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.
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.