Bill Brown

And the reason he wore, I believe, a star of David pendant his whole life. Bill

Yes, Trifield seems to be promising. @Kal Rubinsonwas impressed with it to at least some degree when reviewing Meridian gear. I have fully researched their processors, but have never pulled the trigger (though I had a 602 and 606 way back). Every so often I go down the rabbit hole of research on MCH. Unlike Kal, I am primarily interested in upmixing my 2 channel music that may never be available as native MCH (though I would be happy to play native material as well). There are lots of interesting pro plugins in this regard. I read through Gerzon's patent at one point

Yes, thank you for bringing it here. I began reading the thread on diyaudio, but it went over my head quickly. And @Skip Pack, I am amazed! I would love to do Trifield in SW as well. Didn't think there was anyone else out there. :) Bill

Kal and bluesman are speaking very, very wisely on this topic..... In medical research and publication there are certainly controversies (especially re. the publication rate of negative studies as bluesman described above), but the identities of the reviewers isn't one of them. Bill

I am usually reluctant to divide up my budget when choosing/buying gear, preferring higher quality/less number, but subs are an exception to this for me. I think it is clear that two are better than one, and three are better than two (though four is only minimally better than three). This is the "multi-sub approach," about which lots has been written. Just food for thought: https://mehlau.net/audio/multisub_geddes/ Bill

Ah yes, I just remembered as well that @992Sam will be running an SACD player and an LP system, where a preamp is mandatory (I have converted to digital files exclusively). I expect the Macintosh to be a wonderful performer for him. As the common pathway for all of the sources a great preamp is considered by many to be the heart of a system. Bill

Thank you. Yes, I have the input sensitivity at the the lowest setting on my Benchmark amp and with the analog/automatic gain switching of the RME DAC usually listen at -0 to -6db of digital attenuation (with higher quality recordings). I think it is a good way to go. As long as the output stage of a DAC is well-designed and the volume control is implemented well (and it has one, not all do, of course), I don't see the need for a separate preamplifier. It is nice to avoid the expense (the good ones are $$) of a separate preamplifier. Again, this isn't to say that @992Sam won't

Yes, I could see how restoring loudness balance would be nice. I think my right ear is down a little bit, so will sometimes move the balance control a bit in that direction. Bill

The concept of equalizing to match our hearing loss has long been an interesting concept to me. My thinking has been that we adjust to this as it becomes the new way we perceive as "realistic" sound day-to-day. I think only when our hearing has degraded to the point that we would need hearing aids is when we should adjust the frequency balance of our systems (like hearing aids would do). Though I could be wrong, and if listeners perceive more realism with equalization it's cool. :) Bill

"Stupid" isn't a word I used. I would ask you to not put words into my mouth. Also, why would I write so much above about a subject that I think is "stupid?" Did you read near the top where I emphasized the importance of gain staging in some detail? My point above is not that it isn't worth thinking about and that it wouldn't be fun to experiment, but that in the end, his equipment is so well-engineered that any combination of settings will work fantastically (a point I have repeatedly emphasized). I would also encourage you to read a bit on the effect of S/N measure

No worries. :) Most of us have been there (I know I have)! Bill

Truthfully, though, this is all sort of "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin" kind of stuff anyway. It is a beautiful system that will sound great no matter what you do. I would just play with it, pick a setting, and forget it/listen to music. Bill

I would be very surprised if that is the case. I would make a huge bet it is in the analog stages. An interesting question to me would be the raw voltage coming off the DAC chips as to whether they are voltage or current output. If the latter it would require a I/V stage and gain. Hard to know whether the gain stage/output driving stage is optimized at 0.2, 0.6, 2, etc. volts. I am sure it is implemented very well regardless making the latter consideration moot, and the S/N issues described above remain. The DAC is certainly not operating in isolation. With wide dy

Couldn't resist the opportunity to tease. :) And great! Look forward to your next review! Bill

George, thank you for the great review. Makes me wish I could hear one. I can't resist noting that is a pretty fancy USB cable for a cable non-believer :) Bill