thegreencouch
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2014
- Posts
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Greetings. Yep, it's a noob poster, but a long lurker who's relied on this site for four life-enriching decisions...namely:
1. An NAD 521BEE player (into....)
2. A Littledot MT (driving...)
3. Sennheiser HD580s with 650 cable and shell upgrade (and....)
4. Choosing, whenever possible, CDs mastered in the "pre loudness" era.
This simple, humble, combo has given me many years of warm, detailed, dynamic, well-dimensioned, non-fatiguing joy. So thanks!
But now I need some expert help (if you please)
I'm still totally very with the combination of the HD580s and the Littledot, but I've become convinced that it's gotta be possible now to finally rip my CDs losslessly and move to a "non disc" solution.
So, after much reading, I set up the following:
1. CDs ripped into itunes using apple lossless encode
2. Macbook Pro 2011 (2.3Ghz i7; 8GB ram)
3. Music Streamer HRT II
4. Same littledot MT amp
5. Same modded HD 580s
When I first put it together and played some of my best known tracks. I was seriously impressed. Impressive soundstage; great punchy dynamics, clear and warm vocals, nice spacing between instruments; etc. "great!" I thought, "I've found a non-disc solution!"
But then I A/Bd against the NAD; and addressing the gap I found is where I need your help. How to describe it? When I did the switch it was like I went from a really good reproduction of the music, to the music itself. The vocals that had sounded great still did, but they had dimension now; the singer was reaching forward; she had space around here. Basslines that were accurate with the DAC were now accurate and grabbing. The big differences were in the "warm mid" area; vocals, chellos, tom toms. But the sense of a much more tangible music experience was clear overall.
Starting the A/B on the NAD and switching the HRT was a less obvious change. The HRT still sounded a very close match, and excelled in some aspects, like its broader soundstage. But switching back to the NAD alway revealed an obvious leap in, I don't know, realism I think. It was like a thin veil that had flattened everything slightly on the HRT was lifted away, revealing the players themsleves.
So, what I'm asking more experienced ears than mine is:
* can you make any sense of what I'm desribing and if so, what is it that the 521BEE is delivering over the HRT?
* is this just a case of DAC shopping until the right one comes along?
* is there something I'm missing that will make a bigger difference than the DAC?
* any tips on DACs that will deliver the presence (is that the word?) that my beloved 521BEE has done?
My thanks in advance for any advice or comments.
1. An NAD 521BEE player (into....)
2. A Littledot MT (driving...)
3. Sennheiser HD580s with 650 cable and shell upgrade (and....)
4. Choosing, whenever possible, CDs mastered in the "pre loudness" era.
This simple, humble, combo has given me many years of warm, detailed, dynamic, well-dimensioned, non-fatiguing joy. So thanks!
But now I need some expert help (if you please)
I'm still totally very with the combination of the HD580s and the Littledot, but I've become convinced that it's gotta be possible now to finally rip my CDs losslessly and move to a "non disc" solution.
So, after much reading, I set up the following:
1. CDs ripped into itunes using apple lossless encode
2. Macbook Pro 2011 (2.3Ghz i7; 8GB ram)
3. Music Streamer HRT II
4. Same littledot MT amp
5. Same modded HD 580s
When I first put it together and played some of my best known tracks. I was seriously impressed. Impressive soundstage; great punchy dynamics, clear and warm vocals, nice spacing between instruments; etc. "great!" I thought, "I've found a non-disc solution!"
But then I A/Bd against the NAD; and addressing the gap I found is where I need your help. How to describe it? When I did the switch it was like I went from a really good reproduction of the music, to the music itself. The vocals that had sounded great still did, but they had dimension now; the singer was reaching forward; she had space around here. Basslines that were accurate with the DAC were now accurate and grabbing. The big differences were in the "warm mid" area; vocals, chellos, tom toms. But the sense of a much more tangible music experience was clear overall.
Starting the A/B on the NAD and switching the HRT was a less obvious change. The HRT still sounded a very close match, and excelled in some aspects, like its broader soundstage. But switching back to the NAD alway revealed an obvious leap in, I don't know, realism I think. It was like a thin veil that had flattened everything slightly on the HRT was lifted away, revealing the players themsleves.
So, what I'm asking more experienced ears than mine is:
* can you make any sense of what I'm desribing and if so, what is it that the 521BEE is delivering over the HRT?
* is this just a case of DAC shopping until the right one comes along?
* is there something I'm missing that will make a bigger difference than the DAC?
* any tips on DACs that will deliver the presence (is that the word?) that my beloved 521BEE has done?
My thanks in advance for any advice or comments.
