the same setting and immediately helped define images in space a tad better. The base flattened out a bit, which I have found with many new out of box power cords. Midrange mellowed a touch as well. Practically useless first impressions. Needs time. I want to call HF and ask if the top tier needs to be implemented for the lower current front end gear, or if that giant magnet is best suited for the high current amp draw. Not sure if I'll get an honest answer..... |
Not in a rush. I'm playing with my neighbors HF PC's and just came up with the question Monday morning. I'll let them burn in for a few days. I'll call and ask, but I have been told "off thread" that even for front end and preamp that the helix makes a difference. It's just a massive cost to swallow for power cords...... Considering I already have good PC's, I think that will be amongst my last upgrades. I'm playing with speaker wire and interconnect right now.
I did just order a Plasmatron from VH Audio. I've heard so many good things about it and the call of the siren Plasmatron was too great to fight. Also installing the Encironmental Potentials EP-2050 Surge and AC Waveform Correction module and four EP-2750 ground filters into my circuit breaker box when I find time this week or next. I'll report those findings. By the way, Chris VenHaus of VH is a great audio guy and provides terrific product and service. I got the Plasmatron, the EP stuff and four new cooked Furutech GTX-D rhodium outlets. I got some replacement fuses from him previously. Always great communication and solid product. |
144 hours pre-cooked with purchase. So another 356 hours to go.
I owe you a phone call Audiolabyrinth. I'll try tomorrow. |
Awesom. It's coming tomorrow so no way to upgrade. I got the Plasmatron 3, it's plenty. I'm looking forward to it. I promise I'll report as always. |
Cerrot- what speakers were the Daemon with? |
My apologies to all. I have not had a chance to review anything or even get to my listening room. The flood gates have opened and rained upon me 15-17 hour work days and not a moment to breath much less relax and enjoy my oasis. Hopefully the clouds will clear soon and provide me a day of rest. |
Anyone head the new Aesthetix Eclipse? |
Well.... How does it sound?
;P |
I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!!
Enjoy your family, friends, food and full stomachs.
-Matt |
I always liked Meridian. My only issue is their, sort of, all Meridian or no Meridian system integration. Worth looking into though....
Thanks. |
Sorry for the slow period. I'm hoping to get some listening time in this Wednesday. Word is I will be getting an updated MSB DAC with faster clock to compare to the last one I had in. I'm also getting a YFS fully loaded music server to go head to head with the Aurender N10 which has been getting better and better with burn in. I'm also trying to buy a pair of Shunyata Sigma HC power cords but the guys on the 'gon don't seam to respond to my offers or just decline them without counter-offering. My offers are not low balls, so I'm left sorta scratching my head....
I also may be able to borrow the new Aesthetix Eclipse Romulus to try. It put on quite a show in the brief time I heard it at Johnies. Worth pursuing.
I also heard that Steve is about ready to ship his new uber dac, the ODSX. I'd love to get my hands on one! Lots of other suggestions have come up as well. Some I am trying to pursue, others not so much.....
I can say, without hesitation, that my Dynaudio Consequence Ultimate speakers get better and better and make me shake my head every time I listen. They are just mind blowingly good speakers....
Stay tuned.... |
BigKidZ reached out to me. I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to get back to him. I think he's in NJ. If he wants to bring his DAC over for a day to play id be happy to report.
Thanks Wisnon. That Sound Galleries Server looks like it could be terrific. Do you know of a direct web site or email to get onto a mailing list for info?
Have fun CT. If I can get there to say hello and join you I will. |
Hi all.
Word is that the new Emm DA2 DAC should be arriving late January. Yay!
The YFS server is probably going to arrive just after New Year so I’ll compare it to the N10 Aurender then and post comments.
I am trying to pursue access to a DCS Rossini to compare to the Emm DA2 once it’s broken in.
And BigKidz was nice enough to respond and offered bringing his DAC to my place to let it shine. I’m very curious to see how it will compare to my prized ODSE!
I am watching the build of the European Sound Galleries Music Server with great interest as well.
John from Audio Connection was kind enough to offer the Eclipse Romulus to audition. I'm all over that as what I heard briefly impressed me.
For those potentially interested, my Vienna Acoustics Die Muzik speakers are still available and for sale.
I purchased a new Electrocompaniet EMC1mk3 spiner for SACD playback, just to have something decent for the few SACD’s I own. And a second Adona rack which should be coming any day. I also got a Plasmatron, and will hook that up when the rack arrives and will report on that as well.
Lots doing. |
Hi Steve. Good to hear from you. I'm sure your 805's are something special!
Any news to report on the ODSX? I'm still amazed at the performance of the ODSE!
Wisnon, you are welcome anytime. Let me know if you can stop by. I'd love to have you.
CT Sooner - I have not heard of an Ayre twenty DAC in the pipeline. Do you have privy to secret news? |
Hi Labrynth. I haven't installed the outlets yet. Just no time. The plasmatron is in the system but I have not had time to listen yet. Burn in is supposed to be about 100 hours. I'm not close.
The Eclipse hasn't made it to my place yet. Again, my schedule between work and the holidays has been insane. I don't know if the Eclipse Romulus I would be trying has the VC. CTSooner might know. I'll let you know when I know. |
Happy holidays to all of you! Have a happy and healthy new year!
May your ears be filled with music and song! |
