Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeg88
Sorry for digging this up so much later, pirate6955, but can you please elaborate on the quote you wrote above? Can you comment on things like detail, soundstage, dynamics, bass, smoothness, and any other noted sound characteristics you can think of? It would kind of help me decide whether I want to essentially copy your setup (because It seems pretty good to me, and I've already got the macbook).
Thanks
M
|
wow, pretty much everything you have mentioned is much improved. its a bigger more open soundscape for sure. effortless is one way to describe the sound. no matter how complex, nor however many things are happening at once its never strained. the voices in movies are lifted and very present.
when there is nothing playing its dead quiet. if there is nothing that would be playing from a tweeter it sounds like there are no tweeters. the dynamics are great. surely alot has to do with the dac electronics themselves, but the optical connection i think has as much or more to do with it. the more i use the portable d/amp the more its like a swiss army knife. i connect it to everything. headphones, iem's, small 3 piece systems, big amps with big speakers, even a bose portable sound dock. and of course my pod via line out.
as a side note ... i am miffed that i cant connect my ipod to my macbook pro and use it as an external drive with my library on it, playing through my itunes. maybe i am doing something wrong. but i try to select it as a library in itunes on the mac while it is connected via usb and none of the music shows up. i dont keep any music on my mac its all on an external drive. i wanted to take the macbook, micro d/amp, and sound dock as a portable system and get the tunes off my ipod. but that dont work.... and there is no digital out on the pod. i guess if i did not use itunes for my library this would be a non-issue but i live by smart playlists so that is not an option really.
the battery life on the micro is killer too. understated for sure by headroom.
i really could not imagine you not liking a micro portable. surely it is not the definitive final statement in audio.. but that said, i doubt you can ever end the quest for sonic nirvana. spending big bucks for incremental steps in quality. the money spent on a micro portable is efficient. there is a good performance for dollar from this setup. i think you would be happy with the mac and micro.
now honestly most of the stuff i listen to probably doesnt qualify as killer source material. it was recorded on tape to start with so how far can you really go?? i'm a rock guy. early grand funk, country joe, hawkwind, right on up through 12 stone, pod, incubus... but not really analytical stuff eh?
but its what i like. and i never thought it could sound this good. i've been dumping bux into stereo gear since the late 70's. and only since i got the micro have i ever really achieved the sound i was trying to get. and i can get it from almost anything i can jack into now.
impressed has become amazed. it's just me though. others would surely differ with my opinion. and most likely they are correct. but this works for me and works well. i hope to add some open headphones to my setup next...