lanx0003

Responses from lanx0003

PrimaLuna EVO 100 tube DAC
The LTA (Linear Tube Audio) Aero DAC uses tubes in its output stage and it has pretty low output impedance of 70 ohms for se and 140 ohms for xlr for a tube implemented gear.    
Speaker cables with good timbre
I highly recommend Belden 5T00UP 10AWG speaker cable. Transparent, nice details in high and low notes. I diy it with Nakamichi banana plugs. BJC uses them too but you save about 50% with diy. Just a quick comparison on the critical parameters here... 
Gustard R26 vs hi end streamer
My chain of signal is as follows: MXN10 (optical)-> R26 (xlr, gatham star-quad cable) -> Cambridge Azur 851A (Belden 5T00UP 10awg speaker cable) -> Linton. Linton has an elevated treble and is less forgiving of relatively poorer recordin... 
Gustard R26 vs hi end streamer
@sls883  I used "med" but tried "slow" to mitigate the brightness. It does have some effect, but not significant enough, and it adversely impacts the details. "Fast" is a bit too much for my system. NOS is not a preferred option for R26 I found.  
Gustard R26 vs hi end streamer
@sls883  I planned to send it back because of the clicking noise.  It turns out the volume level was not an issue. It was caused by the DSD toggle on/off and I just need to remember to adjust the volume up to 'fixed / maxed' level.  Before sending... 
Gustard R26 vs hi end streamer
@sls883  I need to apologize for claiming the R26 streamer's performance was awful. I believe there’s a glitch in the unit I currently own. For some unknown reason that I haven’t yet identified, the LAN output weakens to a very low level. When I i... 
Gustard R26 vs hi end streamer
@sls883  Tempted and Amazon carries it too at the same price now.  You had it for a while, right?  With your great system, if not too much trouble could you stream the same track and tell me how you like the violin timbre?  Thx. Maria Duenas's II... 
Gustard R26 vs hi end streamer
@deep_333  I am not sure if you actually own Linton or had given it a fair trial.  The trerrific soundstage, flat response (see below) and nimble bass are the three main reasons I kept them for a good two years and might be many more years to com... 
Gustard R26 vs hi end streamer
I tried Ifi ZS which has isolated asynchronous usb with R26 already and it does not resolve the issue.  MXN10 sounds better (than Ifi) so I stay with it.   Maybe Audirvana sounds better than MConnect, but I doubt it can make that big of a differe... 
Gustard R26 vs hi end streamer
Both Cambridge int amp and streamer are endorsed by Stereophile so there is no need for concern.  I stand by my previous statement, i.e., at this point, R26 sounds good but performs at most as well as MXN10 internal DAC.  Both are neutral but I ex... 
Gustard R26 vs hi end streamer
As I mentioned earlier, the bass improves, which is the first noticeable change within the first week. The piano notes gradually settle as well, but the timbre and overtones of the violin sound unnatural and somewhat raspy. Sibilance isn’t well-co... 
Gustard R26 vs hi end streamer
I think, altogether, I have put more than 100 hours on the R26. Today, I did a side-by-side listening test using the MXN10 as both a streamer and a DAC. With my Cambridge Azur 851A integrated amplifier, I could switch back and forth between the R2... 
Qualio IQ owners, still happy?
Yes but for approximately half hour. I doubt anyone could hear everything within that short period of time. Can you?   I realize that this might be too much to ask. Please don't bother with it. I believe soon someone besides 6 Moons will measure ... 
Qualio IQ owners, still happy?
OP, it is very weird.  For 10 dB drop, one really could not miss it if real, isn't it? Could you measure and post yours just to clear things up? I’d appreciate it.  
My wife weighed in…she wants piano white tower/bookshelf
+1 Estelon Aura.  It's a no-brainer, but keep in mind that this is a pair of very demanding speakers for your amplifier. They drop to a 2-ohm load in the bass and a 4-ohm load in the mid-bass region. Don't be misled by the single-tone sensitivity ...