AGB

CONGRATULATIONS! A GOOD MOVE. Lastly....attached.... AGB

My apologies to all whose feelings I apparently disturbed with my strong opinions, live observations on the scene, and genuine life experience, especially about the Danes whom I like almost as much as I like the Swedes, the Dutch, and the Norse. Especially I need to apologize for having had to write a longer apology (than my original inane comments) and for my war crimes . I must apologize for potentially sullying the sensitivities of some Americans whom I also like. In fact I like everybody, especially Americans. As someone whom on occasion writes parody, comedy, punnery, satire, and sometimes when I've consumed an entire bottle of brandy, serious stuff meant to be consumed fully clothed, I bow my head in shame. As opposed to the other stuff meant to be read while soaking oneself in a warm bathtub with an electric heater perched on the tub's edge. Some of these can be found here, as my real name never disclosed before for fear of a congressional investigation about collusion, is Komrade General Kommissar Vassily Ilych Chernobylski. Tell you the truth. My last ruble was spent on lawyers. So, if some of you sensitive souls broke down into heart-rending sobs because I didn't find the Danes overwhelmingly happier than other folk, I herewith extend my deepest apologies. Even to the folk in Denmark. Even to those Danes, Americans and Germans who can't sleep over Donald Trump's orange hair or taste in women. And, to prove the authenticity of my contrition; and at the same to lighten my guilt over my overstepping the bounds of civility, and mostly to make my life bearable, I let you know right here that not only have I eaten Danishes in several European nations, as well as at least five stale cinnamon buns, but I outfitted my small flat in Budapest with the aforementioned Danish brand's wireless speakers driven by optical wire directly from the 4K TV. That is not all. When I apologize, I mean it! I had purchased several very expensive custom knives by Danish makers Jens Ansø and Mikkel Willumsen - go ahead, ask them I did! As you can clearly see, with my purchases I had made complete amends, having improved Denmark's economy to the extent that no one in that nation will ever have to work again. They can spend the rest of their lives eating cinnamon buns. Lastly, I promise henceforth not to do what a Japanese tourist did in utter boredom visiting Copenhagen. Denmark is most famed for a tiny statue of a mermaid set a few feet off shore in the Copenhagen bay. There is nothing else in Denmark to see, trust me. The gent, in desperation about his boring fate having had to visit Denmark at his wife's insistence, and having probably drunk the entire contents of the bar from which he recently exited, decided to climb up on the wet, slimy, slippery rocks on which the said mermaid was perched. You can guess what happened next.

Sorry about my absence for over a year not having been notified of comments on this thread - and not answering any of you. Since my original remarks for on the road I went to the LGV40 and it's upgraded Quad DAC by B&O. Using with it the Beyer-Dynamic Xelento IEMs which solidly beat the Audeze LCD-Xes I was using back then. More recently I bought the Audeze LCDi4s which solidly beat the Xelentos. And everything else I am aware of. I am keeping both earphones, for the Beyer is ideal for traveling, shutting out most noise too, it is a fantastic IEM, and the Audeze is ideal for serious listening at both my home in Europe and here. In the States on my desktop I use Audirvana with some parametric EQ with the Audeze-written DPS software plugin. Hardwarewise I added the iFiUSB3.0 conditioner and power supply for the Mojo, a terrific gizmo too, with the Curious USB wire from Australia...all used with the iMac. Simple and remarkably good. An aside: The Chord Mojo is a terrific DAC that is also portable. It is hardly dated. Its virtues compare favorably with over $1000 DACs. With the iFiUSB3.0 added, we can raise the Mojo's performance to compare with multi-thousand dollar DACs. How come it's so inexpensive? Well, the power of large number of sales -- and it has no AC-DC power supply. The power supply in many components arguably represents up to 80% of the retail price. From another angle, the Mojo - and I am NOT advertising it - is the front end of another good brand's $3-4000 DAC. Photos attached.

I'll make it simple. I went from the iPhones to the LG v10 to the LG v20 to the LG v30. USB Player Pro set to Internal DAC, bought the Parametric EQ module. The V30 drives my Audeze LCDx and the Beyer Dynamics Xelento Remote headphones well. I also have a Chord MOJO. Don't need it any more. Does the LG v30's DAC sound different from the MOJO? Yes, I like both of them - the MOJO is relegated to the desktop with iMac, USB Regen and Curious USB cable. The V30 is quite possibly the best sounding mobile phone with its B&O designed DAC extant. Oh, before I forget, it is MQA enabled.

Very much enjoyed the Dyneaudio tour Chris, as I had just purchased a pair for my European flat on which I am in the process of closing. I've visited Denmark, and while I don't quite agree that the Danes are the happiest people on the planet (trust me, that is merely a political narrative to push socialism and acceptance of high taxes on that nation), nor with the ideal of the Danish HYGEE (more on it at the link), I do agree the Danes can make very good products, excellent cinnamon rolls too, and their audio gear is often grossly underrated in favor of the small, and just as grossly-overpriced brands typically reviewed in the high end rags. As for the Danes love of hygee, see this: THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD http://canadafreepress.com/article/the-happiest-people-in-the-world No, the Danes do not fit that bill. Not even close. However, we Americans do. In fact the latest PEW poll suggests that Americans now strongly believe they can, or have already, achieved the American Dream. http://pewrsr.ch/2A1EjqF The Danes are content. Happiness is another matter. A flock of sheep are content too. To be happy one needs to be challenged and feel he has achieved something worthwhile. And more: the key to happiness can be found from another well-known audiophile and orchestra conductor at: https://www.prageru.com/node/1155 We Americans - exceptions of the ingrates on football fields aside - have more of this human trait, universally expressed on Thanksgiving Day, as I write this - than any other people on earth. We are programmed to be happy provided we do not reject who we are. In any event, you may be interested in my take on earbuds, and these from another European company. The take is that balanced armatures specifically and in general are garbage that belong in hearing aids and in the ears of half-deaf juveniles at HeadFi who fancy themselves reviewers and experts, not in high end audio products. I'm sure I'll be crucified for my views by the various assemblers of these and the aforementioned juveniles. Nevertheless, as the fellow who coined DIGITAL SUCKS back in the eighties (I no longer think so by the way), I tend to be ahead of the current thinking usually by years, not days or weeks. I'm a trader by profession, I had better be. As were you ahead with Computer Audiophile. If any of your readers want my White Paper on earbuds, by all means, see the attachment or write to [email protected] Andrew Benjamin Beyer Dynamic Xelento Remote.docx

And no one can help one who is seriously misinformed about digital technology, resampling,noise shaping, so on. If you can't hear differences, and won't bother, "LOL" will not help you either and you've proven nothing at all except that your mind is closed and obviously you can't afford high end equipment. Bits are indeed bits. Until one or more bit is mis-timed. And then the bits are still bits, but sound different, one from the other. And it is not up to the experienced to prove anything to you with words. Words cannot prove anything. Except ignorance... in your case.

Unless you want your music to sound better. Meaning, sort of like music. I also find it unbelievable that people still listen to iTunes with Decibel and Fidelia available. Maybe on a PC one can't hear the difference? And they want us to take them seriously? The fact is that if my ears were stuffed with cotton and my head submerged into a bowl of tapioca pudding I'd still be able to hear the HUGE improvement of Fidelia over iTunes. May I suggest for those who can't hear the differences to use a high quality transducer like the Audez'e headphones and a good DAC. Fed by a Mac of course, or a dedicated computer. Oh well. another day, another dollar.

Above. I have nothing to add to his comments, only that in some cases where USB has been implemented correctly, the SPDIF converter will not improve anything. Most of the time it should. I am not sure it will with, let's say, the Wyred4Sound DAC 2.<br /> <br /> If anyone finds otherwise, pls let me know.<br /> <br /> Otherwise, you're wasting your money that can be better spent on a $1000 a night hooker.<br /> <br /> One more note: Audiophilleo publishes their impressive jitter specs. Alpha, as far as I know, does not.<br /> <br /> And it is those jitter numbers you don't hear on the first. As it should be.<br />

Latest re my 5/27 comment. From what I hear, having a Word Clock and/or SPDIF reclocked input may be no better than a properly implemented USB interface. Sometimes the exact opposite. A recent review in TAS of a DAC having these features proved this point explicitly. Several DACs in its price range beat it sonically.<br /> <br /> We need to be careful, no matter how convincingly the HOPE and CHANGE, er, I meant, the HYPE, has been crafted.<br /> <br /> Price is no indication of quality.<br /> <br /> We lost the Cold War, the Russian chicks invaded the Hamptons and are gobbling up rich men, take their homes, and then divorce them. Sounds like the audio hobby.<br /> <br /> Par for the course in the Land of the Free and the Brave.

Chris, I'll be looking forward to your testing the Alpha USB and the Audiophilea SPDIF converter with various DACs. These two may be highly competitive, the second at far lower cost with more features? Preamp features? More importantly, to find out if there's any consistency we can expect for improvements with a variety of DACs, or "they just sound different?" Different, as we all know, means nothing, and may not mean "better."<br /> <br /> For example, to my chagrin, I found out that the W4S DAC2 sounds better without it being plugged into AC filters/conditioners. People get deluded often thinking that these gizmos will make all components sound better.<br /> <br /> No they will not!<br /> <br /> There's a balance, you win in some areas of performance, lose in others; and sometimes either solution gives you a win-win or lose-lose.<br /> <br /> So now I listen to the DAC that has greater dynamics - by far - tighter bass, and superb clarity. It's just gotten better over time with burning in.<br /> <br /> Because I write political articles (a newsletter called SNIPPETS, leaning a bit to the right with very provocative "views askew" setting the historical record straight), I often have to resort to repetition of concepts. For example "Everything is so, unless it isn't."<br /> <br /> You get my gist.

"the Audiophiliac-1, which appears to be very advanced compared with the Halide"<br /> <br /> Hi AGB - What information do you have that leads you to believe that stated above?<br /> <br /> http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/audiophilleo/1.html<br /> <br /> I may or may not test the device with my DAC.<br /> <br /> However, I am not yet convinced that going w SPDIF into a well designed asynch USB DAC is smart or will generate better sound.<br /> <br /> Sometimes I like spinning my wheels, at other times, not.<br /> <br /> Oh well, another day, another dollar.

Hi Chris,<br /> <br /> No, to answer your question, I no longer do reviewing, it's been a long time. Still in touch with a number of writers at both mags, TAS and Stereophool. I trade stock for a living - well, one can call it that.<br /> <br /> Regarding the USB chipsets, I am aware that they are used because of ready made solutions for designers. I am also aware that Firewire is used in pro gear.<br /> <br /> My thinking was that Firewire is being abandoned and USB is being adopted for DACs. Some makers may still address the pro market with Firewire and they should. The fact that pros use Firewire does not make Firewire better or worse. The fact that some other prose use USB is likewise.<br /> <br /> We should assume - and I defer to you Chris with respect to computer audio as being far more knowledgeable than I - that we probably don't know everything about applying either solution. Accordingly, I will assume that designers on the whole will move toward the better, rather than the lesser solution for a number of reasons. Certainly not only because a ready made solution is easier to apply. Technology advances by those willing to try new solutions and good engineers will. The USB is the newer solution insofar as DACs are concerned because designers made it work well for audio purposes and are still refining it.<br /> <br /> This trend applies to dac chipsets too. We are moving to 32 bit chipsets and possibly higher. 32 bit at this point in time is a done thing. A 24 bit chipset is a "has been" regardless of what any designer or reviewer thinks. The same applies to designers still toying with 96k dacs. I say to them, good luck.<br /> <br /> I am learning by the seat of my pants so to speak, and one thing I am good at, separating the myths from facts. Opinions, mine included, are not necessarily facts or useful.<br /> <br /> So I listen to you guys and the fellows at Moon and anyone else who has something useful to add for me to gain traction regarding which direction I should go with.<br /> <br /> Re the SPDIF v USB, I was told by one good source that with modern DACs like the W4S DAC-2 that has both input types, the signal is transformed to I2S to the dac chipsets and the input type makes no difference, except for that the SPDIF input is more jitter prone - this is common knowledge. Or that the USB input has less jitter. In either case the W4S reclocks the stream internally. <br /> <br /> The better SPDIF converters have their own clock schema to deal with jitter and noise before it enters the dac and here is where the controversies arise vis-a-vis which input type one may prefer sonically - at least this is my understanding which I admit is limited.<br /> <br /> I have recently received info re using word clocking and SPDIF conversion in combination, and am awaiting more info from a couple of manufacturers re these issues.<br /> <br /> Moreover, I am willing to try anything that will make the sound better, though admittedly right now I am getting the best sound I've had in the home right now, so Steve Stone was correct in his TAS review of the DAC-2 which is comparable to the WEISS Minerva - actually, the WEISS is bright so one can argue the W4S DAC-2 is more accurate - good enough for me. If however there is any way to make one of the best in the world even better, I'm all for it, so if you have any suggestions, please let me hear them.<br /> <br /> What makes this scene all the more compelling is the relatively low price for such good sound, the total system cost with Nordost USB cable and Audez'e headphones list at about $2700 without the computer.<br /> <br /> Truly astonishing compared with the cost and annoyance-to-deal-with ratio of good analogue gear that I have in my listening room.<br /> <br /> Oh well, time marches on, and me thinks digital has brought good sound to the reach of almost anyone. Nice to know that the art survives and the industry can once again expand, this time rationally, as I've always felt that high end audio attached lots of irrationality, myths, snake oil salesmen, to too high prices offering little value.<br /> <br /> Nice to meet you Chris.

Well, some assert it sounds better. Personally I agree with you wholeheartedly, it is unlikely any SPDIF converter would make a good USB sound better, though anything is possible. Even a great one like the Audiophiliac-1, which appears to be very advanced compared with the Halide and such. At least one should not expect improvements with good 192k DACs like the W4S. Mostly because their engineers said so. Hah, at least you were alone in catching it. Congrats.<br /> <br /> That USB implementation is one reason I bought the W4S DAC2. A properly implemented USB probably sounds better than a common 96k adaptive DAC w SPDIF conversion for reasons given earlier. Besides, it has the necessary features I wanted, an excellent output amp (meaning I won't need a headphone amp or preamp), a well-designed volume control and display, a choice of outputs, RCA, balanced, remote w balance, muting and other features. A preamp built in. Built like a tank.<br /> <br /> The W4S DAC2 w Audez'e LCD2 is about the best desktop system one can have, and yes, I had pretty much abandoned my analog gear, Pass amps, Cary preamp, Nordost wires, VPI TNT/Triplanar, BG Radias - top notch gear one can argue. The sound of the DAC-headphone combo is stunning. I'm sure there will be others similarly competitive, and the technology is converging not only possessing similar features, but performance between the expensive and the not so expensive. Digital is very egalitarian and like cell phone technology, designers are forced into using similar parts/chips, layouts, and large parts of their designs are constrained by the chips' specs and guidelines from their manufacturers. Karl Marx would approve even if we don't approve of Karl.<br /> <br /> And lastly, because to date I have not heard a better sounding DAC, but others are nipping at its heels. The WEISS is a touch brighter, some say a tad clearer, but that forwardness does not mean it is better. Also, I haven't been convinced Firewire is superior in any way, regardless of what anyone asserts, considering too, that the technology is being abandoned. No other manufacturer I know of is adopting Firewire, so WEISS may be alone. That pretty much says it all, doesn't it?<br /> <br /> So, as you see, we're not all bozos, at least not you and I. Time to abandon foolishness in audio. Those times are over, even if some segments of the audio world, LPs and turntables for example, are enjoying a dead cat bounce.<br /> <br /> However, a colleague at an audio mag now tells me that the Audiophilliac with a word clock (another device) to add on, will result in a massive improvement even with my DAC. I'm going to have to get clear on this issue, meaning....<br /> <br /> I'll be forced just out of curiosity to test it?

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/audiophilleo/1.html

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/audiophilleo/1.html, an interesting product I may try with the Wyred4Sound DAC2. It might benefit it; it might not. Who knows? Anyone try this combo and can provide some input?