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notevenclose

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  1. Do you mean you're not taking 'no reply' for an answer?
  2. Nah, don't do that, paranoia lies down that path... Seriously though, if you've got a good solution which you're evidently happy with, I'm not sure what would be gained by deliberately taking a step backward even for comparison purposes. Some context: My system’s in kind of a state of flux at the moment, not least because of the aftermath of a lightning strike. Until a short while ago, system for quite some time had been CEC transport & DAC, Kondo & Sugden amplification, Living Voice OBX-RWs. Computer audio was very much a secondary source via an Apple TV into the CEC via optical. I did a lot of experimenting a couple of years back, but felt at the time that the computer/HD options (MacBook Air and iMac were pressed into service) were inferior to the transport. That seemed consistent whether using the digital input on my previous Resolution Audio Opus 21, CEC or Kondo DACs. Ironically I thought the HD options sounded more 'mechanical' and there was a grain to the sound which made things just a little grey in comparison with the belt-drive transport. At that time I tried Trends and Bel Canto USB>SPDIF adaptors, with various battery packs etc. Being aware that a couple of years down the line there was a newer generation of computer-based doohickeys, I'd been intending to fiddle with them, but not got around to it. However, said lightning strike turning parts of the system into a collection of expensive doorsteps proved to be the nudge I needed to explore newer options. In truth the Weiss was bought with a view to it being something of a stopgap, but I confess I was surprised at how good it was on the FW input with a borrowed (well, swiped it from my stepson's bedroom) Mac mini. The DAC2's a capable enough beast on the optical and SPDIF inputs, but the FW, it seems to me, is a lot better. Good enough in fact to have me thinking it might be staying put for rather longer than intended, accordingly I've bought my own Mac mini, stuffed it with RAM and at the moment that's the primary source. OS X only on the mini, music files via an external HD on the USB bus. I'm still 'feeling my way,' but having become more familiar with the basic sound of the Mac/Weiss I'm now starting to tweak. Confess at this point my focus is very much on getting maximum performance from what was my CD collection, almost 10,000 tracks ripped as AIFF over the years. The hi-res stuff is of little consequence (it’s taken me best part of a month to even load the sample files Weiss supply) since none of the current HR catalogue I've encountered is of any real (musical) interest to me. But I've started dabbling in the last week or so, first step I tried the demo version of Pure Music. Hmm. Or more accurately, oh dear. Not for me. I thought it took the system more into the realm of 'hifi' rather than music; the longer I listened to it, the less I liked it. The caveat being this was, 99% of the time, on my 44.1k/16 bit files - perhaps it sounds better fed a HR diet (and possibly it's better with a USB interface rather than FW, although I can't really think why that should be the case). The Oyaide cable has been the second experiment, with obviously, to my ears, much better results, however unexpected. To put this in some kind of perspective, every other cable in the system is Kondo KSL silver, even the mains distribution board and the Sugden power amp have been rewired internally with the stuff. So to pull a 60 quid bit of wire out of a box, plug that in and then not really pay any attention as I clicked 'play' and then have one of those 'f*** me' moments... that's why you can't currently shift the grin off my face. Clearly this HD-based world is just as prone to tweakery and fine-tuning as the more conventional stuff. Next step in due course will be to try Amarra. Doubt I'd go for the full version, but you never know.
  3. Indeed, I doubt Weiss make any such claim - was talking to the UK importer the other day and I think his opinion was that Weiss, coming at things primarily from a 'purist' engineering approach (and presumably their 'pro' background) rely primarily on their measurements. To be honest, I'd even said to a couple of other people I wasn't really expecting it to make much, if any, difference. Oops. Wrong...
  4. Received the Oyaide Neo cable, which replaced the standard 0.75m FW800-600 cable originally supplied with a LaCie HD. Now perhaps I had a dud cheapo, but right now you couldn't get the grin off my face with a crowbar. Immediate reaction is that it's removed a 'haze' and has a substantially broader tonal palette, but this increase in clarity has apparently been achieved without any upward tilt in total balance. Everything is just more 'solid' and the musicians have been putting in some pretty intense practice... Superb product, and superb service from Weiss Asia.
  5. I sourced it direct from Weiss Asia, they were quite happy to help. Price including shipping to the UK is 900 HKD, about 76 GBP.
  6. FWIW, Weiss Asia are recommending the Oyaide FW cables, citing anything more expensive as un-necessary. No personal experience as yet, I have one on order. Seem pretty reasonably priced. A more expensive option but with a trial period is Entreq. http://www.asiaweiss.com/main/?p=1649
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