Rumbleripper

I am very happy with the Calyx DAC in my setup. I am running it from a dedicated Macmini (I am running Audirvana currently as the player and am very amazed at what this open source player does for the music) via USB and balanced into my headphone amp, a Woo Audio WA-22. I strictly use it for headphone listening, using my recently acquired Audeze LCD-2's. The sound out of the whole combination is amazing. I never thought headphone listening could sound this good. The Calyx has definitely added to the sound. I previously had a JK modded M2Tech HiFace (24/192 USB interface) running to a Matrix Mini-i DAC. This was a good setup also and sounded very nice, but the Calyx was a definite improvement to that. From a functional standpoint I have not had any issues. Aesthetically it is a beautiful piece of audio gear and complements the Macmini very well. I ordered directly from the Manufacturer, and they shipped me the unit into Canada, again with no issues. I am not an "audiophile" per say, just enjoy great sounding music, and really can't compare it to the W4S Dac2 as I have no experience with it at all. Looking over its specs and reviews of the W4S, it does seem to be a nice unit. It has more inputs than the Calyx so if that is needed by you then I would consider that over the Calyx. Also as you have stated there is no volume control on the Calyx so you will have to spend more for that functionality if you need it. When I am listening to my system I am sitting right beside my Headphone amp and adjust the volume of the amp as needed so this is not an issue for me. I did not spend a lot of time in my decision to purchase the Calyx, read a few reviews and looked at the photos online and felt that it would meet my needs, of which it has without question. So I am completely satisfied with my purchase. Could I have gotten a better deal with something else or better sound? Perhaps, but there are thousands of audio components out there, which I have neither the time or inclination to check out or read about, and you can always wonder "what if". Personally I have found something that satisfies my musical requirements and now just enjoy the music. Peace, Rumble

That may be, but there should be a window coming up stating this. There is no indication whatsoever given by the program. Poor user interface. Rumble

I have had this issue for the last two updates 1.02 and 1.03. It appears Fidelia is running, however no windows are open and the menu items are all greyed out, so it is not functional at all. I just stopped using it. I did like the sound when it was working, not quite as much as Amarra, but costs less. But this bug needs to be ironed out. Rumble

Hi Socrates7: No sorry for the ambiguous post above. I was doing some reading about the Realiser, and the "writeups" sounded good! I have not had a chance to hear this. I live in a rural area so don't have access to High end audio demos. I am interested in this unit if I can have it hook up properly to my Computer Audio setup, even if it is only capable of outputing 2 channel audio. I think the Realiser will still improve the soundstage of any headphones even in 2 channel mode, but am not 100% sure of this? I have an email into Smyth asking about this, as well as how I could integrate it into my current setup. Should have a response in the next day or two. Does anyone know how to get multi channel surround sound tracks into and out of a computer interface (specifically a MacMini)? I would rather not hook up a CD/Blueray player and start using CD's or Blueray discs for playback? Rumble

Hi: I spend a good part of yesterday reading about the realiser. It sounds amazing and something that may revolutionize headphone listening. But I do still have some questions. It appears to be set up for multi-Channel playback, for surround sound systems, ie 5.1,7.1 even 2.1 systems. Can computer systems output multi channel sound, and if so, what would I need? I am currently running a Mac Mini in 64 bit mode, with a JK modded HiFace out to a Matrix i-mini DAC (I have a Calyx 24/192 DAC on order) into a Woo Audio WA22 in Balanced mode to my headphones, currently HD 650's (on LCD-2's wait list). It does not have balanced inputs, or outputs, so I would certainly have to change my configuration to single ended, which would not be an issue, if the sound quality is as good as they say. But how could I hook up my system? I am thinking Mac Mini to Calyx (via USB), RCA out (2 channel), into Realiser (2 Channels in), RCA output (again 2 channel) to WA22 RCA inputs. Does this sound like it would work? Also since most of my music is CD rips and HDTrack/Linn downloads (24/96 and greater), how will it sound, if the setup is done in a surround sound setup? Thanks. Rumble

Hello: This is my first post to this site, but have been reading it extensively for the last month + as I set up my home audio headphone system. I wanted to go with a computer based music system for its convenience. I did a lot of reading on headphones, amps, DACs and sources and the following system is what I settled on: MacMini (late 2009, I had this)>trying out Amarra, Fidelia, and Pure Music players>JK modded M2tech HiFace, with attenuators (one 15 and one 3)>bluejeans BNC cable>Matrix Mini-i DAC (I have the Matrix Mini-i Blue Label edition on order)>Balanced output>Woo Audio WA22 amp>Balanced cables to HD 650 headphones (have LCD-2's on order). I can say without reservations, that the JK Modded M2Tech makes a significant improvement to the sound compared to the optical out via the MacMini. Also the attenuators improve the sound even further by taking away the "harshness" from the highs reducing the listener fatigue. How the JK modded HiFace compares to the unmodded M2Tech unit I cannot say, as I ordered the modded one directly from John Kenny and have never heard the unmodded one. His service and communications were excellent and would have no reservations recommending his product. I was having some crashing issues when "hot plugging/unplugging" the JK HiFace, but have since left my MacMini on at all times and not unplugged the HiFace, this seems to have resolved the crashing (my mini is strickly a music server, this could be an issue if you were using your computer for other uses however). WRT the music players I use, they all work with the JK HiFace and support up to 24/192 sample rates with no issues (my Matrix DAC supports 24/192 also) and can play these with no problems. I have been trying out all the music players to see which I like the best. Soundwise, Amarra is my favourite, followed closely by Fidelia. Then Decibel and PureMusic. They all seem to be an improvement over iTunes directly. Fidelia's interface is the one I like the best and has given me the least problems in terms of stability. the only drawback I have with it, is that it does not keep the playcount in iTunes when I play songs with it. I am using a modified Smart Playlist to randomly play tracks from my music collection using this guide located here: http://equivocality.com/2011/01/31/the-ultimate-smart-itunes-playlist/ I really like how this randomizes my music and allows me to listen to my favourites more frequently. This works great with Amarra's ghosting of iTunes in Cached mode (and works with the remote with the iPad and iPhone) and sounds terrific to boot. If they would only iron out some of their bugs in the software, I would be very happy with it. Their pricing seems to be a bit out of line, but if it worked perfectly with all the features it currently has (possibly adding Hog mode), I would be willing to shell out for the Mini version (the full version is still way overpriced for what it offers IMO). I am extremely happy with the sound of my system, and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the modded Matrix Mini-i and LCD-2's to use with my setup. I don't think I will be needing to up-grade for a long time after that and can start enjoying my music again. Hope this has been helpful to anyone considering the JK modded HiFace. Gaetano