New Lampizator Level 4/ Version 4 DAC in the house

Bill,
Well said, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for measurements to shed any light, just look at amps, wire, speakers etc. What proof?
If you don't hear a difference then just leave things as they are (simple solution). If you do hear definite improvement as Bill does then you rejoice and make what ever changes are necessary. Either outcome you'll be happy. Ears trump any measurements I'm aware of.
Charles,

Bill,
Toe tapping is a natural and unforced reaction,a very good sign that something is natural with what you're listening to. This response and when your head nods in beat/time with the music, well you're on the right track. Visceral and emotionl involvement are genuine and can't be faked.
Charles,

My hypothesis is that AIFF is a different format than wav as is FLAC and ALAC. These require a different CODEC. The real-time behavior of these CODECs may be different than static behavior, as in doing bit compares.

Also, there is a lot more than just data in these files. The formats all have lots of tagging and other information in them, including offset. If the offset is not properly decoded, this definitely impacts SQ. I have a number of test tracks that prove this conclusively.

BTW, the Off-Ramp 4 that Grannyring has been updated to include the latest OT transformer mods and the OR5 wall-wart, both improvements in SQ.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Gearhead

"If you do blinded A+B testing of non-audiophiles (or audiophiles) in a "revealing" system, the results will be a mosh pit of confusion. Sorry folks, placebo effect here."

Geardad with his blind listening stuff LoL The only way to listen to gear.

Sorry boys, the audio emperor has no clothes at least in this domain. The shear variability in end user response speaks to that.

Steve, your hypothesis is just that. I have read verbiage from computer scientists who say any perceived differences between FLAC, AIFF, WAV, and ALAC are not based in reality. If they were, 98/100 people would agree, and they obviously don't. The patronizing stance regarding system resolution is no trump card here.

Jwm, I agree with you regarding observations regarding XLD and iTunes. iTunes is bit perfect.

Charles, I agree, as always, with your philosophical sentiments. However, toe tapping and visceral responses come and go and don't necessarily track over time with systems changes. The pesky and fickle phile within is constantly changing and fiddling. That seems to be the one constant in this hobby and why I reference the placebo effect as a potential influence.

The take home message from Bill, which is much appreciated by me, is that the Mac Mini, modded or not, is a jittery turd, and needs help. In this case, it came via Empirical audio. I have always believed in Steve's stuff. Just today I recommended an offramp to a friend who discovered that a Sonos into his Lampizator sounded better than his modded, Ifi'd Mini.