Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Ghosthouse,
You make very good points, this issue is more about political ideology than true science. That change from "global warming" to "climate change" did not go un noticed by astute observers. Once I moved away from the NPR and NY Times influence and overt selective bias I began to see how political this topic is(sadly). There are many in sciwnce who dispute the whole model/idea of climate change. The artic caps are expanding, the model incorrectly predicted/said they are diminishing at a raid rate(wrong) I realized you have to seek alternative viewpoints and do lots of reading. Otherwise there's the risk of buying in to agenda driven filtered information. There are numerous meteorologists who say the CO2 CAUSE/EFFECT CLAIMS ARE FLAWED. READ AND LISTEN TO "BOTH" SIDES AND MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND. This dedate is far from settled.Now we want to mandate what cars free citizens can drive? Many people feel the federal government has become to large and powerful(I agree). What next? what to wear and what to eat? how many children we can have? When is enough, enough?

Steve-

I believe your Diamond SX is something special and will quickly be noticed in the audio community.

Since these units are now in very limited supply, would you post your thoughts on the sonic qualities of for each build option? For those who have never been to Steve's auditioning system, his perception is spot on.

What I am curious to learn is the benefits and disadvantages of:

XMOS USB (which I find better than M2Tech) compared to your external ethernet to I2S converter compared to internal ethernet to I2S direct. For those unfamiliar with the overdrive, the internal USB input card can be replaced by Ethernet to I2S. No dac will have both USB and Ethernet due to the compact chassis design.

Currently on loan to me is a dac that has all these inputs and Ethernet direct is by far the best. But again, implementation is important. I have yet to see a dac better implemented and designed than Steve. There are so few dacs with direct Ethernet, that I am uncertain if the concept or implementation makes it better. Steve, what are your thoughts on Ethernet direct input? I have from two sources that in Asia that the majority of audiophiles do not use a server and dac design focus is more on Ethernet because 80, 90, 95% of the consumers solely use this input.

Second comparison:

What qualities do each brand of caps bring to the table in your SX design? Will you have a few units in possession and be able to directly compare simultaneously?

This insight will pay dividends for us who have specific needs tailored to our system. What I have learned is benefits do not translate to each system uniformly.

Steve, I commend you on your years of service both as an engineer continuously improving on already amazing products and creating a successful business. Rarely I find a one man show able to do both so well. You are genuine in your advice to your consumers and foremost genuine in your advice to your competitors. What most manufacturer would consider propriatary, you openly share for the good of the community. In this regard, I consider you a Professor. This is the highest respect I give anyone in my field.

You go Charles! Mandate the cars we must drive? Come on, perhaps we better get back to audio folks. The wheels have come of the track here.

I let my car warm up here in Minnesota when it is below zero so I don't drive shivering and become a dangerous driver. Ok if I burn a little fuel.
I am proud to be an American and love my neighbors!

Charles and Bill,
I fully agree. I do my part already, low powered amplifiers.

"XMOS USB (which I find better than M2Tech) compared to your external ethernet to I2S converter compared to internal ethernet to I2S direct."

It will be about 3 months before I can do this comparison. I will be out of town starting March 20 for 4-5 weeks.

"What qualities do each brand of caps bring to the table in your SX design? Will you have a few units in possession and be able to directly compare simultaneously?"

I have two ODSX, one with Jupiter and one with Duelund caps that I am running currently. Either the Jupiters have really overblown bass and somewhat recessed highs, or they are not fully broken in yet. They sound great on older 70's tracks that have thin bass, but newer tracks are just over the top.

Ketcham - You are too kind with your kudos, but on the other hand I'm glad somebody finally gets what I'm about.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio