[goodvibes]

  Downloaded files from relatively reputable source (I think)!
The static isn't from the DX90 because there were not really any noticeable static from my K545.
 
It is definitely a little "crumble" static sound rather than tape hiss. 
 
Most of my music are 16bit 44.1khz ALAC, with a rare few 24bit 96khz..
I am now sort of assuming that it is the DT880 600ohm picking up more details from the not so perfect original files? 
Could you get noise if headphones are not properly powered by the source? (ie. in this case, the DX90)

No but it could be from an iffy card synergy, corrupt file etc.

 

[jamato8]

 
Oh...thanks for the tip on the Carpenter's track...I'll check it out!  As always, I will recommend the Steph Johnson Trio "Nature Girl" album (my avatar)...beautifully recorded and amazing talent IMHO.
 
Thanks again.
 
BB

I went to their site and emailed when you originally posted but I never heard anything back form them on the CD, which I was going to purchase. 

 

[philiptw]

 
No but it could be from an iffy card synergy, corrupt file etc.

 
Ok, specifically for the Handel pieces, it is the file.
I noticed crackles when I cranked the volume to 240 on my AKG K545 and they were there..
 
But I will keep monitoring
 
On a side note, hearing the note pages being turned is somewhat interesting... (only heard with DT880 @ normal volume but not the K545)

 

[jamato8]

   
Ok, specifically for the Handel pieces, it is the file.
I noticed crackles when I cranked the volume to 240 on my AKG K545 and they were there..
 
But I will keep monitoring
 
On a side note, hearing the note pages being turned is somewhat interesting... (only heard with DT880 @ normal volume but not the K545)

Maybe they used the DT880 when making the recording. 

 

[DrSheep]

  It requires addition hardware, that the DX90 doesn't have. So the DX90 will convert DSD to PCM 24/88. Still sounds very good to my ears. I can play the DSD as DoP from my MacBook Pro to the Hugo or DSD converted and coax out by the DX90. I don't hear much difference. Will listen and compare more though as I want DSD to be supreme played out natively, which DoP ends up being. Will be getting more DSD in the very near future to listen and compare to. 
 
---------------------------
 
I started using the 3250mA battery HiFlight has recommended. At first it was going down pretty fast and I thought, "this isn't any better". Then I realized I was using the coax out and I had left the burn in adapter in so it was driving both. Now with the adapter out, the battery bars have stayed the same for some time. Will get a better feel for how long the battery last after a few charges but looking good so far. Had it doing double duty while on hi resolution so it is also doing more work with higher res as well. 

What firmware version are you using?  Mine is v2.0.0 and it won't play 64 DSD at all.

 

[jamato8]

Mine are DSF extension. They play as a DSD on the Hugo from the MacBook they play as 24/88 on the DX90 either out of it or via coax to the Hugo. 

 

[bbfoto]

Ok, specifically for the Handel pieces, it is the file.
I noticed crackles when I cranked the volume to 240 on my AKG K545 and they were there..

But I will keep monitoring

On a side note, hearing the note pages being turned is somewhat interesting... (only heard with DT880 @ normal volume but not the K545)

Okay, I'm glad that it doesn't seem to be the DX90 or DT-880 that are creating the crackles! I'd be interested in what you find after further monitoring.

And it makes me all feel all warm and fuzzy when I hear those little details in a recording that I had never heard before. Usually it's a good thing, but sometimes it can be annoying, and like you said, it will expose just how good or bad the recording really is. I'm hoping that as our playback equipment becomes better and better and more revealing (at a lower & lower cost to the general public), that it will push the recording industry to provide higher quality recordings through better tracking, mixing, and mastering across all genres.

When I go from my DT-880 (250-ohm) to the T1's using the DX90, I experience yet another leap up in detail, just as you did coming from the AKG K545. Imaging width & depth and overall staging is more distinct. There is more air or "space" between the instruments on all axis and you are able to hear more of the environment...the "room", concert hall, or venue, etc. Anyway, I'm really glad that you are liking the 880's paired with the DX90!

I went to their site and emailed when you originally posted but I never heard anything back form them on the CD, which I was going to purchase. 

John, the only thing I can figure is that your email ended up in Steph's spam or junk mail folder? :/ She has always been quick to reply IME.

A few other people contacted me about acquiring a physical CD of "The Steph Johnson Trio - Nature Girl" disc that I recommended earlier in the thread, so here is more information...

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

EDIT (5/3/2014): A few members here have notified me that they have emailed Steph Johnson and/or Donated to her PayPal in order to receive a hard copy of her CD but have NOT received any response or CD. I will try to contact Steph to see what's up.

HOWEVER, I just realized that you can DOWNLOAD 16/44 FLAC files of the "Nature Girl" album for USD $10.89 if you use the "CD BABY" link on Steph Johnson's home page at http://www.stephjohnsonband.com And here's the direct link...

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stephjohnson3

I didn't realize this until I just checked.. I had thought that just MP3 & AAC files were available for download. Hope this helps.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Go to her web site at www.stephjohnsonband.com .  You must use a "desktop browser", not a mobile browser in order for the links to show up. There is a YouTube video featuring the first track from the album on her home page, or view it below.

To receive the physical CD, use the "DONATE" button near the top right of the home page (near where the CDbaby & iTunes download links are by the small thumbnail of Steph's "Nature Girl" album cover).

If you Donate $20 (USD), Steph will send you the physical CD (this pays for the CD & shipping). That might seem like a lot of $, but Steph self-produced this CD at an overall cost of ~$7,000, and $20 is what it takes just for her to cover her costs and to afford to buy a coffee.

To read about Steph's journey and the production of her new CD, and to find the other Pay Pal "DONATE" link, Click on the "NEWS" tab at the top of the web site, then read the section titled, "HELP STEPH RELEASE HER 3RD ALBUM!".

The CD comes cello-wrapped in a very nice/professionally printed hard-cover CD jacket with liner notes, etc. It's not just a "burned CD-R" disc in a generic plastic jewel case! Steph sends it to you directly, too!

Like most of us here, I own hundreds of LP's and CDs, (and of course many more downloads) and I can sincerely say that this is one of my absolute Top Ten Favorites, so be assured, this CD is WELL WORTH the $20. And IMO, this isn't one of those CDs with just one or two outstanding tracks where the rest are just mediocre "filler". IMHO, every track is a gem, both her unique covers, and her originals. I like it so much that I am actually considering sending a copy to John Franks to demo with the Hugo. The detail on the drum kit, cymbals, and acoustic double bass are exceptional.

If you enjoy female jazz vocals similar to Diana Krall, Norah Jones, Cassandra Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald, and the guitar work of Wes Montgomery, George Benson, etc, I urge you to give this CD a listen...and even if you don't love this genre, it is a true reference/demo disc that would be great to play at any HEAD-FI meet!

If you end up enjoying her music and the SQ of this disc, PLEASE, PLEASE share it with anyone and everyone who you think might be interested! I have absolutely no vested interest here, I just honesty feel that Steph and the Trio are amazingly talented, and I would like to help another unknown artist "get the word out". The music business is a tough one, especially for artists outside of the "popular music" genre.

Oh, if you are local to San Diego, CA (or even Los Angeles) Steph has several live performances each month that are listed on her web site. Here is one of the tracks from the "Nature Girl" CD as a sampler...

[VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SezDYSKOqsU[/VIDEO]


jamato8, you may also like Greg Brown's work on the Anais Mitchell "Hadestown" album. It's a conceptual/folk opera album so YMMV, but all of the tracks are recorded extremely well. It also features Ani DiFranco, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), and many other excellent artists. Check it out at http://hadestown.anaismitchell.com/hadestown/history.html and listen to samples at Amazon.

Sorry for the slight derail...now back to the awesome DX90!!

 

[headwhacker]

  So mine has a good amount of time on it now and it seemed to turn a corner last night. More texture and lost some minor glass it had. It does take a while to become what it can be. I hope it only continues to get better from here as it hasn't been a linear progression. This is a unit that you should really give some time to before coming to a conclusion.

 
True, I started to notice something has changed after it get past the 250 hrs of burn in time. The extra thickness/weight on the bass that Roxanne brings to every music I played seem to have level off. The overall SQ now is much more linear than before. This becomes obvious on acoustics. But the weight in the bass is still there on familiar pop/rock songs. The quantity just sounded more accurate.

 

[zeppu08]

Anyone who have tried to pair the vmoda m100 with the dx90? How is the synergy of the 2?


BTW, will you do a comparison of the dx90 vs HM-901 latest FW jamato8?

 

[som4ew]

  It requires addition hardware, that the DX90 doesn't have. So the DX90 will convert DSD to PCM 24/88. Still sounds very good to my ears. I can play the DSD as DoP from my MacBook Pro to the Hugo or DSD converted and coax out by the DX90. I don't hear much difference. Will listen and compare more though as I want DSD to be supreme played out natively, which DoP ends up being. Will be getting more DSD in the very near future to listen and compare to. 
 

@jamato8 thanks for reply.
On DSD I compared it with my Mac Mini+ Matrix X- Sabre, which uses ES9018 natively decode DSD file, did not hear much different. My desktop set with Earmax Silver ED. sound more glow and refine on fullsize 'phone but DX90 sound better on  CIEM 335. Once I plug my fullsize cans, L3000, HD800, X1, RS-1 and Momentum, into  DX90+Xin RefC (2009) I mistook which set I listen to. I believe mine still need to give another 200+ hour running in to get to it's best.

 

[goodvibes]

   
True, I started to notice something has changed after it get past the 250 hrs of burn in time. The extra thickness/weight on the bass that Roxanne brings to every music I played seem to have level off. The overall SQ now is much more linear than before. This becomes obvious on acoustics. But the weight in the bass is still there on familiar pop/rock songs. The quantity just sounded more accurate.

I was using med. gain because it was the flavor that suited best until now. It's now working best at high gain as Jamato indicated. I'm hoping it still leans out a bit more but it's already really good. Still not sure if I like it more than the AK120 I had but it's on that path. AK was still smaller and had a better UI. Fortunately, neither is a hindrance for me on the DX90 and at this price.....

 

[DrSheep]

  Mine are DSF extension. They play as a DSD on the Hugo from the MacBook they play as 24/88 on the DX90 either out of it or via coax to the Hugo. 

Mine are all DFF samples from 2L, and none of the played from the DX90.

 

[bbfoto]

Mine are all DFF samples from 2L, and none of the played from the DX90.

Only .dsf files have worked for me, and as jamato8 stated, they are converted to 24/88 on the fly by the DX90. I was pleasantly surprised, because I wasn't expecting this capability.

 

[DrSheep]

Only .dsf files have worked for me, and as jamato8 stated, they are converted to 24/88 on the fly by the DX90. I was pleasantly surprised, because I wasn't expecting this capability.

Yes, it wasn't listed either, but I don't have a converter for DFF to DSF.  I will need to hunt down some samples to test this out.

 

[CosmicHolyGhost]

I think korg audiogate is a freeware allows u to convert