What impressed me about talking to Nick (among other things) was that we both came from the pro audio background and he seemed very sensible about his design issues with hi fi gear. He doesn't throw around a lot of snake oil.
One thing I can tell you about tape machines and recording studios where all this music we listen to is made, is that power supplies have long been the devil. This may not be news to anyone but if get into the pro audio community you'll find slathering comments about certain ampex atr's and never boards and 3m half inch two tracks. In La, where i lived for a long time, most of the good studios like capitol, had dean jensen go through and rebuild everything. Their atr's machines were not nearly stock. not were the consoles at olympic or the neve's at ocean way or really any piece of gear that was famous. And, almost always, the power supply is the big thing that was skimped on.
nick's heavily damped unit, with separate supplies and keen attention to grounding is probably one of the reasons why his stuff sounds so great even though he didn't re-invent the wheel design-wise. I think he just has the diagnostic issues that create problems in other units licked.
I had an aesthetix rhea and the doshi absolutely embarrassed it for noise floor, detail and neutrality. I have not tried everything out there, but I kind of don't want to anymore.
One thing I can tell you about tape machines and recording studios where all this music we listen to is made, is that power supplies have long been the devil. This may not be news to anyone but if get into the pro audio community you'll find slathering comments about certain ampex atr's and never boards and 3m half inch two tracks. In La, where i lived for a long time, most of the good studios like capitol, had dean jensen go through and rebuild everything. Their atr's machines were not nearly stock. not were the consoles at olympic or the neve's at ocean way or really any piece of gear that was famous. And, almost always, the power supply is the big thing that was skimped on.
nick's heavily damped unit, with separate supplies and keen attention to grounding is probably one of the reasons why his stuff sounds so great even though he didn't re-invent the wheel design-wise. I think he just has the diagnostic issues that create problems in other units licked.
I had an aesthetix rhea and the doshi absolutely embarrassed it for noise floor, detail and neutrality. I have not tried everything out there, but I kind of don't want to anymore.