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Cincy2

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  1. Cincy2

    Audirvana Plus 2.6

    Help! I just upgraded to 2.6.2. Running it on Mac Mini with OS 10.11.6. Can't get the Add library function to work. I select a folder and it doesn't show up on the list. Multiple reboots don't help Cincy
  2. How would you rate the touch screen controls? Built in keyboard / mouse controls? Thanks Eric
  3. I recently put a LCD TV on the front wall of my music room to give me visibility of the Audirvana library. I use a blue tooth mouse and keyboard to select files from my listening room chair (See picture). To my utter disbelief, the screen just destroyed the depth of soundstage that was presented by the system. The reflections off the screen apparently are screwing up the aural cues that create depth. I'm devastated and have to find another solution. I'm not all that computer savvy but I've read that it should be possible to lose the LCD screen and control the Mac Mini remotely from my chair using an iPad with an app and Screen Sharing enabled on the mini. The question is one of speed and user interface. What VNC apps are currently the best? Best meaning fastest, best touch screen controls etc. Thanks Eric
  4. This looks like the solution I was searching for. Thanks! Eric
  5. I've recently moved all of my hi res music files to a Synology 1515+ server. I'm going to tap those files in my music room with Audirvana and a Mac Mini. My wife listens to Pandora on her iPad and connects to a B&W portable speaker to play music in several places in the house. The question is: Are they hi res players for iPad / iPhone that will allow you to access a NAS server for source material? If so, then it would be theoretically possible for her to use it to tap my 1000+ albums worth of files. I've found some Hi Res player apps but can't seem to find any that will let you connect to a local area network storage solution. Thanks for any advice Eric
  6. Well said. You have the heart of a poet. Cincy
  7. George, I made the coversion from CD to Computer audio a couple of years ago. I sold a dCS transport and replaced it with a Mac Mini running Pure Music. Before I did that, I had all my CD's ripped to FLAC files by a service that could do that with automation (over 1000 cd's). I tested the system with the 5-10 CD's (now files) that are my standards for evaluating equipment. I could not hear any reduction in sound quality. Something is amiss in your system. Try the simple stuff first. 1) Pure Music Setup - read the manual. I didn't at first and struggled until I did. There are some settings that can make a difference. 2) Clocks- Were you using an external clock to sync your transport and DAC? Different music file sample rates required different clock frequencies (or multiples). I screwed this up at first. I had to change between 44.1Khz and 88.2Khz depending on sampling rate of the file. When the clock frequency is wrong, the whole sound stage collapses and the file sounds really bad. My dCs Vivaldi clock now makes this selection automatically thank God. Hopefully this helps. I love the convenience of files. You should not have to sacrifice SQ to enjoy it. Cincy
  8. Lyric Hifi and Video on Lexington Ave. Mike Kay owned this business before he passed away. Great guy and always had incredible gear to audition. I got a pair of Krell monoblocks from him many years ago. Cincy
  9. I think the overall specifications for D/A converters continue to improve. I've owned three generations of dCS DACs. Each iteration (compared using my same reference disks/files) has improved substantially over the last. By improved, I mean (to my ears) more soundstage resolution, "meatier" vocals and instrumentals, and more 3D dimension. The dCS DACS do not use commercially available chips. They design their own using discrete components and Field Programmable Gate Arrays. They can innovate at their own speed without relying on a chip manufacturer. To add fuel to the Hi Res debate, the files / disks that I go back to time and time again for pristine sound are all redbook CD's at 16/44.1 published by Chesky back in the 90's. No equipment can make up for a poor recording. Cincy
  10. I'm not sophisticated enough to electronically evaluate the provenance and veracity of hi res digital downloads. Have any of you guru's ever downloaded from ProStudioMasters? Are the files as advertised? Cincy
  11. I've heard the top end Wilson's and a brand whose name escapes me but the price was greater than $100K. These speakers needed large rooms and high volume levels to show their best attributes. I have a more modest pair of B&W 800D's that have the same clean sound, precise imaging and drive albeit in my smaller room. Its hard to make comparisons however because there are so many variables - digital front end, amplifier, room acoustics. Everyone has their favorites but for my money, dollar for dollar, B&W is the best speaker available. Your mileage may vary.
  12. Yes its true the amps work but for how long? Without customer support, the danger increases daily. I prefer to purchase from companies that are thriving and continue to support and upgrade their products. Mark Levinson is one of those companies. I traded the Halcro's while they still had some value. The longer I kept them the lower that value would have been. Cincy
  13. My personal experience has shown that the more revealing your system components, the more effect you can hear from changing power cords. I would not add a $3000 power cord to a system that cost less than that combined. Cables are the last item to clean up after you have addressed the rest of your system. I have two Shunyata Triton conditioners and several of their power cables. Each time I added one of their products to my system, I heard changes that I liked. Whether this subjective assessment has basis in electrical engineering or not is immaterial to me. I heard it. I liked it. I bought it. Plus One on the Cable Company loaner program. I've used it and I enjoy working with their team. I've gotten fair pricing on my cable trade ins from them also.
  14. I've had the same equipment for about 7 years (a record) and recently decided to upgrade for a few reasons: 1. Computer Audio - I went with a dCS front end that included USB connectivity and the ability to upsample red book to DSD formats. This experiment was a great success. My 1000 cd collection is now on a hard drive and hasn't lost one iota of sound quality. 2. Component obsolescence. My amp and pre amp were revolutionary 7 years ago when I bought them (Halcro DM68's). Unfortunately Halcro didn't survive the recession so I'm left with an unsupportable product. I'm trading both for a brand I've been happy with in the past that is thriving (Mark Levinson). Their Model 53 monoblocks will arrive in a few weeks. The dCS DAC can drive these amps without a preamp. It does a great job with my Halcro's. The objective for me is purity of sound on my acoustic recordings with soundstage precision and great detail. Upgrading can be frightening when large investments are at stake but I've had the good fortune to never be disappointed.
  15. My all time favorite CD's for realistic voice and acoustic instruments all come from Mapleshade Recordings. Their redbook CD's surpass any other medium (digital file or SACD or DVD of any resolution/format) that I have heard. Not a lot of their jazz is easy to listen to but there are some real gems in their catalogue. One of them is my reference disc for voices. Its an acapella recording by a group of ex drug addicts called the ARC choir that sing Gospel music. Nothing else even gets close in my system to the realism of the voices and the soundstage accuracy. mapleshaderecords.com Cincy
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