calvinandhobbes

Responses from calvinandhobbes

How much difference in Sound quality can be expected from different streamers?
+1 to what @worldwidewholesales said. I have only started to scratch the surface with streamers and have found that various forms of electromagnetic noise affect sound quality of digital. Benefits that I heard from a cleaner sound are:- More prese... 
Chord DACs .. who has moved across to them from R-2R based DACs ?
I’ve had a Chord Qutest right now running on a battery in my system for the last two months. The battery reduces the noise floor of the Qutest and makes it sound smoother, but no less dynamic.I just got a Denafrips Pontus II today which is current... 
A Better Bluesound AC Cable?
@williewonka 100%, also making instruments and voices sound more 3-dimensional versus sounding flat. People like to harp on the cost of cables, but that can have better ROI than purely spending on more expensive equipment. 
Best DAC / Budget
I think it's difficult to get digital to sound as full as analog. I don't know what your budget would be, but the Qutest running off a battery is pretty satisfying. I've also got a Denafrips Pontus II coming which is supposed to be pretty smooth i... 
A Better Bluesound AC Cable?
@williewonka Also - what type of improvements were you listening for...- better defined bass- faster Dynamics- improved clarity- larger, more well defined image and performer focus -------------------------------------------100%, that’s exactly w... 
A Better Bluesound AC Cable?
FWIW, a Synergistic Research UEF blue consistently sounds smoother to me than other power cords I’ve tried (including a $15 Tripp-Lite Heavy Gauge Power Cord) when used on both a Denafrips Ares II DAC & a Pathos integrated amplifiers. My guess... 
What is the average life expectancy of a DAC?
The answer is that DACs will last as long as you are satisfied with what you have (and it is still working). That could be 1 month or 30 years. YMMV. 
What is the average life expectancy of a DAC?
larshepping Ok, no reason to buy an external DAC at all if they all sound the same. Just use the DAC built into your computer or phone. End of discussion. 
The beginning of my stereo set up
I don't think it's backwards to start with an amplifier. It's the synergy of amplifier and speakers that matter & different amplifiers (as well as source components) can dramatically change how a particular pair of speakers sound. 
How loud are you typically listening?
Quieter for me would be 64-69 dB. Louder would be 69-75 dB.One factor that I've just experienced in the last several years is that a acoustically "quieter" room allows for lower actual listening volumes for the same perceived sound level. 
Jazz listening: Is it about the music? Or is it about the sound?
I have found Jazz to be one of the tougher music genres to reproduce via an audio system. The tone quality of instruments is important with the right balance of smoothness and attack (but without artificial sibilance to the leading edge of notes).... 
Good Inexpensive USB Cables?
FWIW, a Phasure Lush (original) sounds both smoother and more detailed than a Shunyata Venom USB cable. 
Anyone still do insightful or intelligent lyrics?
This was particularly meaningful to me from Sarah Jarosz' album World on the Ground from this past year. What makes a life complete?Roads traveled and the people you meet?Or is just the silence of the times in between?Written by a 28 year old, but... 
Most rooms don’t need acoustical treatment.
I've got my system set up in our master bedroom with a big queen bed on one side of the room and nightstands on both sides. No, the room is not cluttered at all, but it also doesn't look like a typical listening room with monoblock speakers on the... 
Ethernet cables
+1. I really like starting with equipment that is inexpensive, because I don’t subscribe to the view that more expensive must be better & my hearing seems to bear that out. However, sometimes expensive equipment truly is better, but even then ...