To me To me that's like asking "what's better, front wheel drive, all wheel drive, or rear wheel drive?" There's the technology and then there's the implementation. And then there is the question of "better in what way?" You could compare several DACs with the same DAC chip and all of them...

Of course you do all realize that only R-2R DACs actually DECODE the music. Delta-Sigma, aka closest approximation DACs, INTERPOLATE using alogrithms rather than actually decoding.

Hi Rhamnetin, It's not surprising to me that Mojo Audio products are not more popular. Simple really. It all comes down to advertising: I'm 58, physically disabled, and can only do a couple audiophile shows a year. And our advertising budget for Internet banners and printed ads is a small...

LOL! Allan you crack me up (he owns Focal Utopias). Actually, only an OCD music lover like me (us) would spend that much on a set of headphones.

Actually some of us will tell him how it is totally reasonable to spend $3,000-$5,000 on headphones and he'll think that spending $300-$500 is a bargain :L3000:

Thanks Kevin. Being a recording engineer for several decades, I honestly believe the reviewer from Enjoy the Music really understands what we were trying to do. BTW, for those of you that hadn't heard, our Mystique v3 was also awarded "Product of the Year 2017" by Audiophilia :ksc75smile:

I'll be bringing spare severs and DACs for people to use in the better systems, such as Jim and Tony's electrostatic systems. So you don't need to account for a table specifically for me, but count on more table space for the better systems other people are bringing. Aside from that, I'll...

MrSpeakers is loaning us a set of their new electrostatic headphones as well :L3000:

And BTW, this is a headphone thread. And every headphone amp I know of has a built in attenuator. So any of you that buy a DAC/pre amp to use with a headphone amp paid extra for additional redundant features in your DAC that lower its performance.

GearMe, there is not one word you wrote that I disagree with. All I'm trying to do is drop a bit of wisdom on this thread that will allow any of you that are receptive to wade through marketing jargon and audiophile myth and legend so each of you can make more informed decisions with future...

Yes, I both suggest and use an isolated 5th power supply with the JL Sounds (or any other) USB board. In the case of the JL Sounds there is one +5V input and one +5V output power on the other side of the galvanic signal isolation. Ideally you would want to put the 5th isolated power supply...

Good questions Yildiray. The best performing linear power supply circuit is called a "choke input." In this type of circuit the choke is placed between the output from the bridge rectifier and the input to the first capacitor. The reason choke input is the best performing power supply circuit...

Hi Yildiray, The catch up the rest of you, Yildiray and I have been discussing schematics via PM. I'm kind of surprised this is not a PM, but since some of you may also want answers to those questions, here it goes. 1. There is no "coupling cap" in this schematic. This is a perfect example of...

Hi Articnoise, If you're perceiving anything less than fully supportable arguments on my part, it is only for the sake of brevity. Facts are facts: 1. Tube stages in DACs require at least two more power supplies than SS. 2. Tube power supplies add quite a bit of noise to the inside of the...

Hi Articnoise, I appreciate your congratulations on our Mystique DACs, but you have a few things confused: it was our last gen tube DACs that won "Best Sound Value" and "Silver Sound." Our new Mystique v3 direct-coupled DAC is the one that keeps winning "Best Sound" (cost no object) and "Best...

I understand your points Articnoise. To begin with I LOVE tube amps - especially DHT tube amps. Nearly every amp I've owned for the past 40+ years has been a tube amp. So if there was a way to make a tube DAC perform as well as a solid-state DAC (all things being equal) I would most certainly...

BucketinABucket, you are 100% correct. I apologize for my negative comments off topic directed at Glina, but as you can all see once again, Glina is gunning for me. I'll be happy to discuss any of this off thread Glina, but I'm not going to let you goat me into some off topic debate or nit...

And the half-truths, vague answers, and innuendos keep coming... Since it is on topic, let me clarify some of the half-truths Glina mentioned in regards to tubes and tube DACs. To begin with most tube DACs have an op amp in them for the I/V (current/voltage) conversion. Nearly every modern...

I know I said I wasn't going to respond, but Glina, you impressed me so much with your ability to put your foot in your mouth while your head was up your @$$, I simply couldn't resist. It's clear to everyone on this thread that Glina has a chip on his shoulder when it come to me and my...

It never fails: I post on a forum and there is always one guy that wants to start an argument. Since I can't let forum "bullies" get any traction, I'll respond in detail so that all of you reading this thread get a bit more perspective on the topic. Glina, I've always said: most audiophile...

Yildiray, if I had that Audio Note DAC you described I wouldn't be looking for a totally new DAC but rather to upgrade that DAC. You could: 1. Upgrade the power supplies and add a dedicated power supply for the JL Sounds USB card. 2. Upgrade the shielding and anti-resonance both inside and...

Hi Yidiray, Copper is a much better shield than aluminum, but it is too expensive and too hard to work with for most chassis (too soft to thread). The reason aluminum is so popular for chassis has to do with cost to performance, ease of fabrication, thermal dissipation, and anti-resonance...

Hey BucketinaBucket, Every connoisseur of R-2R DAC chips I know prefers the original Japanese production of DAC chips as opposed to the modern one. This is true of both the PCM1704 and the PCM56. This has much to do with RoHS compliancy changing the materials they use. Personally I would...

Thanks for the vote of confidence Wildcatsare1. Hopefully I'll be able to loan you one of our Mystique v3 DACs to audition and review some time early 2018. I've been promising him one for months but we can't even keep up with orders. We've literally sold out of DACs for the year (even my...

The parameters that improve are: time, tune, tone, timbre, attack, bloom, decay, extension, depth, width, and harmonic overtones. You can't measure most of these things and the act of measuring them would often corrupt the actual performance. What I can say is that half a dozen audiophiles...