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1: Computer Audio Asylum, RE: NAD D7050 Streaming FD Amp - First Impression (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2014-01-03, 17:15:25 (24.5.228.104)
Me too. A SBT with soundchek's tt 3.0 is feeding it. I was wondering whether I should get a audiophileo or something like that. Looks like soundchek wont release 6.0 yet :-) .......
2: Tweakers' Asylum, RE: Cleaning...copper wire (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2013-01-31, 17:38:51 (208.54.5.255)
In India, people use tamarind to clean copper utensils. Tamarind looks like dates after shelled and is sour, sort of acidic. used in Indian cooking a lot. .......
3: Tweakers' Asylum, RE: Cleaning electrical contacts - thanks (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2013-01-30, 21:02:30 (24.5.228.104)
Thanks folks for confirming the amount of impact, clean connections have on the sound.It looks like my main wall socket gets gunked up easily. I probably have used some silver paste or something earli .......
4: Tweakers' Asylum, Cleaning electrical contacts (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2013-01-30, 12:52:29 (208.54.5.157)
Over this weekend, I reconnected my wall outlet after cleaning the ends of the copper wire (with Dremel). I also cleaned all my sockets using a brush (which my 3 yr old thought it was mommy's (looked .......
5: Planar Speaker Asylum, RE: NewForm Research vs Magnepan (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2012-08-20, 18:28:49 (216.221.226.11)
Thanks Josh, I was using a Alon Thunderbolt sub with the MC1s. I just went for a free-standing speaker because I thought the MC1s being on the wall did not a soundstage with depth. Maybe I should have .......
6: Planar Speaker Asylum, NewForm Research vs Magnepan (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2012-08-20, 13:16:16 (216.221.226.11)
(sorry about the cross-post. I posted this on the general speaker asylum and got only one response) A few months I installed a pair of MC1s in the living room with a sub (my earlier speakers were Sil .......
7: Speaker Asylum, RE: NewForm Research vs Magnepan (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2012-08-20, 13:13:51 (216.221.226.11)
Right .. clarity is good with the Maggies to understate it. Instruments sound real. Period. I ran them with a Alon Thunderbolt subwoofer. My last experiment would be to replace the speaker cables and .......
8: Speaker Asylum, NewForm Research vs Magnepan (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2012-08-19, 16:28:45 (24.5.228.104)
A few months I installed a pair of MC1s in the living room with a sub (my earlier speakers were Silverline Sonatinas). The Maggies seemed more treble high/hot a bit. But I got used to the sound over a .......
9: Planar Speaker Asylum, RE: Palo Alto (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2012-08-15, 11:28:45 (216.221.226.11)
Stereo Unlimited is in business. I bought a pair of MC1s a few months back. My first taste of Maggies. .......
10: Planar Speaker Asylum, RE: Magnepan Offers a Mini Maggie Amp (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2012-08-09, 11:15:36 (216.221.226.11)
I take this to mean that PWM amplification is good for the Maggies. Maybe I dont need to change out my Panasonic digital amplifier receiver out for driving my MC1/subwoofer combo. (I also have a TACT .......
11: Planar Speaker Asylum, SACDs and Magnepan (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2012-06-10, 10:34:25 (24.5.228.104)
Has anybody had problems, like static or hiss, while playing SACDs through the Maggies (I have the on-wall MGMC1) ? . I get some crackling sounds every few seconds. I play the SACDs via HDMI to my dig .......
12: Vinyl Asylum, Cartridge advice (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2011-02-25, 10:46:10 (12.178.105.131)
Hi, I have a MMF-5 turntable and my kids damaged the Goldring 1012gx cartridge's stylus. Apparently this cartridge or style is pretty pricey now (almost close to the price of the turntable when I boug .......
13: Digital Drive, Pl consider the SB Touch with some after-market power supply (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2010-07-05, 17:52:02 (123.236.216.214)
.I think with a $300 (for the Touch)+ $200 for the power supply you will have a very good solution. .......
14: Computer Audio Asylum, RE: With auto-link: Squeezbox Touch - Modifications (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2010-06-21, 20:44:40 (71.131.19.175)
I doubt a J River device would beat the low-jitter digital output of the Touch. Did you compare it with your transport ? Is the difference that bad ? and How did you compare it ? To me with the Touch .......
15: Computer Audio Asylum, RE: Blog Update - New Mod (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2010-06-20, 20:24:01 (71.131.19.175)
Thanks ..soundchekk. Your tweaks are in in my Touch..I also have a WelborneLabs linear power supply connected by a Empirical Audio power cord to a Blue Circle Balanced Power conditioner. A Zu Ash conn .......
16: Computer Audio Asylum, RE: Squeezebox Duet or Touch or? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2010-05-21, 16:56:52 (12.178.105.131)
Exactly my situation ..duet controller + Touch. Touch digital out sound quality is absolutely the best out of all Squeezeboxes and can also compete with some transports, I think. I am absolutely thril .......
17: Computer Audio Asylum, RE: How do you set Squeezebox Server to convert FLAC to PCM? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2010-05-11, 01:05:06 (71.131.13.102)
See attached screenshot .......
18: Computer Audio Asylum, RE: Squeezebox Touch - Highly Impressed (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2010-05-10, 13:32:57 (12.178.105.131)
Yes. I have a Zu Ash digital cable into my Panasonic Digital Amplifier receiver SA-BX500. This receiver biamps my Silverline Sonatina speakers thru Zu Wax speaker cables. I have screen off as the scre .......
19: Computer Audio Asylum, RE: Question Concerning SB-Touch (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2010-05-10, 11:56:01 (12.178.105.131)
Are the Linux mods documented somewhere ? I just posted a very positive impression of the Touch on the Initial thoughts thread. BTW, I use wireless and convert FLAC to WAV on the server. I also have o .......
20: Computer Audio Asylum, RE: Squeezebox Touch - Highly Impressed (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2010-05-10, 11:44:40 (12.178.105.131)
I am very very impressed with the Squeezebox Touch now after a break in period of 100hrs. It really needed this break in. I was running it with the Modded Elpac Power Supply rated to 1.5a but with the .......
21: Computer Audio Asylum, RE: Squeezebox Touch - Initial Thoughts (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2010-05-02, 20:11:58 (71.131.23.250)
I am still figuring out whether this better than the Duet. My Duet easily beat my digital modded SB3 when I added a Welborne labs power supply. Right now my Touch is running with a modded Elpac power .......
22: Computer Audio Asylum, Squeezebox Duet as a transport (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2010-03-13, 21:33:10 (71.131.15.115)
I am pretty impressed with the Duet compared to the SB3. Straight out of the box it was comparable to a digital modded SB3 with a modded Elpac linear power supply. I recently added a Welborne labs lin .......
23: Vinyl Asylum, RE: I suspect it was my raccoon that lunched the stylus of my BPS..... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2009-11-28, 21:53:02 (71.131.19.184)
My 4yr old did it ..dont know how. 1012gx stylus alone is$225 and the cartridge is $300. I think I bought the whole player for $500 MMF-5 I think. Pretty upset. Anybody know a good place to buy cartri .......
24: Computer Audio Asylum, So the Apogee Big Ben is not so good (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-05-07, 14:23:11 (57.69.27.29)
If you can tell the difference between the Lynx and the 0404 then the reclocking in the Big Ben is not so good. Also, the SteadyClock in the RME seems to be another re-clocker/sample rate converter. I .......
25: Computer Audio Asylum, RE: Squeezebox/Pandora - amazingly good sound (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-04-23, 17:54:20 (57.69.27.29)
Try the analog outs in the SRC2496. And also change the power cords in the Behringers. You will be impressed further. .......
26: Tweakers' Asylum, Can the Alan Maher PE's be used with balanced power ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-04-20, 00:59:02 (71.131.11.107)
I seem to like the noise reduction of the balanced power. If I can add the PEs in parallel to atleast one of the sockets (maybe the amps)..Then that will be a good experiment. .......
27: Tweakers' Asylum, RE: Looking for power conditioners that increase dynamics (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-04-17, 11:29:53 (57.69.27.29)
What was the Furman model you were using earlier ? What was your experience moving from the Furman to the BPT to the PSAudio PPP ? Thanks .......
28: Tweakers' Asylum, Current Summary (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-04-17, 11:28:54 (57.69.27.29)
1. Use a overrated power conditioner so that there is no current capacity bottleneck. Yes, I have a 1200W rated Blue Circle MR1200 which feeds my Panny XR55, Bolder digital SB3 and Behringer SRC2496. .......
29: Tweakers' Asylum, Looking for power conditioners that increase dynamics (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-04-16, 17:22:57 (57.69.27.29)
I am trying to upgrade my Furman Power Factor Pro + a balanced power conditioner combo. My understanding is, Running Springs Audio Haley, actually increases the dynamics of the system. Also, ExactPowe .......
30: Hi-Rez Highway, DSD source SACDs vs Analog source SACDs (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-04-15, 13:52:09 (57.69.27.29)
First of all, re: the vinyl vs SACD/CD debate, I think you are on top of the hill with your EMM equipment. Not many audiophiles have such equipment, so I am speculating, even upto $5k in digital equip .......
31: Amp/Preamp Asylum, "The precision of the Creek..." (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-04-15, 13:14:28 (57.69.27.29)
I think you are right..Creek is precise, but not everybody's cup of tea. In order to accomadate a revealing amp, you need to have good sources, cables and speakers. Otherwise, it can be very hard on t .......
32: Hi-Rez Highway, Surface noise misleading listeners (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-04-15, 12:23:40 (57.69.27.29)
It is probably the noise/distortion captured in the CDR that is making people believe they are listening to an exact replica of a LP. The tone of an instrument is captured very very well in the LP, ap .......
33: Computer Audio Asylum, Re: SRC2496 (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-04-14, 14:26:34 (57.69.27.29)
Have you tried any aftermarket power cords for the SRC or DEQ ? They really make a difference. Also, after market linear power supplies are required for the SB. Another tweak to try is 'glass toslinks .......
34: Hi-Rez Highway, Vinyl=Amplification , Digital=Reproduction (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-04-11, 11:36:46 (204.50.113.28)
Let me explain. The needle vibrates, imitating a real instrument, this is amplified. With digital we are reconstructing the wave form. It is quite possible the needle adds its own noise or distortion .......
35: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Switching amplifiers and power cord/conditioner (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-04-09, 13:29:06 (57.69.27.29)
I think switching amplifier (even if they have a linear power supply inside like the ONkyo) are very sensitive to power supply. A good after-market power cord connected to a power-factor correcting su .......
36: Digital Drive, Transport + DAC (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-03-25, 13:19:20 (57.69.27.29)
A Transport + DAC might be a bit more future proof, as you can use the DAC with a streaming player. Even today, streaming players with mods are very competitive as transports. .......
37: Computer Audio Asylum, Exactly.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-03-21, 10:50:30 (204.50.113.28)
I am scratching my head..fmak needs to work on his communication skills..I thought I am bad :-( .......
38: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Non-linear compression (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-02-04, 13:54:35 (57.69.27.29)
You might like the YBA gear. The Audio Refinement range had some sort of non-linear compression. You hear the low level treble, but when it reaches higher it is limited. This way you hear the details .......
39: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Is System Synergy a hoax ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-02-04, 10:53:55 (57.69.27.29)
I always hear about 'System Synergy' in this board. To me personally, this is a slipper slope to take. You buy one component which exaggerates or suppresses one part of the frequency spectrum and then .......
40: Computer Audio Asylum, Digital upsampling vs analog upsampling (aka DACing) (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-02-01, 16:35:59 (204.50.113.28)
The DAC constructs a continuous analog wave using discrete values. Basically it smoothes the points between two sample values. Upsampling helps in this particular area. The umpsampling algorithm now o .......
41: Computer Audio Asylum, Squeezebox is a diskless computer (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-02-01, 10:40:52 (204.50.113.28)
Maybe the clock in a $300 dollar sound card can beat it, but because it is a computer by itself, you need to pay some premium for it. You need to spend another $300-$400 on mods/powersupply to get it .......
42: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Panny XR55 (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-01-28, 18:08:15 (57.69.27.29)
The XR55 is still my main amp. It biamps my Silverline Sonatinas. If change the source or cables or power cords I immediately notice an improvement in the overall sound..meaning that my XR55 is not th .......
43: Computer Audio Asylum, Genesis Digital Lens better than Big Ben (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-01-28, 17:19:50 (57.69.27.29)
I am not surprised. Because the Digital Lens has a buffer, whereas BigBen uses some combination of PLLs which I do not trust. Still this is the first time, I am hearing anybody say the DL is better th .......
44: Computer Audio Asylum, Squeezebox digital out quality (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-01-27, 19:03:13 (71.131.2.22)
JA is comparing a stock Squeezebox's digital output. The stock digital output quality is not that great. Understandable, for the price of $300. You can take this up a notch or more, by getting it modd .......
45: General Asylum, It's not the hobby ..it is you (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-01-25, 11:40:35 (204.50.113.28)
Folks, I have seen these sort of emails here now and then. To some extent I have also had the same feeling for a while. The issue is we cannot blame the hobby .. The components are not trying to leave .......
46: Computer Audio Asylum, RE: Multiple PLL's (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-01-23, 17:52:06 (57.69.27.29)
Hi Steve, I agree, that is why I like your architecture. In this market, if I spend money on audio, my wife would throw me out. Lets see how it goes. I will be talking to you then and enjoying you pro .......
47: Computer Audio Asylum, Reclocking vs Good clock or transmitting master clock (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-01-22, 11:37:13 (57.69.27.29)
fmak, I am sure there will be some delays when the master clock is transmitted. But I have no experience comparing various approaches. Actually, I dont even understand how two PLLs could reduce jitter .......
48: Computer Audio Asylum, You as an expert.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-01-21, 15:38:25 (57.69.27.29)
Hello Sir, I consider you as an expert (being an avid reader of this forum). When you say computer audio does not sound as good as your transport, people here are going to take that the state-of-the-a .......
49: Digital Drive, Are we all on the same page ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-01-18, 11:33:58 (204.50.113.28)
Ted, I am afraid, it looks like I do not understand your point about isochronous and bulk transfers over USB. I get Steve's point here (and Scrith's point too). Pull model is the best. Except that Scr .......
50: Digital Drive, I thought he was talking about buffering the data in the DAC (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-01-17, 10:51:09 (57.69.27.29)
Just like in a Lavry, just fill the buffer in the DAC and clock it out with local clock. Maybe once a while (in a sec ?) need to make sure the buffer is not running out or overflowing. This would be a .......
51: Digital Drive, RE: Positive effects of Jitter !!! (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-01-15, 23:56:29 (71.131.10.148)
Ted, if I understand this correctly, the best approach atleast with something like the Squeezebox or computer based playback, is to clock out the words using a very good clock. The best approach here .......
52: Digital Drive, Positive effects of Jitter !!! (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-01-15, 14:03:17 (57.69.27.29)
Ted you raise a good point. I have a modded Squeezebox and modded Elpac power supply going into my Panny XR55. When I added a Behringer SRC2496 in between upsampling to 24bit/88.2khz (i did not like 9 .......
53: Digital Drive, RE: With a modded Squeezebox+Behringer src2496 I have a very transparent sound (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-01-07, 14:52:34 (57.69.27.29)
Hi Beppe, I wanted to mention this to you in the thread where you talked about your preamp. Whatever preamp/ic you use they will surely add a tonal correction to the sound. I use rscables.com 3-wire s .......
54: Digital Drive, RE: Panasonic XR55 bi-amp vs dual-amp (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2008-01-05, 18:22:57 (71.131.26.176)
Most probably you will see a difference. But if your speakers were not that demanding i.e. major swing in impedence in the woofer or tweeter section, you will not notice much of a change. Usually, the .......
55: Computer Audio Asylum, Jitter in the original recording (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-12-28, 10:47:42 (204.50.113.28)
If an album is recorded to 44.1khz, then the clock used in the ADC should be very low jitter, otherwise, the samples will not be taken every 1/44100 of a sec, meaning there is jitter in the digital in .......
56: Digital Drive, The only explanation .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-12-27, 19:12:44 (204.50.113.28)
I can think of is - the jitter on the Mac's output is very high, that the GW is not able to fix it. Probably a better USB-to-SPDIF converter will take care of this. I know people are using the Musilan .......
57: Computer Audio Asylum, Computer, Squeezebox or Transport .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-12-26, 16:38:36 (204.50.113.28)
..does not mean a thing when it comes to sound quality. In transport function, all that matters is jitter. Any of these can be good, depending on the quality of implementation, whether stock or modded .......
58: Digital Drive, Jitter & DAC (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-12-26, 16:28:23 (204.50.113.28)
You need a DAC with good jitter reduction. Just the powersupply and output stage of a DAC make only a partial, although major, contribution to the sound. The Lavry mentioned here has builtin jitter re .......
59: Digital Drive, Thanks (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-12-18, 18:16:49 (57.69.27.29)
Thanks fmak and Sunya, Looks like there is not word clock generators in the 100-500$ price range. I do not want to spend more because my amp itself is a Panny xr55. I need to upgrade this to the real .......
60: Digital Drive, Word clock generators (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-12-17, 14:44:05 (57.69.27.29)
I recently got a Behringer SRC2496. This has a word clock input. So I was wondering if I could use some good clock generators with it. here are some I found. 1. Apogee Big Ben - about $1400 2. Lucid g .......
61: Computer Audio Asylum, Still ?? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-12-17, 11:37:13 (57.69.27.29)
The Lavry is supposed to be immune to jitter from the transports. The SB3's jitter is low but not very low. You need some digital mods. Probably with power supply it will cost you $350. Many people ar .......
62: Computer Audio Asylum, AccurateRip (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-12-14, 11:17:29 (204.50.113.28)
Need to have AccurateRip installed with EAC. Only then you can be sure that you have setup EAC right and there are other people getting the same checksum. .......
63: Computer Audio Asylum, Squeezebox and jitter reduction devices (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-12-11, 11:21:10 (57.69.27.29)
Anybody using any jitter reductions devices like the Monarchy DIP, Apogeen Big Ben, Behringer src2496 etc with the SB (modded or unmodded)? I would like to hear your experiences. I tried a Behringer S .......
64: Digital Drive, RE: Upsampling revisited (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-12-08, 16:16:06 (71.131.27.3)
Todd, Looks like there are many ways to do this interpolation. SRC seems to be doing it the right way. Instead of 'throwing the baby away with the bath water' we should probably deliberate on the best .......
65: Digital Drive, Upsampling revisited (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-12-06, 12:16:00 (57.69.27.29)
I have not been fond of upsampling for the following reasons - I did not like the sound of my Philips 963SA with upsampling. I actually bought this player mainly for this (and SACD) a few years ago wh .......
66: Computer Audio Asylum, Convert to wav on the server (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-12-06, 11:59:53 (57.69.27.29)
I think between playing FLAC and WAV there is a difference, atleast to my ears with my system. I have now set flac-to-wav conversion on the server side. Now I do not see any difference. But you need a .......
67: Computer Audio Asylum, You are not alone.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-12-06, 11:51:42 (57.69.27.29)
I accidentally deleted my first backup and only had the incremental backups. I had to rerip around 100 CDs about half of my collection. But somehow, the reripped versions sounded better, even though e .......
68: Digital Drive, RE: Is rounded bass and softer details typical in higher end DACs or a Zhaolu? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-11-29, 15:57:35 (57.69.27.29)
As somebody else pointed out the digital receiver on the Zhaolu is probably more jittery than the one in the Entech. I think Alex is trying to say that a transport contributes a lot to the final sound .......
69: Digital Drive, Exactly...digital seems softened compared to vinyl (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-11-28, 11:46:47 (57.69.27.29)
I also feel vinyl sounds much more 'raw' (yes live) but I dont think it is objectionable like in a digital playback way. I listened to digital mainly for convenience. If only somebody would vacuum my .......
70: Tweakers' Asylum, Man..you are funny !!! (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-11-26, 11:14:10 (57.69.27.29)
. .......
71: Computer Audio Asylum, Ethernet/wireless is the way to go (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-11-23, 16:05:42 (71.131.7.101)
I think USB is fraught with so many issues and also requiring a PC in the audio room. I like the Squeezebox style wireless approach. Even Steve himself has some neat modifications for it. Others are u .......
72: Tweakers' Asylum, Any good reasonable tube phone stage under $500 ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-11-05, 14:22:17 (57.69.27.29)
. .......
73: Digital Drive, RE: Stock Squeezebox or modded ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-11-01, 10:26:50 (57.69.27.29)
The digital only mods are only about $200 or so. It is really worth it. I never done mods before and this very first time, I am impressed. Wayne at boldercables is also a very sincere and responsible .......
74: Digital Drive, RE: Stock Squeezebox or modded ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-10-31, 17:48:03 (57.69.27.29)
The digital only mods are only about $200 or so. It is really worth it. I never done mods before and this very first time, I am impressed. Wayne at boldercables is also a very sincere and responsible .......
75: Digital Drive, Stock Squeezebox or modded ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-10-31, 13:52:35 (57.69.27.29)
I have a modded linear power supply and boldercables.com digital mods on the SB3. It beats my modded Oppo 970. Stock squeezebox is 'soft sounding' and similar to your description, flat, with less soun .......
76: Digital Drive, PC vs CD player - whats your take, Alex ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-10-31, 13:28:44 (57.69.27.29)
. .......
77: Digital Drive, No lies sound (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-10-08, 11:35:57 (57.69.27.29)
People who are into 'warmth', 'tube sound' or 'smooth' sound, may not like the Panny sound. It is totally a very neutral presentation, but you dont have to strain your ears to hear the 'room/recording .......
78: Tweakers' Asylum, Power Factor correction (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-09-25, 11:32:46 (57.69.27.29)
I have been playing around with various power conditioners. But I think power factor correction is the way to go. Balanced and other technologies reduce noise, but they are going to impair the dynamic .......
79: Computer Audio Asylum, Squeezebox is an ethernet DAC (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-09-24, 13:58:25 (57.69.27.29)
This is one way to think of it. No need to worry about USB/Firewire protocols and other device interfaces to the computer. It is just ethernet and well understood. No chipsets to worry about. You have .......
80: Computer Audio Asylum, Network vs USB - I think Network wins (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-09-24, 13:32:46 (57.69.27.29)
To me the only difference in these architectures, is the actual wire protocol. With USB, we are talking about the async mode, whereas this is the norm in the TCP/IP over ethernet/wireless. Considering .......
81: Digital Drive, RE: Do I know the difference between jitter and tape hiss ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-09-19, 08:51:36 (204.50.113.28)
You probably have not read my posts and I dont post too often. Yes, I know what jitter is - sources, solutions etc. My posts here in this sub-thread is that the test to prove/disprove digital/analog d .......
82: Digital Drive, Image/impression of an analog sound (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-09-18, 19:56:14 (71.131.39.71)
Hi Ted, People generally have an 'image/impression' of analog sound, I think. Usually, little amount of tape hiss will make people feel it is an analog sound and possibly an LP (Actually, I like CDs/S .......
83: Digital Drive, Sounds good..what DAC is that ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-09-18, 19:43:23 (71.131.2.41)
As long as the recipient is locked into the audiofrequency range, then it will be very good. 1Hz is almost jitterless. Eager to know more. .......
84: Digital Drive, FLAC streamed as WAV (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-09-18, 12:12:36 (57.69.27.29)
Hi Bill, Flac vs Wav might (I say might) be a problem in a setup like the Squeezebox, where a small processor is decompressing to playback the stream. Recently, my disk crashed and I did not have good .......
85: Digital Drive, "16 bit recordings made from LPs played back on selfsame rig" (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-09-18, 12:00:22 (57.69.27.29)
Since the recordings were made from the LP, the surface noise, could mislead listener unfamiliar with the room/setup. .......
86: Digital Drive, Re: This is what distinguishes Digital from Analog (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-09-13, 15:07:50 (57.69.27.29)
High frequency deviations is playback frequency (caused by jitter) is what gives digital an 'edgy' sound. It also robs the sounds of real fidelity, casting a veil over the sound. Jitter is like variat .......
87: Hi-Rez Highway, RE: Theory helps guide real world listening (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-09-11, 14:22:53 (57.69.27.29)
If you just go by the sound, it will be just difficult to make a choice with an array of products. There is always something better. If you go by theory, say low jitter, or mechanism that reduce jitte .......
88: Hi-Rez Highway, "Made with computer/cheap parts" is not a valid argument (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-09-11, 14:17:14 (57.69.27.29)
I do not buy the "better error correction" argument from Nova. At the same time, I do not this Alex is making a very good argument here based on parts quality. He is probably (and surely based on revi .......
89: Hi-Rez Highway, "..with help from a home equity line of credit.." (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-09-10, 18:19:04 (57.69.27.29)
..first time I am getting some insight into this audiophile madness :-) .......
90: Hi-Rez Highway, RE: Could be the amps and speakers too (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-09-05, 15:26:15 (57.69.27.29)
Some equipment do not have that much dynamics at low current levels. Maybe that is the reason..I feel in real life music instrument sound is more dynamic than reproduced sound (and ofcourse, the level .......
91: Cable Asylum, RE: The science behind this ..as I understand (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-08-28, 12:00:28 (57.69.27.29)
Interconnects transmit voltage changes i.e signal. Speaker cables and power cords carry current (as a result of varying voltage). There is a difference in the electrical funtion. Interconnects are the .......
92: Cable Asylum, RE: Need smooth, warm power cord recommendations (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-08-26, 23:30:03 (204.50.113.28)
I have used various VH Audio flavors, Analysis Plus Power Oval, Nordost Shiva, Empirical Audio Magnum and the Black Sand Violet. Of all these, I like the Violet, the best. Absolutely, mind-blowing dyn .......
93: Digital Drive, Not convincing, Sir (to an EE) (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-08-22, 14:54:17 (57.69.27.29)
I dont know why RUR has to be a hardware implementation. Does the Memory player have a digital output ? If we do a byte compare of the digital output with that of another transport, will it be differe .......
94: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Ready to try digital amplifiers ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-08-16, 17:01:17 (204.50.113.28)
You can try the Panny xr-57 (possibly with an aftermarket powercord) If your speakers are - 1) reasonably efficient i.e 89db, 2) impedence does not swing too wildly and 3) preferably, biampable. I am .......
95: Amp/Preamp Asylum, RE: Integrated Amp for me!? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-08-07, 14:39:55 (57.69.27.29)
BTW, have you modded your SB3 ? There is so much that can be squeezed out of the Squeezebox :-) .......
96: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: You have a valid theory ... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-05-11, 13:53:29 (71.131.32.84)
Hi Charles, I am nowhere an expert on these matters like you. I am just a consumer..maybe a little educated (I am a CS/EE person). Let me rephrase my opinion on the Squeezebox kind of architectures. " .......
97: Hi-Rez Highway, You have a valid theory ... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-05-09, 13:54:02 (65.200.66.17)
Joe..I like your educated surmises in this regard. I am software designer not hardware..so hate to carry on a conversation with Charles. But to me it is really very clear that architectures like that .......
98: Hi-Rez Highway, I thought it was all about jitter.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-05-07, 14:13:04 (65.200.66.17)
I have a modded Squeezebox. Before mods the Squeezebox was soft sounding compared to my Philips 963SA as a transport. Still it was not 'harsh' / 'digital sounding' or 'edgy' out-of-the-box. Probably t .......
99: Hi-Rez Highway, vs. Squeezebox (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-04-28, 16:23:25 (71.131.37.21)
Hi SL, I am using the Oppo just for SACD and DVD-A (apart from Video). Also, I plan to use it as digital transport`(over HDMI) even for this media when I get my Panasonic XR57 receiver. For CD, I am u .......
100: Hi-Rez Highway, Oppo 970 as a SACD player (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-04-27, 10:56:00 (204.50.113.28)
I recently got this player to replace my Philips 963sa. I am really please with this player. It has good video, plays all media, CD, SACD and DVD-A apart from DVD. What impressed me most was the audio .......
101: Digital Drive, Just a computer with a wireless router is needed.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-04-20, 10:28:26 (71.131.16.201)
...then get a Squeezebox. Install the software on the PC, pointing to the directory where you have ripped your CDs. Go back to the living room, with the Squeezebox connected to your audio system. Now .......
102: Tweakers' Asylum, No ..CD treatments are not needed for ripping (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-04-18, 10:19:47 (65.200.66.17)
No..Just clean the CD so that the ripping software does not have to do too many retries. You get exactly what is on the CD by ripping using EAC or some other software like that (unless the CD is badly .......
103: Tweakers' Asylum, Move to computer playback..CD tweaks drive you crazy after a while (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-04-17, 11:24:17 (71.131.37.49)
..actually most of the tweaks make a difference..so you end up doing all kinds of things..After a while it become really crazy..Now my CDs are ripped to harddrive and a modded Squeezebox plays it. ::: .......
104: Digital Drive, Did you get the digital mods on it ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-04-14, 00:49:51 (71.131.10.60)
..from Bolder Cable. Best $200 I have ever spent. First time, I got a mod and very good experience. Need to get the modded Elpac or similarly good linear powersupply as well. Add that, that is the bes .......
105: Cable Asylum, Think before you cryo (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-04-12, 11:48:04 (65.200.66.17)
Somebody mentioned here that cryoing might affect the tensile strength and hence the grip, which I feel is important. Right now, I have a cryoed outlet, but in future, I might not go for it. ::: TOPIC .......
106: Cable Asylum, Re: Not well (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-04-09, 17:32:07 (65.200.66.17)
Ok, most probably, it is just improved jitter. Even with my Squeezebox, after the mods, everything sounded louder. One good thing with the computer approach is, even though there is jitter always, the .......
107: Cable Asylum, Did you measure it ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-04-08, 16:36:08 (71.131.1.125)
Hate to ask this silly question ? But it seems improbably. The increase gain is possibly just an apparent increase, caused by better jitter characteristics with the new power cord. .......
108: Cable Asylum, Re: Dayton GOC-1.5 Glass Optical Digital Cable (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-04-06, 14:33:35 (65.200.66.17)
Sounds similar to the one from Sound Professionals. The one that got reviewed here favorably. I paid $50 for that. .......
109: Digital Drive, Yes, happy with my Squeezebox 3 (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-04-03, 10:56:07 (65.200.66.17)
..that has been modified by Bolder Cables. Sounds great even with my modest Panny XR55 - 'poor man's TACT'. No more of these polishes, mats, rewriting CDs with black CDs, isolation for CD player etc ! .......
110: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Nope, the answer is still 20W (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-04-02, 10:47:52 (65.200.66.17)
Each monoblock can output 20W, so the woofer cannot go above 20W or the tweeter cannot go above 20W. Overall, the speaker cannot sound more than the 20W (or rated capacity) of the amps. But there are .......
111: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: "loss of sharpness in transient attack" (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-03-26, 15:46:33 (65.200.66.17)
Hi David, Do you have anymore thoughts on this ? I also felt this, when I added a sub to my 2 main speakers. I am using a receiver in a 2.1 setup, with speakers set to large. I have set the crossover .......
112: Digital Drive, Stock Squeezebox has bad jitter (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-03-19, 17:00:20 (65.200.66.17)
..you need an aftermarket powersupply (preferably modded). When the SB itself is modded, the jitter improves considerably. Probably close to $1K CD player jitter specs. One another advantage is that t .......
113: Digital Drive, Jitter is the issue with digital playback (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-03-14, 15:23:05 (65.200.66.17)
..once this is addressed then you will see that the DACs matter very less. Changing the power supply in the player will surely make it sound better. Even the clock might make a difference. Get better .......
114: Hi-Rez Highway, Yes..it makes sense to invest in improving cd playback (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-03-14, 15:19:07 (65.200.66.17)
CDs will have much better choice of software. And the original poster has 500CDs. Many people have not had a good jitter-free playback. They try to remove the digital nasties with cables, tubes etc. B .......
115: Digital Drive, I2S connection (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-03-07, 11:30:36 (65.200.66.17)
Mel, If you transmit the clock separately the cable will not cause jitter. The I2S connection with the Northstar transport/player accomplishes this. BTW, the Northstar is a popular transport in the mo .......
116: Digital Drive, NorthStar Transport and CD player (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-03-07, 11:27:25 (65.200.66.17)
If I wanted to spend this much money, I would go with this combo. No SACD though. But CDs are going to be around for a while. You can also mod this transport, if you want to. Otherwise, just some powe .......
117: Digital Drive, Look for a low-jitter player.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-03-05, 16:17:40 (65.200.66.17)
Two things that affect sound in a player (in simplistic terms). Jitter in the digital signal and DAC/Output stage. Just changing the DAC is like getting a different flavor. A low jitter digital input .......
118: Hi-Rez Highway, Do your CD tweaks (sprays etc) still make a difference ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-03-05, 15:58:54 (65.200.66.17)
Just trying to see how immune the player is to jitter. .......
119: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Yes..but. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-02-28, 15:50:48 (65.200.66.17)
I had the Complete for a few years with my highly-efficient Silverline Sonatinas. You need to get an aftermarket powercord and I also used it with a balanced power conditioner. Both brought improvemen .......
120: Amp/Preamp Asylum, A very good suggestion (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-02-25, 19:33:02 (65.200.66.17)
I am using the XR55 in biamped mode. As an upgrade I am considering $1K for a used Int. Amp and a Lavry DA10 or some modded DACs .Anything else will not make much of a difference. But I am not rushing .......
121: Amp/Preamp Asylum, My XR55 and Alon Thunderbolt sub (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-02-14, 17:35:01 (65.200.66.17)
I am also doing something similar. I just set my speakers to large and use the subwoofers minimim crossover of 40Hz, as I know, my Silverline Sonatina's really taper off after 40Hz. My XR55 biamps my .......
122: Digital Drive, vinyl thru my digital Panny amp (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-02-07, 09:28:15 (65.200.66.17)
I listen to a MMF-5 with Monolithic Sound Phone Pre /w upgrade power supply through my Panny XR55 biamping my Silverline Sonatina speakers. I still feel vinyl sounds like vinyl or 'analog' compared to .......
123: Digital Drive, Re: I think KevinfF might just have more idea about audio than you give him credit. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-01-29, 09:46:19 (65.200.66.17)
No..please..It was not meant to doubt Kevin's audio expertise. When I say 'you' it is a generic 'you'. The responses here are for everyone to get an idea on where the board members stand on issues, es .......
124: Digital Drive, Audio Note DAC 4.1 Balanced DAC Processors (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-01-25, 14:31:20 (65.200.66.17)
Did you try any other alternative DACs ? Or you want to go with Audio Note for the house sound ? I would think a Slimdevices Transporter or a computer based approach like the one from Empirical Audio .......
125: Cable Asylum, Re: Power Cable Conundrum (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2007-01-25, 14:15:07 (65.200.66.17)
I consider soundstage or 'recording venue ambience' recreation as a measure of high-fidelity. You might prefer other power cables, but the bass might be suspect in this case. Check whether you get 'he .......
126: Hi-Rez Highway, Dynamics differentiates SACD from CD (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-11-22, 11:46:22 (65.200.66.17)
in my limited experience. Even though I find SACD sound quality all over the map, the dynamics part seems consistent. Still I feel many SACDs to have 'unreal' soundstage and/or, as somebody mentioned, .......
127: Hi-Rez Highway, Even with high-end transports ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-11-20, 00:10:54 (65.200.66.17)
Oh man..this could be frustrating. I have to moved Squeezebox playback (with a modded powersupply and mods for the SB itself pending). I got sick of the sprays, polishes and mats. Not to mention isola .......
128: Digital Drive, Re: Second the computer based approach (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-11-13, 14:48:25 (65.200.66.17)
If you buy a player, you will find, that you have to clean the CD, put some mat on it, isolate it, add a powerconditioner or power cord. etc..basically all kinds of tweaks (sometime weird and difficul .......
129: Cable Asylum, Second the Zu Wax (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-11-07, 18:48:38 (65.200.66.17)
You will notice the same effect with the speaker cables - a dramatic reduction in noise floor, which you never knew existed before. The sound will be very relaxed with out the loss of details. I think .......
130: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Feedback (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-11-07, 13:47:08 (65.200.66.17)
Ok, I agree feedback is one area where analog input stage is better. But how much difference does this make ? What is the effect of feedback on the nature of the sound ? Can feedback be done in the di .......
131: Digital Drive, It is beppe's graciousness that makes a difference... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-11-06, 10:48:25 (65.200.66.17)
beppe's politeness which to some people might feel 'anachronistic' is what makes even the grumpiest of posters here to contribute very positively. Looks like there are still some cultural islands arou .......
132: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Why not a digital input stage (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-11-06, 10:33:06 (65.200.66.17)
I am a little not clear why many of these switching amplifier makers do not have a digital input stage. It is much easier to manipulating the swithching with DSP. This will avoid a costly DAC stage fo .......
133: Digital Drive, Re: Thank you very much again Sir. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-11-05, 22:44:31 (71.131.22.129)
Beppe, change the player first. Digital equipment does more damange than preamp or amp. I am using $250 amp with speakers that originally retailed for $3500 (Silverlin Sonatina). But I have spent so m .......
134: Digital Drive, Re: CDs don't have jitter. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-10-31, 15:48:41 (65.200.66.17)
The way the bits are burnt into the CD can cause jitter in the output by frustrating the laser reading mechanism. This is what I think the original poster meant. This is the main reason, a newly burnt .......
135: Digital Drive, Why not ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-10-10, 11:37:17 (65.200.66.17)
If you convert it to 24bit/96Khz and play it back in a jitter-free (or very less jitter) digital system . It should be 99% good. Also, LP playback is very good immediately after a vacuum and surface t .......
136: Amp/Preamp Asylum, What about the Source ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-10-10, 11:32:05 (65.200.66.17)
The kind of sound you are describing depends greatly on the source. IMO, if you have even a decent analog source, you can focus on the amps/speakers. But if you have a digital setup (or as the primary .......
137: Digital Drive, The secret is.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-09-27, 11:29:46 (65.200.66.17)
it is some sort of RF/EM absorbing material added to the chips, possibly dampening it as well. I do not buy from people who are secretive about their design. They dont have to tell it ALL. But their t .......
138: Digital Drive, USB vs Squeezebox (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-09-27, 11:26:05 (65.200.66.17)
I recently got a Squeezebox. I was not having a clear picture on how the USB data is converted to SPDIF with even the modded USB devices. Also, the lack of a display/remote locally was a drawback IMO. .......
139: Hi-Rez Highway, Computer based playback vs VRDS-NEO (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-09-21, 16:20:55 (65.200.66.17)
Will the VRDS-NEO provide bits that are exactly the same for every play ? or will the bits changes based on how clean/polished the disc is or if a mat is placed on top of it ? Will this be the same as .......
140: Computer Audio Asylum, What happened to your backups ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-09-18, 10:41:52 (65.200.66.17)
. .......
141: Computer Audio Asylum, MSB Tech (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-09-10, 00:22:57 (71.131.33.219)
MSBTech.com used to make a processor which output 3 SPDIF for the six channels. They suggested using 3 of their dacs with it. Looks like they dont make it anymore. Maybe you can check audiogon. ::: TO .......
142: Computer Audio Asylum, Re: Yeah, tis a problem fer sure... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-09-04, 16:10:08 (71.131.22.253)
Thanks for the reply. I suggest you should take up the Panasonic XR55/57 in bi-amped mode(when six amps are driving a stereo set of speakers) for review sometime. I am driving a pair of Silverline SOn .......
143: Computer Audio Asylum, Re: Yeah, tis a problem fer sure... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-09-02, 15:18:01 (71.131.6.37)
Can you share with us your firmware and server version #s ? I am running 55 and 6.3.1 and my SB3 distorts on some flacs made by Media Monkey. It is okay with the flac generated by EAC/Flac integration .......
144: Computer Audio Asylum, Re: Squeezebox questions (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-08-29, 17:48:29 (65.200.66.17)
Yes, I will spring for the digital mods next (as I need the SB3 to feed my digitally amplified XR55). I am not going there now because I feel the optical link might be less exposed to power supply tha .......
145: Computer Audio Asylum, Re: Squeezebox questions (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-08-29, 13:44:55 (65.200.66.17)
THanks Phil, I think I will have Bolder modify an Elpac for me. For sure, it looks like jitter is being reduced and I really like a better soundstage than what I have now (with the stock plugged into .......
146: Computer Audio Asylum, Squeezebox questions (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-08-28, 11:36:03 (65.200.66.17)
Hi Folks, I would like to hear from people who are using a different/modded power supply with a stock Squeezebox. Does this make a difference if you are using only the digital output, especially the o .......
147: Computer Audio Asylum, Recently moved to Squeezebox (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-08-28, 11:28:27 (65.200.66.17)
Seems pretty good. It surely beats my Philips 963SA as a transport I think. I am still trying to figure out to get more performance out of it. See my post on this - http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/di .......
148: Digital Drive, Squeezebox 3 vs Philips 963SA as a transport (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-08-26, 11:54:44 (71.131.37.9)
I recently bought a SB3 after deliberating for a while whether to go into Computer-based music or not. I was not sure about the SB approach vs the USB approach. Meanwhile, my 1 yr old was damaging the .......
149: Computer Audio Asylum, Re: Squeezebox straight to Panny XR55.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-08-26, 00:40:11 (71.131.37.9)
the local KDFC Classical sounds very good..apart from so many other stations to explore. .......
150: Cable Asylum, Is there a toslink on the DAC ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-08-04, 10:03:09 (65.200.66.17)
If yes, give it a shot. I feel electrical digital cables with their difference impedence characteristics just move the jitter around (have a different jittern spectrum). Whereas with TOSLink, the qual .......
151: Digital Drive, Not sure.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-08-03, 14:22:01 (65.200.66.17)
There are three things in digital playback, I think - 1. Getting the bits right (no error) 2. Getting the bits in the right time (jitter)' 3. Converting the bits to analog I think a computer/harddisk .......
152: Digital Drive, Yes .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-08-02, 14:05:38 (65.200.66.17)
I have the XR55 and have seen it sound different with different digital cables from my Philips 963SA. I am now running Sound Professionals Glass Toslink with it (I highly recommend this, Thanks to Tod .......
153: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: Review: Novus #2 Fine Scratch Remover / CD Polish (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-07-30, 15:28:35 (71.131.49.30)
Yes, I think it is similar to Mikrosmooth. I do have MS but when I tried to polish with the supplied material, I ended up with some scratches. But MS is pure white and smooth, whereas Novus is much cl .......
154: Tweakers' Asylum, Review: Novus #2 Fine Scratch Remover / CD Polish (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-07-29, 17:39:13 (71.131.17.231)
I have used Walker Vivid, Auric Illuminitor (not the current version) and other plastic polishes. All these seemed to change the sound of the CD. Of this, to my memory, the Vivid was the best, increas .......
155: Cable Asylum, Power cord and dynamics (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-07-17, 14:24:29 (65.200.66.17)
Many after-market powercords have more capacitance than stock cables. This creates the impression of better bass (actually bloated bass). This will drastically reduce dynamics and to some extent, the .......
156: Digital Drive, Re: Stay away from the Philips (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-07-14, 14:09:39 (65.200.66.17)
I have had no problems with my player which has been in daily use for 2 years or more. once in a while, it hangs and reboot takes care of it. With a good power cord and a balanced power conditioner, t .......
157: Cable Asylum, Re: You'll be using SC-16/SilverLace for just speakercable or IC too? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-06-29, 10:04:46 (65.200.66.17)
I found the Silver Lace IC 'too smooth and full bodied' to the point of music sounding 'slow'. I sold this and have kept the four-wire version with me (between my phono pre and amp). It is quite possi .......
158: Digital Drive, Re: I thought I did that... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-06-26, 14:32:41 (65.200.66.17)
Sorry, looks like not much coffee today for me :-) I still feel the esoteric cannot be that far behind or the changer that very good. Maybe, you need a second pair of ears to corroborate your findings .......
159: Digital Drive, Thats strange (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-06-26, 13:17:37 (65.200.66.17)
I have a Philips 963sa connected to Panny digital amplifier receiver (bi-amping my Silverline sonatinas) with both S/PDIF (a Acoustic Zen Silver Photon) and Toslink (Sound Professionals Glass toslink) .......
160: Digital Drive, Re: It is configurable on my Phillips 963sa, but I don't recommend changing the setting. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-06-21, 14:36:40 (65.200.66.17)
Aaron, How do you like the 963SA ? I have it, but I am using it as transport with my Panny XR55. Ofcourse, I occasionally play some SACDs as well. Would like to hear from other 963SA owners, to see wh .......
161: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Thanks for the well-written review... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-06-18, 18:00:31 (71.131.29.60)
Some how I get the impression that the Primare's high-frequency is not fully extended or it sounds a little ..very little rolled off. Is this your impression ? Or is it I am used to lots of screechy m .......
162: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Hilarious (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-06-07, 11:42:15 (65.200.66.17)
Jon, what is the 'SLA-battery powered USB/SPDIF converter' that you are using ? I am quite happy with my xR55 biamping my Silverline Sonatinas. I would like to go with the hard-disk playback sometime .......
163: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: What are your sonic objectives (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-04-09, 18:56:15 (65.200.66.17)
You will surely benefit from bi-amping. The first thing you would notice is better highs (more than the bass). Because of this the soundstage will be much better. Ofcourse, the bass also will be more .......
164: Cable Asylum, Equipment Specific (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2006-01-03, 15:33:16 (65.200.66.17)
I am thinking that electrical digital cables's performance is also dependent on the equipment they are connecting. The output impedence of the source and the input impedence of the target component ma .......
165: Cable Asylum, Re: VDH Optocoupler or glass toslink from ebay? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-12-20, 11:45:47 (65.200.66.17)
In my case, the glass toslink beats (more soundstage, tighter bass) a Acoustic Zen Silver Photon (user for $125) and Zu Cable Ash (paid $100 on auction). Both were used with my Panasonic Xr55. Most pr .......
166: Hi-Rez Highway, Is the highs of SACD real ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-12-05, 18:42:17 (65.200.66.17)
I do agree SACDs sound sweet and extended. But is it real ? I feel as though the soundstage suddenly gets really big (compared to the CD track). I get the same effect when I upsample to 24bit/192Khz i .......
167: Hi-Rez Highway, An afternoon of SACD listening (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-12-03, 18:11:27 (65.200.66.17)
This afternoon I listened to about 10 SACDs. The kids were upstairs asleep and it was very quiet except for the ticking sound of the clocks. Overall, almost all SACDs I listened to, sounded dynamic, e .......
168: Digital Drive, I need that cloth too..to use with my home brew fluid (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-12-02, 13:14:12 (65.200.66.17)
I am using a homebrew cd cleaning fluid, using distiller water, alcohol and a few drops of Photo-Flo. Seems pretty good. After cleaning with this fluid, the scratches on the CD are clearly visible. Fi .......
169: Digital Drive, External DAC (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-12-02, 13:03:26 (65.200.66.17)
That was the idea of having an external DAC -i.e. isolate transport effects from playback and use a good clock for DA. Unfortunately, not many DACs are immune to jitter coming down the bitstream, eith .......
170: Cable Asylum, You are right Duster :-) (nt) (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-11-27, 16:03:10 (65.200.66.17)
. .......
171: Cable Asylum, All you rich guys.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-11-23, 12:04:16 (65.200.66.17)
are pushing every techno-entrepreneur into the highend. Chris started out with reasonable priced products..now it is all $500 and above...ofcourse, he still has the lowend versions too, I guess. Same .......
172: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Panny 55 (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-11-18, 19:25:13 (65.200.66.17)
Let us know how the Panny 55 sounds. You can biamp with this - it will use 6 of 7 the multi-channel amps for stereo !!!!. What I like about the Panny is the extreme bass definition. Basslines are so f .......
173: Cable Asylum, It is probably you prefer the Hologram sound vs the Satori sound (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-11-07, 14:24:20 (65.200.66.17)
..with your experiment, it is not conclusive that bi-wiring is bad. It is just that you did not like the cable (Satori) that is supplying current to the highs. Try with the same cable on lows and high .......
174: Digital Drive, Where to buy the VDH opto coupler II toslink ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-11-04, 15:44:41 (65.200.66.17)
I guess, this is the low priced one Todd likes, apart from the high-priced Nordost White glass. Right now, my audiogom.com 'glass toslink' is way ahead of my Acoustic Zen Silver Photon or my Zu Ash di .......
175: Amp/Preamp Asylum, How about a square wave response ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-11-04, 15:40:09 (65.200.66.17)
I always look for this in Stereophile measurements. The amp where the leading amp is closer to a square wave should be fast enough. If the trailing edge is closer to the square wave, it might sound li .......
176: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Agree on all counts (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-11-02, 11:35:57 (65.200.66.17)
Maybe, the labels think they need a pretty face on the CD cover..I bought Love Scenes and it really bores me. .......
177: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Thank you very much , Sir. Very interesting indeed. Kind regards beppe61 (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-10-16, 18:18:55 (65.200.66.17)
Albarry - 45W/8ohm and 90 W/ 4 ohm Samson - 90W/8ohm and 130 W / 4 ohm The above figures show the Samson cannot source current instantaneously. Usually, a speakers does not need 200W or 300W continuou .......
178: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: The Panny has deeper, more powerful bass... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-10-04, 21:17:34 (71.131.81.109)
Jonbee, Give away the XR50 to a friend or relative or use it in your bathroom :-) and get the XR55. Much more powerful and deeper soundstage. Especially when bi-amped. Check it out. Drums sound like t .......
179: Hi-Rez Highway, Correct .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-10-03, 11:10:20 (65.200.66.17)
Only analog stereo tracks converted to SACDs are pure DSDs. There is no 'real' DSD mixing consoles. As far as I know, they are all bigger wordlength/higher frequency PCM. DSD is difficult to mix as ea .......
180: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Can you compare with the XR50 ? (nt) (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-10-03, 10:56:36 (65.200.66.17)
. .......
181: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Go for the XR55 (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-10-02, 17:21:15 (65.200.66.17)
I just upgraded from a XR50 and have now bi-wired with the XR55. I now hear so many details. The soundstage is way improved over the XR50 and the XR55 I think drive more kinds of speakers than the XR5 .......
182: Cable Asylum, Coax performance might be system dependent (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-09-13, 17:57:03 (65.200.66.17)
I think digital coax cables performance might be dependent on the output impedence of the source and the input impedence of the connector on target DAC or digital amp. In contrast, if somebody did a c .......
183: Cable Asylum, Similar observations (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-08-27, 16:15:12 (67.118.10.22)
with the ebay Toslink (actually got it from audiogon.com) vs. Zu Ash. But I find the Zu slightly ..very slightly better. I doubt I could tell the difference in systematic comparision. .......
184: Cable Asylum, Re: Zu Cable's Ash Digital IC (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-07-14, 15:19:23 (65.200.66.17)
I like it too. Initially, the bass is too pronounced and very tight. After some breakin, it gets very natural. I think jitter is reduced a lot, which makes for the 'easy on the ears' sound. All Zu cab .......
185: Cable Asylum, That is why I use a pure digital amplifier/receiver.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-07-13, 12:21:24 (65.200.66.17)
got sick of the DAC/preamp/IC business..Just a good speaker, transport, nice digital cable and something like a Panasonic XR50. Some of you can go for the TACT. Ofcourse, this is like plain cream, ice .......
186: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Try the Panansonic XR55 (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-07-12, 14:09:21 (65.200.66.17)
..somebody posted on audiocircle.com that it is sounding very fine with his MMGs. It will also go well with your computer setup. Just feed it digital signals. .......
187: Cable Asylum, Zu Wax highly recommended (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-06-25, 09:06:44 (64.173.11.84)
I am using a 10-feet biwire with my Silverline Sonatina's .Very neutral, quiet (good noise rejection) and dynamic. The spade connectors are copper and probably need some cleaning once in two months or .......
188: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Fear of losing the home grown technology advantage (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-05-18, 13:17:11 (65.200.66.17)
High-end manufacturers have their own analog circuits, which impart a distinct 'house-sound'. (D2 Audio which makes digital amp kits, enables the end amp manufacturers customize the sound through firm .......
189: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Check out panasonic digital receivers or used NAD nt (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-05-18, 09:34:19 (65.200.66.17)
The Pany's are recommended not just for HT use, their sound quality is good enough for high-end audiophile music listening. I sold my Audio Refinement Complete after I got my Panny XR50. With the XR55 .......
190: Cable Asylum, You said, dynamics right..? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-05-12, 19:35:16 (65.200.66.17)
Dynamics should be the indicator of unrestricted current delivery. The cable should have low inductance as well as capacitance.Fat cables/high capacitance cables give a false impression of deep bass - .......
191: Amp/Preamp Asylum, I thought the 'emotion' should be in the music (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-05-09, 10:58:58 (65.200.66.17)
But it is still difficult to tell some component is perfect. Usually amps have different behavior with different speakers. Especially, if the speaker impedence is not that stable. Also, the quality of .......
192: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: Benefits of balanced power with switching supplies? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-04-26, 18:24:25 (65.200.66.17)
I had good benefits using the Blue Circle MR1200 with the linear power supply in my Audio Refinement Complete Amp. It does seem to restrict dynamics a wee bit with the switching power supply in the Pa .......
193: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Probably speaker efficiency (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-04-19, 13:44:55 (65.200.66.17)
The Panny cannot drive inefficient loads or ones with drastic dips in impedence. Most of the people complaining about the Panny do not mention the speakers. It is probably this is where the problem is .......
194: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Panasonic SA-XR50/DVD Player vs Aragon/Primare/Nakamichi (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-04-17, 21:51:01 (66.122.215.96)
Hi, Good feedback on the XR50. It is good mainly because, you experimented with different speakers with it. After some tweaking, it is possible to get a sound which is very close to live - atleast pre .......
195: Amp/Preamp Asylum, what speakers ? digital or analog input ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-04-15, 11:24:30 (65.200.66.17)
The Panny is not good with speakers with drastic impedence dips/peaks. Also, are you using digital or analog input ? Try the analog input as well. It needs a little bit more break-in as well. Even oth .......
196: Tweakers' Asylum, Okay..I am subscribing for another year or more .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-15, 17:57:32 (192.138.150.249)
Fantastic points. John. About the sampling point and accuracy of reproduction. I would suggest measuring jitter with and without isolation as Stereophile did years ago. .......
197: Tweakers' Asylum, This is what happens if you listen only to bass :-) nt. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-15, 17:23:31 (192.138.150.249)
. .......
198: Tweakers' Asylum, Any articles on Bush ?Otherwise I am skeptical about the Skeptic Magazine (nt). :-) (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-15, 17:20:15 (192.138.150.249)
. .......
199: Digital Drive, how good is the transport on the 4960 ? (nt). (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-13, 19:42:05 (192.138.150.249)
. .......
200: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Days/Views (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-12, 18:19:58 (192.138.150.249)
Look for how long it stays unsold with the Days/Views. If it gets sold quick enough, you know it is a popular brand/model. For eg. a Nordost blue heaven IC at $100 will get sold in a few days. ::: TOP .......
201: Digital Drive, How good is your digital input ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-12, 17:24:13 (192.138.150.249)
It is quite possible, either the transport or the digital cables are introducing jitter into the amplifier. I have the Panasonic XR50 which is a poorer cousin of your TACT. I recently got a Zu Ash Dig .......
202: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Panny tips (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-11, 10:54:13 (192.138.150.249)
1) Breakin is real. Just believe it. 50-100hrs should be fine or less noticeable after that. 2) Higher the digital input quality (less jitter) better the sound. 3) Vibration reducing footers helps in .......
203: Digital Drive, Thanks (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-10, 18:06:18 (192.138.150.249)
It is sincere and knowledgeable people like you and Wernier, I find the time spent here worthwhile. My elec. engg knowledge is rusty and your explanation really helps. (Yes, somebody is reading this t .......
204: Hi-Rez Highway, Lower priced receivers are back to analog amplification ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-10, 16:12:19 (192.138.150.249)
The 2100ES and 3100ES are mentioned as having analog amplification. Is this an error or change in strategy ? What about the 5000ES ? Did Sony decide it cannot sustain digital amplification at this pri .......
205: Hi-Rez Highway, Transparency vs high-fidelity (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-09, 16:50:49 (192.138.150.249)
Christine, Looks like you are after high-fidelity. For me, I dont mind some discrepancies in bass or some harshness in the highs. To me, when I listen to the system from another room, it should sound .......
206: Digital Drive, Re: Behringer Strikes Again (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-08, 19:15:30 (192.138.150.249)
Scott, How is the phase response of the DEQ equalizer ? I don't see any mention of this at all in the manual. Does equalizing introduce phase shifts ? I am worried it might muddy the image. I am tempt .......
207: Digital Drive, Re: Is the signal on the digital coax already clocked (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-08, 19:12:18 (192.138.150.249)
The clock signal (say 44.1kHz) is encoded in the digital stream that is coming off of the coax. A DAC would 'recover' the clock from this and playback the data in that particular sampling rate. There .......
208: Hi-Rez Highway, Even entry level vinyl meets my minimum rrequirements for transpareny.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-08, 16:13:51 (192.138.150.249)
..but I cannot say the same about digital, including SACD. There is a slight haze on the digital which takes lots of tweaking and investement to get rid of. I have a MMF-5 bought for $500 which is ver .......
209: Digital Drive, Re: Quantization error (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-08, 10:40:13 (192.138.150.249)
Todd, I do know the difference between PDM and PCM. My view of DSD as a high-sampling rate/low word length strategy is just a 'perspective'. Even though the exact mechanism of the original waveform co .......
210: Digital Drive, Digital Volume control /w analog data vs digital data (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-08, 10:32:11 (192.138.150.249)
One version of it works on the digital input stream and modifies it to lower volume. This MIGHT lose resolution. Another version of 'digital volume control' uses a miniature DAC inside to change the b .......
211: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: Have you tried the Bluegrass SACDs on Rounder and Sugar Hill? (nt) (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-08, 10:25:54 (192.138.150.249)
Thanks. I will check it out. But the Jorma Kaukonen 'blue..' album sounds a little muted to me. .......
212: Hi-Rez Highway, Vivid vs Auric Illuminator (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-07, 17:43:33 (192.138.150.249)
Ric, I tried Vivid based on your input. It surely makes a difference(thank you). Even the blackening and the mat(I use Herbie's Grungebuster). Now what is your opinion on the latest Auric I. vs Vivid .......
213: Digital Drive, Re: Not Anytime Soon.... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-07, 17:15:41 (192.138.150.249)
Todd, in a digital amplifier the output is low-pass filtered. Maybe, that is why I am having no problems plugging my digital amplifier into the wall, instead of any of the three power conditioners I h .......
214: Digital Drive, Quantization error (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-07, 17:13:40 (192.138.150.249)
Nyquist's theorem is perfect, inviolable. It only assumes, the sample value is EXACT, which is not the case with 16bits. Either you increase the word length or increase the sampling frequency. DSD is .......
215: Hi-Rez Highway, Nature of SACD recordings... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-07, 14:55:04 (192.138.150.249)
I am not even sure whether I like the sound of SACDs. It seems to give a back hall view of the recording. This is okay for classical, but for say something like, bluegrass, I like a 'close-miked' view .......
216: Hi-Rez Highway, Thanks. Just ordered 3 . No shipping too ( $20. (nt) (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-06, 19:11:05 (192.138.150.249)
. .......
217: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Panny SA-XR50S...? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-04, 09:44:33 (192.138.150.249)
The C1 has a dip to 4ohm from 8ohm. But it is not that bad efficiency wise. So buy the receivers if it has a return policy. .......
218: Computer Audio Asylum, About your Audiophile USB .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-03, 18:58:44 (192.138.150.249)
How do you think your Powerbook/Audiophile USB compares with a transport you have or that you know very well. I am planning to get a Audiophile USB to run with my laptop, streaming over iTunes from an .......
219: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: " It just sounds fuller and more fleshed out. " (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-01, 15:32:59 (192.138.150.249)
I wish I could try the Clari-T (my speakers which are 92db should be okay). But I have a self-imposed restriction, that I will not go to preamps/dacs anymore. I will waiting for the next Sony or other .......
220: Amp/Preamp Asylum, " It just sounds fuller and more fleshed out. " (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-01, 14:10:38 (192.138.150.249)
Yes, as a xr50 owner, I would agree that is one error of omission of this amp. Some tweaks have improved it, but am not fully satisfied. Either the Tripaths are a little better than the TIs or the bat .......
221: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Not just another digital Amp Question. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-01, 11:05:20 (192.138.150.249)
You surely have to let it breakin some more. Experiment with power cords and digital cables. Vibration isolation on the Panny also has some effect. More serious tweaks would be power conditioning. Aft .......
222: Tweakers' Asylum, did you use a good power cord on the BC Music Ring ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-03-01, 09:20:21 (64.166.86.52)
I find that there is a current draw from the wall. So the power cord behind it matters. To me it is almost close. I do have a suspicion that the wall might be slightly more dynamic. But there are lots .......
223: Cable Asylum, Re: Need to understand the science behind thin wires .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-28, 16:45:16 (192.138.150.249)
Theoretically, for low voltages, just a single wire thin wire, should be fine,but we are pushing the limits with the high end audio. The output impedence of the phono stage is not zero and the input i .......
224: Cable Asylum, Need to understand the science behind thin wires .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-28, 15:33:23 (192.138.150.249)
They reduce skin effect. If you are dealing with low voltages (like in a phono stage) or more current like in a speaker cable, you need to use multiple runs of the thin wire. Maybe you know about skin .......
225: Cable Asylum, You reduced the inductive coupling between the signal and return (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-28, 15:24:52 (192.138.150.249)
This probably increased the inductance of the cable and reduced the capacitance. There is nothing much in a cable, except the winding geometry and the insulation material. But this alone makes a treme .......
226: Digital Drive, It sounds loud throughout the whole song.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-28, 15:17:58 (192.138.150.249)
an opposite example would be classical music - sometime you dont hear anything and suddenly something loud plays. It is called dynamic range. Nothing like that exists in POP music. They want you to he .......
227: Amp/Preamp Asylum, I am waiting for a PC kind of commoditization.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-28, 15:13:58 (192.138.150.249)
but it might not happen, considering the popularity of mp3s :-(. But the consumer market would get very close to high-end. And I would go the mod route. .......
228: Digital Drive, When are you going to experiment with transports ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-27, 22:13:42 (64.172.24.241)
Looks like the transport could contribute a significant amount to the sound as well. Now that you have gone through a slew of DACs, do you think you will do the same with transports. I would be intere .......
229: Cable Asylum, Re: Zu Ash (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-26, 18:15:44 (192.138.150.249)
I dont know ..it took a long time to understand jitter itself. But the improvements are across the board. When new, the bass was too much, almost thundering and the treble harsh. After burnin, it seem .......
230: Cable Asylum, Zu Ash (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-26, 17:07:32 (192.138.150.249)
around $100 or $120 on auction at ebay. Very good soundstage and very quiet. Not to mention the tight bass and transparent highs. .......
231: Hi-Rez Highway, I think even entry level vinyl sounds very 'real' (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-26, 16:38:01 (192.138.150.249)
With my MMF-5 any LP made with analog recording has a sense of 'realism' or 'transparency'. I had to go to pure digital chain (transport + digital amplifier - Panny XR50) to hear any transparency in t .......
232: Hi-Rez Highway, Good to see you here Alex and now.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-23, 14:41:46 (192.138.150.249)
what happened to the great cheap universal 578 transport you promised us ? :-) !! Looks like one generation has changed already with the players. .......
233: Hi-Rez Highway, Not all DSD SACDs sound good (to me). (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-23, 14:34:25 (192.138.150.249)
I think I prefer the ones made from analog stereo masters. I am speculating that in mixing DSD tracks something goes wrong. The venue ambience does not seem real. I liked the few 96Khz/24bit recording .......
234: Digital Drive, Pioneers can read any disc. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-23, 14:20:45 (192.138.150.249)
I had a DV-525 and it read whatever I threw at it. Also, you may want to use 'fast' cables. This seems to make things even low volume sound better. 'Fast' usually means ICs with low capacitance and sp .......
235: Digital Drive, Re: Will reducing jitter make digital equal LP ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-22, 15:21:25 (192.138.150.249)
Steve, I dont have a DAC or preamp. I am using a cheapo Panny. Even in this setup, the analog sound is different and to me better. That is the reason for this war on jitter with the transport. Ofcours .......
236: Digital Drive, Re: Will reducing jitter make digital equal LP ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-22, 15:18:31 (192.138.150.249)
Will the carbon fibre brushes used with LPs also reduce the static ? .......
237: Tweakers' Asylum, How is RRL Shina Ola different from their vinyl wash ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-22, 09:42:38 (192.138.150.249)
The vinyl wash is also deionized water+surfactant. I tried it on my Star Wars DVD and it seems like I hear more details in the orchestra. Wondering if anybody has any experiences with it. .......
238: Digital Drive, Re: Will reducing jitter make digital equal LP ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-22, 09:40:08 (192.138.150.249)
"Even mediocre digital is better than bad vinyl" You mean is NOT better, right ? I am with you on the transport and cables making a difference, which is basically block error rate and jitter reduction .......
239: Cable Asylum, the fact that 'just a wire' making a difference is just fascinating.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-21, 18:33:40 (192.138.150.249)
and I think this is probably what makes people try various cables. I can just change the sound of my system by just switching some power cables around. So many might feel it is not worth changing a 'b .......
240: Digital Drive, SACD sounds ..TOO SMOOTH ..!!! (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-21, 16:25:00 (192.138.150.249)
One more person with credentials whose opinion on SACD is similar to mine. Even close miked recordings sound too smooth. Actually, even CDs made from SACDs sound this way. Maybe it is in the way the D .......
241: Digital Drive, Upsampling messes real venue ambience cues.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-21, 16:14:46 (192.138.150.249)
i.e the soundstage is not real. Everything is smooth, and big. But it does not sound like a real venue. .......
242: Digital Drive, Will reducing jitter make digital equal LP ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-21, 16:12:36 (192.138.150.249)
Sometime back, I had speculated on these forums that one of the factors contributing to the digital sound is the 'solid-state' electronics in digital versus pure electrial phenomenon of a current indu .......
243: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Primare sounds a little too warm for my tastes (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-19, 08:28:32 (64.172.24.190)
if that is okay with you, it should be fine. I heard it in the store driving a Martin Logan, which I guess are a difficult load as well. .......
244: Tweakers' Asylum, How does low AC Mains voltage affect audio components ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-17, 14:59:21 (192.138.150.249)
I am mostly interested in how this affects switching power supplies. I find my Panny XR50 has more grunt when the voltage is close to 120v rather than at 116V. I am not sure increasing the volume help .......
245: Hi-Rez Highway, Just plug any power cord in , no problem (nt). (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-17, 14:55:54 (192.138.150.249)
. .......
246: Digital Drive, Focussing on transports now (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-17, 09:30:02 (192.138.150.249)
I am going to be focussing on transports now. I think there will be a proliferation of digital amplifiers this year. I am in principle will be going for one, ONLY, with a digital input. I feel there i .......
247: Hi-Rez Highway, You are not alone ..but (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-16, 13:15:33 (192.138.150.249)
Anytime, I play a LP, visitors to my home (who are not audiophiles) do not like the surface noise. It is there in all LPs to some extent. But for somebody who is into transparency, the noise does not .......
248: Digital Drive, Cable topology and jitter.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-16, 11:53:02 (192.138.150.249)
You have confirmed with some authority that cable topology matters more than the length. This is what the Zu cable people think too. I went for Zu because, I thought, there is only so much you can do .......
249: Digital Drive, Need $4000 in digital to beat a $500 analog !!!! (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-16, 11:30:53 (192.138.150.249)
Cope, Thanks for sincerely replying to my post. I am afraid you may be right. It DOES seem to take lot of money in a digital rig to beat analog. Even entry level analog seems very 'real' and digital s .......
250: Digital Drive, Minimum price for a CD/ CD+DAC with transparency (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-15, 15:26:16 (192.138.150.249)
I am looking for a CD/CD+DAC which has the transparency of a turntable like say MMF-5. My Philips 963SA running as transport into my Panny XR50 gave some transparency after some tweeaks (isolation, po .......
251: Hi-Rez Highway, Is your system neutral ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-15, 15:01:25 (192.138.150.249)
It all depends on how well your system reproduces sounds. Though the notion of neutrality is very relative and difficult to measure absolutely, this can be checked out by comparing notes with others. .......
252: Hi-Rez Highway, "sometimes it can happen that an integrated AV unit can sound more neutral and less coloured than a hi-end amp" (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-15, 14:10:18 (192.138.150.249)
I think, the more I am getting into transparency , the more I am being disillusioned with audiophile mid-fi. Maybe I need to really go past the 1-1.5K Int amps for the real transparency. .......
253: Hi-Rez Highway, What is your SACD player ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-15, 13:47:47 (192.138.150.249)
I find even a $500 turntable (MMF-5) sound pretty decent. It has real transparency and recording venue ambience. But a $500 CD or SACD player is not at all transparent. Since I have not spent too much .......
254: Digital Drive, You are confusing me with audioengr.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-11, 18:30:50 (192.138.150.249)
and I know .000000000000001% of what he knows about audio :-) I am just summarizing things I have gathered in the last few years. And it has been very difficult to understand, digest and assimilate, e .......
255: Hi-Rez Highway, High end Receivers might be more neutral than audiophile amps (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-11, 16:20:15 (192.138.150.249)
I am beginning to get the feeling that good quality receivers might be more neutral than many low, mid highend audiophile amps/int. amps. The audiophile amps seem to be rounding off the attack/transie .......
256: Digital Drive, Both matters (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-11, 16:14:18 (192.138.150.249)
Transports responsibilites -------------------------- 1) Read the bits off the CD correctly, without resorting to error correction, as much as possible (People are resorting to PCs for this purpose. R .......
257: Cable Asylum, Yup...Nordost is good for increasing 'dynamics/speed'. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-11, 13:15:37 (192.138.150.249)
Nordost has very low inductance and capacitance. And I think it to be the most neutral of all cables. They make the cables that are considered the (or atleast one of the) ultimate reference in audio c .......
258: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Your power conditioner.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-11, 13:11:22 (192.138.150.249)
is what I think is holding you back. Try a Furman Power Factor Pro with or without a balanced power conditioner. The power cord to the Pro (from the balance power conditioner or the Panny) is the most .......
259: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Furman Power Factor Pro - $220 (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-10, 17:20:41 (192.138.150.249)
It is only rated for 10Amps. But it might be sufficient just for the amplifier. It needs a little bit of breakin, because of two capacitors inside. I have a balanced power conditioner daisy chained, f .......
260: Digital Drive, but the brightness from my face would be gone as well.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-09, 15:32:49 (192.138.150.249)
A new player and a preamp hmmm...Looks like it takes too much to solve this brightness issue :-) .......
261: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Panasonic SA-XR25 vs. SA-XR50? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-09, 13:10:32 (192.138.150.249)
Wayne, You were the one who said that XR50 is somewhere between the XR25 and XR45 in sound quality (?) Now that you have modded a XR70, how does it compare with a modded XR45 ? .......
262: Cable Asylum, You must be kidding .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-08, 17:49:07 (192.138.150.249)
The difference after breakin is dramatic (it is not fully done). Initially, it was unbearable the very first moment.. .......
263: Amp/Preamp Asylum, XR50 is better, try jandr.com (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-08, 16:13:55 (192.138.150.249)
. .......
264: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Spend your max on transport/digital cable ..you will be rewarded. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-08, 10:03:06 (192.138.150.249)
. .......
265: Digital Drive, To me transparency is musical (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-08, 10:01:49 (192.138.150.249)
See, transparency is very easy to achieve with analog rig. Just vacuum the LPs and any decent player (i have a MMF-5) and amp will be transparent. You then only need to worry about soundstage, bass et .......
266: Digital Drive, John's got a wise thing to say (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-07, 19:43:03 (192.138.150.249)
It is always good to go for the most transparent component. If something is harsh, just turn down the volume a little. If not, just dont sit in the sweetspot, relax and take it easy. I know how much D .......
267: Cable Asylum, Thanks for the responses.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-07, 19:35:59 (192.138.150.249)
I am surprised by the amount of differences between digital cables. It feels as though even the volume level has changed. If breakin itself, has so much impact, I am wondering how much the cable windi .......
268: Digital Drive, Similar experience here (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-07, 13:21:01 (192.138.150.249)
I just changed digital cables and observed an 'apparent' increase in volume. I think, this means, a good thing. Jitter has been reduced - because of this, the bass is tight and the treble clear. So to .......
269: Cable Asylum, Do digital cables need break-in ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-07, 13:12:44 (192.138.150.249)
I was surprised to find my new digital cable changing sound during the inital break in period. The manufacturer suggests 250hrs. And that the initial treble hardness would go away after this period. D .......
270: Digital Drive, Lavry uses reclocking.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-07, 10:28:50 (192.138.150.249)
..which I understand. I dont understand Benchmark's 'UltraLock'. The idea of reclocking devices is - once reclocked with a good clock, the output is 75Ohm, the cable is 75ohm and hopefully the digital .......
271: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Doubtful that the panny can drive the Dynaudio (nt). (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-07, 10:11:59 (192.138.150.249)
. .......
272: Amp/Preamp Asylum, More public service :-) (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-07, 10:11:11 (192.138.150.249)
The Panny XR50 is known to be better than the XR25 in Sound Quality. The 24bit/96Khz sampling on the DVD Multi IN on the XR50 is inferior to the 24bit/192Khz on the stereo inputs. The XR50's analog in .......
273: Digital Drive, Waiting for the shootout results (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-06, 16:21:34 (192.138.150.249)
I have a 963SA feeding a Panasonic XR50 receiver. It seems very good, but I am on a mission to provide the best digital signal to the Panny. So I am willing to buy a new transport, if the 963SA is not .......
274: Digital Drive, Any tweaks ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-02, 16:37:52 (192.138.150.249)
Do you have it on any cones or something ? When I put my shelf on spikes the sound drastically improved. A little bit more performance was squeezed when I used Vibrapods/Cones. I Also, I use Walker Vi .......
275: Digital Drive, What speakers ?.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-02-02, 16:33:39 (192.138.150.249)
Steve, What speakers are you using ? The Panny is not good with all kinds of speakers - needs a stable load. Also, when you 'best bass control' ..you mean in comparison with really high end equipment .......
276: Amp/Preamp Asylum, You will like it .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-31, 16:23:36 (192.138.150.249)
go for the XR70. It should work fine with your speakers. The sound should be along the lines of the Creek, but more dynamic and detailed. Instead of RCA interconnects, you will connect with one digita .......
277: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Best Spec? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-31, 13:26:09 (192.138.150.249)
Is there any hiss with the Sony ? Looks like this is a new model, and I even was surprised to find out even the 1000ES is also a digital amplifier version. The hiss has been the major issue for me to .......
278: Amp/Preamp Asylum, The Panny needs some help.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-28, 17:58:09 (192.138.150.249)
It has a very weak power supply. So it is not going to sound that good stock. I have a power factor correction device and a balanced power conditioner and after market power cords. It now sounds 'liqu .......
279: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: parallel SA-XR50s (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-26, 10:51:04 (192.138.150.249)
Thanks Jack. I think I'd go for the XR70 soon. BTW, have you tried power conditioning, I am using a Furman Power Factor Pro and a balanced power conditioner connected together. Also, have power cord u .......
280: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: parallel SA-XR50s (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-25, 11:39:57 (192.138.150.249)
Jack, I am now using a XR50 with my efficient Silverline Sonatina speakers. I am wondering whether I should 'upgrade' to the XR70 for its biamp capability. I am mainly looking to improve the soundstag .......
281: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: parallel SA-XR50s (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-25, 11:36:58 (192.138.150.249)
Maybe those two 10-in woofers in your speakers need more juice. That is why you are having a better sound with paralleling. You could also try switching on both the A/B speaker outputs, even if you ha .......
282: Cable Asylum, Thanks ..and .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-24, 10:34:50 (64.173.11.179)
Thanks to everybody who wrote their experiences. I have one more question, which I probably should have mentioned earlier - what cable sounds good w.r.to soundstage ? I feel soundstage is a good indic .......
283: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Why the Panny is not so popular ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-23, 16:48:24 (64.173.11.179)
1) It does it all. So psychologically, people are hesitant to trust it (just a digital input is needed, it does, volume control/amplification). 2) It cannot drive all kinds of speakers (major issue, s .......
284: Cable Asylum, Digital Cable recommendation needed (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-21, 16:31:42 (192.138.150.249)
I have a Acoustic Zen Silver Photon, which I think beats a 'glass toslink' by a little margin. I am thinking of upgrading this cable to - 1) Chris's Pulsar (good reviews) 2) Nordost Moonglo (true 75oh .......
285: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: New Power conditioner (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-19, 17:48:13 (192.138.150.249)
Agreed. It sure depends on the amplifier (mainly its power supply). I would guess a Creek/NAD or Arcam would benefit more than a Halcro. I do like power conditioners based on well known scientific tec .......
286: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: New Power conditioner (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-19, 11:05:41 (192.138.150.249)
Kal, When I said louder, I should have put it in quoteas as 'louder'. This is mainly because, the certain notes which happen to be in the frequency range that makes the speaker draw more current (eg b .......
287: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: Static Bulk Power Factor Correction.... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-19, 11:00:57 (192.138.150.249)
Yes, I know the difference. I did not expect much for $220 from the Furman. It also does surge protection. So I suggested it as a cost effective device. I also noted that the sound is a little uneven, .......
288: Tweakers' Asylum, New Power conditioner (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-18, 13:25:30 (192.138.150.249)
Looks like power factor correction is gaining steam in the audiophile market, after balanced power. Audience has come out with a power conditioner with power factor correction http://www.audience-av.c .......
289: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Digital Receiver Question. Panny and any others. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-16, 16:16:39 (192.138.150.249)
Timbley, Saw your reply to my post in a thread way below, but thought will reply here itself. It looks like your Denon Player's digital output may have jitter. Quite possible the sound card has less j .......
290: Digital Drive, Re: RFC: Proposal for testing CD clarifying devices (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-14, 16:45:47 (192.138.150.249)
How to test output ? 1) The SPDIF output should be directly analysed for jitter. 2) The SPDIF output should be recorded with different CDs and bit-by-bit comparisons should be done. (I think aligning .......
291: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Panasonic SA-XR50 analog inputs - not so good. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-14, 11:37:21 (192.138.150.249)
How long have you used the analog inputs in the XR50 ? I think there is capacitor in the path, which needs to get broken in. If you already did this, it confirms my suspicion that the analog input sou .......
292: Tweakers' Asylum, Exactly.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-12, 11:45:38 (192.138.150.249)
IF the shelf material makes a difference, then that means vibration has already gotten there. It is good to have a strong frame/structure and contacts/rests for the component, that transmit very less .......
293: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Panny, JVC etc.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-12, 00:29:14 (67.118.8.70)
You mention the Panny, JVC in the same breath as the high-end PS Audio, Bel Canto. How do you think these cheapies rate against the high-end ones ? Also, the XR50 is comparably mellow compared to the .......
294: Cable Asylum, The cable as the centre of the universe.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-11, 09:59:34 (192.138.150.249)
Too much trouble too few benefits. Just get a professional ADC, use AES/EBU for long distances. Or better yet, use a digital amplifier like TACT and avoid all this analog interconnect business. ::: T .......
295: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Getting sound, but not multi-channel... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-07, 18:36:57 (192.138.150.249)
Is DD/DTS playing back in multi-channel ? this will ensure that you have the receiver configured for all these speakers. Make sure you select the MCH layer of the SACD on your player. Also, not all SA .......
296: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: observations... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-04, 14:30:55 (192.138.150.249)
Good feedback for the board. People will be surprised to see a Benchmark DAC being used with the Panny. Any reason, you tried only the 'optical' ? In my case, a major improvement was seen when I put m .......
297: Amp/Preamp Asylum, ICEPower ??? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-02, 18:39:45 (192.138.150.249)
Why is PSAudio hiding the fact that they are using ICEPower ? I can't seem to find any info on the innards of this amp from PSAudio. .......
298: Digital Drive, Upsampling.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-02, 15:45:30 (192.138.150.249)
Upsampling created a false sense of space ..a bigger soundstage with my Philips 963SA. But I could tell it was not the real venue ambience, so I never use upsampling with my 963SA, which is used as a .......
299: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Panny XR70 using preamp (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2005-01-02, 15:38:01 (192.138.150.249)
I have a friend using a Dared tube pre with the Tripath based TEAC. I could still hear the tube signature in this setup. So you should be getting a good sound through the Panny also, if you input your .......
300: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Biamp with 2 100W != 200W (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-30, 17:08:42 (192.138.150.249)
I have the XR50 and am planning to buy the XR70 just for the biamp feature like you. First, you need to get a separate wire for the highs. Use both the ends of the current bi-wire for the lows. And BT .......
301: Tweakers' Asylum, REVIEW: Furman Power Factor Pro Power Conditioner/Surge Protector (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-18, 16:06:32 (64.166.84.221)
Model: Power Factor Pro Category: Power Conditioner/Surge Protector Suggested Retail Price: $219 Description: Power factor correction, noise filtering Manufacturer URL: Furman Model Pi .......
302: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: Any one use a BPT w/ other devices? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-17, 14:16:38 (192.138.150.249)
What are you using now ? I did not get the BPT because in the reviews they mention it was 'tuned' for a warmer sound. I got suspicious (just like you, I want dynamics first) and got the Blue Circle MR .......
303: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: panman is confuzzled! (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-10, 15:31:36 (192.138.150.249)
No the display is correct. It should be 96Khz/24bit when using DVD multi-channel inputs. (I have the XR50) .......
304: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Yes (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-10, 14:00:45 (192.138.150.249)
The frequency at which the digital input is played should be 44.1khz (you knew that right).This clock information is derived from the digital input. If it is a bad player/digital cable sometimes it wi .......
305: Amp/Preamp Asylum, I use Monolithic Sound Phone Pre with upgraded power supply. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-10, 13:57:32 (192.138.150.249)
Note, since the analog inputs are immediately converted to digital. The inputs have a high input impedence, because of this, the sound is less dependent on the interconnects. .......
306: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Which input do you use? nt (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-10, 13:54:14 (192.138.150.249)
Panman, Dont use the DVD multichannel inputs. It is inferior to the stereo input. It uses only 96khz/24bits whereas the stereo inputs use the 192Khz/24bit. Looks like they cut costs in the quality of .......
307: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Which input do you use? nt (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-10, 11:41:26 (192.138.150.249)
I use CD for the SACD input and TAPE for the LP input. Leave it on for sometime, and then switch back to your older equipment, see whether you like the difference. With the Panny, you should notice a .......
308: Digital Drive, Who is blissful here ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-10, 10:21:15 (192.138.150.249)
Hard drives will beat CD transports in jitter free playback. And that too very consistent playback all the time, without any dependence on tweaks, power cords etc. I dont have time for tweaks and goin .......
309: Digital Drive, Coins wrapped in aluminum foil (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-10, 10:15:54 (192.138.150.249)
They advise just pennies..but I use all kinds of them. Provides shielding too. .......
310: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Thanks..one more question (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-10, 10:06:41 (192.138.150.249)
Thanks Wayne..are the output devices the same ? The PWM/processor chipset is same, per your account already. .......
311: Amp/Preamp Asylum, I use Vinyl.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-10, 10:04:30 (192.138.150.249)
Compared to my Audio Refinement Complete it seems to have little less body..But then I think it is because of the 'dynamics' and the tight bass of the receiver. There is no edge whatsoever. But I use .......
312: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Any listening comparisons between the XR50 ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-09, 10:17:37 (192.138.150.249)
Wayne, Remember there was a connector on the power supply board in the XR50 which was unused. It was speculated that this would be used in the XR70 for the voltage-controlled volume control. So do you .......
313: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Any listening comparisons between the XR50 ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-09, 09:13:20 (192.138.150.249)
. .......
314: Computer Audio Asylum, Understandable (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-08, 18:00:47 (192.138.150.249)
If you want to use a single pc (if it is quiet) you can just add an external USB sound card with coax/toslink digital output. Connect the digital output to your DAC/receiver. If you have a wireless ro .......
315: Computer Audio Asylum, Just make that laptop connect wirelessly to your PC.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-08, 17:56:59 (192.138.150.249)
and if the PC is somewhere else, then you have the quiet you have wanted. I am running iTunes on one PC (connected to the wireless router) and another laptop with wireless card also running iTunes. Us .......
316: Amp/Preamp Asylum, There's one switch behind your preamp.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-08, 13:55:41 (192.138.150.249)
Make sure that is not set for high-gain. Also, your monoblocks should have a gain switch. Set it to the low-gain mode. If not you have no choice but to use the unbalanced output (may not be bad at all .......
317: Digital Drive, Try iRiver with a digital output into your DAC (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-08, 13:32:29 (192.138.150.249)
Use a glass toslink for connection. I think it maybe very close to your main rig, if you are playing less compressesd files. .......
318: Tweakers' Asylum, Some resources for you (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-07, 11:47:17 (192.138.150.249)
http://www.gcaudio.com/newsletter/2004_summer.html Aurios works horizontally, Bright Star in the vertical direction. You may want to incorporate both in your setup. Leave out the Airmass and use the A .......
319: Computer Audio Asylum, Re: AirPort Express was working - before F/W update (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-07, 10:38:30 (192.138.150.249)
Steve, You dont have to plug it into the router. If your laptop needs to have internet acces, the AE has to talk to the router. So it would have been given a IP address by the router. If you go to you .......
320: Digital Drive, Based on your description and tweaks.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-06, 18:05:35 (192.138.150.249)
it looks like it is in the recording. I dont have Modern Cool..only cafe blue. I will listen to that one and see if it is there on my philips 963sa and Panny XR50. I dont have the roller bearings but .......
321: Digital Drive, Wait for a year, it will be half the price (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-06, 17:31:24 (192.138.150.249)
This the price you pay for technological advancement. Anyways, most stores have only 30 day price guarantee. .......
322: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Depends on the source (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-06, 14:07:46 (192.138.150.249)
If your digital input is jitter free/less then you will not notice the edge. I have both a digital rig and analog (turntable, SACD input). The XR50 is not bright with analog rig at all. With digital i .......
323: Computer Audio Asylum, Re: Some answers (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-06, 10:43:47 (192.138.150.249)
Gordon, Thanks for the reply. I guess, this is one of the weakness of iTunes interface. I wish they had a wizard interface for 'adding to library'. This is how most of the software GUI is written i.e. .......
324: Computer Audio Asylum, Re: AirPort Express was working - before F/W update (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-06, 10:39:42 (192.138.150.249)
Steve, Can you check with your router that the AE is showing up as DHCP client ? If it does, then the only issue is what you are suspecting. .......
325: Digital Drive, Fantastic article..6moons my fav webzine (nt). (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-06, 09:40:15 (192.138.150.249)
. .......
326: Digital Drive, Re: Might as well move to computer playback (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-06, 09:35:44 (192.138.150.249)
Please read the Digital-PC Audio, I have made some posts yesterday. The Music Server is not a costly affair. You can get it up and running on less than $1.5K even if you dont have any computers. After .......
327: Digital Drive, Try a different player.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-06, 09:29:01 (192.138.150.249)
For eg. like iTunes. Make sure volume control is set to max everywhere. I found iTunes sounds better than winamp. (I am using an external USB sound card and also a 'glass toslink'). .......
328: Digital Drive, Might as well move to computer playback (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-05, 18:11:48 (192.138.150.249)
I think it all depends on how good the laser pickup is on a player. The irony is, not all highend players seem to have a good pickup. I think CDs once cleaned with Walker Vivid or something similar, e .......
329: Computer Audio Asylum, Re: AirPort Express was working - before F/W update (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-05, 17:55:06 (192.138.150.249)
Steve, I think the AE's IP address should look like the IP address of your computer which is connected to the Wireless router/access point. If you have setup a 'Workgroup' or internet connection shari .......
330: Computer Audio Asylum, iTunes Music Sharing and Wireless setup (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-05, 17:51:39 (192.138.150.249)
This Thanksgiving I made use of the BestBuy/CompUSA 'sale's to outfit my home XP computer with 1GB memory and 200GB harddisk. I also picked a AdsTech, cheap, external USB sound card. I then got a Belk .......
331: Digital Drive, Quick question (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-03, 15:26:37 (192.138.150.249)
Larry, This is the same I had for Todd. I use Walker Vivid, inner and outer edges blackened and Herbies Grungebuster Mat. I also use anti-static coating (Auric Illumincator) on the CD tray. The player .......
332: Cable Asylum, "have chosen all neutral products .." (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-12-02, 19:49:44 (192.138.150.249)
Way to go.Not many people subscribe to this philosophy. It really beats me. Only if the system is neutral, you can enjoy different kinds of music, recordings. If everything sounds the same..man it cou .......
333: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: Walker Audio Extreme SST (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-30, 10:00:26 (192.138.150.249)
Thanks for the reply, I guess the SST has better durability. I use Walker's Vivid and am very impressed. .......
334: Cable Asylum, Re: How are balanced power conditioners better? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-30, 09:48:51 (192.138.150.249)
A balanced power conditioner is nothing but a center-tapped transfomer. Instead of the 'Phase' wire being +-120V with reference to the neutral' wire. The 'Phase' and neutral are now +60V and -60V. Sin .......
335: Digital Drive, Re: CD ripping/burning for better sound (revisited) (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-29, 19:48:18 (192.138.150.249)
No, I dont. I dont want to mess with my computer (if the mat gets stuck inside or what not). I use my home computer to telecommute as well. I will keep you all posted. Todd has done some ground work. .......
336: Digital Drive, Re: CD ripping/burning for better sound (revisited) (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-29, 19:46:41 (192.138.150.249)
Todd, I know that your system is perfect, do you use the tweaks I mention, viz - Vivid, Herbies Grungebuster etc. Anyways, I will try the Alcohol tonight. .......
337: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: hey (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-29, 17:24:46 (192.138.150.249)
Jon, I must be reading your posts too much :-) Kidding aside, I did mess around with my setup this TG weekend (after messing with my computer). I removed the Mapleshade Silclear on the plain copper sp .......
338: Digital Drive, CD ripping/burning for better sound (revisited) (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-29, 14:33:39 (192.138.150.249)
Okay, I got the latest EAC, ripped with 100% quality, burned onto black Memorex. I fail to see any improvements. Actually, there is a difference in sound, but I am not sure it is better. Ofcourse, I d .......
339: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: The big problem with your survey... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-29, 14:21:19 (192.138.150.249)
Also, he does not say what type of rack he has. This makes a major difference. I have MDF shelves in my rack. When I supported the shelves on spikes instead of resting on flat metal pieces in each cor .......
340: Cable Asylum, I suggest balanced power conditioners (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-29, 14:10:45 (192.138.150.249)
There is good science behind these unlike the 'proprietary' technology behind other power conditioners. These are used in recording/mastering studios as well. Reviews are available on major online aud .......
341: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: Walker Audio Extreme SST (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-29, 09:53:23 (192.138.150.249)
It is quite possible that the Extreme SST is better, but have you tried cleaning the connections and then treating it with the same old SST ?. I have a suspicion that things like SST goes bad after a .......
342: Amp/Preamp Asylum, It depends .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-23, 09:33:31 (192.138.150.249)
Out of the box,as is, I dont think the XR50 can compete. I wanted to spend $1-$1.5K on an integrated amp to replace my AudioRefinement Comnplete. I wanted more air, transparency and drive. I short lis .......
343: Digital Drive, How about your rack ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-22, 17:34:17 (192.138.150.249)
My rack is spiked at the bottom. But when I made the shelf itself rest on spikes instead of the metal plates in the corner, the sound of my transport improved considerably. I dont know what rack you h .......
344: Cable Asylum, Re: Good, BUDGET power cord for XR-70, Philly 963 (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-21, 17:26:46 (192.138.150.249)
I already have a XR50 and a Philips963SA and will be upgrading to the XR70 soon. The best budget prices power cord would be PS Audio Power Punch for $50 with a C7 connector suited for the Panasonic. Y .......
345: Digital Drive, Re: the black CD-Rs act as an equilizer ... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-19, 12:24:33 (192.138.150.249)
I think my experience is similar to yours. If a CD is already good, then there does not seem to be any point in rewriting it. Yesterday, I downloaded the latest version of EAC and made one CD with a M .......
346: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: thanks (more) (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-19, 11:54:09 (192.138.150.249)
a) yes, biamping will double the power to the speakers. The XR70 supports a biamp mode. You can use the party mode in XR50 or if you want to use an external preamp, use the DVD multi-channel inputs to .......
347: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Soundstage and digital amps (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-19, 11:47:32 (192.138.150.249)
My only experience with digital amps is the 'lowly' Panasonic and some casual listening at a friends place who runs a Tripath-based TEAC with Dared tube preamp. I think both my Panasonic and his syste .......
348: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Another Panny q (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-17, 16:46:43 (192.138.150.249)
There is no preamp stage as such in the Panny. It just digitized its inputs and does everything digitally inside. You can connect the output of your pre into the DVD Multi-Channel inputs of the Panny. .......
349: Digital Drive, Just to add to what John said .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-17, 15:01:02 (192.138.150.249)
The Benchmark could be good, but it is only as good as the bits you feed it. i.e your players digital out quality is very important. Here are some simple tweaks you should try before you decide to spe .......
350: Digital Drive, Re: Hmmmmmmmmm (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-17, 14:37:35 (192.138.150.249)
I have a 963SA and I thought I would 'upgrade' to a 999ES. Your post seems to imply it might not be an upgrade at all. BTW, it is 963SA right ? Not 962SA as described in your system page. I have balan .......
351: General Asylum, Re: yes -- sound effect based on phase "tricks" in recording (I assume) (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-15, 18:47:02 (192.138.150.249)
Yes, it is some trick with phase. But the wall reflection seems like a must-have to experience. I dont care for the effect that much, but I think I would like to have a dedicated listening room, just .......
352: General Asylum, How to recreate sound behind the listener with Stereo ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-15, 10:41:25 (192.138.150.249)
I heard a Chesky test CD at a friends place. It makes a very convincing impression of a singer going around you, when you seated in the sweet spot. At one point a voice just behind your left shoulders .......
353: Digital Drive, Thanks sendler and tubesguy..one more question (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-13, 17:26:21 (192.138.150.249)
What do you think about the SRC2496 ? I think, I am more interested in eliminating jitter and also converting my LP output to digital before feeding it into my Panasonic XR50. The panasonic converts a .......
354: Digital Drive, Hardware version of EAC ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-13, 16:55:16 (192.138.150.249)
Sounds like an hardware version of EAC, probably with some DSP processing but I doubt it. With EAC, you need to configure it right with a known disc on your specific drive. This is probably what he do .......
355: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Use a single Panny as a 4 channel power amp (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-13, 08:24:01 (66.122.214.255)
You can run 2 sets of stereo outputs from your preamp into the Panny's DVD-Multi channel input. Set the volume at -15 or -20 on the panny and use the volumen control on the preamp. Note, the Panny is .......
356: Amp/Preamp Asylum, You can still have your HT with this approach.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-12, 10:31:26 (192.138.150.249)
XR50 - $250 + Balanced Power conditioner Now your Arcam, or Creek is not going to beat this setup. (I have a Audio Refinement Complete for comparison, and have heard the Arcam, Creek at dealer's, frie .......
357: Amp/Preamp Asylum, XR50 will beat NAD in transparency dynamics (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-12, 10:27:29 (192.138.150.249)
The NAD will be too dark compared to the XR50. Also with the XR50, you need only a cheap DVD player as a digital source. You just need to get a good power cord for the Panasonic. If you have a balance .......
358: Cable Asylum, harmonic Tech is a better choice (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-11, 09:18:52 (192.138.150.249)
I dont have any of them. But going by the design of these two cables, I suggest you go with Harmonic Tech. It should have much less inductance than the PS Audio. This is the attribute you want in a po .......
359: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: Q for vibration gurus about cones within racks (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-10, 12:55:04 (192.138.150.249)
I think I can see a consensus evolving on rack design for audio components. You really want cone/cup interfaces between each section in a rack. This way, any low frequency vibration traveling through .......
360: Digital Drive, Will a BNC-RCA adapter do the job ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-09, 15:59:23 (192.138.150.249)
If I dont want to mod the components for BNC connection, can I get a BNC ended cable with RCA adapters to do the same trick ? Or will the RCA adapter change the resistance again to mess up the 75Ohm i .......
361: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: More Panasonic XR50/70 questions (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-09, 15:50:50 (192.138.150.249)
Actually, I like the XR50 better than the Audio Refinement Complete for SACD. It lets the dynamics through much better. Only thing is, I have only about 10 or so SACD and the quality of SACD varies. I .......
362: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: More Panasonic XR50/70 questions (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-08, 18:45:17 (192.138.150.249)
The analog input is pretty transparent. I think the stereo analog inputs are better than the DVD Multi . The stereo inputs are sampled at 24bit/192Khz whereas the DVD Multi are 24bit/96Khz. I thought .......
363: Amp/Preamp Asylum, My suggestions.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-08, 18:40:43 (192.138.150.249)
Jim, I found the XR50 to be extremely transparent. In that, increasing the quality of the sources, improves the sound a lot. This is true for both the analog and digital inputs. I would suggest that y .......
364: Hi-Rez Highway, "very good recording or remastering from analog masters such as Rca Living Stereo?" (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-08, 09:42:49 (192.138.150.249)
Actually such recordings sound great even in CD form. Just switch between the CD layer and SACD layer on the RCA Living Stereo. There will be very little difference. The main reason I like about SACD .......
365: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: OK, then... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-02, 16:41:47 (192.138.150.249)
Stephen, I dont understand your point very well. I feel that if a Redbook recording is made from an analog stereo master (i.e all mixing etc have been done analog domain or preferably no mixing like i .......
366: Digital Drive, Re: Not sure I follow what you're saying... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-02, 15:01:30 (192.138.150.249)
An electrical outlet socket should theoretically have a zero output impedence. But people have measured it to be close to 1 ohm. Using a transformer behind the socket, especially one that is well made .......
367: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: RCA Living Stereo CD/SACD layer comparisons (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-02, 14:54:39 (192.138.150.249)
Good to get some confirmation on this. Looks like my ears and equipment are okay (a very modest one at that). This confirms to me that Redbook if used properly could be used to deliver high resolution .......
368: Digital Drive, Re: Balanced power conditioners (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-02, 09:39:36 (192.138.150.249)
Yes, like you said, it does not 'constrict' the dynamics. This is mainly because the output impedence of the socket is lowered because of the transformer behind it. It supplies as much current as dema .......
369: Hi-Rez Highway, RCA Living Stereo CD/SACD layer comparisons (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-11-02, 09:24:04 (192.138.150.249)
Has anybody done some comparisons of the CD and SACD layers ? It looks like the CD layer itself is very good. Very slightly compressed sounding compared to the SACD. There is no edge. Very very close .......
370: Digital Drive, Balanced power conditioners (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-31, 16:30:05 (192.138.150.249)
Suggest something like Equitech, Exactpower, BPT or Blue Circle Music Ring. These conditioners actually increase the dynamics unlike other conditioners which restrict it. .......
371: Amp/Preamp Asylum, True fidelity and home made ice-cream (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-29, 10:22:28 (192.138.150.249)
Yup, high end audio seems to be about flavor/presentation. But low end gear lack the drive and ability to slam. You have to find the knee of the curve where you are getting true fidelity and where it .......
372: Cable Asylum, Re: PS Audio Xstream Plus Speaker Cable (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-28, 22:41:16 (64.173.8.207)
What bublitchki is in line with the design of the cable. It has separate positive and negative wires. This means it has low capacitance and high inductance. High inductance cables roll off the high fr .......
373: Digital Drive, Did you get that rack already ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-28, 10:53:07 (192.138.150.249)
I think you need to get a good rack and ball-bearing isolation for your player. Next, I would consider an isolation transformer for your player (so that it does not mess with the tube amp). If I were .......
374: Tweakers' Asylum, I am sure you know this thingy well.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-27, 11:26:44 (192.138.150.249)
..but I think the bearings are just reducing the surface area of contact between the floor and the maple block. (reduction in area of contact is one of the mechanisms by which a bearing reduces fricti .......
375: Tweakers' Asylum, A very good idea.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-26, 18:07:29 (192.138.150.249)
I was thinking exactly along these lines. I was thinking four knobs for better stability. Only catch is, I do not have this much space in the rack (the top shelf is taken by my turntable). ::: TOPIC:: .......
376: Tweakers' Asylum, Okay..we give up group buy ..will Symposium give us a group discount ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-26, 15:45:48 (192.138.150.249)
I think we should organize a group buy with Symposium and if they give us a good discount then everybody is happy. How about $70 for RollerBlock Jrs ? I think we can get around 20 people or so for thi .......
377: Digital Drive, Why we were able to put a man on the moon ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-26, 10:55:03 (192.138.150.249)
Japan is the largest manufacturer of ball bearings in the world. But when it comes to bearings for satellite Americian companies dominate the market thoroughly. Companies like these have people who ha .......
378: Tweakers' Asylum, Is the Symposium idea an original one ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-26, 10:40:45 (192.138.150.249)
check out http://www.worksafetech.com/pages/ISO_Base2.html for US5599106 in action (filed in 1994 vs 1998 for US5807776 by Symposium). .......
379: Tweakers' Asylum, hmm.."we are not talking about a question of patent infringement" (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-25, 18:55:51 (192.138.150.249)
Check out an application of US PATENT 5599106 http://www.worksafetech.com/pages/ISO_Base2.html Daruma, FIM bases seem to be very similar. US PATENT by Symposium leaves out the top plate. Why ? Is it b .......
380: Tweakers' Asylum, I doubt this will work as good as the single ball bearing devices (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-25, 17:19:32 (192.138.150.249)
I dont know this is going to be as good as the single ball devices. We want the player to move with ease even for a less forcefull vibration. I cant imagine how 3-balls can provide later movement. But .......
381: Digital Drive, Re: Vibration Isolation (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-25, 16:49:29 (192.138.150.249)
Both need isolation - The DAC needs isolation from outside it. The player not only needs isolation from outside but also needs to setup in such a way to drain the vibrations caused by the spinning cd. .......
382: Digital Drive, Re: To reduce digititus .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-25, 16:45:22 (192.138.150.249)
Yes, I am aware of the phase discrepancies introduced by filtering. I guess this also leads to an 'uncomfortable' sound. I also think there are two camps when it comes to solving this issue - filterle .......
383: Digital Drive, Re: Thanks. Pity all this has taken so long. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-25, 16:41:01 (192.138.150.249)
John, Yes, I was confused you asked for the link. Since I thought others would benefit as well. I gave it out. .......
384: Digital Drive, It is here .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-24, 17:08:43 (67.118.9.99)
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/digital/messages/94741.html .......
385: Digital Drive, To reduce digititus .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-24, 14:15:50 (67.118.9.99)
Please see a previous discussion titled 'Digital Edginess in Redbook'. The summary is you want to reduce jitter. There are so many ways to do. Looks like going by the way of the harddisk/computer play .......
386: Digital Drive, Microdynamics ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-24, 11:16:22 (67.118.9.99)
I think what you are looking for is what people call microdynamics. Again, my experience with most equipment is, you need to give them a good power supply. Since none of my equipment is DC powered. If .......
387: Digital Drive, Sounds like a power supply issue ... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-23, 23:13:01 (67.118.9.99)
Whenever things sound boring..one needs to make sure the power supply is good. Basically, ensure that there are good power cords, preferably a big isolation transformer or balanced power transfomer. I .......
388: Hi-Rez Highway, Yup...analog mixing !! bring it on (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-23, 22:44:34 (67.118.9.99)
Graemme, Your observations seem to concur with impressions. I like SACDs made from analog stereo masters. So mixing here must have been in analog (like the Ella Fitzgerald and L. Armstrong SACD). The .......
389: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: Well, the cabinet pulls are a little more . . . (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-22, 23:41:46 (66.122.215.202)
I checked out the cabinet pulls in HD today. They seem to be plastic, not brass. Is there any other place which sells good brass, really concave cabinet pulls, you know of ? .......
390: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: pure DSD (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-22, 23:33:18 (66.122.215.202)
Pure DSD recordings get mixed in PCM consoles. However high-res they are, I think something is going wrong here. I feel nothing can beat the analog-to-DSD converted ones. .......
391: Hi-Rez Highway, It is still not hi-res .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-22, 23:30:18 (66.122.215.202)
Consumers have come to believe that SACD is hi-res. And making an SACD from Redbook recording is surely not hi-res. It is probably misleading and unethical. Ofcourse, the SACD might sound slightly bet .......
392: Hi-Rez Highway, John is a good reviewer ..but Sony intended DSD to be an archiving/delivery format (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-22, 10:55:47 (192.138.150.249)
I remember reading that Sony intended DSD to be an archiving and delivery format. For archiving, one can create whatever bit/sampling rate PCM from the DSD recording. For playback, there is an advanta .......
393: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Silverline Sonatina (nt) (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-21, 12:57:31 (192.138.150.249)
. .......
394: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Panny XR50, XR70 and (?) XR30 - Under the Hood (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-20, 17:54:21 (192.138.150.249)
Larry, The 8-pin ribbon connector on the board is the voltage controlled volume control. How are the speaker outs connected to the board/output stage ? I think you want to use some real wire here. In .......
395: Digital Drive, Re: "... the vibrating stylus that must be adding something to the music.." (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-20, 17:45:41 (192.138.150.249)
John, I am a CS/EE person. Being aware of the Nyquists criterion I know that the 44.1 Khz sampling rate should be fine. Only thing that could get better is the word size to reduce the quantization err .......
396: Hi-Rez Highway, Your SACD player is based on a DVD-drive mechanism (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-20, 11:10:27 (192.138.150.249)
that is why you are able to play the DAD which are DVD-Video discs with 24bit/96Khz sampled tracks. Philips SACD 1000 uses the DVD-drive mechanism without the video chips. I was also piqued to see som .......
397: Digital Drive, Even a low end turntable can sound good but .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-20, 11:04:21 (192.138.150.249)
it requires a good redbook player with all kinds of tweaks to get similar performance. That is probably why people like LP. Ofcourse, you need to clean the LPs, stylus etc but the transparency is ther .......
398: Digital Drive, ADDENDUM (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-20, 10:59:50 (192.138.150.249)
I missed playback from harddisk. I think this eliminates the 'analog' aspect of the CD playback and keeps it purely digital, eliminating jitter. Interestingly, personally, I am also considering gettin .......
399: Digital Drive, Thanks to all - Here's the summary of all the posts (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-19, 14:57:45 (192.138.150.249)
Most people think the edginess can be completely removed. Only one person mentioned that the edginess in there in the recording. Power conditioning with balanced power or isolation transformers was su .......
400: Cable Asylum, Re: Signal Cable vs. VHAudio? Any recommendation? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-19, 10:53:26 (192.138.150.249)
What do you mean by degrade ?You know that Flavor 4 is not shielded right ? Probably, this is what is degrading your sound. You should go with Flavor 1 or 3 in this case not the Flavor 4. .......
401: Digital Drive, Digital 'Edginess' in RedBook (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-18, 14:36:28 (192.138.150.249)
Looks the 'Edginess' in CDs seems to vary. Some CDs have very little or nothing at all. None of my few SACD (around 10) have it either. Audiophile CDs (like Rebecca Pidgeon, Naim sampler etc) or CDs m .......
402: Cable Asylum, Digital cable to replace AZ Silver Photon (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-18, 10:35:06 (192.138.150.249)
I have an Acoustic Zen Silver Photon as well as a Glass Toslink. I like the Glass Toslink much better and thought the coax had an edgy sound. Recently, I moved the CD player one rack above where the s .......
403: Cable Asylum, Heard otherwise (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-18, 10:04:19 (192.138.150.249)
Steve/audioengr at Empirical Audio thinks, that less than 1.5M length will cause reflections and cause jitter. He has equipment to measure jitter and so I think there is some scientific claim behind h .......
404: Cable Asylum, I favor the VH AUdio.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-18, 10:01:38 (192.138.150.249)
The VHAudio cables have a ground that is outside the plane of the phase/neutral. Signal Cable uses standard 3wire cables. I have few VHAudio cables and they bested some wellknown audiophile brands. :: .......
405: Digital Drive, Re: Recommendations for used CDP around $1500? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-15, 17:16:50 (192.138.150.249)
Bob, What is your current player ? The DAC is a good idea, because you can get a SACD or DVD-A player and use the DAC for redbook. I think, the shrill highs can be taken care of by appropriate tweaks. .......
406: Cable Asylum, Does Cryo affect digital cables ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-15, 09:50:35 (192.138.150.249)
I do have chris's cryoed power cords. I am right now using a $30 'glass toslink' instead of a Acoustic Zen digital coax. I doubt cryo will affect the digital cables. It affects only signal carrying co .......
407: Tweakers' Asylum, That is the definition of sound ..not music (nt). (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-13, 23:28:22 (64.166.86.236)
. .......
408: Cable Asylum, Re: Chris VH Pulsar Cryoed Wire (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-13, 13:48:52 (192.138.150.249)
Larry, Keep us posted in the amp forum, if you mod the power supply/IEC socket on the Panny. Also, could you try NOT to biamp and see how it affects the sound ? Another two tweaks, you should try, if .......
409: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: krell kav 300il integrated amp (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-12, 16:22:09 (192.138.150.249)
Are there any measurements for the Krell ? Is the frequency just tipped up in favor of the bass or treble ? I have a suspicion the Krell is being very neutral. It is the other amps which go in for fla .......
410: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Negative (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-07, 13:26:13 (192.138.150.249)
JP, The Panny is just a 'neutral' amplifier. It does not have any colorations or whatsoever. But it is compromised by the mass-market manufacturing with a trivial power supply, connectors and ordinary .......
411: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Do we need Preamp, DAC , ICs anymore ? Maybe not! (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-07, 13:17:02 (192.138.150.249)
Larry, Get the 'Glass Toslink' from audiogon for $30. Also, get a C7 adapter and use some decent power cord. After hearing this out, then you can mod this thing out. Many people have heard the XR25/45 .......
412: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Sure.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-07, 09:29:09 (192.138.150.249)
Most probably it may not sound as good as the Audio Research. But there is a possibility that some may like the Panny sound. I for example love it. At higher volumes, the band is in the room. Utterly .......
413: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Do we need Preamp, DAC , ICs anymore ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-07, 09:24:47 (192.138.150.249)
I am also running a XR50 with a balanced power conditioner and aftermarket power cords. Now I feel like all the trouble of integrating a preamp, dac, ic etc into the system could only be a masochistic .......
414: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Negative (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-07, 09:21:21 (192.138.150.249)
The Panny does not have preamp outs when the input is digital. Basically, you cannot use the Panny as a processor. But why not give the Panny a try as your main amp ? You can even use your DAC into th .......
415: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Power supply upgrade without modding the amp (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-05, 18:10:19 (192.138.150.249)
Power supply is one half of the equation which gives more power in a amp. One way to do this externally, is use a large isolation or balanced power transformer. You would be suprised, how much more po .......
416: Amp/Preamp Asylum, component choice & music taste (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-02, 21:35:22 (66.122.214.108)
I dont think these two should be linked together. I know what I am saying is in direct conflict with the majority audiophile philosophy, but I like my approach (I should atleast be the first one, righ .......
417: Tweakers' Asylum, Daisy Chaining Power Conditioners (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-10-01, 01:33:30 (66.122.214.108)
I have a balanced power conditioner. Somebody asked me whether a voltage regulator would work well. I suggested using the voltage regulator behind a balanced power conditioner for a low output impeden .......
418: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: He he,... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-09-30, 20:17:14 (66.122.214.108)
Thats right. Solid State amps I have owned needed atleast 15-20 minutes to sound their best. The XR50 is ready to go immediately when swithced on. BTW, the XR50 does not sound good atleast for the 1 w .......
419: Amp/Preamp Asylum, What model ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-09-30, 10:59:16 (192.138.150.249)
And did he/she replace the power cord ? Any power conditioner in use ? .......
420: Tweakers' Asylum, Multiple smaller transformers (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-09-28, 09:53:47 (192.138.150.249)
Seems to be the approach of Blue Circle. Maybe you want to try this out as well. They also had some issues, but they claim to have fixed this in the newer models. I have one MR1200 and no hum in it. Y .......
421: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Analog playback on Panasonic XR50 (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-09-26, 22:06:21 (64.166.86.145)
First time I am hearing somebody confirm my experience that the analog playback on the XR50 is very good. Really transparent. I am running SACD and LPs through the XR50. Actually, only after I got the .......
422: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: panasonic xr25 DIY mods (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-09-20, 14:02:23 (192.138.150.249)
"recessed midrange and lack of 3-D soundstage" Your description is not necessarily inaccurate. I have the XR50 and I felt the same initially. I have not done any mods. But I have an aftermarket power .......
423: Amp/Preamp Asylum, It all depends on your current amp and speakers (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-09-09, 14:48:19 (192.138.150.249)
The Panny is pretty transparent. I am using a MMF5 w/ Monolithic Sound Phono Pre. I dont think I see any digital nasties. Looks like you like your DAC. So if you had some good amplification, no need t .......
424: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Yes, the Dyns need a better amp than the NAD.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-09-03, 18:20:50 (192.138.150.249)
the Rega Mira 3 with an aftermarket power cord should be fine. If not you should get the highend NAD C372. Nowadays, DVD players themselves have good sound. You can upgrade to a better source later. T .......
425: Cable Asylum, Re: With all due respect in return.............. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-09-03, 14:10:05 (192.138.150.249)
I find the analog interconnects contribute considerably to the sound of the system (not to mention the DAC). That is the reason why I have whole-heartedly embraced the Panasonic XR50. The price is so .......
426: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Panny sound is not for everybody .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-09-01, 09:54:00 (192.138.150.249)
I dont mean to rag another component. I just mentioned my impression of Naim from reviews and user feedback. I tend to keep a mental impression in my mind while reading the board. This helps me to buy .......
427: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Panny sound is not for everybody .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-31, 15:59:20 (192.138.150.249)
The Panny receivers sound 'raw' , 'direct', 'in your face' etc. They do have all the detail and dynamics of a highend system. But the above adjectives are the ones which describe its sound. Most audio .......
428: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Dont be too sarcastic .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-30, 10:36:11 (192.138.150.249)
..I dont see it is a sensible thing to put more in older technology, but I have never made fun of others. Try to be nice. .......
429: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Go with the XR50 (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-29, 11:28:25 (192.138.150.249)
Major difference between XR25 and XR45 was the volume control. The XR45 supposedly has more resolution, using voltage control than digital means. I find the XR50 highly resolving. The analog inputs in .......
430: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Panasonic xr50 first impressions (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-27, 18:24:54 (192.138.150.249)
I did not notice the 'clicky' noise or 'whining' noise. I will look for it. Yes, couple of weeks of usage (of few hrs a day) should be fine. Make sure you go to SETUP 2 and set the FRONT speakers to L .......
431: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Probably compared to reference amplifiers (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-27, 10:22:55 (192.138.150.249)
audioengr is Steve@Empirical Audio, a cable designer/modder. He is probably comparing this to his reference amplifiers, which are modified Parasound JC1s I think. I do agree that the drums sound fanta .......
432: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Yup..John Give us your expert opinions on XR50 please (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-26, 13:19:24 (192.138.150.249)
John, any particular reason you dont want to give the XR50 a try ? It looks like the XR50 might be better than the previous Panny receivers in terms of analog input reproduction, which is what you are .......
433: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: If you heard it, you couldn't doubt it (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-25, 16:08:27 (192.138.150.249)
Mr Bill since you seem to be like a receptive guy :) here are some tips on why there is a breakin. The 'break in' is actually a material science phenomenon. A conductor or dielectric does not have the .......
434: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Yup..John Give us your expert opinions on XR50 please (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-25, 16:04:33 (192.138.150.249)
. .......
435: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Matching speakers for Panny (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-25, 10:56:25 (192.138.150.249)
The Panny does not seem to handle speakers with drastic dips in impedence. I am using Silverline Sonatinas which are made for SET amplifiers. But one person reported having good synergy with JMLab Ele .......
436: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Have you listened to the XR50 ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-25, 10:43:32 (192.138.150.249)
. .......
437: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Panasonic XR50 + Blue Circle Music Ring MR1200 here (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-24, 10:06:28 (192.138.150.249)
I think adding the Music Ring was like the last twist to the focussing ring on the camera lens. Perfect. Wait a minute, I am an audiophile..I know it can get better !!! Mods now ? Maybe. (I already ha .......
438: Amp/Preamp Asylum, CORRECTION - READ AS Re: Panny, Sony,Sharp are pure digital, ICE, LCAudio, Tripath are not pure digital - but hybrid (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-23, 17:33:55 (192.138.150.249)
. .......
439: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Panny, Sony,Sharp are pure digital, ICE, LCAudio, Tripath are not hybrid digital (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-23, 17:13:27 (192.138.150.249)
If we assume that 'pure digital' refers to processing only in the digital domain then the above is the statement to make. Greg, I brought this up earlier, you cannot bring in input sampling rate and p .......
440: Amp/Preamp Asylum, You need to tweak the system.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-23, 11:03:22 (192.138.150.249)
There are lots of things that can change the sound of a system. That is why being an audiophile is a hobby. It is not about just purchasing a 'good' system. I dont know how long you have been doing th .......
441: Amp/Preamp Asylum, If CDs, DVD-As and SACD are okay..why not digital amplifiers ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-23, 10:56:08 (192.138.150.249)
Cds, DVD-A and SACD use digital technology to provide high-fidelity signals (to different degrees) on a disc. Why not then use a similar technology to do the converse ? Theoretically, this should be m .......
442: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Welcome to the world of pure digital amplification (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-20, 15:52:13 (192.138.150.249)
No more DACs, no more interconnects (okay, maybe a digital one) and no more exorbitant prices for good quality. I have changed the power cord on my XR50 and it really helps in increasing the soundstag .......
443: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: No logic.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-19, 13:48:46 (192.138.150.249)
The two products attack the problem differently. The differences between Vivid and Auric are visible even to the naked eye. With Vivid, the disc is shiny. With Auric, the disc has a 'deeper' look. I a .......
444: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: Is Walker Vivid bright sounding ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-19, 13:32:55 (192.138.150.249)
Quint, Your observations are very similar to mine. The differences between Vivid and Auric are visible even to the naked eye. With Vivid, the disc is shiny. With Auric, the disc has a 'deeper' look. I .......
445: Tweakers' Asylum, Re: How (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-17, 16:52:03 (192.138.150.249)
I think the Vivid is basically a cleaner too. It sort of works like a polish. It might leave a layer on the CD. After Vivid, you can see visually, the CD looks like it has more clarity. I then applied .......
446: Amp/Preamp Asylum, This is not a digital amplifier (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-17, 16:45:13 (192.138.150.249)
Somebody on audiocircle, I think, ordered this, got one and opened it up to see it was an old opamp IC based analog amplfier. They were very disappointed ..pissed etc.. .......
447: Tweakers' Asylum, Is Walker Vivid bright sounding ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-16, 14:19:39 (192.138.150.249)
I do like my Vivid, as the name implies, it makes the soundscape more vivid. But yesterday, I found on recording really 'harsh', 'bright'. I then applied some Auric Illuminator on the CD (which was pr .......
448: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Quality products at reasonable prices .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-11, 13:19:36 (192.138.150.249)
is what Dusty's policy is, if I am right. Again this is relative, but compared to the high-priced gear in the high-end market, Dusty is justified in claiming the above. So whenever, he sees, not so go .......
449: Hi-Rez Highway, Is there a reasonably priced receiver w/ ILINK input coming as well ? (nt) (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-10, 10:09:36 (192.138.150.249)
. .......
450: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Direct Digital Amps are DACs as well. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-10, 10:07:39 (192.138.150.249)
The total cost of a modded Panny even if it is close $1.5K is worth it when it comes to pure digital play. It easily beats a $1K audiophile Int. Amp and $.5K CD player. Well..when I say it beats it yo .......
451: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Thanks.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-10, 09:59:16 (192.138.150.249)
Wow..PSAudio support should be really good. They really cut to the bottom of the issue :) Thanks for taking the time to verify this. .......
452: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: XR45 Optical or Coax? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-09, 11:46:03 (192.138.150.249)
Bob, not sure whether the AR Master Toslink is a glass one. Get one for $30 from audiogon. Also, I am not sure about upsampling. It seems more detailed at first place (atleast w/ my 963SA) but later I .......
453: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Yes, really enjoying it ..I now see how bad popular hits are :) (nt) (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-09, 11:42:52 (192.138.150.249)
. .......
454: Hi-Rez Highway, What is your system like ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-09, 11:30:44 (192.138.150.249)
Teresa, You probably heard this, but it is very easy to get good playback from digital, but very very difficult and costly to get excellent playback from digital. It is more in the transport than in t .......
455: Hi-Rez Highway, What ? I thought mastering was the problem.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-09, 11:23:42 (192.138.150.249)
It is difficult to mix and master DSD tracks. People convert it to 32bit 384Khz PCM and then mix/master and again convert it back to DSD. Why all the trouble ? There is already 192Khz 24bit converters .......
456: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: XR45 Optical or Coax? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-08, 17:22:01 (64.172.24.44)
Can you define musical ? It looks like the coax is more lively ..but I also feel it is 'edgy' or has a bit of 'tension'. The 'glass toslink' seems more relaxed. Also, I am able to hear into the low le .......
457: Cable Asylum, Ridiculous ..Kal stop investigating :) (nt) (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-08, 17:18:19 (64.172.24.44)
. .......
458: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Correction (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-08, 12:15:13 (192.138.150.249)
Looks like the Power Punch does not have the ferrite impregnated PVC insulation. Still, I think, it is the best deal - as it has the C-7 connector as well. It reduces one more contact/interface (while .......
459: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Go with the PSAudio (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-08, 11:56:06 (192.138.150.249)
I have tried many cables and it makes quite a difference to the sound of the XR50. I have not tried the PSAudio yet. But am planning to buy one soon. Mainly, because I feel the ferrite impregnated PVC .......
460: Amp/Preamp Asylum, What amps have you tried ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-07, 17:54:32 (64.172.24.44)
Looks like digital amps are much more hi-fidelity than the analog ones. I have tried the cheapy panny xr50 and I can but only imagine how great the TACT would be. The sound of these digital amps is no .......
461: Amp/Preamp Asylum, For around $250 - experiment with digital amps instead of cables (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-04, 20:24:32 (192.138.150.249)
Audiophiles should give the Panny and JVC a shot just for fun. It is like experimenting with cables. Many would be surprised that certain integrated amps or less fancy power amp/preamp + cd players ca .......
462: Digital Drive, Improve sound with accessories (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-04, 10:19:28 (192.138.150.249)
Get a Glass toslink from audiogon.com first. Replace the power cord on the Marantz. Get Mapleshade Silver paste to apply on all connections. You would be amazed at the clarity and increased dynamics o .......
463: General Asylum, Upsampled sound is probably not true to the original sound (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-03, 20:08:00 (192.138.150.249)
I have compared the upsampled sound on my Philips 963SA to the non-upsampled sound and came to the above conclusion. Granted it is not a Cary, it kind of gives an idea on the sort of algorithm that is .......
464: Digital Drive, This is very rude . (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-03, 16:24:38 (192.138.150.249)
Modders are small time business and they might be overloaded at times. If you do not have the patience for that, please visit an 'audiophile' store and get the service you seem to demand. You are ruin .......
465: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Panasonic at 4 ohms? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-08-01, 21:26:56 (64.173.8.249)
Steve, I am suspecting that the impedence is not the problem. It is the dips in the impedence which gives a hard time to the Panny (as it does not have feedback). Also, it is not very powerful probabl .......
466: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Second that.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-31, 20:34:10 (64.172.25.21)
The budget is $2000. So it should be easy to add an aftermarket power cord/adapter for $150 and preferably a balanced power conditioner. I understand even without the power conditioner an XR45 beats t .......
467: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Thanks .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-28, 18:31:00 (192.138.150.249)
Mark, thanks for the reply. I do have a shielded cable (Chris' cryoed Flavor 3 w/ IEC adapter). Are you running the CyberPower from batteries while listening ? .......
468: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Sony w/ I-Link, BTW... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-27, 15:42:19 (192.138.150.249)
Mark, You are the first person with good audiophile credentials to have opined on these Sony's. My question is - do you hear the hiss which people are talking about ? I have a Audio Refinement Complet .......
469: Amp/Preamp Asylum, And you need a transparent /dynamic source as well .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-26, 18:22:53 (192.138.150.249)
The main advantage of the Panasonic is that you only need a good transport. It has DAC, Preamp, PowerAmp builtin. An audiophile equivalent of the Panasonic even at $1500 would find lots of takers. But .......
470: Amp/Preamp Asylum, How about mods ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-26, 13:30:15 (192.138.150.249)
I think Wayne@Bolder Cables has a mod for the XR45. Steve@Empirical Audio might go one step further with even changing out the output inductors etc. Only other option is TACT, which are the same but b .......
471: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Another silly Panasonic question. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-26, 11:59:28 (192.138.150.249)
Steve, Could you qualify 'disappointing' ? How does it stack against some $1K CD players and $1.5K Int. Amps ? I think, the new XR50, is very good in this company. You saying that it will be better af .......
472: Amp/Preamp Asylum, You can't handle the truth - ?? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-25, 13:00:31 (192.138.150.249)
The Panasonic architecture is the ultimate in transpareny. Just turn the bits into a digital amplification signal. As Gmoodl, mentions, it is like a DAC driving the speakers directly. So, it is quite .......
473: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Difficult to compare - XR50 is DAC+Int. Amp (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-19, 17:12:38 (192.138.150.249)
You cannot tell how good the Bryston is, until you use a very good DAC or CD player with it. The XR50 since it takes a digital input is like a DAC+Int. .......
474: General Asylum, AudioAsylum Awards for Reviewers (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-19, 10:26:38 (192.138.150.249)
I am wondering whether we should give out an award to professional/non-professional (asylum posters) reviewers. I am suggesting this mainly because, people seem to have an opinion on this matter quite .......
475: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Dependes on your speakers. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-19, 10:04:32 (192.138.150.249)
The Panasonic is slightly underpowered at about 70w in 8ohms. It seems to have trouble driving certain difficult loads. If the speakers are easy to drive and 70W is good enough for you, then the Panny .......
476: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Philips 963SA w/ upsampled 192KHz/24bit output (nt) (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-19, 10:02:24 (192.138.150.249)
. .......
477: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: I just bought a Panasonic XR-45 for a hundred bucks. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-18, 15:36:47 (192.138.150.249)
What model do you have ? I have the XR50. With the stock power cord, the midrange is a bit recessed. It was difficult for me to listen to because, I was used to listening to the midrange heavy ultra-s .......
478: Hi-Rez Highway, Re: Clock Meister Guido Tent of TENT Labs ... (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-15, 18:59:16 (192.138.150.249)
Thanks for the reply,m Allen. I have talked to Warren here in Bay Area about this. Looking forward to your mods on the 963SA, with or without the clock mods. BTW, do you think your 'filterless' SACD o .......
479: Hi-Rez Highway, Clock and stuff.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-14, 10:59:40 (192.138.150.249)
Allen, I am beginning to suspect that the clock is not the culprit (or atleast the main culprit) in this. Every digital device seems to improve with a better clock anyways than what the manufacturers .......
480: Hi-Rez Highway, A very good price . (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-14, 08:38:16 (66.122.215.162)
Any price at less than $300 for this is a steal. It is a excellent DVD player. It beats the Sony 7700 in stock form as a transport with very low jitter (per audioengr@Empirical Audio). With a good pow .......
481: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: I agree with SoftwireEngineer (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-13, 10:48:54 (192.138.150.249)
Actually, the money saved on this could be invested in a good transport, equipment rack, speaker cables, power conditioners. I am going to get a power conditioner - I think a highend voltage regulator .......
482: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Panasonic Analog Inputs (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-13, 10:26:48 (192.138.150.249)
20hrs is too less a time for breakin. Leave it on FM overnight at low volumes for atleast 2 weeks. If possible, change the power cord. Preferably, unshielded ones, without the ground. Yes, the XR50 us .......
483: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Panasonic XR70 arrival (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-13, 07:48:52 (66.122.215.162)
Thanks for the update, John. I have a suspicion that the sound from analog inputs have improved in the XR50 (did you get a chance to try this one out ?) and quite possibly in the XR70. It is also poss .......
484: General Asylum, This is the information age..not Literary Age (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-12, 13:23:44 (192.138.150.249)
These days we spend more time on reading manuals/instructions than prose or poetry. We are too high tech to enjoy prose/poetry at leisure. We are more analytical/logical than creative/imaginative. Kid .......
485: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Only for breakin (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-11, 19:25:43 (192.138.150.249)
What I said about leaving it on FM overnight applies only to the breakin period. The Panny seems fine, just starting stone cold. This is another one of these advantages over an analog amplifier. The ' .......
486: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Give it a rest (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-11, 16:35:51 (192.138.150.249)
Thanks. I will preorder as well. Try connecting the A and B speaker terminals together and select both speaker output when in stereo output. Let us know if you see any improvements. Also, the sound of .......
487: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Give it a rest (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-11, 15:24:09 (192.138.150.249)
People who are saying things like 'Give it a rest' re: the Panasonic either dont have reasonably efficient speakers and/or have not replaced the power cords or let the amp break in. I have an older mo .......
488: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: MMF-5 + Monolithic Sound Phono Pre (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-09, 11:53:12 (192.138.150.249)
I think you will not be disappointed with the Panny. Will surely beat the Rotel. But wait a while for the XR70. This will have better resolution at all volume levels. .......
489: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: My Complete sounded warm and "burnished" like tubes, does the XR50 have that type sonic signature? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-09, 11:50:55 (192.138.150.249)
You describe the sound of ARC very well. When I got the XR50, I could not 'adjust' myself to the sound at all. It was very forward and so much detail, it was almost distracting. But after more than a .......
490: Amp/Preamp Asylum, MMF-5 + Monolithic Sound Phono Pre (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-09, 10:29:17 (192.138.150.249)
I have the above setup running into my XR50. I do like the sound. I dont think there is any difference with the above into my Audio Refinement COmplete, except a little of er.. refinement, like jonbee .......
491: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: An affordable high-end Integrated amplifier - Panasonic XR50 (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-04, 18:03:00 (192.138.150.249)
"Man ..you and I are thinking the same thing" Probably, we fall in the 'sensible' category of audiophiles :) .......
492: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: An affordable high-end Integrated amplifier - Panasonic XR50 (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-04, 17:19:21 (192.138.150.249)
Steve, Can you bypass the traces with wires from the output devices ? I am thinking of sending the upcoming XR70 to you for modding. The XR70 should not be very different from the XR45. I am not surpr .......
493: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Exactly .. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-04, 15:28:00 (192.138.150.249)
It has six channels of amplification. I wish it had speaker C as well. Then I would be able to use all six channels of amplification for my stereo use (and the only). People who have kilo-buck systems .......
494: Tweakers' Asylum, Furutech PC-2 Accessory (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-04, 15:24:40 (192.138.150.249)
In my experience, Walker Vivid brings out more detail than Auric Illuminator. I have now stopped using Auric. I now use Vivid along with Herbie's GrungeBuster mat. The mat pushes the detail retrieval .......
495: Amp/Preamp Asylum, An affordable high-end Integrated amplifier - Panasonic XR50 (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-07-03, 17:27:17 (192.138.150.249)
Folks, I have written earlier here about how good a value the Panny is for $250. This morning, I biamped my speakers with the speaker A and B output of this Panny. Wow..the sound is really really 'hig .......
496: Amp/Preamp Asylum, How are the highs on this amp ? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-06-30, 13:19:32 (192.138.150.249)
I have an older NAD a 304 Int. Amp. My impression is that the NAD is a little less transparent on the high frequencies. For eg. a comparable Creek would provide more high frequency information. Is thi .......
497: Hi-Rez Highway, Great DVD and CD transport at this price (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-06-30, 11:25:47 (192.138.150.249)
I am using one to send an upsampled 192Khz/24bit signal to my Panasonic SA-XR50. It is really fantastic. As a standalone player, the output at 192/24 was murkier compared to the 44.1/16bit setting, bu .......
498: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Power cords for digital amplifiers (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-06-29, 14:07:01 (192.138.150.249)
Recently, I tried a Panny xr50 in place of Audio Refinement Complete and was quite impressed with the dynamics and bass of this $250 component. I tried a Flavor 2 which was better than the stock. But .......
499: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Re: Carver Pro ZR1600 amp power cord options? (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-06-28, 20:22:46 (192.138.150.249)
I think it is very difficult to beat the Flavor 4 at that price or even double that. Check out empiricalaudio.com, their power cords could beat Flavor 4 but at a very higher price. .......
500: Amp/Preamp Asylum, Alternate suggestion.. (0.00)
Posted by SoftwireEngineer on 2004-06-28, 14:21:38 (192.138.150.249)
Since you are planning to buy a CD player and int. amp I am prompted to suggest the Panasonic XR50 receiver. You only need a decent DVD player and digital cable (say a glass toslink for $25) to get th .......
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