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Post by MartinT on Jan 11, 2019 20:55:17 GMT
I think customs are onto undercooked parcel values now!
Yes, that whistle is ultra-realistic, made me jump a few times too.
Audiophonics use one of their own I2S -> HDMI modules in the unit I'm looking at. You can buy them separately, too.
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Post by brian2957 on Jan 11, 2019 21:04:13 GMT
Look forward to your thoughts on the DAC Martin .
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Post by speedysteve on Jan 12, 2019 16:51:32 GMT
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Post by MartinT on Jan 12, 2019 17:05:39 GMT
I see so it. You have to do your own pin to pin. Keep email short.. Is this Haiku?  |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2019 17:39:57 GMT
As far as I am aware only one i2s <> rj45 commercially available home audio apart from the Nova fidelity is pro audio equipment have both happy to demonstrate if anyone is interested
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Post by speedysteve on Jan 12, 2019 17:40:33 GMT
I see so it. You have to do your own pin to pin. Keep email short.. Is this Haiku? : D Damn pred text and hurrying  see above.. |
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Post by Mr Whippy on Jan 13, 2019 1:17:49 GMT
The Pass preamps may be different, but I count myself as not-a-fan of the power amps. I home demmed an Aleph 3 a few decades ago, and owned a X150 much more recently and both to a degree were good cures for insomnia (the Aleph 3 being much worse in that regard). Forum discussion indicates this is indeed indicative of the brand, with each subsequent generation of Pass power amps getting less dozy. But then I am generally not a fan of class A solid state power amps for the same reason. If you watch the PS Audio videos you'll learn they spent 2 years trying to design the best amplifier they could. In the end, they admitted what they came up with wasn't good enough. At that point they enlisted the help of designer Bascom H. King. He took up the challenge, with 1 stipulation: it had to include valves, something PS Audio had always avoided using. Just to be sure it would produce a better result, PS Audio built the best front end they could using a valve base so a direct comparison could be made. Blind listening tests were done and - Bascom's valve was preferred. The power amp uses valves for the front end and MOSFETs for the rest. As such, I doubt the design can be thought of as having a typical PS Audio sound. Oh, and the monoblocks are said to sound markedly better than the stereo version, which came as a surprise to even the designer. |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 13, 2019 11:36:20 GMT
I did consider the Bascom PS Audio amps for a while, but there was no easy way to hear them in the UK. I'm very glad I bought the Belles, though, as the symbiosis with my Ushers is perfect. It also proves that you don't need valves in a power amp design!
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Post by Mr Whippy on Jan 13, 2019 12:20:40 GMT
Well obviously you don't need valves in an amplifier; some just think they do a better job. For 40 years Paul McGown took the contrary view, but was willing to change his mind. I'd never heard of Bascom H. King until I watched some PS Audio videos. He's interesting to listen to and at 80-odd has stories to tell. And despite decades of designing for numerous of companies, he still doesn't have all the answers. He still can't explain why musically, an active preamp should give better results than a passive one, matching and load issues aside.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 13, 2019 14:18:14 GMT
I hear you, and some valve amp designs are truly noteworthy. I just prefer the solid-state sound.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 13, 2019 16:38:27 GMT
I've packed away the Ayre for shipping tomorrow. I shall miss it.
I've also put the turntable away for a while (or even permanently). I wanted to clear the top deck of my system rack ready to move the streamer and DAC over. Gave the Electric Beach shelves a good clean and set out large RDC cones and footers under them. I have so many spares! Everything will be placed on to Black Ravioli feet on the EB shelves. Applying everything I've learned about component support.
What prompted this was playing Durufle today. I've never heard such gobsmacking beauty from my system. Achingly beautiful music right there in my room. I knew there was no going back to the old.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 14, 2019 15:37:44 GMT
Ok, I've now ordered the Audiophonics RaspDIGI LTE LVDS V2 Streamer (what a name). I've asked for LKS/Gustard compatible wiring on the I 2S as it's not the same as for PS Audio/Audio-GD. Don't you just love standards? This is a Pi 3 with Allo Kali reclocker and I 2S to HDMI board, all in a nicely built case. I can easily sell my current Pi 3 with Allo DigiOne in its 'darth vader' metal case. |
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seanm
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Post by seanm on Jan 14, 2019 16:48:40 GMT
Yes, people love standards, that's why we need so many of them....
So is the thinking here, that you cannot get the I2S signals from the existing Pi/DigiOne to the your new DAC without soldering?
Moreover, do you think that the Kali will reduce jitter etc even further?
I am really looking forward to hearing about your experiments and subsequent results, as you know, my current nomadic life limits my options to try stuff
You are really keeping me on my toes, as you know, partly for portability reasons, so far my approach has been DAC HAT based, I just about get used to your SEG solution and you move the goalposts!
Exciting stuff!
Cheers
Sean
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Post by MikeMusic on Jan 14, 2019 16:51:53 GMT
A Super Pi ? |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 14, 2019 19:15:08 GMT
The Kali reclocker should do for I2S exactly what the DigiOne does for S/PDIF. Remember, though, that there is no combining clocks to convert to S/PDIF and then separating them out again the other end. That's a whole layer removed. The LKS DAC I've ordered has a femto-clock so I expect good things.
EDIT: I realise I didn't answer your question, Sean. It was better to leave my Pi intact with DigiOne and sell it, buy another one with Kali in a nice case. I should be able to almost raise its cost by selling my original Pi/DigiOne (modified for split power) and metal Allo case.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 15, 2019 14:01:03 GMT
You are really keeping me on my toes, as you know, partly for portability reasons, so far my approach has been DAC HAT based, I just about get used to your SEG solution and you move the goalposts! Heh! If I like the LKS then there is the new smaller LKS MH-DA004Mini to consider, too. It's so new that it's on their exporter Shenzhen's site but not on their own. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'm reasonably confident that this is going to work out for me, but it could take me down a blind alley. One thing that's worked out already is moving the streamer/DAC to the 'top rung' EB shelves on my main system rack. All that isolation counts and it sounded better then ever last night once I let it settle down for a couple of hours. Mind you, the SEG looks a bit lonely on a big shelf! |
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Post by ChrisB on Jan 15, 2019 18:14:36 GMT
Bring on some new power amps!
Bi-amping with four monos will fill that space up.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 15, 2019 19:48:59 GMT
Hah! If I can do without the preamp, too, there's going to be tumbleweed in there.
If I ever feel that the Belles hits its limits (or my limits) I'd think about monoblocks. Not much chance of that, even with some of my massive bass excavating organ music or Verdi's Requiem at full throttle.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 15, 2019 19:50:29 GMT
The LKS has just been despatched from China and coincidentally the Audiophonics has been despatched from France. Which will arrive first?
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Post by jandl100 on Jan 15, 2019 20:37:45 GMT
f I ever feel that the Belles hits its limits (or my limits) I'd think about monoblocks. Not much chance of that, even with some of my massive bass excavating organ music or Verdi's Requiem at full throttle. Presumably there's more to be had from the Belles monoblocks than "mere" power. Other aspects of the sound should hopefully be enhanced as well? |
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see above..
