calvinandhobbes
Responses from calvinandhobbes
| DAC That Punches Above Its Price Point I highly suggest listening to any DAC that you are considering. If you can't listen to a DAC locally, perhaps consider buying one used so you can resell it if it doesn't perform up to your expectations.Contrary to what some others are saying that ... | |
| Looking for high end individual streamer & individual dac to work in tandem. My notes on the Pontus compared to the Qutest: Impressions of the Pontus: Resolution and Warmth: I always thought that resolution and warmth were traits on two opposite ends of a spectrum. It has already been eye-opening that Pontus actually see... | |
| Looking for high end individual streamer & individual dac to work in tandem. These were my listening notes on the Qutest. The Qutest was pretty good, BUT the Pontus is much better in terms of naturalness of tone, detail/resolution, and conveying a sense of ease or urgency when appropriate. Background on the Qutest as a r... | |
| DAC That Punches Above Its Price Point @hysteve I did not use a reclocker, but I am open to the benefits that a reclocker can add. I tend to trust my ears on questions of that nature. Devices that provide more galvanic isolation to reduce RFI/EMI noise are another direction that I'm in... | |
| Looking for high end individual streamer & individual dac to work in tandem. For a more analog like sound, I’ve been quite happy with a Pro-ject Stream Box S2 streamer & a Denafrips Pontus II DAC. The Pro-ject is about $850 and the Pontus II is about $1750. The Pontus II seems to punch quite a bit above its modest pric... | |
| Putting an end to the audio cable debate! Part 1 Good discussion from an audio engineer (electrical engineer) on some reasons why cables can sound different. The discussion starts around 55 minutes in. There are actual reasons why cables do sound different. Many "objectivists" just don't know en... | |
| DAC That Punches Above Its Price Point As a diehard vinyl listener, I’ve actively avoided digital audio for the past 32 years until COVID struck this past year. With working at home for a year and a half now, the advantages of being able to change music without getting up became much m... | |
| The Importance of the Digital Cable Reduction of EMI & RFI.Some reading on the topic: Bob Stuart, Meridian Audio "Of course digital bits-are-bits and with due care, each of the three interfaces (USB, Toslink, coaxial) can deliver the same data at approximately the same time. Bu... | |
| Streamer vs. new mac mini for 2 channel system @tvad One solution that I found to optimize sound quality was to turn off the WiFi in my streamer and to use an Ethernet cable connected to a WiFi extender that provides an Ethernet access point. That provides the benefit of not having miles of Et... | |
| Streamer vs. new mac mini for 2 channel system The key benefit of a streamer on SQ is reduced EMI and RFI. In my experience it takes a good amount of workarounds such as USB noise reducers to clean up the quality of output from a computer. Apparently Macs do have less EMI and RFI than do most ... | |
| Rega P10 Owners: have you compared to other tables? @jcoehler Thank you for the comparison. The P8 is probably a better fit for what I want to spend when I look to get a new turntable. Knowing that the overall sound signature of both tables is similar and differences are in resolution is good to know. | |
| Rega P10 Owners: have you compared to other tables? @jcoehler How do the P8 and the P10 compare to one another? Thanks! | |
| The Amazing World of Streaming Audio - Video Music The Berlin Philharmonic’s streaming broadcasts via their Digital Concert Hall sound quite good.I can't lie though; I do miss live music. One of the best things I heard this past summer was a 12 year old girl singing the Star Bangled Banner at my s... | |
| What do "audiophiles" use to judge equipment? Like with any other product, there are likely to be different segments of even "audiophile" buyers. My observations of audiophiles is that there are at least several likely "audiophile" segments that have different drivers and processes for purcha... | |
| CD Quality Versus Streaming Quality A couple of issues to consider in your listening test with your son’s system.1. From my experience, Tidal is the worst sounding of all of the major streaming services. My impressions of the sound quality of streaming services is:1. Qobuz2. Primeph... |