I understand where you are coming from...and using XLR connections seems like an easy fix; but if the power conditions in your building are as bad as you describe, I would give a strong recommendation for you to consider investing in a voltage regulator AND an isolation transformer - regardless...

Price point of the Qutest aside...ground loops can be resolved fairly easily. While I run balanced *everything* as a matter of choice, unbalanced signals are perfectly acceptable for short runs. A few minor housekeeping steps will make for a happy listening experience: 1. Plug everything...

Working well with Spotify and Hi-Fi Cast here. Sorry, I don't use any other streaming services or apps. I am using mine specifically for a headphone setup, and have compared the built in DAC analog output to the output from my SMSL Sanskrit 10th as well as the Grace Design SDAC Balanced...

I feel like I need to revisit this thread and give an addendum...maybe eat a little crow. In my earlier review of the THX AAA 789 I mentioned I was running my pair of HE-4xx's single ended. I have since acquired a balanced cable from Periapt and this has somewhat altered my overall impression...

You may be right. Any recommendations? I have seen reviews that claim the Klipsch Heritage amp has slightly warm presentation. Maybe something like this....

Hello all. I am fairly new here (posting-wse...have been a lurker for a while reading up). I just received my 789 this week (was lucky enough to get in on the Feb drop) and thought I would add my impressions to the thread. I don't have a super high-end setup by any means, so take everything I...

Thanks. This is a very eloquent way to put it....and I do very much agree with your position. I spent a number of years as a musician, and then both a mastering engineer and a recording engineer. I experienced the trend on that side of the fence too...a shift on what is desirable: an...

Sorry, Technopiper...my post was not directed squarely at you...I probably had a little too much coffee and was venting as a result. I have been reading these forums over the past few months and find it disturbing to witness the ongoing trend WRT people falling into Audiophile snake oil...

This....what Carlmart said Make a live 2 track (not multitrack) recording of a world class ensemble in a great room (two most important aspects) using Schoeps or DPA mics in binaural head with perfect positioning into reference grade preamps (Millennia or Grace Design) into a 32 bit 768khz A/D...

Hmm....your findings don't exactly match with what I have found on mine. I have to set the HE4xx to almost 50% (-16db) to get what I would consider to be a good listening volume (source dependent of course) I run my HE4xx off the 1/8th outputs because they have a lower output impedance and...

Hey no problem! BTW...I borrowed my wife's iPhone and installed the C5 app. to test. I can confirm it works perfectly. I was able to get my shared folder on my PC to show up in it's browser, and then I selected the Tunebox as my output. Played everything fine. You can sort by Artist...

Sorry about that. I was using VLC with my Amazon Fire for another system. Try this one. Looks like it will do the same thing as Hi Fi Cast: C5 - Stream DLNA Cast Media https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/c5-stream-dlna-cast-media/id675817870?mt=8 But if you are all in on the Apple ecosystem...

Short answer: Yes. The way I do it is...I have all my music as FLAC files located on a hard drive in my office. In Windows 10 I allow that folder to be shared across my home network. It is basically the same as NAS but just without a standalone hard drive / hardware. I use an app called Hi...

Hi, Please see this thread: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/tunebox-2-possibly-the-better-chromecast-audio.899515/ If I am not mistaken, this will work for what you are proposing. Definitely works with DLNA, and since Audirovana on your computer handles the MQA unpacking, it looks like you...

Cool you had a chance to check out the Benny Carter! I spent an hour listening to the Dieter Ilg album...some great stuff there....love the drums / percussion....so different! I would highly recommend listening to the Chesky stuff on headphones. It's a bit otherworldly. The immersion and...

Hey very cool thanks for mentioning the Dieter Ilg Trio. I looked it up on Spotify and that is some killer music and fantastic recording. An immediate 'save' to my album list! I have become very familiar with the entire Chesky Records catalog...and if you don't have it on rotation already I...

Hey neat. I am glad it is working out for you. I am still waiting on my amp (THX AAA 789) to be shipped from Massdrop, so right now the Tunebox is not being used. When I was setting it up initially, I did check the D/A and I agree...it sounds better than the CCA built in. I did not do an...

I don't know how many Head-Fi-ers are actually musicians or recording engineers.... But RME is a well-respected company within the professional recording industry. Their ASIO implementation is bespoke, and they have custom designed drivers that give their interfaces the lowest latency and...

I don't know what the common scenario is, but I will tell you how I plan to use mine.... Source -> DAC -> 789 -> RCA pass through to Tube amp. Since the 789 is such a clean amp, I plan to use a colored amp via the pass through to have both clean and colored options.

B_Rich: I have one I use as a USB DAC (because honestly it sounds better than my RME Babyface Pro). However, I run mine off of a powered USB hub. Were you running yours off a hub or directly plugged into the PC? Have only had this for a short while....hopefully the USB implementation is not...

I didn't have this exact issue...but my unit was acting a little wonky after the Firmware update. I did a full factory reset....I think you hold all four rocker buttons in and plug in USB...and although this cleared all the settings I had used up to that point...it did clear up the wonky...

Hi all. I am posting this as I couldn't find anything on the forums that talked about this little box and I think it deserves a discussion. I recently purchased this from Amazon...

Same here. I have been waiting on this drop since the last one ended. This will be my first audiophile-grade headphone amplifier. I feel really lucky to have gotten in on this one. I have a pair of Massdrop HE4xx on the way as well. A good week. Sorry to anyone who missed out this time...

Nice cables! I just received the Earstudio today and have been listening all afternoon (after getting most recent firmware installed). Great little device. I don't have what anyone would consider to be an 'audiophile' collection of equipment, but it sounds fantastic on what I have tried. For...

I was confused when you mentioned an XLR connection right after SDAC. Sorry, my mistake.