Uhh, I was referring to a regular analog input that doesn't go through an ADC, if that wasn't extremely obvious.

You'd be better off using a DAVE to the analog inputs. A scaler of any kind can't fix the limitations of regular SD DACs.

The MacBook Pro tends to have a lack of gain. 99.3 dB is quite low, once you account for peaks in music that has a large dynamic range. Still, I agree the headphone out is pretty good. I've got a pair of MM500s in for review, and I'll include my impressions out of my MacBook Pro. So far, the...

I have a cable that was originally for connecting the Studio Six to speakers. I replaced the 6.3mm plug with a 4-pin XLR female plug, and use the cable with the Master 10.

I might have to try this. Not that I need to buy more tubes. 😆

I just shot a review including my impressions with the Lyr+.

The only sane thing I'd do with Tungstens is connect them to an actual speaker amp. I've run headphones out of the Master 10, but with the volume set at 35 and using a Chord TT2/MScaler or the R27HE in pre-amp mode as a volume control. That works very well with some headphones, especially the...

I just tried the APOS Ray Tubes 6SN7 Select in the Lyr+. I reckon it's a pretty good match for something neutral-sounding, but nicer-sounding than solid-state mode:

I have a review of the Select series if anyone is interested:

Looks like the Studio Six has been discontinued, as it has disappeared from the ALO Audio site. The only shop that has them that I can find is in Europe: https://headphone.shop/product/alo-audio-studio-six/ I was just reviewing some new tubes using it when I noticed.

It's usually that they can't afford nice toys, so they hate them and the people who own them instead. It's a sad existence. Much better to enjoy what one can. Click on "quote" on the message. In the (new comment) editing box, click on the "[ ]" button to switch to the BBCode editor. Copy the...

As in a card? That's a great idea, though I'm not sure how it'd work if you had to add an extra volume control. I was thinking about the Syn, and really to get the best value out of it, you'd want to be using more than just the ability to hook up another couple of speakers. As an aside, I have...

I think you misunderstand. ADCs which have USB connect as a USB device, not a USB host. An ADC is no different to a DAC when connected via USB, except that it shows up as an audio input, rather than an audio output. For the Quartet scaler to send up-sampled data to a DAC via USB, it would have...

Last I saw Rob say anything, he wasn't working on an updated DAVE. Davina is a different issue, as it's a device that needs to connect to a computer in the manner any ADC does. Unless I've missed something, it isn't a computer, or a device that emulates one. Actual USB host output is a whole...

Rob has stated a number of times that he believes that there's no limit to the amount of resolution necessary for accurate reconstruction. He has found that the DAC has to be able to reconstruct signals as low as -320db (!!!), even though they'll be a tiny fraction of even the substrate noise of...

I wasn't talking about users. I was referring to the software update delays.

The problem with TIDAL is likely that the Zen Stream software is based on a long-discontinued version of Volumio, which itself is based on a version of Debian that has long expired. Any versions of the TIDAL software are going to have been designed for more recent OSes, so iFi are stuck trying...

The AD1865 was one of the nicest-sounding R2R DACs, so this will be interesting.

Featuring: Second generation WTA upscaler Styled in the Choral range of products 5 FPGA's 4 Million taps Equalizer function Separate dedicated designed power supply by Rob Watts

Much of one's perception depends on how exposed one was to music as a child. I was exposed to actual instruments, so my sensitivity to smaller differences is greater than someone who wasn't. As well, a lot of modern music isn't recorded and mastered in a way that preserves detail. It's just not...

There are fundamental differences between what is involved in making a piano and a high-end headphone. The piano industry has been around for countless decades, and the manufacturers have established methods and systems for creating their products. There is more sheer labor and established skill...

Sometimes, since the phone manufacturers buy up all the supply, the integrated DAC/amp chips aren't available, as I understand things. Ditto good camera modules, faster processors, etc.

If Kingwa has managed to get better sound quality out of a smaller set-up (there's obviously a switch to surface-mount transistors) then that's fantastic. The new Master 9 does look like a Master 19 internally though, with only a couple of differences.

You've been absent for too long. It's 4.4mm Pentaconn for balanced, and 3.5mm TRS for SE (or TRRS if it has a mic input like most smart phones). You don't. I had a look at the official page and in one of the images they say "No data mining and advertising push". Anyway, to be sure, I run...

Audio-gd doesn't make high-output-impedance amps. The ACSS gain stage is followed by a diamond differential output stage with a low output impedance, the same as in every other ACSS headphone amp Kingwa has designed. If the resolution of the amp is a step up from the older Master 9, it will be...