Kentchai,
Ahh eager I see - Good! And certainly had not forgotten.
So as to the configurations:
Consistent for both:
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Transport: Foobar 0.9.6 with Secret Rabbit Upsampler at 24/96 running on a Digital Audio Workstation - Quadcore 6600 2.4GHz Kentsfield - from endpcnoise.com.
As for OS, am using XP with the device manager options selected to disable kmixer - i.e: ~"Do not map through this device"/"Do not use audio through this device"- applied to both Empirical 1.1 and the Lynx drivers.
Foobar affinity set to CPU2 and CPU3. Eliminated many non-essential processes but system is not stripped, can still be used normally. Suffice typical load is <20% on the cores engaged. Assignment of the cores minimizes temps and hence fan.
Headphones: 1m Audioquest RCA Analogue cable from dCS Delius to Graham Slee Solo -> AKG K701. Delius set to max volume; hence, volume control running off the Solo.
The Choices
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Empirical Audio Setup
Empirical 1.1 Driver -> USB out by 5m Belkin cable to Turbo Off Ramp 3 -> Empirical Bitmeister Digital 0.5 m -> Delius AES2
Lynx AES16
ASIO Lynx - > Supplied HD26 to AES breakout cable -> Big Ben Reclocker -> 1m Audioquest Hawkeye Digital -> Delius RCA1
Word of caution: Steve Nugent recommends four weeks of break in for the Off Ramp 3 so it is still comparatively early days. Suffice I've probably ~100+hrs on it at this juncture - essentially it has been on burn in since receipt.
Impressions
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Using Valerie Joyce's - New York Blue - 1st Track "It Never Entered My Mind"
(24/96 recording ex HD Tracks)
Advantage Empirical: better placement, tonal definition, greater sense of harmonics, very crisp attack and then appropriate decay of piano, with ambience being a standout - alive, visceral, pulling you in. Valerie's voice is especially seductive, well centered and to the front of stage - with an air around her vocals that is quite literally - and no pun intended
- breath taking.
All in all I find the Empirical to be creating stronger engagement IN the music. Not sure if this will make sense but with the Lynx have perception of observing the music, with the Empirical I am immersed. Hence, find myself selecting the Empirical, and since I've both, fairly sure am not exhibiting a bias...
