Popular Post Archimago Posted May 29, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted May 29, 2020 9 hours ago, bluesman said: I'm always happy to try anything. But since I retired, I've stopped paying for the privilege unless I want or need the item anyway, or I'm getting it at a price that will let me resell it without taking a bath. Now that we're in an apartment, the shelves are so full that I'm even contemplating selling some of my old favorites because they're not getting used much. As for the Signature DigiOne, I'd suggest reading the very revealing thread following the ASR review [sorry - I can't get the link to be hot: https://www.audio “science” review/forum/index.php?threads/review-measurements-of-allo-digione-signature-and-diyinhk-pro3z.4660/] before putting out the money for both the device and the 2 power supplies it needs. The wide diversity of opinion suggests to me that it's not a slam dunk improvement - if it were, more people would hear it than not. I'm absolutely not an ASR disciple, but I find some of the reviews and subsequent posts to be as entertaining and amusing as most current sitcoms. A quote of note in the linked thread comes from ASR's leader Amir: "if you have a high-quality DAC, there is no reason to anguish over how you are driving it." I have no idea what he really means by that, since he doesn't say that he hears no difference among the many alternatives. But I can't think of much in audio or most other areas that's truly worthy of anguish. Some truly boneheaded actions deserve a little regret - but I strongly suggest reserving anguish for the seriously major stuff in life. Even the Allo web page about it is confusing. For example, it says clearly and specifically that "You can use anything on [the "clean" side], linear power supply or pure batteries power". But without including a SMPS on that list, they apparently don't really mean "anything". I trust that over the years, my criticisms of Amir sets me apart from one of the "disciples" though there are things we will agree on :-). Having said this, I think in an open forum it is useful to remind folks that more "objective"-leaning audiophiles would have no issue with what he said. And there should be little need for confusion. Provided one has a well-engineered DAC (which I will also add my Oppo UDP-205 and RME ADI-2 Pro FS as other examples), different digital sources that are bit-perfect will not affect sound quality whether it's interfaced through USB or ethernet. S/PDIF might be more prone to temporal drift and jitter, but again, a well-engineered DAC these days should perform excellently. That idea is consistent with the design of these devices. It's consistent with measured output. And as a guy that Mark Waldrep contacted recently because I apparently scored 5/5 "correct" for tracks submitted into his "HD-Audio Challenge II" (lucky night and I couldn't tolerate intently A/B listening for >5 tracks 😉), I think my listening is still pretty decent as I approach 50... To be honest, I can't hear a difference between different bit-perfect streamers connected to my various DACS over the years including the Oppo UDP-205, RME ADI-2 Pro FS and TEAC UD-501 or even the much cheaper asynchronous Chi-Fi USB devices like some Topping or SMSL DACs. Good article @bluesman and indeed it's fun playing with Raspberry Pi's and various SBCs. Each one may have features/characteristics that would be good to have - Pi 4 has speed, true gigabit ethernet, but a Pi 3B+ might be all you need for a simple low-power 24/7 PCM streamer for example. Personally I would not hang everything on the expectation of "better sound" especially when thinking of potentially spending a lot of money on things like linear power supplies and "tweak" devices. Remember, it is always possible that there is simply "no difference" which I think many Objective-Fi audiophiles would be very comfortable with until demonstrated to be otherwise. I would still put most of my money on speakers, room treatment / correction, DAC, (pre)amp before otherwise bit-perfect streaming devices... andrewinukm, plissken, pkane2001 and 1 other 4 Archimago's Musings: A "more objective" take for the Rational Audiophile. Beyond mere fidelity, into immersion and realism. R.I.P. MQA 2014-2023: Hyped product thanks to uneducated, uncritical advocates & captured press. Link to comment
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