audioengr
Responses from audioengr
| Are there any DACs that can go low? If you are after great bass and analog SQ (no harshness) from CD rips, this is the DAC:http://app.audiogon.com/listings/da-converters-empirical-audio-spoiler-tube-dac-with-usb-2013-09-21-digital-97759No-risk either. 30-day money-back. | |
| Affordable DAC for iPhone 5? The perfect solution is the Pure i20. $89 on Amazon. Great DAC and great digital outputs too. Nothing beats it for even $600.If you power it from a Hynes power supply, it would probably beat everything up to $1500 and beyond.Steve N.Empirical Audio | |
| Computer audio, I am not convinced yet ...... Levy - this may be your experience with a limited number of USB interfaces, but they vary across the map. I have customers with your PWDII/Bridge/PWT combo and they are still using my USB interface, the Off-Ramp 5 because it is better.Steve N.Empi... | |
| Cause of different sound between dacs Two DACs can sound identical just because you are using a poor quality preamp or any active preamp at all in the system. These can totally homogenize all sources.I don't use any preamp, active or passive. Makes a world of difference.If you must us... | |
| Cause of different sound between dacs A lot of things can make DACs sound different. I order of effect, most first:1) master clock jitter or interface jitter2) power subsystem differences3) D/A chip used4) I/V (current to voltage) circuit5) output drive circuit - op amps or discrete, ... | |
| Stillpoints ERS cloth for EMI/RFI I have tried ERS extensively over a 10-year modding career. I found that it was most effective right over the drive. I would avoid other digital or analog areas of the player.Steve N.Empirical Audio | |
| Best DAC for Meridian Sooloos Reclock the Sooloos to reduce jitter first and then use any decent DAC, such as Metrum Octave, Metrum HEX, Wyred 4 Sound DAC2, Concero etc..Steve N.Empirical Audio | |
| Specific question for BADA USB converter users. Cerrot - you have never heard an Off-Ramp 5. You must be doing something wrong if all of the USB interfaces you have heard are poor.Al - at 192 sample-rate, the frequency is only 50MHz.Steve N. | |
| Computer audio, I am not convinced yet ...... Vegas - The analog section of the DAC is very important to achieving balance, dynamics and an analog quality. Detail, imaging and slam are mostly a result of lowering jitter in the digital sections.Important analog aspects are:1) output drive curr... | |
| Specific question for BADA USB converter users. Cerrot - you have never heard a good USB interface.I've had all of the best PCI cards here, including RME and Lynx. Not even close to good USB.Al - risetimes may be a bit faster with some USB interfaces, but the length minimum still applies.Steve ... | |
| Do I need to re-rip? If you ripped ALAC with iTunes, I would try ripping one track with XLD and see if sounds better on your system.Steve N.Empirical Audio | |
| If you were setting up a music server today ... For wireless, you are stuck with Sonos, Squeezebox etc., so the only improvements you can make are by reclocking or having a competent modder improve these devices. The advantage of reclocking is you get a separate dedicated high-quality power sup... | |
| Do I need to re-rip? AIFF has the L and R data fields reversed. It also has different offset and control info fields. This makes it sound worse than .wav somehow. Like listening through a tunnel. I think even ALAC might be better....Steve N.Empirical Audio | |
| Moving from PC to Mac Some recommendations:http://www.empiricalaudio.com/computer-audio/recommended-systemsSteve N.Empirical Audio | |
| Specific question for BADA USB converter users. "1) Does the impedance issue pertain equally to USB transmission as SPDIF transmission?"You bet."2) With use of purepower with the audiophillieo. How much of the benefit is due to the elimination of the problem of 5V transmission along side the au... |