guermantes
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2011
- Posts
- 34
- Likes
- 2
Hi,
I just came back a HiFi-store where I wanted to listen to a pair of HD650 before I ordered a pair of DT880.
I am a bit perplexed about what the guy there told me, so maybe you knowledgeable people here can weigh in.
We got talking about my headphone needs and first he took me for an mp3 guy running of the computer-jack, but I told him I only play lossless files on the computer over USB/Toslink to a DACMagic to the integrated amplifier, and was thinking of putting a headphone amp after the dac and then to the headphones (Sennheiser or Beyer).
Then he said that, OK, you are a little bit botched in your setup because CD-player is always better even than lossless because the decoding of the flac takes time and can cause delays or generate miniscule distortions. But then he went on to say that my DACMagic was also a weak link in the chain. I thought he would try to start selling me an Arcam or a Naim or even more expensive gear, but instead he said HRT had more or less changed the industry of computer music and so doing they gave even the DACmagic a wipping. I did not ask for an explanation because I was a bit taken a back by the statement and he went off to continue his general pitch for products he sold.
I know the Dacmagic is not God's gift to audiophiles, but heck, I was under the impression it was one step above entryline DAC and that it was very good value for money if you can make do with 16-bit USB. And I thought it played in a league one notch above HRT Musicstreamer.
I am asking not to justify my purchase of the DM because I am happy with it but to judge this guy's reliability. He wanted to sell me a Pioneer A-A9 that he was discontinuing for about 400€ (600US$?) and said that it's headphone jack was good enough to obliterate the need for a dedicated headphone amp.
Is this guy for real? Can I trust him as a salesman. He has a store with a good reputation in the capital of my country, but I got the impression he was trying to take me for a ride.
???
Thanks for any comments!
I just came back a HiFi-store where I wanted to listen to a pair of HD650 before I ordered a pair of DT880.
I am a bit perplexed about what the guy there told me, so maybe you knowledgeable people here can weigh in.
We got talking about my headphone needs and first he took me for an mp3 guy running of the computer-jack, but I told him I only play lossless files on the computer over USB/Toslink to a DACMagic to the integrated amplifier, and was thinking of putting a headphone amp after the dac and then to the headphones (Sennheiser or Beyer).
Then he said that, OK, you are a little bit botched in your setup because CD-player is always better even than lossless because the decoding of the flac takes time and can cause delays or generate miniscule distortions. But then he went on to say that my DACMagic was also a weak link in the chain. I thought he would try to start selling me an Arcam or a Naim or even more expensive gear, but instead he said HRT had more or less changed the industry of computer music and so doing they gave even the DACmagic a wipping. I did not ask for an explanation because I was a bit taken a back by the statement and he went off to continue his general pitch for products he sold.
I know the Dacmagic is not God's gift to audiophiles, but heck, I was under the impression it was one step above entryline DAC and that it was very good value for money if you can make do with 16-bit USB. And I thought it played in a league one notch above HRT Musicstreamer.
I am asking not to justify my purchase of the DM because I am happy with it but to judge this guy's reliability. He wanted to sell me a Pioneer A-A9 that he was discontinuing for about 400€ (600US$?) and said that it's headphone jack was good enough to obliterate the need for a dedicated headphone amp.
Is this guy for real? Can I trust him as a salesman. He has a store with a good reputation in the capital of my country, but I got the impression he was trying to take me for a ride.
???
Thanks for any comments!