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Quote:
Originally Posted by recoveryone
Did you bump your head or something, what does the word WEAK mean:
weak/wēk/Adjective
1. Lacking the power to perform physically demanding tasks; lacking physical strength and energy.
EDIT: I've removed my comment here, as Recoveryone and I have taken our discussion offline and out of the OP's thread...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by poppachubby
OK here's the first combination, gotta start somewhere. I have it set up but won't listen until tonight. I will be using my trusty AKG K240S.
Squeezebox Touch
TeraDak Valab 8 x TDA1543
Bozak 919 (smokin headphone section)
AudioQuest King Cobra RCA
Tributaries Delta 75ohm Coax
AR Pro Series II PR920
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5007/...346c1705_z.jpg
Any initial impressions?
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OK, don't think me biased here, but we must stop the quarelling.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ajani
Any initial impressions?
I am just finished setting up and almost ready to sit and listen. I have put the DAC and pre in a different space than my HT system. It's tucked away so my kids won't mess with the sliders, and so we don't have to look at that big bulky Bozak.
I think I will start shopping around for a headphone amp if this set up goes the distance. I also want to know that it's not a passing fancy, but rather a regular method for me to listen. Here I thought I was all set up and now I need yet another piece of kit.
I think i will go with a Creek. The old OBH-11's sell for a song now on the used market. The OBH-21 is nice too. I have heard the OBH-11 and it's a nice unit. Should be able to net one for around $75 - $100 depending on condition.
I wish the Bozak wasn't such a huge beast, it truly has a remarkable headphone circuit. The other problem is that I have optimized PHONO2 for 62K loading of my Shure M97xe. I was thinking about starting to rip with it.
Anyhow I will be back to report, thanks for the interest.
http://www.ultraelectronicactive.com...-OBH-11-SE.jpg
http://www.audio-tuning-pithan.de/fo...-obh-11_gr.jpg
http://www.avforums.com/forums/attac...p-dsc_0737.jpg
http://www.avforums.com/forums/attac...p-dsc_0740.jpg
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Quote:
Originally Posted by recoveryone
Now for my original post was to have a laugh on how Poppy is enjoying this digital device, knowing that he is a old school vinyl listener and is have even more fun being able to view his collection.
You know what R1? Fun is the key word.
The other thing I experience, when seeing all of my digital albums tagged to my liking with their covers, is pride. I had to use a special program to work on tagging all of my files, so that everything appears in the Squeezebox the way I like it. Of course, I also had to ensure that all covers were included and tagged as well. I haven't ever felt pride about a digital device or source material.
The only thing I can liken it to is the pride I have about my LPs. They are all clean and stored correctly, with proper poly inners and outters. That's how I know the Squeezebox is different from anything else I have ever owned.
Now, for the part you DON"T want to hear. I am certainly not fanning any flames here but...
My DAC easily bested the internal Wolfson. Frankly, I was a bit surprised. In one way, it was a bit of a wake up call on just how coloured the tubed back end can be, and my HT pro for that matter. As I mentioned earlier, the K240S stayed true to form and reproduced everything with full transparency.
The comparison was rather cumbersome, physically speaking. I have no quick way to A/B between the two methods. However, the differences were VERY blatant and audible. "Differences" is putting it nicely, the Teradak simply mashed the Wolfson in every way imaginable.
I used a couple of really excellent recordings, ripped from disc 16/44.1 in FLAC with a compression factor of 1.
"Parker's Mood" is a trio of trumpet, piano and bass with no drums. Superb 2 mic, live studio staging which puts each player in a distinct position for the entire session. I also used "Virtuoso #2" which is a solo guitarist. I would say the Wolfson "kept up" in this regard of staging/imaging, but had much less seperation and space.
The shocking improvement, was overall immediacy. All 3 instruments had a much more lively sound with my DAC, and certainly retained more of their character. Basically, the Wolfson just sounded flat in comparison.
I don't want to go on and on, but clearly there was an improvement over the Squeezebox. This doesn;t mean that I'm done wit it,
Anyhow
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We've got a winner!!
Wow!!
Wow! Wow! Wow!
You know, my audio life is damn near perfect. The Bozak combo was sounding "good", but I just walked through a new door today.
I bought the RCA to male 1/8th yesterday, and today I hooked it up using my Electric Avenues PA2V2. So that's the SB > coax > Teradak > adaptor > PA2V2 > AKG K240S.
Firstly I want to say that I have never heard my K240's sound this good...ever. The difference from the Bozak set up was off the charts improved. I let out a huge "YES!" and my wife came into the room wondering what I was doing. Of course, some mandatory eye rolling followed.
Not only do my cans sound amazing but for the first time I am hearing just how amazing the PA2V2 really is. I now firmly believe that it's the best $100< headphone amp on the market, no question. The biggest improvement would have to be SNR and the resulting immediacy. I am in awe at how smooth everything became tonally, I know this is in part to the DAC as well.
Anyhow, I am excited that I now have a "poor mans" headphone set up without having to spend any cash. Of course, I am now super thrilled to start listening. It's like hearing my AKG's for the first time, they are a different set of cans entirely.
Life is good kids!!!
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Congrats! The only thing better than achieving good sound quality is doing it without spending much money...
I think every audiophile should have a cans based setup as either their primary or secondary system... Not only does it sound good, but you can experiment like crazy without breaking the bank...
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Thanks for the interest Ajani. Nothing touches my main rig, but this comes damn close. This whole excercise reinforces my belief that the only certainty in this hobby is synergy. Either it works, or it doesn't. No amount of money, no fancy name brand can change this fact. Matching does not care about these things. So my $60 headphone amp has trumped my Bozak...expected? No.
Anyhow, I do not want what I haven't got. I have built an audio empire around the things I love, and it's paying back in spades. Vinyl in the front, digital in the back...perfect. The Squeezebox has changed my interest in digital from one of "who cares" to "right on!!"
I find listening to a vinyl rip on the SB very satisfying. And although it's not "the real deal", knowing that I created it helps to fill the void.
I will say it again, I love scrolling through my albums...just about as fun as it gets. Man I need a life.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by poppachubby
Thanks for the interest Ajani. Nothing touches my main rig, but this comes damn close. This whole excercise reinforces my belief that the only certainty in this hobby is synergy. Either it works, or it doesn't. No amount of money, no fancy name brand can change this fact. Matching does not care about these things. So my $60 headphone amp has trumped my Bozak...expected? No.
Anyhow, I do not want what I haven't got. I have built an audio empire around the things I love, and it's paying back in spades. Vinyl in the front, digital in the back...perfect. The Squeezebox has changed my interest in digital from one of "who cares" to "right on!!"
I find listening to a vinyl rip on the SB very satisfying. And although it's not "the real deal", knowing that I created it helps to fill the void.
I will say it again, I love scrolling through my albums...just about as fun as it gets. Man I need a life.
Yep, I wouldn't expect a media server to replace a vinyl system (well not yet anyway - give it time and maybe high res tracks will achieve that goal), but I think it makes a great alternative source...
I ditched my dedicated CD player shortly after I realized how much fun I had just playing music from my Mac Mini direct to my pre amp... Sure the CDP sounded a bit better and was clearly the 'audiophile' solution, but I was listening to so much more music with the Mac as source than I ever did with the CDP... Since then I've been all media server (Squeezebox, M-Audio USB Transit)...
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I also have the SB connected directly to my Yamaha HT receiver and it sounds pretty good however I am planning to add DAC to the path.
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