"I'm not convinced that I wouldn't just be winging it with these new systems. Not to mention the problems introduced with additional jitter as the signal gets switched back and forth from digital to analog to digital to analog."
I wish I could say that the automatic equalization (Tact) was the end of it, but it is rather the beginning of several rounds of trial and error, probably over several months. However, what's new! It's a hobby after all, and we are in it because we can hear and appreciate changes that others ignore. The good news is that one can hear the improvements (and errors) immediately and at no additional cost.
As to the jitter. No additional jitter is added in the digital realm. I do have the balanced digital signal running to an internal DA in the Tact, but I had a Wadia DA originally and both work well.
Finally, the analog source AD/DA conversions. I use a SOTA table with a Souther arm, an AT magnetic cart and a CJ EF1 preamp. I run the TT to the CJ and the to the Tact. I had a Quicksilver tube full function preamp with Mullards etc. and compared the pure analog with the AD/DA. To my ear the gains of the Tact system far outweighed the "loss" of the AD/DA conversion.
My experience and evaluation is much like Richard's.
I wish I could say that the automatic equalization (Tact) was the end of it, but it is rather the beginning of several rounds of trial and error, probably over several months. However, what's new! It's a hobby after all, and we are in it because we can hear and appreciate changes that others ignore. The good news is that one can hear the improvements (and errors) immediately and at no additional cost.
As to the jitter. No additional jitter is added in the digital realm. I do have the balanced digital signal running to an internal DA in the Tact, but I had a Wadia DA originally and both work well.
Finally, the analog source AD/DA conversions. I use a SOTA table with a Souther arm, an AT magnetic cart and a CJ EF1 preamp. I run the TT to the CJ and the to the Tact. I had a Quicksilver tube full function preamp with Mullards etc. and compared the pure analog with the AD/DA. To my ear the gains of the Tact system far outweighed the "loss" of the AD/DA conversion.
My experience and evaluation is much like Richard's.