Snilsen

So, I've recently changed my speakers (modified 2-ways based on Behringer B2031P) and I would like to update my opinion on the difference between these two. The soundstage indeed becomes "wider" or "better organized" with the Bifrost. On many vocal performances I hear a good deal of "graininess" over the new speakers, however with the Bifrost I hear less "graininess". Many instruments sound just a little better, there's more punch in the tympani, there's more boom in the kettle drum, but with vocals its just really hard to not notice the difference. Glad I have Bifrost!

What is this software? I'm intrigued.

My impression is Pure Music isn't pure at all. One both my systems it falls short of other programs that cost much less, but I can hear the appeal. I am a real vinyl addict and I appreciate the importance of dynamics. I say this because PM does something nifty to add dynamics. It seems to tighten the soundscape as well, but all at the expense of low-level detail and causing _me_ some fatigue. For instance, on my standard boxes, PM presents vocals more forward or placed more precisely in the L/R balance, and while this is often a neat psychedelic alternative, it usually makes the music fatiguing. On my horns, the image is very wide, no doubt, but I can't here Nick Drake's pick on his guitar strings - that level of detail is just gone and I miss it. So, IMHO PM isn't too pure, but if you can afford it and it doesn't cause you listening fatigue, then its pretty nifty.

I wonder about this. I also notice you've splurged on a Mapleshade USB cable. Can you comment on how the sound of the connections differ? AND does that special USB cable makes a lick of difference? I've spent dough on interconnects that I can't really justify. Still, I bought them, so I use them. That's what I'd like to know about the spacial USB cable.

Hi all, So I've got at the current moment, a Schiit Bifrost running out of my iMac's optical and a Schiit Modi running out of a USB jack (with the second USB port empty on that pair). Wanna know what I think? Both DACs are running into an upgraded, very quiet, Scott 222a, which is powering Monitor Audio RX-6 speakers. PS Audio power conditioning, fancy interconnects and substantial speaker wire to boot. This is a solidly mid-Fi system. The only cheap parts are the USB cable (short, black and came with a Plextor CD burner) and the optical cable (short, black and designed for an mini-plug at one end). Yes, I kinda wish I had the USB option Bifrost, but the folks at Schiit say the TOSLINK connection is superior. So the Modi does not seem to activate any integer mode in my demo copy of Pure Music 1.8. I didn't find any reports anywhere if this would work in integer mode, but it doesn't seem to. I got the Modi so I could have a Schiit on each stereo. The second stereo is a different beast. Again an iMac, then a heavily-modded Scott LK-72 powering Klipsch Cornwalls. This is my all-analog rig. My ears do prefer this stereo, but both are nice. They're apples and oranges, really, but they both quite revealing. My initial impression of the DACs is on the Monitor Audio system through Decibel: Stachmo and Duke: The Great Summit: They are both very detailed and with the Modi I can make out spoken words I couldn't with the Bifrost. Instruments sound more in-your-face with the Modi, the Bifrost brings out details that place them into a deeper soundstage. Left-Right precision is about equal, perhaps better with the Modi, but the Bifrost provides detail in terms of the sounds around instruments allowing me to imaging their distance from the microphone. Both DACs are outstanding - they both make me smile. The Trinity Sessions. So, now a recording with lots of space around the instruments. It's not even close now. You'ld pick the Bifrost over the Modi with ease. Here the Modi just doesn't capture the soul of the recording. One more test, the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, in D (I'm annoyed I don't know the performance, but its my gold standard, and I think its Isaac Stern). Here's another easy difference, the Modi doesn't resolve the plucking of the bass section, it adds a smear of bass the to presentation. So, going back to the Satchmo and Duke... because that is such a nice recording.... and its just a matter of volume. Turn up the volume and the Bifrost makes the bass is better articulated and provides better weight to each piano strike. In this system, the Bifrost, for $250 more, is worth every penny because it brings detail and with it a musical soul into digital recordings the Modi cannot. I expect to draw the same conclusions with the Cornwall system, but how does the Modi perform there? I hope well enough to upgrade what's currently there! In the next post.

There are two files directly below the video, but they are not for download. They are in a "container" and must be played using your browser. Still worth it.

FOUND IT! The Bach Mass in B Minor with and without filtering. Adventures in 3D Sound: Bach and Binaural Recording - Studio 360 I like my Bach filtered.

Here's a link to a review of Chesky's Binaural audio tracks... using BACCH filtering. Chesky Goes Binaural | Stereophile.com Also, I listened to these demo's:Daily Planet | The Living Room Lab: 3D Audio I was having doubts about how interesting this was, until finally some music. The intro to Money by PF is late in the fourth track down... just check it out.

Funny! That's exactly what this filter is meant to make better. Choueiri finds Bach sublime and hence devised the clever acronym for his filter. The goal is to sonically bring you into the chamber in a way no 2 ch system has done before. This isn't about recording quality, this is a new level of psycho-acoustics to improve sound stage, with a push of a button.

Yes, this is the same thing. I wouldn't be too dismayed by this effect being played on $200 loudspeakers. From the looks of it, the room treatments are worth at least another $1000 and the stands are quite solid. So, Dr. Choueiri is no fool. In fact, he's ridiculously brilliant. The NYer article goes into the depth of his intellect, which is at the jaw-dropping, OMG, "scarry" level ... based on his accomplishments and over-the-top hobbies (he designs jet engines that run on electricity for a real job). Also, the article slams the quality of the current world view love of MP3 fidelity. The author is a bit of an audio-lover, who can't stand the sound of MP3s. Choueiri is romantic about an all analog system that sings him to sleep. In short, these people know something about fidelity and the descriptions in the article are quite pleasing to read. My concern, and this is stressed in the article, is the BACCH will work in a small sweetspot. Hopefully on kick ass stereos that provide sweet areas, this may be overcome. Anyhow, the good Dr wants to get around this shortcoming with a sensor so the filter changes as you move around the room to follow you. Maybe the main concern here is making it all affordable when you integrate the sensor, because this is otherwise a cheap patch to our digital chains.

Come on, somebody here has to read this. It's fascinating. Is it an access thing? No NYer subscribers here?

Read this article, post your comments. Adam Gopnik: Edgar Choueiri and the Astonishing World of 3-D Sound : The New Yorker I think there's something very exciting to look forward to and I'm blissfully ignoring my intuition that tells me its just a gimmick to be ignored. This is just too glowing, too interesting, too cool to just dismiss. I only hope its available on a trial basis when it finally gets released, supposedly some time this year according to the scientist's web site.

Hi, I've got a PPC (iMac G5) running the most up-to-date OS available for it (10.5.8) that has been my music server running iTunes for ages... However, now that I know how much I'm losing with iTunes, I'd like to run anything else. (I see now that Pure Music is an option - but total overkill, and at $130, not a bargain Mr. Atkinson.) So far, I can only find an old version of Fidelio, but its buggy and crashes on many tracks. Any better suggestions? I don't need iTunes integration, just looking for the best harnessing of the connected DAC as possible. The connected DAC is an older model by Enlightened Audio Design, if that should matter. A link to where any suggested software can be downloaded would be SO appreciated. It's would be pretty sad that there weren't any stable software options beyond itunes. The G5 is a computationally powerful chip with 64 bit architecture and the TOSLINK output is the same a modern Macs, which is quite fine. Thanks, Steven

I haven't got your answer either, but I've got an iMac PPC G5 that is acting a server to one stereo and I can't find any decent software to run with it. Maybe you could help me there - I tried a version of Fidelio, but its buggy. They all want to operate on OS 10.6+, the PPC cutoff.

Hi, I've been using this forum to inform myself of my options on software. I could tell that there were some good opinions here based on base systems. Myself, I'm running 10.7/iMac > Schiit Bifrost via TOSLINK > tubes (rebuilt Scott 222) > Monitor Audio RX-6. I evaluated the followiing 44/16 recordings: The Songs of Stephen Foster Charles Mingus at UCLA Ahmad Jamal Chamber Music of the New Jazz and on 24/96: James Brown - The Payback (from vinyl) My room: Speaker near the short wall. Lots of plants, many instruments, upright piano, and furniture. Without going into detail, the most striking thing to me is that A+ was not as resolving and "smooth" as Decibel or Amarra HiFi. The tougher choice is giving Amarra a slight nod over Decibel, but there are bass passages that are much easier to follow on Amarra than Decibel. Amarra > Decibel > A+ All three are outstanding improvements over stock iTunes. They all make digital feel comparable to analog - which is my main passion. In fact, I'm rediscovering my digital ... there's something warm and detailed in those files after all. This is really appreciable. I'm left thinking that I'm missing something without USB, but maybe not. If you haven't tried your TOSLINK off your Mac, please do. There are very affordable minijack/TOSLINK cables from parts direct which are audibly better than using a highend optical cable ruined by a cheap adapter. Also, y'all should give Decibel a try. On all tracks I've preferred it to Audirvana, and it was tough to tell on many comparing it to Amarra. I suppose its the lack of iTunes integration thats a turn off, but the thrill of better sound should make it worth an evaluation. Thanks for reading - I would love to know your thoughts if you've done the same evaluation.