sonic79
Responses from sonic79
| Just got some AudioEngine A5+ speaker and they blow my mind I had a high end electrostatic headphone system before moving to speakers. The headphones may have had more resolution, but in every other aspect the speakers are better. Headphones have their place if isolation is critical or if space is lacking.... | |
| Speaker positioning: why do audiophiles neglect this so much? @sharri Starting with the speakers in a sub-optimal position, it's easy to discern improvements in the sound. As the speakers approach a more optimal position, the sound improves. It was absolutely something I could hear. Detailed note taking su... | |
| Speaker positioning: why do audiophiles neglect this so much? I spent a good amount of time positioning the speakers in my dedicated room. I ran strips of masking tape on the floor at 1/3, 1/4, and 1/5 room width. Then perpendicular strips every six inches from the front wall. I tried 19 different positions,... | |
| Limited soundstage between speakers Ultimately I think it is recording dependent. I've heard tracks extend beyond the speaker boundaries, so my system is capable of it. Most tracks are within the speaker boundaries, however. | |
| Qobuz/Tidal Differences A big advantage of Qobuz is access to hi-res material in FLAC. Tidal packages anything higher than 16/44.1 in MQA. I don't trust MQA nor Tidal's peddling of it, and that's a reason why I listen to Qobuz streams most of the time. When comparing 16... | |
| As a chill electronica listener, should I stop at a Med-Fi system? I've found electronica absolutely sounds better on a good system. | |
| Spatial M3 Sapphire or Klipsch Forte 4 I own the M3 Sapphires driven by a PrimaLuna Dialogue Four. This is a push-pull amp that can be used in either ultralinear (42W) or triode (21W) mode. I prefer triode mode. I listen really loud at times to a wide variety of music. Very open, reali... | |
| Why terminate speaker wire? There's people that prefer bare, and there's people that prefer terminated. Both sides claim the same improvements in SQ. In theory bare should perform better as spades or banana plugs are another link in the chain that could degrade the signal. T... | |
| Replacement DAC with USB in, XLR outs Okto Dac8 Stereo checks all the boxes. In high demand so difficult to buy. | |
| Help me out with streaming... +1 to using a dedicated streamer. The Mac Mini can still be used solely as the server. You are experiencing a major bottleneck by using USB straight off the Mini’s motherboard. The H190 has streaming capability, so I recommend connecting the H190... | |
| Which DAC in the chain is playing? If my laptop connects to the external DAC via USB, external DAC connects to H190 via XLR, how do I know which DAC is bypassed? The signal from laptop to external DAC via USB is digital. The signal from external DAC to H190 via XLR is analog. Ther... | |
| Digital Upgrade Recommendations @tom2441 Thanks for further describing your system. Having a dedicated server and streamer is a big factor, and you've already addressed that. In your case the Iris DDC could be beneficial, as currently you are running USB straight off the motherb... | |
| A better way to stream What the OP is suggesting accomplishes several things. 1) Separating server and streamer duties to dedicated devices 2) A server with multiple LAN ports streamlines the chain 3) Connecting these devices over a network electrically isolates them... | |
| Digital Upgrade Recommendations I would first research what is the best digital input on the Pontus II. Some DAC's perform better with I2S, others with USB. This will determine the ideal device feeding the DAC. The last link in the chain before the DAC is the most vital; compone... | |
| Calling out spatial audio m3 sapphire owners! I puchased my M3 Sapphires used with around 250 hours on them. I have since put on another 50-75 hours and I can tell they are still improving. At first they were a tad bit bright, which I am very sensitive to. Now I am playing them louder and wit... |