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Found 7 results

  1. Hi, newbie here, need some advice plz. I am looking for new equipment: streamer, dac, amplification, speaker. Got a few questions: 1. Which are the most important technical specifications published for audio gear, and 2. how would these measurements be audible in sq? 3 .Which specs are important to match between gear throughout an audio chain? Thanks in advance. MiJ
  2. I am putting together a system for listening to Deezer or Tidal streaming flac and possibly MQA. My budget is $2,000 and am considering a Bluesound Node 2, Rega Brio amp and SVS Ultra Bookshelf speakers. That's $500 over my budget so really can't spend more than that. My listening space will be mostly a seating area that occupies about a third of a 27' x 20' room that is a combination kitchen-dining-living room. There's no carpet and a plastic laminate floor with a lot of glass plus some, not a lot, of stuffed furniture and drapery so am trying to stay away from overly bright equipment. There's a tenant underneath so am not looking for high volume or strong base so am not planning on a sub woofer. My wife and I listen to all kinds of music. I am kind of rolling the dice here since I live on Maui and can't audition equipment before I buy...and I am a noobie at this so...I would really appreciate any advice that I can get. Thanks.
  3. The high cost of a recent DAC repair has made me examine and re-evaluate several issues regarding equipment purchases – specifically, a warranty’s length, the cost of repairs when it expires, and knowing where a manufacturer will be in policy and practice if a fundamental function fails early on, but past the warranty period. In my situation, had I not pushed for adjustment, I would have been looking at a repair cost equal to 25% of my original investment for a failure that occurred within two years of ownership – with the manufacturer’s warranty only being one year. But, even more disconcerting was the 60-Day warranty on the repair’s labor and part – the main circuit board. I was confounded by that – and quite concerned. What was my potential risk for another early failure? Nor did I want to find myself once again dependent on the manufacturer’s appointed repair shop, which I found irresponsive, difficult and condescending in their responses. A manufacturer certainly has the right to determine the length of their warranty and the parameters of their responsibility beyond it. That’s not the concern here. The issue is separating out the appreciation for a component’s audio qualities when first auditioning and the potential shortcomings and liabilities that might prove problematic and disconcerting in one’s period of ownership. Much of my concern, to which I never gave full consideration, is that I missed some important issues in my evaluation of the product, or felt them to be unimportant at the time of purchase. Issues that I thought would never come up or be problematic - but in my case certainly did. For me it was a natural pull to focus on the sound qualities as well as the specs and features of the component – all pertinent to the initial discovery and evaluation of a new product. There is certainly no shortage of reviews and promotional material on those aspects. But, I for the most part ignored the post purchase concerns. I’ve heard little or no conversations in the exhibition rooms of shows; have not seen printed articles or critiques addressing the possible issues or potential problems that one might face in the ownership of a particular DAC. That is, the length of warranty, the quality of service and support, the limitations in repair due to design. If a basic feature fails, can it be isolated and fixed, or will it require a whole new circuit board and the subsequent cost? And, doesn’t one need to consider whether the manufacturer is foreign based, and if so will the unit go back to the designer and his team for evaluation and repair or a designated third party? At the heart of all of this is: where is the manufacturer standing in terms of his long-term commitment to his product? What are his practices and policy should any primary feature fail far earlier than it should regardless of warranty? When I initially shopped for my DAC, I did not fully consider or compare warranties. Why does one company offer only a year while others are giving two, three and beyond? What does the length of time a manufacturer is willing to stand behind his product say about that product? Is it the marketing rationale that most problems and failures will occur during the first year? Or, is it that it is only financially feasible for the manufacturer to carry it for a year, because after that, the potential for problems and cost would be too great a liability? In my recent research, one highly touted and respected DAC manufacturer and designer informed me that to date he has never charged for repairs if it was purchased from an authorized dealership. And, that he intended to continue to do so as long as it continued to be feasible. These questions are obviously appropriate for every component. But, I believe they are particularly pertinent in regards to digital components. They are distinct within themselves: their designs, their circuit boards, their complexity, their tasks. A different species of animal, if you will. And so are the potential problems, which might occur. I am not advocating unlimited warranty and responsibility. What I am advancing is that one needs to step back from the initial attraction and allure: to broaden their conversations and questions at fests, with dealerships and manufactures – in the auditioning process - to go a little further and flesh out questions and concerns related to ownership; to be aware of the liabilities and expenses that might occur; and to know where the manufacturer will stand in such matters. While the initial romance with a component can be sweet and compelling, subsequent repair issues, costs, the way in which customer care is given or not given, etc., can be disappointing and bitter. I’ve learned a lesson. Next time I will not speak only to the quality of sound, the attributes, and features with the manufacturer or dealership ... but address my “down the line” concerns. I will be clearer about what I am walking into... Let me not consider this component in the light that nothing will ever go wrong or be problematic – but it is to my best interest – to think it most likely will. We don’t have – as far as I know – any resources or reviews for evaluating the short and/or long-term performance of a component, the quality of customer care, the manufacturer’s commitment towards his product; nor the frequency and cost of repairs. We don’t have a consumer’s report. For that we have only each other and our community upon which to rely. And what happens when the honeymoon is over? And thus, I hope my post is read and accepted in that light – of not taking a manufacturer or their product to task, which I have no interest in doing here – but to draw some insight out of it, which might be beneficial, and bring up some additional thoughts and conversations the next time we’re evaluating and in the market for a (digital) component. And, perhaps, appropriate as some of us walk into the RMAF.
  4. I want to believe in high res audio as much as anyone. I want to believe I haven't wasted a fair bit of money at HD Tracks and Linn Records. I believe I've even heard the difference, through a carefully constructed A/B test, between 44.1k/16bit and 96k/24bit files. In the end though, there are a lot of questions I just can't reconcile. First, there is the fact that a great many people don't have amplifiers, preamplifiers, or speakers that will reproduce a signal beyond 20k. There has been some interesting and thoughtful discussion on this point, so maybe this isn't an issue. I’ll let that one go for the moment. Then there's the bit depth. I'm finding it interesting that the s/n ratio on most really good amplifiers is in the 94 - 106db range, which is no where near the 144db required to take full advantage of the s/n of a 24 bit recording. Do amplifiers even exist that have a noise floor that low? If the weakest component in the chain is still too noisy to hear the advantages of the file format, does it make a difference? This is of course setting aside the fact that the best microphones in the world (AKG C12, Telefunken 251, Neumann U47, etc...) are limited to 20k on the high end and have s/n ratios in the 70's (db). Then there is the rest of the signal path (mic preamp, eq, compressor, console, etc...). If any one of these is not up to the capability of the file format, doesn't the idea of calling the end product "high res" fail"? I know there are people who believe that high res is snake oil and that anyone who believes they hear a difference, is fooling themselves. I'd like to hear from the other side though. How given all of these facts, is it still possible for high res audio to provide any benefit at all? To be clear, I am not questioning the value of the format, so much as I'm wondering if the equipment isn't keeping us from ever being able to hear it.
  5. Hi, Iam new at this and I have a few questions, Iam not really sure if this is the right place to post this if it is not can you tell me where I can get the information I need? At my dad's office they did some cleaning and he found a DE Plan 300 speaker which I don't know if it works or not, can you tell me how test it and use it? also he found an old McIntosh Preamplifier Model C28 which I have no idea how to use can you tell me how to use all of these what extra things I need, where can i get them etc. Again if this is not the right place feel free to tell me where to post it, it can be even another site. Thanks
  6. I am relatively new to the idea of a music server. I have been researching heavily for the last couple of weeks and really need some advice. For the last couple of years I have been using J River, one pc upstairs streaming wirelessly to another computer downstairs. I had set up J River with the appropriate plug-ins and was ripping music with Exact Audio and thought "well, this is great". As all the codes were digital, I thought equipment and or cables could not temper the codes. Then behold, I am being told that there is a difference in the type of equipment and much less difference in the way certain components sound, HUH? My audiodiction started in the 70's, I have had turn tables, tubed equipment, cables and everything else and still do. The theory that source first and quality equipment were necessary in a linear progression to have the best sound, all made sense, it was analog!! Manual turntables, preamps with no remotes, triode tube amps heating the room to uncomfortable levels, getting up changing records every few moments made computer audio very inviting. Now, I have a quandary, "it seems possible that I can get better sound from my digital selections, whaaat? I have been to audio stores and seen a few of commercially available music servers, most seem to have their own dacs built in and their own proprietary software. As someone wrote, the moving development of design renders most of these objects obsolete in short order considering the high prices. Then, I discover Computer Audiophile with great realms of knowledge. A lot of stuff to digest!! This is where I need help: Music Server How do I determine what is the best source for playing my music? It is going to be difficult to audition many servers, just not that many in my area, how do I choose? I have seen the C.A.P.S units on this site, I am intrigued by the fact that they do give some maneuverability in selection of components, software, etc. How do the C.A.P.S. compare with commercially available units, compared on sonic quality and cost comparisons? If the C.A.P.S. is the best option, which model is going to be the best? 2. Storage What is the best way and best manufacture for storage? What is the best format? 3. Network What is the best way to network the system? What is the best components, switches, cables, etc. 4. What am I missing, is my ignorance just too great to overcome Please feel free to try to point me in a direction that will help me not to suffer too much!! I appreciate any and all replies to my post; I have a very nice audio system and would like to fully enhance my listening experience. I realize that many of you have been in my position and have figured a lot of this out. If you would be willing to share your knowledge and your trials, it would be great. Just not a lot of opportunities in my area to try to sort all of this out. Thanks in advance
  7. It’s been a long time coming… ECDesigns is a two-person operation run by brothers John and Gordon Brown; John handles circuit design and Gordon oversees the programming aspects. They are based near Eindhoven in the Netherlands, and products are sold directly through their website (www.ecdesigns.nl). John Brown introduced himself on DIYAudio in 2006 with these words: "I have spent my entire life designing, repairing and building electronic equipment – electronics is my passion..." He started soldering when he was 6, fixing his dad's radio. Does that make him the Mozart of digital audio? That remains to be seen. ECDesigns’ quest to improve digital audio has led over the years to many product incarnations. The first product of theirs that convinced me they were doing something different was a small USB disc player, the UPL: a battery-operated, low-noise micro-processor playing WAV files on a USB stick with a remote control and a single Toslink output. To be played, files had to be numbered 01-99 in folders numbered 01-99. What made it worth that hassle was the impressive sound quality, a result of the minimalistic design. After using the UPL I could not go back to other digital music players and have used it since as my main music source. I have often taken it along to audiophile gatherings here in Paris. While many were truly impressed by the UPL's sound quality, the inconvenience of using it meant that very few adopted it. The UPL was also a good benchmark against which other digital sources could be evaluated. ECDesigns’ DAC at the time – the MOS 16 – did not leave as lasting an impression as the UPL did, although it did perform quite well and was priced very reasonably. Fast-forward to 2020, with yet another new DAC – the DA96ETF, aka Fractal DAC. On this very forum, a happy few discussed it enthusiastically, offering comparisons with other – often more expensive – DACs. One technical aspect of the DAC that I found interesting (and relatively easy to understand) is key: ECDesigns implemented a mechanism to convert the I2S signal output by the Toslink “decoder” into a parallel signal using a very low bandwidth: 100kHz as opposed to several GHz. Why does that matter? Because lower bandwidth leaves less opportunity for interference to travel along the wiring and circuits. John Brown recently told me: "Designing DACs is similar to designing RF (Radio Frequency) circuits...". And that is as much as I need to know. Shortly after the release of the Fractal DAC, ECDesigns offered to retrofit this “bandwidth limiter” solution to some of the circuits in the UPL. The bandwidth limiter was not as sophisticated (and also less costly) as the one used in the DAC: it limited the bandwidth to 20 MHz from several GHz. ECDesigns sent me a second unit and I was able to compare both: sound quality had further improved, confirming the validity of their approach. The combination of the revised UPL with the Fractal DAC offered a level of quality in digital playback beyond anything I had heard before. Could all this be further improved? Could the same audio quality be obtained from any source? John and Gordon Brown went back, once again, to the drawing board. Their newest product, the PowerDAC-R, builds and improves on these techniques while offering additional features. The PowerDAC-R The simple and slightly retro look of the PowerDAC-R appeals to me but may not please everyone. It is surprisingly small but heavy for its size, sitting firmly on its round base. The back of the unit has two RCA analog outputs, a Toslink digital input, and a USB-B plug for the power supply (5v) and firmware updates. ECDesigns sent me three additional accessories to evaluate the PowerDAC-R. These are sold separately: A self-powered USB to Toslink converter, of their own design An RCA to mini-jack adapter cable for connecting headphones to the PowerDAC-R A Remote Control for volume control and muting (volume can be controlled otherwise with the pushbuttons on top of the unit) The unique internal design is what is worthy of our attention here. The PowerDAC has a single Toslink input (max 24/192kHz) like its predecessor but runs on an independent “master” clock. The method devised to “re-clock” the SPDIF data in the PowerDAC is proprietary: The incoming digital signal is buffered into a micro-controller’s random-access memory (RAM), sample rate is determined algorithmically, and parallel data is output based on timing provided by a single master clock (asynchronously). All data transfers occur at low bandwidth (200kHz). The critical I2S interfaces (high bandwidth, powerful RF noise source) have been completely removed. The best of both worlds? Perfect galvanic isolation from the source with an optical Toslink input and high-precision re-clocking? ECDesigns claims, as a result, that the DAC should provide high immunity to the quality of the source. This is a bold claim that has been made before. ECDesigns offered me a pre-production model to beta test. I was very eager to see for myself how this PowerDAC performed on that aspect alone and find out what differences, if any, remained between a computer source and my trusted UPL. But wait, there’s more. The PowerDAC includes a novel amplification system with 10 volume levels (+3db each). The PowerDAC-R generates the desired output voltage by the D/A converter itself without using any amplification, buffer or attenuator circuits. ECDesigns has published pictures and technical information about the PowerDAC-R on their website: https://www.ecdesigns.nl/en/blog/rd-powerdac Listening tests – source immunity To assess the source immunity of the PowerDAC-R, I compared several sources over a few days using both my speakers and headphones: Sources Details UPL96ETL Low-noise USB key player with WAV files. ElectroTos cable with standard spdif protocol (see here: https://www.ecdesigns.nl/en/blog/upl96etl) RaspberryPi Model 4B, running Squeezelite, powered by iFi Audio iPower 5V SMPS, network through ethernet port, USB out to ECDesigns’ USB-Toslink converter Intel NUC NUC5CPYH running Daphile, powered by its standard SMPS, Toslink out from its mini-jack port CD Player Arcam FJM DV27, Toslink output I was unable to hear any differences between these sources. So I had a friend over to carry out a “blind test”. I played a well-recorded track that he is very familiar with, using both the RaspberryPi and UPL in the following order: 1) UPL 2) RaspberryPi 3) RaspberryPi 4) UPL. He thought both were excellent and guessed: 1) RaspberryPi 2) UPL 3) UPL 4) RaspberryPi. I have since been exclusively using my Intel NUC connected to the PowerDAC-R using a 1.5m Toslink cable to play music in my living room. It sounds awesome! More about this later… I also tested the PowerDAC-R using a Farad 5-volt power supply and could find no difference in sound quality – this was not the case with the previous DA96ETF DAC. The PowerDAC requires only 200mA of power at 5v. The small linear power supply provided by ECDesigns has a “reservoir capacitance” of 18800uF. The low bandwidth data communication inside the DAC also contributes to power supply “immunity”. Listening tests – volume control Output volume can be adjusted using either the remote control or the pushbuttons on the top of the unit. There are 10 (3db) steps, providing a total range of 27db. This translates into a voltage range of 44mV to 1.4 V rms, with a constant output impedance of 31.25 Ohms. The volume control can be deactivated using a jumper on the back of the unit. This results in setting the volume to its highest level (9) and deactivates the pushbuttons and remote control. During my listening tests, the use of the volume control never seemed to deteriorate sound quality. To confirm these impressions, I performed a “Bolero Test” (see here: http://www.high-endaudio.com/RC-Linestages.html#BOLERO ). I used a well-recorded CD that was recorded at low volume. “For Duke” by Billy Berry and His Ellington All-Stars is a Direct to Disc recording of exceptional quality. My power amplifiers (ECDesigns’ own MBV mono blocks) have three gain settings. At their lowest gain setting and with maximum volume set on the PowerDAC-R (position 9), the volume coming through my speakers was at a comfortable level. I then compared the sound with the amplifiers set at maximum gain while adjusting the PowerDAC-R’s volume control to achieve a similar sound level. I did not compare the levels exactly with a decibel meter and did not feel the need for it, as it was obvious that there was no deterioration in quality even at much lower volumes. The music sounded detailed and distortion-free even at surprisingly low volume levels. Note: the PowerDAC-R provides sufficiently fine volume adjustments (3db steps), but over a fairly narrow range (27db). If the PowerDAC-R is used with amplifiers that are too powerful for your speakers, ECDesigns suggests using fixed shunt attenuators for volume range matching. Listening tests – headphone use I tested the PowerDAC-R using two headphones: Grado GH2 and Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro. I used the short RCA to mini-jack adapter that ECDesigns sent me to connect my headphones directly to the PowerDAC-R. The PowerDAC-R was able to drive both headphones effortlessly. The volume range provided sufficient gain to reach a high level. The sound was exceptionally clear, offering a window into the recordings. I also connected the PowerDAC-R (set at max. volume) to my Hagerman Audio Tuba headphone amplifier. The presentation was slightly more “relaxed” - this could be due to some treble roll-off on the Tuba amplifier. ECDesigns have since explained that differences in perceived sound quality between solid-state and tube amplifiers may be due to improved accuracy when driving speaker coils at “constant current” (tubes) rather than “constant voltage” (solid state). Interestingly, they are developing their own tube speaker amplifier to pair with the PowerDAC-R. Listening tests – comparison with the DA96ETF Using the UPL as a source, the PowerDAC-R outperforms the previous DA96ETF DAC. There are several reasons for this improved performance: The DA96ETF is dependent on the source’s quality (jitter level). While the UPL, in its latest incarnation, offers a low-jitter signal to the DAC, it is not perfect – no source is. The DA96ETF decodes the incoming Toslink signal using a standard chip (DIR9001) that outputs I2S – as a result, I2S spectrum cannot be prevented from spreading across the DAC circuit. The PowerDAC-R has a much lower output impedance (31 Ohm versus 370 Ohm), which improves drive capability. Some adjustments have been made to the PowerDAC’s “DAC” section, now combining Fractal logic with R2R for lower bits Overall sound quality of the PowerDAC-R There is no need for me to wax eloquent here. Listening to the PowerDAC-R really makes me think that I am getting the most out of my digital files, whether they are older recordings or newer releases. No other DAC has given me this impression so unambiguously. Everything sounds “right” – from the tone of individual musicians I am most familiar with to the dynamics of a large ensemble. Moreover, I doubt such quality has ever been offered by a product that is so affordable, so easy to use, and complete in and of itself (no tweaking required). I now feel I can “check off” the digital aspect of my sound system and focus on making further improvements to the analog side.
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