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Stretch

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  1. Not a single drop-out or stutter since I plugged it into the iMac. I'd be interested to know more about what causes this issue on some systems, though. As far as burn-in goes, I thought there was a change for the better after a few days of use but not much after that. Don't drive yourself nuts.
  2. Out of curiosity, I spent some time a while back trying to see if my QB-9 sounded better to me balanced versus single-ended. I ran (identical) RCA and XLR cables to an EAR HP4 amp, carefully volume matched with test tones and a multimeter and listened through Senn HD800 headphones to take the room out of the equation. I couldn't hear any difference. My own opinion is that the QB-9 is an excellent source. It is fast and detailed and accurate. It does not cover up much for poor recording quality, though, which can be problematic if you listen to genres that are commonly poorly recorded. It also has a slight high-frequency "sheen" -- for lack of a better term -- that may not appeal to all tastes. Fortunately, we are in a time where options abound in this area and, really, the only way to find out what suits you is to try a few. One of my friends -- a longtime vinyl snob -- recently got into computer audio with a DAC2 and was happy as a clam until the curiosity bug bit and he tried a PerfectWave DAC, which he said stomped the Weiss flat. He thought it was more "analog", which I guess is his particular benchmark. You pays your money, and you takes your choice!
  3. So he could listen to the QB-9 versus some other DACs with S/PDIF inputs fed via the same asynchronous USB interface.
  4. Never heard an ATC sub but if it's anything like their speakers you'll be loving life. Just thought I'd put in a plug for my favorite ID sub maker, Epik. I have two of their big 18" home theater subs and they're terrific. They also make a very compact, sealed sub for two channel systems that is on sale right now and I think pretty close to unbeatable at the price point. http://www.epiksubwoofers.com/sealedvanquish.html
  5. I've never been a great believer in burn-in, but must confess I've found myself enjoying the QB-9 more and more with a couple of hundred hours of play time on it. One particularly neat experience was having a friend with a very good vinyl rig and A/D facilities make some high-res rips of particular pressings we both own and then comparing those played through the Ayre with the actual records spun on my own turntable. I preferred the digital files by a long shot, so I guess I either need to spend more money on the analog front end -- or to sell it altogether! Looking forward to the Stereophile review this month. I hope they gave it to one of the guys who uses an Ayre disc player as a reference because that, for me, would be a very interesting comparison.
  6. Do we have a rough timeframe for Apple Lossless support in Amarra and will this also be pushed down to Mini? Thanks.
  7. It's a single-input device. Do one thing, do it well I guess. Have fun!
  8. Glad to hear it. My QB-9 is limited to 24/96 at present but will probably evolve in future, so it's good to have the option.
  9. Quick question for Lee or anyone else at Sonic Studio in the know. Is there an upgrade program for Mini purchasers who might want to move to the full version in the future?
  10. Why go through the hassle of converting before making the switch? Just copy the FLAC files over to the new Mac when you get it and run them through XLD or Max, which will automatically add the ALAC copies to iTunes. Then trash the original FLACs. Am I missing something?
  11. If someone switched out your wife with another woman in the night and then you started kissing her in the dark, do you think you couldn't tell unless you had kissed your real wife three seconds prior? Well, depending on the initial impression, I might take a little longer than strictly necessary to make the call.
  12. That's why I termed it an anecdote, gents. Not trying to establish any first principles or (God forbid) reboot the whole blind/sighted controversy. Just a (moderately interesting?) story about one guy trying to decide what he prefers. Can I ask though, Charles, how you balance the desire to get exact reproduction of the audio signal path with concerns about the persistence of aural memory? I know that some other folks like Sean Olive over at Harman have focused on the ability to swap key components (in their case, speakers) out very quickly -- the Shuffler can allegedly put new ones in and out in 3 seconds or so -- as the key to getting valid and dispassionate listening comparisons.
  13. I guess this sort of fits here, as it involves both the DAC2 and the difficulties inherent in getting a head-to-head comparison between sources. A friend of mine who is technically inclined and has pretty good ears recently set up a comparison in his own system (using both speakers and good headphones) with some DACs he had on hand. Using a custom-built switchbox and careful volume matching (multimeter at the outputs) he evaluated a Bel Canto DAC3, a Weiss DAC2 and a Mytek Stereo96 over a period of several weeks both non-blind and blind (with his wife doing the switching). Non-blind, he marginally preferred the Bel Canto, which he felt had the lowest noise floor. Blind, he simply couldn't tell the difference. He eventually kept the Bel Canto because it was a bit cheaper than the Weiss and the Mytek, though apparently a serious value, is undeniably butt-ugly.
  14. One brand new option that looks like it might be a pretty good one. The First Watt B-1 buffer preamp, built by Nelson Pass on his own kitchen table and selling for 15% off MSRP on Audiogon right now. http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0708/first_watt_b1_preamplifier.htm
  15. Eloise, why would there be any more distortion from a decent attenuator or potentiometer wired straight through (see below) than there would be from exactly the same unit hooked up to the gain stages of any active preamplifier? http://www.goldpt.com/sa1x_in_500.jpg
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