Hello from Down Under, fellow audiophiles and freaks

[OzzieAudiophile]

Thanks Mr Rw.

Yes I believe I'll need to return back to the shop to reaudition the Parasound series,
and compare Balanced, with Unbalanced. Last time I was there it was a P3 Pre with a
A23 Power, with a 16K set of DynAudio Confience floors. They connections were all
unbalanced. I was not convinced even the unbalanced cables they were using were that
good. It looked like a $10 job. The sound lacked bass, and had not very good detail
in comparison to MY set up. I would blame it more to poor set up. So I'll give them
another go.

I'd be more interested in the A23, they have a Raysonic CD128, which is a valve tube
player. Looks very nice.

It has to sound nice at the store, otherwise no matter what component it is, what brand,
how much it costs, I cannot be encouraged to buy it. Surely it HAS to sound at least
as good, if the speakers and source are 10 times better than mine !!.

If I am mistaken, let me know

[OzzieAudiophile]

E-Stat, thanks for the info, yet again.

Just to throw a spanner into the works, I finally Auditioned the Plinius Pre-power and CD
player. I was very impressed. Unfortunately the entire system is going for 15K.

The power amp is 6K. I may not be interested in their CD player because it doesn't do
SACD.

I'm getting pretty sick of going to shops which have no CD players that can access the
SACD layers I have 6 SACDs and intend to end up with a good collection of them.
Nobody will convince me that SACD is NOT a worthwhile feature, as I have heard the
difference.

The Mcintosh so far is the best SACD player that I've auditioned from all the shops I've
gone to.

Then again all McIntosh equipment has also been connected via Balanced, whereas
every other system, and setup in all other shops have been connected via single-end
whether they have Balanced outs, or not. The shops do not even stock XLR cables !!!
the cheapskates, AND all shops stock only 1 brand of cable The stocks in these
shops (even the ones that stock the most expensive components), don't even stock
the top of the range cables !!!. That is a rather disspointing thing I noticed.

As if no one in WA is never going to spend more than $150 for an interconnect, or more
than $2 per metre speaker cable !!!

[E-Stat]

Yes I believe I'll need to return back to the shop to reaudition the Parasound series, and compare Balanced, with Unbalanced.

When I worked at a hi-fi shop (long ago), we would encourage serious customers to borrow a component over the weekend to try out in their system. Naturally, we would get an imprint of their credit card to minimize their ability to take an additional discount.

Such is the only way I believe you can get the full measure of a component. One by one.

Last time I was there it was a P3 Pre with a A23 Power, with a 16K set of DynAudio Confience floors. They connections were all unbalanced. I was not convinced even the unbalanced cables they were using were that good. It looked like a $10 job.

I think you are simply hearing differences in the cables, not necessarily the type of connection. Seek those with the lowest dielectric coefficient (L x C /1034). A perfect cable would be 1 - as a point of reference, my JPS Labs are 1.12.

rw

[OzzieAudiophile]

rw, thanks for the jpslabs info. The only place I could get any of those cables is ordering
off the net. There'd be no way any shops in WA would have them.

I upgraded my standard cables over to Monster. There was a substantial improvement in
the overall sound. I even purchased 24 carot gold-plated speaker connectors to connect
my AudioQuest CV-4 speaker cables into, rather than connecting via bare wire.

We are that far behind cable-wise, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. There's no way
to possibly even get the top of the line Monster cable, even if I wanted to.

One shop stored XLR Audioquest cable (in the official box), and I also saw a couple of
pairs/boxes of other Audioquest cables, which were going for between $500 and $2K.

As I stated earlier, the rest of the shops pretty much sell other brands, but never the
very top of the line. Sort of mid-range.

I basically minimise the length of any of my cables, everything is 1m, with exception
of my speaker cables, which are between 1.5 and 2 metres.

The overall room is quite small, and all of my components are stacked together.
My new cabinet will mean the components will have more space between each other,
however 1M is still more than plenty.

I would take the guess that what the cables cost, and reputation of the company, would
be at least a semi-indicator as to the "quality" of it. I would make the guess the cables
I purchased are about 1/2 the prices of what you paid for xv.

Though my components (apart from my speakers) are probably worth (retail wise)
about 1/5 of what yours are.

I'm making the assumption I'm just about getting the best I can, out of what components
I have. My profile has the list of components I am currently using.

Cheers.

[blackraven]

Look at the Marantz SACDP's. They make some excellent High End SACDP's. They should be available in Australia as I've seen some Aussie reviews on them.

Qualifi sells the SA11s2, SA11s1, and SA15s1, these are all great players

[OzzieAudiophile]

Yep blackraver, thanks for the input.

My priority for now, is the poweramp, IF I don't choose to get an integrated amp instead.
So far, regardless on brand, I've been much happier with the poweramp, in terms of
features, the juice it can give, than the integrated. I have to consider the number of
inputs of any pre-amp in comparison to my Yamaha RX-V1300. Most of the preamps
definately have nowhere near as many inputs, which is not really my main concern
anyway. I've yet to find any preamp that has no HDMI 1.3a inputs, and I'm unlikely to
find any. It won't be the reason I'd never get one. However rest-assured, any power amp
that I DO buy ? Will have a matching preamp of the same brand, that's a given !!.

Yeah I'm finding it very hard to end up getting anything else than a McIntosh 402, as it's
the only fully-balanced one, which is the cheapest in that brand

Ok, it is still being argued and discussed on this thread, that it is not necessary. I need
to compare that 402, or any other McIntosh amp that is fully balanced, with the McIntosh
amps that are NOT fully balanced.

I need to justify the extra 4K or haha. Before any of you reply to this comment,
I WILL be willing to forego 6 more months of pain, in order to get this 402, if I find the
fully-balanced feature is worth it.

Anyone who has a fully-balanced system setup, and has been able to compare it with
a non-balanced setup, PLEASE share your experience on here. I'd prefer if it was the
same speakers that you tested

I MUST and I repeat must, get this power amp purchase correct, as I want this amp to
last me for the next 10 years AT LEAST. In terms of how McIntosh looks ? I lurrve it haha.
It looks very nice. However that is NOT the reason I will end up buying it if I do.

Yes E-Stat, I completely agree the cables make an excellent and significant difference.
I am happy with my Monster choices, however if I knew I could of got the top of the range
equivalent on the Monster website at the SAME price

Clear TIP for anyone in Australia, the prices are WAY overpriced in the shops. Not entirely
their fault, Australia have to pay an excessive import tax. If you are able to go to the
official website, look at the price online. Will be a bit of an eyeopener. However you DO get the
advantage of getting the advice from the shop, and you know where to return it if you are unhappy
with it, or something goes wrong with it.

I would be unable to spend 1K or more for any particular cable, no matter how much you can convince
me it's worth every dollar

Yes I agree, the component itself makes more of a difference to the overall performance as opposed
to balance/single end, or how it is connected. I'm sure you guys would be frustrated by now, that I'm
nearly talking myself into getting the 402. However I need as much feedback about your setup as
possible, so I can get a better insight. It's always appreciated, as it has been so far from every
reply to this thead to date

[OzzieAudiophile]

Hi all.

I got the original PS3 and started off a Blu-Ray collection. I watched Heroes, The Dark
Knight, absolutely incredible.

Despite what reviewers have said about the 'poor' playback for music PS3 do, well I would
guess if you had to compare PS3 CD playback to some of the best sources money can
buy, then I'd be forced to agree.

However PS3 does a pretty good job with CD playback for me, but my DynAudio
Contours are my strongest component. The SACD playback expectedly is much
better than CD.

I've conntected the audio using a Monster mid-range Optic cable. I intend to upgrade
that cable. I'm trying to upgrade my cables right now to reduce the number of
weak links of the signal.

[challengaaah]

HI ozzieaud- i'm from WA as well! Perth Metro. I just joined the forum a while back. I don't consider myself an audiophile as i don't have what's called high end (or even middle end, so i've learnt) equipment. I certainly would have audiophile ears though! I surprised you havn't considered buying overseas and getting it shipped here yourself. It would cut out the massive middle man/distributor markup. I restore US cars and buy a lot of stuff for them from the States. If you are careful, you can save about 40% on what the parts sellers here are selling them for. Surely you can ring around the world, after emailing first to see what they have, the prices, cost of shipping etc. I dare say your expensive amp would be heavy- FedEx or UPS would be the best option, although with FedEx you always have to pay Import Duty unless it is made in the USA , and GST. Doing it this way would definitely get you the Mcintosh at a better price. But the risk is damage in transit and warranty in case of problems.

Also, i'm surprised you mentioned Harvey Norman - i think they would sell the Chinese made stuff that they can get a huge markup on. And i have just recently learnt that there is a surprising amount of "name brands" that are now made in China with Chinese made components and very little engineering. (read: cheap and poor quality). Examples are your aforemention Monitor Audio (once a respected English speaker manufacturer), Infinity, AR - Accoustic Research and Jensen i think, plus some others i can't think of.

[Rich-n-Texas]

HI ozzieaud- i'm from WA as well! Perth Metro. I just joined the forum a while back. I don't consider myself an audiophile as i don't have what's called high end (or even middle end, so i've learnt) equipment. I certainly would have audiophile ears though! I surprised you havn't considered buying overseas and getting it shipped here yourself. It would cut out the massive middle man/distributor markup. I restore US cars and buy a lot of stuff for them from the States...

I don't want to be responsible for taking your thread Off Topic, but do you make house calls? My 2000 Formula needs some body work and some engine work before I sell it and replace it with an '09 G8 GT.

[bfalls]

I'm not trying to be difficult here, but one necessarily incurs a sonic compromise simply by putting the input to output comparator in the signal path. Most high end audio components, on the other hand, strive for a simplified gain path. Compressors are found in many pro amps that are regularly overdriven and otherwise abused where sonic quality is a secondary consideration to power and reliability under all conditions.

My 27 year old Threshold Stasis has neither any sort of in circuit compressor nor any protection circuitry. It has thirty-two closely matched 150 watt output devices to source its 100 watt per channel output which obviates the need for such. And it has been utterly reliable in that many years.

I have found that simple is usually better with the sonic performance of audio circuits.

rw

I know Threshold has been a great high-end company for many years, but your email made me curious. Should one of your outputs fail, does Threshold have your device parameters documented so a replacement can be found, or would all devices require replacement to acheive the same performance level? I would imagine after 27 years of use, some components parameters would have shifted, electrolitic capacitors dry out, resistor resistances changes, so the latter would seem a better option. After 27 years I can't believe all devices would have shifted identically.

Audio/video has been my hobby for over 40 years. I've never had to replace a failed amp/receiver, so I doubt blown outputs are a real concern in mid/hi-end audio. It just sounds like something a high-end company like Threshold might do for their customers.

I haven't listened to a MC amp since 81' when working for CBS. We used several different models. I worked in their tape mastering and replication plant. We used 2125 in our Mastering/Dolby and A/B rooms, 5150s in our individual QC listening booths and suprisingly used MC40s for our PA system. Luckily after the plant moved to Georgia from Indiana, I was able to get a couple of the MC40s. We also used Crown DC300, but the MCs sounded soooo much better.

For sources we used Nakamichi high-end decks 700, 1000 and 582Zs, as well as Ampeg and 3M mastering decks. They used mostly JBL speakers at the time, Studio Monitors in all except the QC rooms where JBL bookshelf speakers were used. The MCs always sounded great at all volume levels. Never any distortion.

[OzzieAudiophile]

Hi all.

Thanks for the information, it is definately all extra food for thought. Plenty to digest lol.

Welcome aboard challengaaah to the best audio forum on this planet lol. I appreciate
your feedback. Yes I have heavily considered the points you raised, particularly purchasing
from overseas. I found several companies will not provide a warranty if you purchase
from overseas when I pursued this on the official sites.

The hassle to ship here, pay the extra postage, assuming it does not get stopped
at customs, is one thing, but to ship it back for repair, then wait for it to come back,
just even more hassle, the cost for the postage is not covered by warranty. As strange as
it sounds, I am willing to pay the exta 10 to 20% if I can get the components local.

I must say I have not been too impressed with Harvey Norman and most of the other
similar chain shops, not one would say have 'hi-end' gear. I have been rather impressed
with the monster cable range, I'm about to place an order from a US supplier for the
top end cables. I will be able to future-proof with these cables, at least for several
years, and they will still be cheaper to what Harvey Norman will charge.

Retail will be highway robbery in WA, unfortunately there's no such thing as being
smart enough to make anything half decent here, so it's all imports. Some shops
however really know their stuff and I've been around the block long enough to know
whether they know what they are talking about.

I wouldn't mind obtaining a Cedia qualification, but then I'd have to work in the industry.
Well if the money was right...

The amp is going to be my major concern. I still need a replacement, I know I can get
much more out of my DynAudio Contours.

To date I've been impressed only with McIntosh. The other brands I have auditioned, just
have some aspects missing. It may be possible due to poor set up, but you'd think
they'd all set it up to optimal conditions.

[E-Stat]

Should one of your outputs fail, does Threshold have your device parameters documented so a replacement can be found, or would all devices require replacement to acheive the same performance level?

The current Threshold is a completely different company today than it was in the 80s so they would likely not be of much assistance. On the other hand, the gifted designer Nelson Pass (now of Pass Labs), is one of few designers who readily provides schematics and online advice regarding any of his electronic children. You can find many a thread on this very topic here.

I would imagine after 27 years of use, some components parameters would have shifted, electrolitic capacitors dry out, resistor resistances changes, so the latter would seem a better option. After 27 years I can't believe all devices would have shifted identically.

With respect to the outputs, only faster versions of the originals can be found. I replaced the Mallory electrolytics about two years ago. My comments regarding the lack of protection circuitry has more to do with the current capability of the output stage than the device matching.

We also used Crown DC300, but the MCs sounded soooo much better.

That didn't require much as Crown gear of that vintage was pretty harsh sounding. The IC-150 preamp was the poster child for how not to use ICs and massive amounts of negative feedback. I had a D-150 from '74-'75.

The MCs always sounded great at all volume levels. Never any distortion.

Perhaps not overtly audible distortion, but in the true context of the word, they most certainly changed the input signal. I will agree, however, that their sins are largely of omission rather than commission.

rw

[OzzieAudiophile]

Hello everyone.

It's been a long time since I was last on here. What's news is I am about to get a new
Power Amp, and it's about TIME !!!.

I've pretty much tested as much brands of power amps I can for my area. If you can recall
my previous threads, I've not purchased anything earlier due to something either missing,
or it just didn't sound right when I auditioned it. Now anything relatively less than
5 years old over 1k is going to perform better than my Yamaha RX-V1300.

In case you're new to my situation I auditioned the following brands :

McIntosh
Plinius
NAD Master Series
Parasound
(all prices mentioned are in Australian dollars)

McIntosh - is mainly the price, 7 K regardless on how good
it actually is, far beyond my budget for 1 component. It was not really the great
help (you know who you are if you posted on my thread before) which disuaded me from
purchasing. The price made it quite impossible.

Plinius - Hmmm I started to get into my head that anything over 3K is at least worth
an audition, this was going for about 4 to 4.5k ish. However I auditioned several of my
CDs (of various music genres), and just could not lure me. It just didn't sound like
4k to me, not really that much better than my yamaha. Perhaps my DynAudio
speakers were better than the ones in the store, but the latter were reasonably good.

Parasound - Well I recall speakers were DynAudios, Confidence Series, so the next
level up from my Contours. However I would have to blame mainy the setup, I was
quite dissapointed with them. Even if they were half the price of what they were selling
them for, I'd still refuse to buy them. I couldn't even force myself to like anything about
them.

NAD Master Series - The audition was quite good, about 4 to 4.5 K for the power amp.
At the time I was auditioning the entire series. One local supplier was quite dissapointed
to note that most of their customers returned overheated units. Yes Class A run hot,
and if you don't give them room, they can't breather fault of the consumer. Still, that
wasn't the main reason I said no. There were just some features that were missing.
This brand to me appears that it is one of the ones where the more components of the
same series, it would perform better. You know that some components and brands don't
need that kind of dependency. Call it more intuition of the listener. Take the last comment
with a grain of salt. Perhaps you can relate to that comment.

Well I heard about the Xindak advertised in the same supplier who used to stock
NAD Master Series. I then asked if anyone knew much about this, was it a Class A ? etc.
I was informed it was, and the website (as little English that's doesn't appear translated),
confirms this. I thought ok what does it sound like ?

To be fair I thought it would be better to bring in my Yamaha and compare it. The Dyns
probably would not fit in my car, plus they had similar quality speakers. First their
speakers were hooked up to my Yamaha, their source, my CDs, their cabling. Yep,
my Yam could not drive those speakers haha. Absolutely terrible job. The music was
reasonably clear, but... the speakers sounded quite lousy. BIG tip folks, if your speakers
are decent enough, your amp must also be able to power them more than adequately.

Ok well I thought I could use the Yam as a pre amp (as I could not afford a pre and
power as 1 purchase), so tried the Xindak XA8800MNE Mono Power Amplifier, hooked
up the speaker cables to the latter, same cables, same source (Cambridge Audio 840C),
and my same CDs.

You know you hit a winner when you hear 2 seconds into any song that you play the
extreme amount of improvement. No I'm not exaggerating you read right 2 seconds.
The store speakers were very easily powered by this Amp, I would imagine the overall
experience would be just a little worse off since I don't have a decent source. However
400 W p/c for my 250 W Dyns, yes really will do the job.

These monoblocks will easily fit into my hifi cabinet, I have at least 11 to 13 cm extra
space in all dimensions so they can breathe. I will however will double check to make
sure it is enough. If these Class A's need more space, then, grrrrr hehe.

I cannot wait to get them and will be soon


Big problem however, I am not very happy with any pre amp I've seen from Xindak or
anywhere else for that matter. I am looking for a pre amp that has...

1. Xlr inputs and outputs as options
2. At least 4 inputs. 2 of them ideally optical.
3. HDMI ins and outs (so I can fully replace my Yamaha receiver)
4. 5.1 speaker inputs (so I can fully replace my Yamaha receiver)

To date the only pre amp which meet all 4 above is the Marantz AV8003.

After looking at it on paper, can somebody please explain to me as to when I think of
Marantz, I think of home theature specialists only, and not as competitive in the 2-channel
market ?

Ok I know what you're about to say, you cannot really get the best of 2 and x-channel
in 1 box, at least for serious listening. Is the AV8003 too good to be true or is it
the real deal and solve my dialemma ?

[nightflier]

Ozzie,

I've been reading your posts. I own a Plinius CD-LAD preamp. It's not a current unit, but I have yet to find anything that compares. I also purchased mine used (off of eBay, of all places), but it's been rock solid. Current Plinius preamps should offer the same quality and they are definitely fully balanced all the way. Plinius also makes excellent amps, although these will run hot from what I've been told, so they'll need to be in an well ventilated cabinet. Suffice it to say I'm a big fan of the brand.

Several years ago I purchased a b-stock Perreaux amp from Audio Advisor, here in the states. It was only 200w, but it was a fantastic amp. I only sold it to buy something I thought was better (it wasn't). But Perreaux is another down-under brand you should consider. Rock-solid gear and great sound.

According to their websites, I found a few other brands I believe are also carried in Australia: Cambridge Audio, Naim, YBA, and PS Audio. The latter should be available from several retailers. They just introduced a new CD player / DAC combo, the PWT/PWD, that is supposed to sound amazing. For a CD player with balanced out, the Cambridge 840c is a terrific value and they also sell DVD/SACD players, although not with balanced outs. Anyhow, Cambridge may not be of the same caliber, but it's a just a suggestion. Finally, both Plinus and Perreaux make excellent CD players (CD-101 & CD-1 respectively) that have balanced outs.

Also, if you want really good CD playback, have you considered an external DAC? There are several that would improve the playback of just about any player (even the PS3) that will also have balanced out. What comes to mind immediately is the little $400 Cambridge DAC, but if you need something higher end, you could always opt for the McIntosh MD-1000. I also read that Benchmark ships to Australia and may be an option too. Their DACs are very highly rated here.

LDB,

You're moving??? What about that MH DAC you just bought?

[E-Stat]

... so tried the Xindak XA8800MNE Mono Power Amplifier, hooked up the speaker cables to the latter, same cables, same source (Cambridge Audio 840C),and my same CDs.

Congrats. The amps look gorgeous (at least to my aesthetic). I like seeing lots of brawny TO-3 outputs that don't get upset when you throw them a curve with a challenging speaker load. Here's a great naked pic: scroll down a bit.

Big problem however, I am not very happy with any pre amp I've seen from Xindak or anywhere else for that matter... Is the AV8003 too good to be true or is it
the real deal and solve my dialemma ?

Sorry, I'm not much of a high end AV processor buff. You might start a new post on the HT section to get better exposure to your question.

rw

[OzzieAudiophile]

Hi nightflier.

Thanks for the feeback on the Plinius. Well suffice to say the supplier who sold me the
Xindak Power amp no longer stock Plinius, so it is find of out of the picture now.

I have auditioned NAIM, and other brands in the shops I've been to here in WA. However
as all of you would know different shops have different listening environments, and different
combination of components. So what you'd experience at home could be anything
between 5% to 90% as true to your listening experience in the shop. Sadly to a certain
extent it is a hit and miss thing.

E-Stat, thankyou for the link, you absolutely rock. I'm seriously going to save that
link as my favourite - favourite. Well I'm glad Xindak made the list, but most of all, it
made my list, and within the next week or two I will be experiencing it in my own
home.

I will start a post in the HT section as per your suggestion.

Yeah the Xindak was right into my budget, and solved the inability to supply enough
juice to my Dynaudio Contour 1.8 Mark IIs.

Now, I will meet my dialemma IF I get the Cambridge Audio 840c because it has 2
inputs, is a DAC and upscales CDs/inputs to 24/384. Now I'm 99.9% know it performs
very well. No doubt about that. However I see someone sold theirs like 6 months later
because they found it rather fatiguing, and other people on here have said the same
thing.

I really don't want a fatiguing player. Then again I don't necessarily need to get a player
which will play SACD, as I have a PS3, and there's no way I'd get rid of that since
it plays all of my Blu Ray collection.

[nightflier]

What about Perreaux? They are also from down-under.

[OzzieAudiophile]

Hello.

Perreaux sounds most stylish and worth a check, thanks nightflier.

Need to find out if there's any WA (Western Australian) shops that sell them.

I haven't visited the hifi shop circuit recently, time for another round.

[nightflier]

I know there's more risk involved, but couldn't you build-up a relationship with one or two hi-fi shops in another major city and mail-order items so that you can audition them in your home? If you're a good customer, I'm sure they won't mind helping you find the equipment you want.

[OzzieAudiophile]

Hi nightflier.

Thanks for the suggestion. Yes I have been in touch with some reputable hifi stores
over the last year. Their recommendations are intelligable, and worth consideration.

You simply cannot beat auditioning the component yourself, than to simply take
somebody's word for it. I'm not saying nobody's word is word a damn, but... at least if
you don't like what you hear when you're auditioning something, you know it's because
you heard it.

[OzzieAudiophile]

I came home to two medium sized boxes, however the monoblocks were much heavier
than they look. That was a good sign

The only way you could tell which was left from right is the colour of the small ring
around the unbalanced in, which the connector itself is gold

However since I'm plugging 250 W DynAudio Contours (4OHMS) into a 400 W monoblock
amp, I cannot really put the volume to max, or anywhere close to that. No need to really.
The hardest part was rewiring everything in preperation to installing the Xindaks, I do
have many more cables than I can count, it was a huge time-consuming excercise.

I realised I have some more cables I'll need to buy because I simply do not have the
necessary length due to placement of the components. I'm forced to move my old
Yamaha receiver (now it is my pre amp), above my right monoblock. The left monoblock
is the opposite side of my cabinet, which has a slightly longer (and inferior quality) cable
connecting to my pre amp, than my right one. 1 m cannot cut it, so I must get 2 m
lengths, 2x of them, as I intend to keep them equal lengths, it is best to do that.

I will look around obviously however maybe I'm simply insane, to not try other brands
apart from Monster. To be honest I've been extremelly impressed with Monster cable,
particularly with the new HDMI and Optical cables.

Anyway, back to the Xindaks, finally connected it all up, and started listening to CDs
through my PS3 on my couch. Initially tested the higher volume settings, the amp
simply was pushing my speakers beyond their capability, perhaps for the first time
since they were ever built (as my Yamaha receiver could not push them). I knew I would
have to keep the volume beneath half.

I've tried Dire Straits, Sarah Brightman, some new age, ambient and chill out music so
far, and it took more than 1 hour before I realised significant improvement. The bass was
definately taken care of, must have at least twice as much now as I did before. I don't
like too much, so I turned the bass to minimum. I'm not normal, I simply do not like much
bass. What really blew my socks off was I was in another room and could hear the CD
so clearly, crisp, as if the walls in my house and doors did not exist. Never experienced
this clarity before.

I decided to take a short snooze, so I reduced my PS3 to the minimum volume setting,
and also turned down the volume on my receiver so low, but enough to still listen.
It was as if somebody removed coconuts away from my ears, could hear additional
instruments, parts of songs I would not of heard before today. Is it wrong that the lower
the volume is (lights off), the clarity, the accuracy of the music, the authenticity of
the source... is much better than having it quite loud ?

I don't know how many more hours I need to play before (IF it does happen), I notice
any more difference. I would be stoked if it will sound even better later, I'll let you know.
I can safely say, after 7 hours of listening, the fatigue factor simply does not exist.
I don't want to turn it off, I don't want to stop listening to music. It's unlikely the music
will stop playing until I go out tomorrow afternoon. (it is 3:02am now).

This is how a system should sound like... such a way where you can simply replay
a track, 20, 40, 60+ times in a row without experiencing any playback fatigue.