mike_in_nc
Responses from mike_in_nc
| Does a DAC completely bypass the computer soundcard If you take USB output from the laptop, you will be bypassing the computer’s sound card completely. If you are using a reasonable audio player program on the laptop, what comes out the USB port (and into your DAC) should be bit-perfect.You mention... | |
| Dealers and exaggerated treble Erik,I haven’t had that particular experience, though I’ve heard plenty of bad sound at dealerships. I suppose in your cases, the harshness could have been exacerbated by the upstream components or lack of acoustic treatment.As you well know, many... | |
| DAC + Preamp + Room Correction, NAD C658 / MiniDSP SHD / ? @canibefrank: In your consideration of MQA, I suggest you review the history of another lossy, proprietary codec that once was the darling of the audio magazines: HDCD. Today, it's lost in the dustbin of audio history; yet when new, purple prose... | |
| Difference between Bluesound Node 2i and Cambridge CXN v2 @wgosma: Opinions vary on the efficacy of aftermarket power cords. My advice to anyone who asks is to investigate them only after you are satisfied with every other part of your system, with emphasis on the speakers, room acoustics, and electronics. | |
| Hardware/Software To Manage Multi-format, File-Based Audio Playback I'll throw my agreement in for either JRiver or Roon. Either could do the job; both are strong entries; and each differs from the other.Roon provides the metadata for you, in case you haven't done a great job tagging all those files. It also integ... | |
| DAC + Preamp + Room Correction, NAD C658 / MiniDSP SHD / ? Oddly enough, few if any of the alternatives have a streaming (Ethernet) input. Maybe the Classe Delta Pre at a cool $10k and as yet unavailable.Of the two you listed, I chose the SHD. As it’s in our TV system, I can’t comment on absolute sound qu... | |
| Older Electronics - When to cut bait? Your thoughts? Solid state equipment should last a long time. However, maybe 15-20 yrs *is* a long time for audio gear. In my opinion, the path forward is to is borrow a pre and power amp you are interested in, and see if while listening you say "wow" or "why bo... | |
| Caster Wheels vs. Spikes I'm in the "no big deal" camp. I dislike spikes and do not use them under my speakers. | |
| Digital room correction Regarding the SHD, Hans Beekhuyzen has a review on YouTube. You may be able to find more reviews around. I know that Kal Rubinson has reviewed some of the other miniDSP products for Stereophile.miniDSP is known for lower-cost solutions to room cor... | |
| Difference between Bluesound Node 2i and Cambridge CXN v2 I have seen numerous posts from people who have and love either unit. My guess is, very few have listened carefully to both, so it's going to be difficult to get this specific feedback.For streaming, the CXN is controlled by Cambridge's app or a D... | |
| Anthem getting into two channel with new STR pre-amp-- anyone heard it? @kingkcryan - The STR Preamp has some really nice features for vinyl, including both MC and MM inputs, adjustable loading, and adjustable de-emphasis curves for non-RIAA recordings. I’m thinking of borrowing a turntable, just so I can experiment w... | |
| Looking for diffuseres that works at a close range I have used BAD panels from RPG at pretty close range (~60 cm). They were very good at dampening and diffusing reflections from the wall behind the listener. The panels acoustically disappear: that is, they don't create a dead zone like an absorbe... | |
| Any Janszen Valentina Active users here? Hello hfaddict,I have the passive version and like them very much. I bought mind before Janszen released the active ones, so I've had them about 5 years.Imaging and soundstaging are very good. However, they are more tuned to show you the ambiance ... | |
| Digital room correction For an all-digital system, the miniDSP SHD Studio should suit your needs. It is digital in, digital out, and can be dropped into a system while leaving the rest of it intact.For a system with analog sources, it’s more complicated, because there ha... | |
| Trying to get a general idea of SQ hierarchy for combo pre/DAC vs separate boxes Separate pre/power are especially good if you want to put the equipment rack near you and the amp(s) by the speakers. I think it’s a great approach for anyone with the space and cash. I like to use balanced cables for that.In contrast, I think sep... |