DamenS

Just wished to add my voice to the chorus of positive comments about the sound quality of 3.02 - which certainly bests the two versions I have tried ... 2.6 and 3.0. I had loved 3.0 apart from one thing - compared to Audirvana Plus 1.5.9 and Amarra 2.6 there seemed to be a layer of grain or grit over the sound - it wasn't "pure". This has been fixed in 3.02 - although I don't think my preferred EQ is saving and restoring itself as default when I relaunch. For me there are still significant user-interface and stability problems, however I should note that my computer is quite old and slow, but for me to even have a chance of listening to (nearly) stutter-free music, I can't do anything else with the computer ... which is a bit worse than 2.6 and a LOT worse than Audirvana Plus. Pity it sounds so good, really ...

I was wondering if anyone knows how to auto-load my preffered inbuilt EQ setting every time Amarra 3.0 launches - it is a little annoying when I almost always want to use the Audeze LCD-2 profile. Thanks for any assistance!

Pulse with Femto clock or their high bandwidth USB cables (split power/signal or standard) !! They just added AES/EBU cables and S/PDIF cables as well. Geek Pulse: A Digital Audio Awesomifier for Your Desktop | Indiegogo

Only 4 hours left to get a Geek Pulse with Femto clock or their high bandwidth USB cables (split power/signal or standard) !! They just added AES/EBU cables and S/PDIF cables as well. Geek Pulse: A Digital Audio Awesomifier for Your Desktop | Indiegogo

The back has RCA outputs as well as XLR.

Surely it would now have to be the Geek Pulse. Does anyone know of anything less expensive with Femto clocks ?? Here are the specs: Crystek special customized ultra-low jitter TCXO clocks x 2. (One at 90,316,8000 Hz, and one at 98,304,000 Hz) -- 85 Femto (85 * 10 ^-15) Second Jitter in 100M Hz region. Sub 1.0uV voltage reference supported dedicated clock power shunt regulator This is all internal to Geek Pulse and Geek Pulse X. A "femto" clock is a super-duper-accurate clock. It's the abbreviated term for femtosecond, which is one quadrillionth of a second. If used properly in a circuit design (like we do!), it can greatly reduce or virtually eliminate periodic errors in interpreting a digital signal (aka 'jitter'). As you know, low jitter means a cleaner signal path, which results in a more natural listening experience. We're VERY excited about this great new perk! Geek Pulse: A Digital Audio Awesomifier for Your Desktop | Indiegogo

Gavin Fish posted an announcement 2 hours ago Okay friends, after a final couple of conversations with Crystek, we can announce that we've released a Femto Clock perk on our campaign at 3:00PM Pacific time today. Here are the specs: Crystek special customized ultra-low jitter TCXO clocks x 2. (One at 90,316,8000 Hz, and one at 98,304,000 Hz) -- 85 Femto (85 * 10 ^-15) Second Jitter in 100M Hz region. Sub 1.0uV voltage reference supported dedicated clock power shunt regulator This is all internal to Geek Pulse and Geek Pulse X. A "femto" clock is a super-duper-accurate clock. It's the abbreviated term for femtosecond, which is one quadrillionth of a second. If used properly in a circuit design (like we do!), it can greatly reduce or virtually eliminate periodic errors in interpreting a digital signal (aka 'jitter'). As you know, low jitter means a cleaner signal path, which results in a more natural listening experience. We're VERY excited about this great new perk! Thank you all for insisting we add it. This would surely now have to be the lowest cost DAC on the market with Femto Clocks: Geek Pulse: A Digital Audio Awesomifier for Your Desktop | Indiegogo

Now that the Lightspeed Jnr is included in the price, the value quotient has just increased (even counting new buyers paying $299 rather than $249).

Can't wait to hear the Lightspeed Jnr. All of my other cables are Black Cat, but given the Jnr is coming with my Geek Pulse, I might have saved some money ...

Actually - just to qualify my own experience (and hopefully help Damian, though he is probably more interested in the programming mechanics of getting better sound, than the sound itself - as he should be), what JohanS says aligns with my own beliefs. There IS a veil lifted from vocalists (though I still think the harmonics aren't quite right). They are clearer, and the slightest modulations are apparent - I have not listened through my speakers (and it is now 5.58am here, so I shan't annoy the neighbours). My opinions would probably be very different through the speakers (where clarity is lost in reflections and reverberations anyway - and where my SET 300b amplifiers would add their own "body" to the music). There is certainly a difference between music injected straight into one's ears, and listening to a stereo system in a room. I know it sounds weird, but my comments about perceived "listening position" actually apply primarily to background musicians - the vocalist is very present (if threadbare), but it is like the rest of the band recede into the background - obviously this effect would vary greatly with how the recording is "mixed". Of course, listening to headphones (ahem) "colours" my experience ... I can't really judge "soundstage" accurately for instance - though I can tell this is a strength of 1.5.10. I also do truly believe that listening in a room would add some "body" regardless of anything else - and might reveal other strengths. PS - Even on my normal Hi-Fi my speakers aren't full 2.5 or 3 way ... they are 1 way (one driver) with no crossover. So don't ask me about "in room" bass response or high treble, as my system doesn't do those things ...

Yes it would - and it wouldn't surprise me if it does ... we have seen this before, where there appears to be a little "step back" which ends up being a huge step forward ... I have my fingers crossed ...

Yes, that member was me - and I still find male voices a little more "tinny" and threadbare in this new version. I've been listening to 1.5.10 for the past few hours, and trying to like it. It DOES have its charms. The clarity is unbelievable. However, can there actually be too much clarity (this is a rhetorical question, but you should answer it for yourselves - and most people already have) ? Can there actually be "too literal" and accurate a presentation ? It still seems to me to be an astringent version of the recording - stripped of its lower harmonics and emphasising the upper mid-band (where so much detail lies). It is like watching an orchestra from a distance ... everything is fine. The bass is in proper proportion and "cut from the same cloth" as the rest of the music ... but my headphones are a little bass prominent - shouldn't the music reflect this ? With the previous version of Audirvana, I was in the midst of these instruments - standing on stage with them - and I found that intoxicating. Now I am watching them from a distance, and nothing is WRONG per se ... but I personally find it less involving from anything other than an intellectual perspective (despite the incredible detail - and maybe even the "accuracy" - which I have no way of judging as these are recordings). I probably agree with everyone here that 1.5.10 is more accurate, but I like a little "fun" and character. 1.5.9 had amazing bass, and a full midrange harmonic. 1.5.10 is a little threadbare to go with its detail. I guess this may be a case of "horses for courses", and I have decided to keep at 1.5.10 for a few days at least, but to quote the lyrics to "Hymn to Her" - I believe that "something is lost, something is found". PS. I love that you called it a "fun club" rather than a "fan club" - that "misappropriation" seems quite appropriate here !

OK - downloading 1.5.10 again - the chorus of voices is getting too loud for me to ignore. I'll give it another try ... wish me luck !!

Oh great - I've been a member there for years ... and have never posted - but if you want to add me as a friend, I am Ninja Hamster or NinjaHamster. First of all (as you already know), the Hi-Fi Man headphones can't really be powered from any headphone jack (the Audeze's can - volume wise - but if you hit 'em with a bigger stick, they go faster ...). The Lyr is great - truly outstanding value for money. I've compared to the Mjolnir, which was very good too, but if you like the sound of tubes at all, it is amazing how transparent the Lyr is to their differences given its low price ... many people on HeadFi spent $3,000 trying various tubes in it - see the Lyr tube rolling thread - (the first one) with over 500 pages ... If you wait a little bit, they'll be releasing the "Vali" soon, using a non replaceable mini-tube for $120 ... it only puts out about 650Mv instead of the Lyr's 5 watts, but I bet for $120 it will still drive the HE-500's WAY better than the Meridian - and you don't really have too much to lose. Let me know how you go.

LOL - we both prefer different versions of Audirvana, but our systems aren't so dissimilar ... I'm actually enjoying 1.5.9 at the moment on headphones (I also use planar magnetics - mine are the LCD 2.2's), with a NOS Dac, Black Cat (Chris Sommovigo) Lectra cables and a Schiit Lyr (currently using Amperex 1960 "Large O getter" Bugle Boys - though I just swapped from the Amperex Orange Globe "Halo getter" tubes from 1967). Interesting. Just shows how different "tastes" can be - even in similar systems. Are you a member of "Head-Fi" by any chance ? PS. A "midbass hump" might please me - even on the supposedly "bass heavy" LCD's (though I have the second revision of the LCD2's where the treble is a considered bit more prominent - if a little ragged). I am using "Q Cable" headphone cables, which improves the bass definition. However, to my ears there is a treble prominence in 1.5.10, rather than 1.5.9. I detest treble ... my ears can't take it. Which is not to say that you are wrong and that I am right ... the chorus of voices on here would agree with you. However, you have inspired me to try 1.5.10 again ... I'll just give it a few days as at the moment I would not be impartial given how much and how quickly I preferred 1.5.9 to 1.5.10 in a direct comparison. Thankyou for your input. I will give the new version another try soon ...