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  3. 173706-1209

Then and Now

I may be one of the few that still had their original audiophile rig from around 2010 and can compare it directly to the current system.  I hadn't really thought about having this possibility before tonight, so here's what I did:

Then System

- Integra 50.1 Receiver (direct mode) fed with an optical input

- Focal 836v floor standing speakers

Now System

- Maverick Audio TubeMagic D2 DAC with upgraded Sparkos Labs op amps and a 1950s Western Electric 396A tube

- Pathos Classic One MkIII Integrated Amplifier with 1960s Mullard Tubes

- Focal 836v floor standing speakers

 I didn't spend a lot of time listening to them, but I was reminded of hearing Jason Stoddard of Schiit Audio essentially saying that after a couple of beers it's hard to tell the difference between DACs.  There's clearly a difference between Then and Now, but Then doesn't sound all that bad.

Anyone else able to make a similar comparison?

 

 

mceljo
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 

Sort of. Margaritas instead of beers. But I get your drift.

noske
783 posts
 

Jason Stoddard of Schiit Audio essentially saying that after a couple of beers it’s hard to tell the difference between DACs.

Meanwhile, in a gesture of appreciation and goodwill, every electrical engineer who has put their heart and soul into designing exceptional DACs are organising for Jason to enjoy a well earned fishing adventure on Lake Tahoe with their friend Al Neri.

 

 

chayro
2,985 posts
 

And, to keep things politically correct, potential partners look more alike after enough alcohol, but how do you feel the next morning?  Nothing against alcohol (far from it, unfortunately), but it rarely fosters the best decisions.  Although it does help in rationalizing the bad decisions.  

russ69's avatar
russ69
3,505 posts
 

There's clearly a difference between Then and Now, but Then doesn't sound all that bad.

Sometimes systems sound different from each other but that doesn't mean one is better than the other necessarily. Sometimes they are just different. 

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