[AndrewOld]

Thanks for catching my sloppy writing—I corrected my post!

muski

Nonetheless, it is the case that you still found the standard M Scaler harsh?

 

[SteveHulk]

Well...

I upgraded the front end of the Cave system.

Out with the Windows tablet and in with the Innuos Zen Mini III and its matching lps.

It is just amazing that this system just keeps getting better. The sq headroom on the m scalar + DAVE just keeps coming. And the headphone amp and the LCD4 keep on responding.

I won't rave on about blacker than the blackest black (think soap adverts) but it was all there. Tiny exquisite details.

I was wondering about the LCD4 in particular, but they clearly have plenty of mileage left so I'll hold off on replacing them for a while.

I still might get the RAAL Requisite in just for the hell of it though! Those blew me away at Canjam The LCD4 are very classy but they are total chubbers. The RAAL felt like there was nothing on my head. Beautifully made and that open baffle design means your ears will never sweat again.

Those of you who are looking for a serious sq uplift and are still using laptops, tablets etc as your sound source then I would say ditching them will give you a great value upgrade.

 

[Kirklandia]

Well...

I upgraded the front end of the Cave system.

Out with the Windows tablet and in with the Innuos Zen Mini III and its matching lps.

It is just amazing that this system just keeps getting better. The sq headroom on the m scalar + DAVE just keeps coming. And the headphone amp and the LCD4 keep on responding.

I won't rave on about blacker than the blackest black (think soap adverts) but it was all there. Tiny exquisite details.

I was wondering about the LCD4 in particular, but they clearly have plenty of mileage left so I'll hold off on replacing them for a while.

I still might get the RAAL Requisite in just for the hell if it though! Those blew me away at Canjam The LCD4 are very classy but they are total chubbers. The RAAL felt like there was nothing on my head. Beautifully made and that open baffle design means your ears will never sweat again.

Those of you who are looking for a serious sq uplift and are still using laptops, tablets etc as your sound source then I would say ditching them will give you a great value upgrade.

I found that the next large step up was the PhoenixNet (purchased used). Such improvement!

 

[Hiker816]

I still might get the RAAL Requisite in just for the hell if it though!

Do it! I couldn't be happier with my RAALs. They're supremely comfortable hour after hour.

 

[GryphonGuy]

Whilst the PhoenixNet appears to be an elegant 1-box solution, I chose a different route. Similar benefits are also obtained by using a linear power supply on Uptone Audio's EtherREGEN with even greater benefits of going single-mode 1310nm optical fiber on the "in" side. All at a fraction of the PhoenixNet cost.

The audio hitting the DAVE benefits greatly from ethernet treatments.

 

[SteveHulk]

Whilst the PhoenixNet appears to be an elegant 1-box solution, I chose a different route. Similar benefits are also obtained by using a linear power supply on Uptone Audio's EtherREGEN with even greater benefits of going single-mode 1310nm optical fiber on the "in" side. All at a fraction of the PhoenixNet cost.

The audio hitting the DAVE benefits greatly from ethernet treatments.

My system is file-based. I'm not streaming music over ethernet. The ethernet only transmits the commands from my phone to the Zen Mini.

I will implement a fibre bridge to prevent rf nastiness coming into the Zen via that ethernet link.

I have ordered parts and when they come, I'll see how it goes.

 

[shaylin3]

For the network part, you can try Network Acoustics ENO or Muon, which is very effective

 

[Triode User]

Whilst the PhoenixNet appears to be an elegant 1-box solution, I chose a different route. Similar benefits are also obtained by using a linear power supply on Uptone Audio's EtherREGEN with even greater benefits of going single-mode 1310nm optical fiber on the "in" side. All at a fraction of the PhoenixNet cost.

The audio hitting the DAVE benefits greatly from ethernet treatments.

It was an EtherRegen that I sold and replaced with the PhoenixNET when I had it in home demo from my dealer. The improvements were not subtle. The way I used to evaluate was to pull the Ethernet cable from the back of my streamer/server after setting the track to play. The NET was the same sound as no connection. The ER was not. To my mind using that method for evaluation gave me a good basis for evaluating ‘better’.

 

[Triode User]

My system is file-based. I'm not streaming music over ethernet. The ethernet only transmits the commands from my phone to the Zen Mini.

I will implement a fibre bridge to prevent rf nastiness coming into the Zen via that ethernet link.

I have ordered parts and when they come, I'll see how it goes.

I also only use the network connection to transmit commands to my streamer/server regarding which locally stored track to output to my Mscaler + Dave.

When your parts arrive do try a better power supply with the receive side. It made a big difference with mine.

If you ordered the parts from Clive’s posted Amazon link they came the next day for me.

 

[LucyWu]

The Raal SR1a's are the only headphones I've held onto for more than a year (except Grado SR80s I bought in 2001 and still have, but they aren't for listening pleasure). Utopia's, HD800s, KSE1200s, PS1000s, HifiMan HE6 & HE1000 V2's - all in and out in short order. Only the Raal's are all-day comfortable and offer an open window into the music. With Dave pushing the music, the Raals show everything and the better honed the system, the more they give you.

Wrong thread but I'd be interested to hear if anyone has tried the new transformer-based interface box directly with the XLR outputs from Dave.

 

[genefruit]

Wrong thread but I'd be interested to hear if anyone has tried the new transformer-based interface box directly with the XLR outputs from Dave.

I’ve tried the headphone out of the DAVE with the T1&CA combo. I can try the XLR out later today. Depending upon listening levels and material, it could suffice but I think many will want more power.

 

[LucyWu]

I’ve tried the headphone out of the DAVE with the T1&CA combo. I can try the XLR out later today. Depending upon listening levels and material, it could suffice but I think many will want more power.

Thanks Gene - that would be excellent - how did it sound out of the 'phones socket?

 

[George Hincapie]

This guy again?!

Yes, he was gracing us with his presence in the Lina thread a week ago or two ago.

Let people spend money as they chose to. Chord DAVE, dCS Lina, ect.

Heck I was in Zurich, Switzerland last week and I spent a good chunk on a incredible Weiss DAC501 4-Ch. I even got to meet the man himself, Daniel Weiss who delivered my DAC to me at my hotel.

No judgments through right?

How about this...you don't tell me how to spend my money and I won't tell you how to spend yours.

Easy.

You clearly don't understand the point of ASR.

 

[SteveHulk]

... With Dave pushing the music, the Raals show everything and the better honed the system, the more they give you.

Wrong thread but I'd be interested to hear if anyone has tried the new transformer-based interface box directly with the XLR outputs from Dave.

I don't think what you suggest will work very well.

The XLR outputs of DAVE are signal outputs, not power outputs. The DAVE will expect them to be connected to a device with very high input impedance so that only very small currents will need to be delivered.

The transformer box that comes with the RAAL merely changes the effective impedance that the output of an amplifier sees when driving them. It is totally passive and so cannot add power.

The ribbon technology of the RAAL naturally presents an extremely low impedance - as I understood it approx 0.1Ω - so most amplifiers would see this as effectively a dead short. Very few amplifiers can withstand their outputs being shorted in this way.

In fact, putting this kind of near-short on the XLR signal output of the DAVE might be an EXTREMELY bad idea!

The transformer box allows a higher impedance more in line with regular headphones to be presented to the amplifier.

Also, on a practical level, your amplifier would work best if it has XLR headphone output. Otherwise you'll also need some ugly adaptors to convert to XLR as I think the transformer box only has XLR sockets.

 

[GryphonGuy]

My system is file-based. I'm not streaming music over ethernet. The ethernet only transmits the commands from my phone to the Zen Mini.

I will implement a fibre bridge to prevent rf nastiness coming into the Zen via that ethernet link.

I have ordered parts and when they come, I'll see how it goes.

I rarely stream either.

My in-house music transmission is mostly AOIP using single-mode fibre for trunks and copper for the last half metre. The protocols used are dante.

Regards
GG