jhstn58

Well, I did it. I ordered the TB so I could get the bundle. The three cables that I am renting - The SR Active SE USB, the Wireworld Platinum Starlight, and the AQ Diamond - were to be delivered today, so I will have the weekend to check them out until the TB bundle arrives next week.

I was hoping to have a chance to audition several TCC cables before taking advantage of the special offer on the TB. I have, however, learned that the offer expires after Friday. So I'm torn. If I like the SR cable, I would hate to order the TB and not get the "discount." I may just have to take a flyer on the offer anyway. I've been reading Richard's reviews in several fora about the TB, the DAC-2se and the various cables he auditioned, and having purchased the DAC-2se upgrade in part based on those remarks and having agreed in all respects with the improvements the upgrade has made in my system, I would be taking a leap of faith that I feel the same about the SR cable and the TB. But even as I type these words, I feel more confident that it is a leap worth taking.

I'm with the others in thanking you for your review, Richard. I look forward to your reviews and posts and AFAIC, the more words the better. I'm waiting for the SR cables from TCC along with two others so I can test them with my DAC-2se (you did return the samples, didn't you A:>}). If I too prefer the SR, I will almost certainly order the TB package, hoping it is then still available. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Richard - How did you decide which components to place on the Tranquility Base?

Colin's description of his experience is mine almost to the letter, being the same age. Hi-fi audio has always been a nitch. My dad built his stereo system out of Healthkits. His nerdish interest in music was passed to me. I use and value both the iPod/streaming opportunities and the my humble hi-end system. Music is becoming so ubiquitous that it is in danger of becoming white noise. However, once the X, Y and Z generations (or whatever they're calling them these days) mature, I would not be surprised to see a resurgent interest in hi-end audio. Remember, for the majority of us, it's a mid-life opportunity to afford what we really want. Who'da predicted back in 1988 that LPs would come back (albeit to a lesser degree than in its heyday?

Got my upgraded DAC back yesterday from W4S and and have spent the better part of the day as the burn-in commences. By way of background at Richard's request, I rip my CDs via dBpoweramp in AIFF format to an external drive connected to my headless Mac Mini (early 2011), which is connected via the W4S USB to the DAC-2SE. I use Pure Music and set it for integer mode (though I'm tempted to give Amarra, JRiver or Audirvana a try just for comparison's sake). Audio signal is output to my Classe CAP-2100. As my listening environment is a small home office, I use KEF Q60 bookshelf speakers and a Sunfire SW. I also listen via Sennheiser HD600 headphones through my Schiit Valhalla amp. As my wife is out of town this weekend, I have cranked up the volume to levels I can rarely attempt when my she is here. I must say the difference between the DAC-2 and the DAC-2SE is remarkable, even out of the box. Burn-in has only just begun and I can already hear nuances I never recognized before. As I sampled all sorts of music, I was able to hone in on some differences. I played the them from Shaft and I could easily distinguish the cymbals from the tambourine. Previously I had never noticed the tambourine. On some of the Blue Note Jazz recordings I downloaded from HDTracks, I could identify (and place) every instrument in the room to a level not previously noticed. While the alto sax screeched a bit at times, I expect this will improve over the next 200 hours or so. The bass was definitely tighter. Even the ripped version of my 20+ year old self-titled Gypsy Kings CD sounded like a veil had been lifted. Being a former horn player in a jazz band years ago, I was astonished to hear the nuances of embouchure among the trombone and trumpets and the piano decay on Duke Ellington's Swinger's Get the Blues Too (one of my faves). I look forward to hearing more and more as the DAC-2SE settles in over the next few weeks. Love it!

Placed my order for the upgrade and look forward to all the sonic improvements Richard ascribes to it.

Devin - Thanks for doing this. I love finding new music too - particularly hi-rez music - and love even more when someone else does the heavy lifting. Thanks for that. I have already purchased the Dawes CD you recommended and look forward to trying out many more.

I never understood why they left Horse to Water off of the CD. I liked that song. Who sang that song in the film?

I am only as sure as I can tell from reading what the "Project Rate" is showing in the bottom left hand corner of the screen. Is it possible that it is actually using a different rate, and if so, how do I tell?

Yes, I'm recording musicforthemorningafter as I type and it is clearly recording at 96,000. The fact that it is cutting off at exactly half the 44kHz sample rate has me scratching my head as well. I'm recording from the Furutech GT40 USB DAC, which supports the 96KHz recording resolution, so I know it's not that. Is it possible my USB cable is the culprit?

What is the recording frequency limit of an LP? I am digitizing a couple of albums so I can listen to them on my iPod. Using Audacity, I notice that, no matter what sample rate I select (44,000, 48,100 or 96,000), the recorded frequency of the LP remains the same, maxing out at 22kHz. I realize this is the limit of human hearing, but is there any advantage to using a higher sample rate if the recorded frequency remains 22kHz? I thought that LPs included frequencies above 22kHz, thereby making it possible to record those frequencies using a higher sample rate. Am I confused? Almost certainly. But am I wrong in thinking that I should be able to record higher frequencies?

Foreignor Foreignor

How about the other tracks? Is this album worth the asking price now? How about the fidelity? Has anyone confirmed this is really 96/24? I assume we have true 2-channel stereo tracks now (and I don't mean channels 3 and 4).

In-house counsel for a hospital company. Got hooked on hi-fi from my dad, who built his own Heathkit receivers and speakers. Ice cream? B&R chocolate almond.