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Porky

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  1. while waiting for DM's review of Sony's PHA-2 and iFi's iDSD nano, I will chip in my two cents worth. I am currently using Shure's SE535Ltd with Sony's PHA-1. And source is an iP5S with apple loseless. I have been enjoying my current setup for more than a year while not perfect, it is very musical and enjoyable. the PHA-1 rolls off the highs a bit and the bass is a bit slow and bloated and the bass extension could be better. With that in mind, I went to try out both the PHA-2 and iDSD nano. Keep in mind all listening is with standard 16bit 44.1kHz materials. The listening was for about 30mins each and with 15 mins of each other to keep memories fresh. Listening was done with Shure SE535Ltd and I brought along my PHA-1 for comparison as well. 1) iDSD is very similar in sound signature with the output from a iP5S, a much brighter sound compared to PHA-1. Bass was a tag less that PHA-1 but faster. prominent highs with good separation. Overall the sound was quite analytical. Biggest complain is the the sound sounded quite "flat", the tracks with big dynamic ranges suffered. It does not seem as "dark" as PHA-1 on quite passage. Also, the volume control has very noticeable clicks that can be heard. Big turn off for me. But the price is a no brainer.. So I feel is may be more suited as a DAC. The amp was a big disappointment for me. 2) The PHA-2 sound can be best described as an improvement on PHA-1. Both share a warmish signature. But the highs are now much better, not rolled off and well extended. Bass was not as fast a iDSD but much better than the bloated PHA-1 and extension is improved as well. It still has the "dark" dead quiet character that I really like in PHA-1. So this is definitely a significant improvement over PHA-1 and imho it sounded better to me compared to iDSD nano for the SE535ltd and my taste in sound. In the last 5-10mins of testing, i plugged in the SE535ltd directly into the line out of PHA-2 (toggled switch from headphone out to line out) and surprise surprise... it works perfectly and at the volume that I listen to. The volume control does not work in this setup and I believe the headphone amp section is switch off as well. In this mode, the PHA-2 seems more transparent with less character of it's own. The bass was FAST and but slightly less than from the headphone amp. I will need another extended listening to verify this. The major downside... the PHA-2 is ridiculous priced here in Singapore (SGD999=790USD). End of 2 cents....
  2. Hi, Has anyone tried taking the clock output of the Weiss DAC202 into the Lynx AES16e as the master clock? I am very interested in how it sounds and if it betters the firewire input. Cheers.
  3. I am in Singapore... SO what are your inital impressions of your home trial of the SCM50A and SCM100A?
  4. I would love to home trial the ATC SCM50ASL Tower ... But unfortunately that is not possible. Looks like I am back to the ATCs then... maybe I will indulge a bit and go for the anniversary edition..
  5. I have heard both and loved both. ATC has a more solid presentation whereas the B&W+Mcintosh combo has more air and bigger sound stage. The interesting thing is that I was set on the ATC SCM50ASL Tower and was prepared to say goodbye to the power amp search and speaker wire madness. That was until I heard the B&W 802 Diamond with a pair of mcintosh MC2301 at a friend's place and I was poisoned once again!!!! damned... shouldn't have gone over The question I am asking myself now is will I be missing out on anything if I go with the ATC SCM50ASL Tower. Of course the B&W combo cost a lot more. But the problem is that I forsee spending a lot more on cables and other stuff. So I guess the real question is for the ATC active owners... do u all miss the speaker and power amp combo world?
  6. Hi All, I am deciding on either 1) ATC SCM50ASL Tower vs 2) B&W 802 Diamond w Mcintosh MC2301 I will love to hear from owners with either or similar setup. The source cum preamp will either be BADA or Weiss 202DAC. Looking forward to the comments.
  7. The product looks cool... but i don't think it is available yet.
  8. Chris, Great to hear that the USB solution from Berkeley Audio will be out this year... Mid year??? End of year??? I am wait to see how it will perform before deciding on the media playback computer refresh....
  9. Yo Guys, Anyone has any news/updates on the supposed Async USB to AES converter from Berkeley Audio Design? Cheers
  10. Looks like all's in for the Berkeley Alpha DAC as a preamp as well. Then my next setup will be super simple. Not to mention saving a ton on cables! Source (lynx AES16e) --> Berkeley Apha --> ATC SCM50ASLT
  11. This casing fits.. ITX and take a full PCIe card http://www.hfx.at/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=140&Itemid=97 It is generic as well, so it will be straight forward if I decide to upgrade to new mainboards
  12. Hi All, How does the Berkeley Alpha DAC perform as a preamp? I use a Belcanto DAC3 as a preamp as I do not have any analog sources and it works and sound great to me. For the users of Alpha DAC here, I will like to hear your views? Do you use a seperate preamp? If yes, why? Cheers.
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