Recent content by project86

The iHA-8 is an excellent, potent, versatile amp that gives a huge amount of performance for a relatively affordable price. But I feel the Little Silver Fox is on another level altogether. It's more refined, more dynamic, and offers a deeper window into the performance, including the recording...

It's been a while since I used the RME but I remember it being fairly agnostic between the input types, assuming they were done right on the source end. A USB isolator would likely qualify. So in theory no major difference between them, other than limitations to sample rates and DSD - USB has...

I've spent time with most (but not all) of the Denafrips DACs over the last few years. I enjoy them and find them to be a really good value. Especially the Pontus line which imho is the sweet spot in terms of performance for the money. But I vastly prefer the Cen.Grand when it comes to overall...

In my experience the DSDAC Deluxe responds well to cable quality, including USB cable. I do have a GLD on hand but don't yet have the POW card in my Deluxe (soon...) so I am not sure about the I2S cable quality. Also, cable performance doesn't always track with their prices. Not saying a basic...

Definitely nothing wrong with the Hugo 2! It's a popular device for a reason, and when pairing it with the Euforia I'm confident you'll get an enjoyable sound. And, as you said, very easy to flip if/when you want to try a different option.

I've never been a huge fan of the Hugo 2 but do think pairing it with Euforia would likely be a pretty good experience. Especially compared to using the average solid-state amp or, even worse, the integrated headphone out on the Hugo 2. That said I personally would rather have the iDAC-8. I've...

$600 seems like a no brainer purchase, can't really go wrong for that price.

I've also been surprised at how good an iPad can sound when streaming directly to a DAC. Some DACs don't seem to like that as a source, but others are fine with it and it really does sound better than most laptop/desktop PC solutions out there. That said I agree the Element S is on another...

It's been a long time but I remember being somewhat underwhelmed by the Chord Dave headphone output. Seemed reasonably accomplished from a technical perspective, but lacking in soul and overall sounded fairly artificial to me. Niimbus can match or exceed on technicalities but has so much more...

Another update - found my wireless keyboard/trackpad device and it works great with the GLD. Set up remote desktop, got connected to wifi, installed Roon, everything is running very well. Still using the Cayin mini components right now but even so I hear a ton of potential - can already tell...

Minor update - I have the GLD up and running but not fully set up yet. My main audio rack is absolutely stuffed with too much gear, and I didn't want to clear anything out to make room. So I figured I would install the GLD in another small setup with the Cayin 888+2 stack. But I overlooked the...

Sorry I should have an update shortly, about the GLD in general but not the POW card yet. I'm still waiting for that to arrive.

I am not clear about whether or not we need a matched quad or just two sets of matched pairs, so I went with matched quads just to be safe. To be fair I never really asked Cayin to break it down for me, so I can't blame them for my not knowing. I already had a matched quad of the Valvo-branded...

If I recall correctly, it may have been true at the time of the video review but functionality subsequently changed with a later firmware update.