Thanks @atomicbob for posting those results. Amir clearly has some axe to grind.

I still enjoy my HEX V2s. They are not detail monsters, but so long as you aren't direct comparing them to something like the Focal Utopia that is, they are easy to listen to, super comfortable, somewhat euphoric sounding.

What amp or DAC do you have at home, or carry with you, that exceeds 20 bits of dynamic range; or call it 21 if you really want to push it before you hit the noise floor of your gear? Even really good gear can only questionably claim this level of performance. 4-5 bits is potentially...

The really short version is, are you someone who has stopped enjoying music because you are listening for flaws, limits, listening to gear, or... are you going to enjoy so much amazing music that is clearer, and more dynamic, than anytime in the past (short of a live event)? I don't think...

I really loved this post. Actually one live event I was at a noisy neighbor was so loud that we couldn't enjoy the music, but even at a relatively quiet event, there is a lot of noise. We tune much of the noise out, and focus on the music, but the noise is part of the musical experience...

I enjoy your posts too amirm. You have done a good job of explaining your position. You know it's just that when I read posts like someone linked from Rob Watts, about the benefits 200-300db of noise level (and why stop there, why not 500db?), I choke. When you do the (basic) math, and realize...

It was quite the treat when I heard this concert live in the 70's, but hey, I am old :p My music collection is utterly incomprehensible. So are my tastes in who I'll go see live. Tech N9ne and E-40 live... talk about energy, bass that you could feel, slam. Why I honestly don't care about...

Love your posts bigshot. It's clear you love music, and that is what it's all about :) Looking forward to reading your posts. p.s. love the deep bass and energy some DJs and musicians pull off, and my home system just cannot do this.

I will keep going to hear live music, because hey, I enjoy those those low bass notes without small room interference, but I've given up on home audio sounding like live. Home audio sounds good these days, but there at least three (3) details no home audio experience can re-create (yet) - 1.)...

One of the first CD's I bought as an early adopter was the 1812 Overture. The CD came with a warning sticker, the cannons are loud, be careful. So I had my horn speakers, > 100db sensitivity rating, and yes they can play loud. If I had any real gripe with the CD it would have been that most...

Again a 90 degree view... I've owned gear that annoyed me to no end, and it was NOT because of noise. All transducers had a sound signature, some I enjoy, some I found annoying, and (yes some of you won't like this), but something about the amp, or yes the DAC, had a repetitious quality that...

Another aside, but such a ton of valuable information here. Even if there is no agreement, this sub-forum, reading the insights from the audio engineers is cool crap how much depth and detail goes into mastering audio.

LOL, what a great analogy. I am objective (prove it) type, so you'll always find me on the side of the mountain that doubts anyone is hearing a gnat fart a mile away. On the flip side, it is quite interesting how quantization noise is something some human brains may pick up on, and the...

Agree 71 dB. We are well into the area of diminishing returns. Still, my question is subtle... and I'll use analogy to explain what I am thinking (it is not perfect for sure). Imagine a clear window, it is near perfect, but there is a speck of dust. Many of us ignore the speck of dust, but...

A question/thought for the group here (and a 90 degree thought)... At one point in time I was working on a MPEG-1 decoder. There was limited content available to test with at that point in time, but as someone starring at the output of decoding every day, what I became aware of is macro...

For the purpose of breaking a ground loop... note the Schiit Wyrd is just a USB hub, and makes no claims of isolation. The Schiit Eitr device is the one that provides isolation. A cheap sound card with optical out is probably your cheapest solution, though depending on your motherboard, there...

There are a couple of of ground loop solutions I've tried. It is still cheaper to try plugging all equipment into the same ground, but if that is not possible.. The Intona USB solution supports USB 2.0 speeds, and will break a ground loop. Cheaper solution is the Schitt Eitr, USB in, Coax...

A 90 degree point of view - I was a first generation CD adopter. A few hours of WOW, followed by a long period of 'this sucks'. Okay, well that was long time ago, and digital audio quality is amazing today. I write that only to point out, I agree that just because it's digital does not mean...

This^^^ Yes, and mics, transducers, and our ears do not have infinitely fast rise/fall times either, hence frequency limited.

The Utopia is very efficient, so no worries on the MJ2 driving them. I wasn't entirely happy with the Utopia and MJ2 though until I tried a pair of (also inexpensive) Tesla 6922's (NOS from the 70s, that have a laid back mid-range, rolled off treble). I'm completely satisfied now. Clear...

The HEX V2 and MJ2 sound pretty good to me with the Genalex Gold Lion E88CC / 6922's. Still a bit veiled, but those tubes added some enjoyable mid-range attack, and are available for around $45 each. On the flip side, those tubes make my ears bleed when I plug in the Utopias. p.s., And agree...

^^^ This. Funny thing is nobody is surprised that our brains throw out vast amounts of other information (visuals, memories, etc.), for all the same good reasons :wink: -- Tangentially related to this point, but it's worth searching for and taking a listen to the MP3 samples of Tom's Diner...

I admit, I was hating the Utopia. Felt like an assault when I first got them. Not sure what has changed, they may have softened up, or my brain has adjusted (probably a major factor), but between that and having put a pair of Tesla 6922's in the Schiit Mjolinar 2, they are the only HP I use now.

That was what gregorio wrote. The exception, yes it's possible, but in real use such noise never happens. No cable is gonna save anyone if there is such an overload of noise that the receiver cannot differentiate.

Two key facts are so well explained above - 1.) The whole point of digital data transfer is to transmit information reliably, while filtering out analog noise on the wire. 2.) ALL electronic gear has a noise floor, and that noise floor is never 0. This is nothing new, it's well understood, and...