The Ultra-Fi thread

[cwsiggy]

Nielsio - I'm curious why you don't have a direct IS2 USB dac instead of the Spdif connection. Aren't they supposed to be way better on the jitter front? Examples are like the one you showed (That Scott Nixon) and of course the Gordon Rankin Wavelength models.
I'm convinced a good lossless, PC audio based system is the way of the future. No more spinning discs.

I'm still regretting my sale of my JM Lab Daline speakers.
I miss having a great system, but for now a good headphone based system will have to do. May get that Scott Nixon Dac to tide me over.
I really, really, really want those MBL's though.

[Kneel B4 Zod]

[ QUOTE ]
Nielsio - I'm curious why you don't have a direct IS2 USB dac instead of the Spdif connection.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm glad you asked, I was too embarrassed. Aloysius and I were discussing this, but he thought it was a dumb thing to even consider

[Nielsio]

[ QUOTE ]
Nielsio - I'm curious why you don't have a direct IS2 USB dac instead of the Spdif connection. Aren't they supposed to be way better on the jitter front? Examples are like the one you showed (That Scott Nixon) and of course the Gordon Rankin Wavelength models.

[/ QUOTE ]

My DAC is a little older than the USB variants. Bert Doppenberg was one of the first with a USB DAC, the TwinDAC+ ( http://bd-design.nl/contents/en-us/d37.html ). I heard it and it sounded good (obviously). It seems a good and easy solution (requires no soundcard anymore). However in my case I can't really use it. My (digital) equalizer sits between the computer output and the DAC. It's a vital part of the system. You could fit the DAC with a reclock, but I find battery powering it makes it really stellar all around anyway.


[ QUOTE ]
I'm convinced a good lossless, PC audio based system is the way of the future. No more spinning discs.

[/ QUOTE ]

Clearly.


[ QUOTE ]
I'm still regretting my sale of my JM Lab Daline speakers.

[/ QUOTE ]

You can always get/make something better [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]


[ QUOTE ]
I miss having a great system, but for now a good headphone based system will have to do. May get that Scott Nixon Dac to tide me over.

I really, really, really want those MBL's though.



[/ QUOTE ]


I didn't know this speaker, except for seeing it on pictures somewhere sometime. I checked it out now to understand what the hell it is.

It's 4-way. It crosses at 105, 600 and 3500 hz. Sounds like Piega, probably. It's sick expensive. I don't get why it's omnidirectional. They don't have to be (see Piega), and it certainly doesn't add anything besides problems. It requires a shitton of filtering, and an insane amount of amp-juice. I imagine this speaker sounding dull (like Piega). I have heard some good Magnepans (the huge kind) in the past though (not entirely sure how I'd judge them now); which seems like a better/simpler choice.

When you have a such a multi-way, low efficient system, it might sound pleasant/clean because of the electrocoils (or how do you call that), but it loses it's bite/slam; the uberdirectness you need to make it sound real.

[Nielsio]

A purely ported sub-100hz bass seems lol btw. That's gonna sound entirely muddy and slow.

No, I think these guys are more in it for the bling than real audio quality.

[Nielsio]

[ QUOTE ]
No, I think these guys are more in it for the bling than real audio quality.

[/ QUOTE ]


But if you feel otherwise, please share.

[PITTM]

[ QUOTE ]
Nielsio - I'm curious why you don't have a direct IS2 USB dac instead of the Spdif connection.

[/ QUOTE ]

My DAC has limited functionality when used with USB as opposed to spdif I was told. I never have a/b'd though.

[ QUOTE ]
I'm convinced a good lossless, PC audio based system is the way of the future. No more spinning discs.


[/ QUOTE ]

except the hard drive [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

[suzzer99]

OP and several others in this thread, I used to work for a high-end audio store. You are what the salesman would have called "bread-and-butter". You would have been mentioned at Thanksgiving when it was time to say what you were thankful for.

That said, things have come a long freaking way in 10 years. I started to become a tiny bit of an car-audiophile, so I get the concept. But I just feel like you're always chasing the buzz of that first upgrade to a high-class system, when all your music sounds new again. It seems like every upgrade after that is diminishing returns.

But I dunno, I'm not sure I've heard a system as well laid out as the one you describe. Do you still feel like all your music is new when you make some big coherence breakthrough or something?

[cwsiggy]

all,

Red Wine Audio has some of the coolest products (battery powered integrated and mono amps and modded battery powered Olive music servers. Vinni Rossi also has an all battery powered USB DAC/ Pre amp in the works - called Isabella - from his website....

"The Isabella will be an SLA battery powered tubed preamp, with built-in NOS dac (non-oversampling...not to be confused with "new old stock" in this context Mr. Green) . Details are still being worked out and please keep in mind that nothing is set in stone at this point, but here are some of the features:

-- Tubed-preamp stage using two 6922 (6DJ8/ECC88) tubes...one per channel. Other tubes in this family can be used, such as the 7308, 6H23 (russian), 6N11 (chinese)

-- The Isabella will be completely off-the-grid running on SLA battery power, and will feature the new SMART module as described here:
http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/i...?topic=44739.0
It will also feature the same new style 24V SLA battery charger as the Siganture 30.2 and 70.2 (with 4x faster charging speed and beefy XLR plug), and touch-sensing power switch built into the front panel.

-- The gain will probably in the neighborhood of 12dB

-- There will be a built-in non-oversampling dac that is going to change your opinion of "digital music" in that it is not going to sound anything like digital. With a USB input (direct to I2S), using a computer as your source is going to blow your mind. Singing Happily For those who prefer to use a CD player, DVD player, SB2, SB3, Olive Music Server (hopefully modded on SLA ), or any other source that outputs SPDIF, the Isabella's internal dac will also accept coax or optical spdif inputs."

www.redwineaudio.com


Suzzer99 - You are of course correct about diminishing returns - lets face it - the main difference in a 20k speaker and a good 5k one is mostly bass. I think you probably don't need to spend much more than say 6k total. Anything more is serious diminishing returns, but for a Goldman Sachs subprime shortseller, why not...

These new digital products are very exciting in that for relatively low money - one gets the best of both worlds; world beating sound that competes with expensive transports and cd palyers and the advantages of digital playback such as unlimited access to entire library on the fly.
I will never, ever, ever, ever purchase a cd player again.
Most people have of couese already figured this out, but for the wrong reasons (mp3)


I need more $ [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[Nielsio]

[ QUOTE ]
Suzzer99 - You are of course correct about diminishing returns - lets face it - the main difference in a 20k speaker and a good 5k one is mostly bass.

[/ QUOTE ]

wat?


[ QUOTE ]
I think you probably don't need to spend much more than say 6k total.

[/ QUOTE ]

wat?

[cwsiggy]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Suzzer99 - You are of course correct about diminishing returns - lets face it - the main difference in a 20k speaker and a good 5k one is mostly bass.

[/ QUOTE ]

wat?


[ QUOTE ]
I think you probably don't need to spend much more than say 6k total.

[/ QUOTE ]

wat?

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh come on - I'm talking in generalities, but correct me if I'm wrong, but even a very, very good salesman at a great NJ high end store basically said the same thing regarding bass. That's what costs, cause to get great bass, you have to spend for the cabinetry(among other things). My tweeter on my Dalines were more or less the same as on the 80k Wilson's, my bass obviously was not. (bit of an exageration but again, I'm talking in big generalities.) Look at most high end monitors - they are the full range speaker minus the better bass. Micro Utopia - basically a Utopia minus better bass. B&W 805's? 801's minus the bass. get it??
I'm sure there are more complex issues involving crossovers at the midranges on better speakers but....

and anything over 6k ish is serious diminishing returns. ok - bump it to 10k