USB audio cracked... finally!

[kennyb123]

How does one actually go about ordering a Lush cable if they are not currently registered at the Phasure site?  I tried to register so I could post in the Lush thread, but I got the message "Sorry, registration is currently disabled."   I apologize if the details have been posted already this thread.  I've only made it about half way though so far.

[kennyb123]

I received a shipping notice this morning - my Lush is on the way.  I'm very much looking forward to hearing it.

[kennyb123]

11 hours ago, feelingears said:

 

Cool! Maybe start a Lush cable listening impressions thread to share your excitement?

 

Seriously, I look forward to hearing your opinion.

 

I'll post impressions here.  It'll be compared to a USPCB.  

[kennyb123]

10 hours ago, austinpop said:

 

Coincidentally I just did some listening impressions tonight to compare the best position of the Lush in my USB chain. My finding was the opposite of yours - in all cases, the SQ was best when the Lush was the last in the chain, feeding into the DAC.

 

I posted details in another thread.

 

I don't dispute what you're hearing, but I would modify your advice above to: try the Lush cable throughout your chain and

1. determine if it improves SQ, and
2. go with whatever sequence sounds best.

Clearly there is no "one size fits all."

 

Agreed.  

 

I have less than 24 hours on my Lush.  Through most of my listening so far, it was between ISO REGEN and microRendu.  I just did a quick swap to the Lush feeding my DAC directly.  I thought it sounded better with the.ISO REGEN feeding my DAC, so I switched back.  

 

I'll have to revisit again after I have more hours on the Lush. 

[kennyb123]

37 minutes ago, PeterSt said:

And @Barry in Calgary, please don't forget that you started your judgment right out of the box (with the notice that I can see that others give it some burn-in time). So maybe don't waste your time all toooo much on the comparisons too soon. I see myself, for example, how the highs get more sparkling, which is exactly your first "complaint" of that lacking when in the wrong position. So this may all change in 2 or 3 days.

 

I have been trying to resist saying much for that very reason.  But I must say my initial impressions have been positive so far. I really like what I've been hearing this morning, with just shy of a full day on the cable.

[kennyb123]

5 hours ago, lasker98 said:

 

I think that comment gets right to the basic issue causing so much BS on these threads. Not even taking into account the completely condescending tone of your posts, why in the world would you have the nerve or arrogance to think it's up to him/her, or anyone else, to prove anything? It's you and your ilk that are continually stating as fact how impossible these results are. I would think it would be up to you to prove that what's being heard IS delusional. Or, even better, actually try something for yourself, even just once, before spouting off your useless, pointless, unwelcome advice and thoughts.

 

It's difficult not to see grandiosity displayed in the behaviors of some.  What else could explain the need to pounce on these threads to repeatedly tell the rest of us that we're just delusional?  Seems these cable posts simply serve as a source of narcissistic supply that some use to boost their egos, draw attention to themselves, and affirm their feelings of superiority.  It's sad.

[kennyb123]

I just swapped the USPCB back in for the Lush.  The difference was jarring.  I didn't expect the difference to be so immediately apparent - and in a sense, profound.  A different presentation - in an exaggerated sense it was big, full and meaty vs, clear, tight and precise.  

 

So which do I prefer?  I want both.  LOL

 

It's still to early to state a definitive preference, but at this early juncture the USPCB may achieve the balance that aligns a bit better with my listening preferences.  We shall see if that remains the case after more listening and further burn in of the Lush.

[kennyb123]

7 hours ago, manisandher said:

If I'm using my SET amps, I prefer the Clarixa, but using my low-distortion/high-bandwidth gainclones I prefer the Lush. I would have thought the sound of the Lush would be a better match with your Spectral amps...

 

The fullness of the Lush balances nicely with my Spectral gear.  Likewise the greater focus, clarity and temporal precision of the USPCB balance really well too. 

 

When the two are compared - it becomes evident that the Lush gives up some focus, clarity and timing precision - and the USPCB gives up some liquidity and lushness.  As one more rhythmically inclined (I'm a drummer), I find it more difficult to give up on the timing precision, as that was one of the things that ended me up with Spectral in the first place.  

 

I do hear a bit of smearing in the upper frequencies with the Lush relative to the USPCB - and that's partly what detracts from timing precision.  I'm wondering if that will lessen with more burn-in.

[kennyb123]

7 minutes ago, manisandher said:

I don't hear any obvious 'smearing' in either of my systems when using XXHighEnd's 'Arc Prediction' filter, which has zero pre- or post-ringing.

 

Good to know.  Thanks!!

[kennyb123]

A couple friends dropped by today for some listening and to hear how the Lush compared to the USPCB.  For the comparison, we played the first track from "Art Pepper meets the Rhythm Section".  I think it's fair to say that each of us thought there was a lot to like in both, though the presentations differed slightly.  The Lush had a slight edge in the reproduction of tone while the USPCB had a slight edge in the reproduction of drums and percussion.  The sax sounded a bit more like the real thing with the Lush - while drums and cymbals were presented more clearly and realistically with the USB.  I had previously mentioned hearing a bit of smearing with the Lush, particularly with cymbals.  My friends heard the difference as well but described it differently.  One thought the Lush slightly "blurred" the drums and cymbals, the other thought it "softened" the sound of them.  I should point out that my system has been optimized for the realistic reproduction of drums and cymbals, so this difference could certainly stand out more in my system than others.  

 

After the comparisons I left the Lush in place while I played DJ for them.  Sitting off to the site I was consistently impressed with what I heard with the Lush in place.  If the USPCB didn't exist, I'd be absolutely thrilled to have the Lush in my system. Ideally what I'd love to have is a USB cable that combines the strengths of both the Lush and the USPCB.  I do wonder though if some additional clocking upstream of the Lush might be just the thing needed to arrive at that balance.  The Lush was used between ISO REGEN and my DAC.for the comparisons.  

[kennyb123]

3 minutes ago, Doak said:

I've found that I MUCH prefer the Lush BEFORE the ISORegen with the USPCB connecting the ISORegen to the DAC.

Try it?

 

That's how I was using it for the first five or so days.  Early on I preferred it that way.  A few days back I swapped to after the IR and thought it sounded just as good.  I continued to use it that way for the comparisons simply because it made it easier to do the swaps.

 

What I referred to as smearing was evident either way.  That somewhat disqualified it for me, so I didn't invest more time in determining whether I preferred it before or after the IR.  I let my friend take it with him today and will be eager to hear his impressions.

[kennyb123]

1 hour ago, barrows said:

The Lush still a little on the dark side, but much less than initially, it appears that transient edges are still a little blurred, but this is just a little.  There is definitely more warmth and body in the sound, and this is quite welcome, and gives the music a "larger" quality; no the soundstage is not actually any wider or bigger, but it is set back just a bit more.  

 

Well said.  Your observations align well with mine.

 

1 hour ago, barrows said:

I will be testing at least a couple more USB cables before Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, as I am attempting to find a couple of really good options for Sonora's Demo system there, anyone attending, please remember to come by and say hello, and perhaps listen a bit.

 

I'll be there and will definitely swing by.  I look forward to meeting you.

[kennyb123]

8 hours ago, tipunch said:

@kennyb123 and Doak and all others

 

Have you try the Lush alone?

(Direct to DAC and without ISORegen and USPCB)

 

No, I didn't. I'll try that after I get it back.  I've loaned it out. 

[kennyb123]

8 minutes ago, Johnseye said:

What I find happens in this hobby, at least for myself, is that those macro changes are expensive and to get a better sound from what I have already requires a big chunk of change.  So, I am constantly looking for and trying new toys to tweak the sound hoping for a macro change in a micro, affordable device.  I have a wide selection of music I'll use to help flush out whether the sound is actually changing for the better, or if it's just changing.  I agree with your point.  I'll know when I don't want it removed from the chain that it's a keeper.

 

 

Products like the Lush and USPCB that deliver such a great bang for the buck put me and my wallet back on speaking terms.  Selling my former USB cable covered the cost of both and even put funds back into my wallet.  

 

Of course speaking terms will be short lived as I'm already eyeing up my next move.  LOL

 

Sort of kidding as with the USPCB back in place I'm hearing the best sound yet from digital in my system.  That was true to with the Lush.  Nice to have two affordable options (though obviously a big deal that the far less expensive USPCB can stand shoulder to shoulder to the Lush in my system).

[kennyb123]

22 minutes ago, Speed Racer said:

I want my audio equipment to play whatever is their as accurate as possible...regardless how well or poorly it was recorded. I don't want my equipment adding qualities that aren't there nor subtracting "qualities" that don't sound good.

 

I largely agree with you.  What I've noticed though is that the rising tide does tend to lift all boats.  The better my system gets, the more enjoyable all my music has gotten - even the bad recordings.  The recent digital improvements in particular have made it possible to even enjoy the most compressed and hard-sounding recordings in my library.  So from that perspective, I get where fas42 is coming from with his Mercedes analogy.

[kennyb123]

11 hours ago, esldude said:

Following that to its logical conclusion, good recordings are unnecessary.  Good luck with that.

 

It's you your logic that needs better luck.

 

I said "a rising tide lifts all boats" with respect to how enjoyable they are.  I said nothing about the ability to differentiate good from bad - but that increases too.  It's just that the bad recordings went from being unable to sit through - to listenable - and now mostly enjoyable.

[kennyb123]

9 hours ago, Bystander said:

Really? I'd say for me it's the opposite. The better my equipment gets, the more evident any potential flaws in my recordings become. Great recordings sound better than ever, but problematic recordings also become easier to identify as such. 

 

What tends to be a key indicator for what I've termed a "bad recording" is the amount of compression applied.  Compression adds a hardness while at the same time stripping away naturalness.

 

As my digital front end has improved, it has responded more gracefully to this hardness because it imposes less of its own harness on top of it and draws out more naturalness.  I can still tell that these recordings are compressed, but they are easier to enjoy because more goodness is able to come through.

[kennyb123]

1 hour ago, mansr said:

ROFL

 

We hear ad nauseam that confirmation bias is something that needs to be accounted for.  You would think Barrows acknowledgment would be welcomed - or at least smartly challenged.  

 

Repeating what I posted a week ago:

 

On 8/15/2017 at 11:25 AM, kennyb123 said:

Seems these cable posts simply serve as a source of narcissistic supply that some use to boost their egos, draw attention to themselves, and affirm their feelings of superiority.  It's sad.