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Audio Science Review = Rebuttal and Further Thoughts

@crymeanaudioriver @amir_asr You are sitting there worrying if this or that other useless tweak like a cable makes a sonic difference.

I don’t worry about my equipment unless it fails. I never worry about tweaks or cables. The last time I had to choose a cable was after I purchased my first DAC and transport in 2019.  I auditioned six and chose one, the Synergistic Research Atmosphere X Euphoria. Why would someone with as fulfilling a life as me worry about cables or tweaks and it is in YOUR mind that they are USELESS.

@prof "would it be safe to say you are not an electrical designer or electrical engineer? If so, under what authority do you make the following comment" - concerning creating a high end DAC out of a mediocre DAC.

Well, I have such a DAC, built by a manufacturer of equipment and cables for his and my use. It beat out a $9,000 COS Engineering D1v and $5,000 D2v by a longshot. It is comparable to an $23,000 Meridian Ultradac. Because I tried all the latter three in comparison I say this with some authority, the authority of a recording engineer (me), a manufacturer (friend) and many audiophiles who have heard the same and came to the same conclusion.

Another DAC with excellent design engineer and inferior execution is the Emotiva XDA-2. No new audio board but 7! audiophile quality regulators instead of the computer grade junk inside, similar high end power and filter caps, resistors, etc. to make this into a high end DAC on the very cheap ($400 new plus about the same in added parts).

@russ69 We must be neighbors. I frequented Woodland Hills Audio Center back in the 70s and 80s. I heard several of Arnie’s speakers including a the large Infinity speakers in a home.

fleschler
prof
3,474 posts
 

@kota1 

 

@prof you are a long time member and I assumed too much, understood. If you look at my profile you will see a list of components I use, pics of my rig, and my room measurements. Would you be so kind to post something similar in your profile? I am sincerely interested. Thanks

Ok, sure.

I’m not going to bother setting up a profile. I just don’t care enough - I never do those on other sites either. If someone asks about my gear I’ll happily tell them what I use.

Like any audiophile I’ve owned lots of different equipment. Especially lots of speakers. I went on a selling extra gear binge over the last few years, so now I’m down to stuff I won’t part with.

Speakers:

Thiel 2.7

Joseph Audio Perspectives

Spendor S3/5

Hales Transcendence 1 and Center channel (mostly for home theater, though sometimes do music duty).

Amplification:

Conrad Johnson Premier 12 monoblocks

Conrad Johnson Premier 16LS2 preamp

Benchmark LA4 preamp

Sources - Digital:

Benchmark DAC 2L

Streamer (ripped CDs and Tidal etc): Bluesound NODE. (It’s new, I’m testing it out, up until now I’ve used a Raspberry Pi/Logitech server system)

Analog:

Turntable: Transrotor Fat Bob S, Acoustic Solid arm, Benz Micro Ebony L cartridge.

JE Audio HP10 phono stage

Cabling: Mix of stuff. Belden 10 awg for speaker cable (long run from amps to speakers in separate room). Interconnects...always a mess of stuff, whatever I’ve had lying ar0und, or borrowed, or was given over the years. There’s some Kimber in there, Audioquest, Nordost (cast offs from someone else’s system) etc. I don’t sweat cables. At the moment I have some absurdly expensive XLR cables between my DAC, Phono Stage and Benchmark loaned to me. Can’t even remember what they are. :-) But I’ll replace them with some competent spec’d stuff probably from Mogami or something).

I hope that is enlightening somehow :-)

 

kota1
2,706 posts
 

@prof how about that we have something in common, the Node. I like the Bluos software and it sounds OK on my desktop. In my main system it isn't a good match. With the DAC you use it should be fine as a streamer though. Have you ever taken any measurements?

axo1989
105 posts
 

I’m not sure I’d do a profile either, I tend to put as little information as possible into online repositories when I’m not the paying client.

If it helps to contextualise, my source is usually Apple Music on M2 MacBook Pro > asynchronous USB audio over Apple Thunderbolt Pro cable to exaSound e68 DAC > SWAMP Premium Mini XLR to Krell KAV-2250 > Analysis Plus Black Oval 12 cable to above-mentioned AP Codex sitting on AP mag-lev feet.

In audiophile style I’ve even checked cable details for all ya’ll.

Oh nearly forgot the Teddy Pardo power supply for the DAC (couldn't come at the standard wall-wart). Also amusingly, the Apple cable cost just a bit more per metre than the Analysis Plus. But it has excellent haptics.

kota1
2,706 posts
 

@axo1989 , your post is very helpful, I like how you test and move, test and move and then DSP is used to fine tune. So sad how many people think DSP is all you need. Its only when you do the speaker positioning and the room that its able to fine tune it. I see you started your virtual system, looking forward to seeing it.

prof
3,474 posts
 

kota1

Yeah, I never intended to use the Bluesound NODE without my external DAC.

No, never taken measurements.  Not interested in doing so.  It's not my thing. The Benchmark equipment has been measured by people far more knowledgeable and competent than I am, and the reports are stellar.

 

 

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