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a2x024

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  1. Seems like an open-and-shut case to me: Romaz clearly owes you 10000$. And, if he were a gentleman, he would let you keep the hardware for your troubles. Not cool, Romaz. Not cool.
  2. I previously owned a Bel Canto REFLink (which I assume is not as nice as the Berkeley Audio device) and thought it was great. I'm not sure if these devices are still "necessary", but I would bet they make most any DAC sound better. I think the basic gist of your question is generally true: As DAC's continue to improve, it is increasingly difficult to cost justify these not-inexpensive devices. But, if one of these landed in my lap, I would definitely put it in the mix.... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
  3. Oh, got it... master, my initial comment was not directed at you (I would have quoted your post if I was specifically calling you out). It was just by coincidence that I tuned into the thread after your post. In the meantime, take it down a notch. My comment was largely benign- definitely no cause to fly off the handle or get personal.
  4. I'm totally confused. I can't understand how my comment would be interpreted as condescending; it was intended to be a statement against audio snobbery.
  5. Disparaging DSD because 24/192 PCM can outperform it on a test bench is like knocking a Ferrari because a Bugatti is faster. If you're listening to DSD, rest assured that you're doing better than 99% of the population. DSD is a $100 steak- enjoy it.
  6. I think you're implicitly debating an axiom of the thread (that JPlay does actually work). Would you care to elaborate? I don't think that statement is as self-evident as it was presented.
  7. Since these software platforms are all bit-perfect, jitter is likely going to be the ultimate differentiator. If we consider 24 bit data, I would guess most systems are going to have jitter spectra measuring on the order of -140dB. When comparing software platforms we would be attempting to differentiate between two jitter specta. Confidently demonstrating this difference would likely require sub-parts-per-million test repeatability or the ability to somehow take a differential measurement between two spectra. Either way, can't see a common ADC getting us there (which was the entire thrust of my original post).
  8. Thanks for the tips and feedback- duly noted. Judging by the current trajectory of the chain, I have my doubts it will eventually meander to the end I was hoping for...
  9. Yeah, tell me about it. I thought I was making a relatively benign request but most of this chain quickly went straight to snark. As the first thread I've started, this has been eye-opening. I get the impression that if someone reads a topic and is not immediately interested, they'll often start talking trash just to make it more personally interesting. It's like wagering on a sporting event that you would otherwise not care about just to make it more exciting (except the wager typically does not completely derail the sporting event). Speaking strictly in terms of enjoyment, I agree. I think the primary motivator behind my request was really just curiosity: Can this actually be measured? My hypothesis is obviously that it can be measured. But I get the impression the hypothesis of most people on this chain is "That's stupid!"...
  10. To clarify, I am not saying that my ears listening to my system cannot qualitatively hear a difference; I am asking for a quantified measurement of that difference. But, you do raise a tough question: How could it matter? I'm not sure that it ultimately does. There is a famous quote from Kelvin that I buy into, "To measure is to know". Being able to (appropriately) quantify something, to me, makes it more-real. Not that it should be thought of as wrong, but it bothers me to think I am just enjoying a placebo.
  11. Although your suggestion sounds plausible, I disagree. Anyone with the equipment and knowledge to perform such a test likely does not need to be told what to use or how to use it. (It's like a ZJ: if you have to ask, you can't afford it.) Alright, let's not get so defensive about all the work you're clearly not about to do. I think I was actually very respectful to the tests that I referenced and did no such "bashing". Let's recall from my original post, "I have read some very thoughtful and clever experiments posted online..." "The last one I read was a very well-designed experiment with a write up from a guy who was obviously very smart..." Regarding the threat of me bashing results, I think you're projecting.
  12. I don't think I ultimately need such measurements to validate my preference. But, I think we can all agree that having measurements is always better than not. And, based on the tests I have seen, I don't think we can confidently conclude that acquiring such measurements is impossible- perhaps just prohibitively expensive. So, I am asking for an appropriate test to be conducted so that we can conclude that such measurements either do exist or are technically unattainable. Either way, I will likely keep my view that JPlay actually "works".
  13. Great. Instead of getting anything close to a serious reply, I get heckled by someone who needs to copy-and-paste the term "copy and paste" to avoid misspelling it and another who thinks the idea of someone actually having access to an analyzer is laugh out loud hilarious. This is not the grand inrush of brainpower I was hoping for.
  14. A plea to the community: Would someone out there with access to some lab-grade test gear and a true reference DAC perform a legitimate head-to-head among JPlay and the other music players? I will admit that I am a JPlay believer (please don't hate). And I am bothered that there seems to be no measurable proof of its effectiveness. (And please spare me the speech about how something does not need to be measurable to be significant.) I have read some very thoughtful and clever experiments posted online that ultimately cannot demonstrate a measurable difference between, for instance, JPlay and JRiver. But I am left unconvinced because the test gear itself always seems inadequate. The last one I read was a very well-designed experiment with a write up from a guy who was obviously very smart, but the measurements were captured using a PC sound card with a specified -89dB noise floor on its ADC. Don't get me wrong, I realize this is a pretty tall order. Assuming a difference does actually exist, I would expect capturing that difference would require a system with incredible resolution and repeatability. But I have read online reviews from individual contributors that featured extremely expensive gear from Audio Precision, Rohde & Schwarz... my assumption is they had access to these assets at work (which is awesome). So, would someone with one of these $100k analyzers sitting around the office sneak a reference DAC into their lab and perform a rigorous after-hours experiment just to satisfy the curiosity of the audio community? If your boss catches you, you are welcome to throw "a2x024" under the bus...
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