[Zaplanc]

Tidal >> Shanling EM5 >> Hifiman Edition XS
Great recording....

 

[JAnonymous5150]

The cable-trauma gave me a good laugh, thanks man!
I got the MSRP quote from this link. Title quite funny!
The starving musician story is really cool. And at $100, the TF10s were really a gift for music lovers.
I have the OG MEST Universal. (Because I heard the OG has better holographic presentation.)
And they DO have that WOW factor! (But again, the fit is a bit problematic... Story of my life!)

I was asking about the MEST because I tried the MkIIs and they're certainly a good pair of IEMs, but I had a few things I wasn't in love with about them, so to speak. Based on comparisons I have seen between the two, it sounds like I would likely prefer the OG version better. I think I'll probably grab a used pair at some point to see if they fit the bill. I'm glad you said the OGs are more holographic because height and depth, or not enough of it, were one of my niggles regarding the MkIIs.

 

[alekc]

I so far have resisted the urge to try R2R dac. To me the technology seems obsolete, and full of possible distortions in its basic design, it all boils down to how tight in tolerance the resistors are(and how much your willing to pay). I do enjoy the musical distortions a tube amp offers, but for huge S/N ratios I prefer class D or good class A designs, My JOLIDA speaker amp is getting dusty, as is my Darkvoice headphone amp.

@fidshimmer I have been in the same camp thinking that all FPGA based dacs with proper filter implementations are bleeding edge of technology and that equals audio nirvana. Guess what? My favorite dac that beats my M-Scaled Chord Hugo TT2 is Rocka WaveLight: an R2R dac.

R2R technology is quite different from what it used to be thanks to advances in manufacturing resistors ladders. Filters do count too. Now I think that ignoring R2R just because it is old technology is like saying that you can safely ignore all tube amps since this is quite obsolete technology and go only with solid state.

 

[xeizo]

@fidshimmer I have been in the same camp thinking that all FPGA based dacs with proper filter implementations are bleeding edge of technology and that equals audio nirvana. Guess what? My favorite dac that beats my M-Scaled Chord Hugo TT2 is Rocka WaveLight: an R2R dac.

R2R technology is quite different from what it used to be thanks to advances in manufacturing resistors ladders. Filters do count too. Now I think that ignoring R2R just because it is old technology is like saying that you can safely ignore all tube amps since this is quite obsolete technology and go only with solid state.

There is no single solution for a playback chain that is the best for all recordings, since many recordings sounds "better" with various colorization, it's all in the ear of the beholder. Like for speakers, I like the "JBL sound" with always punchy bass (speakers and headphones and the amps that are driving them for better or for worse is where 99% of the sound signature is imo)

However, a DAC should not color the sound per se, it should be regarded sort of like a cable. So, the question really is if the DAC deteriorates the sound in any way, can it play full dynamic content without breaking up, can it play complex arrangements without being congested, is the frequency curve perfectly straight etc the D6 was being described as "shouty" on Youtube which I seriously doubt, anyway, if a recording is "shouty" in itself the DAC should translate it like that. Much depends on what you listen to and your preferences but in principle the DAC should NOT color, and it wouldn't if it measures flawless. The D6 measures very well for a budget DAC (one pro over budget ESS solutions is it has much lower jitter over optical/coaxial). Also having the latest Bluetooth chip is a pro going forward.

I asked about the D6 to know if there were any obvious shortcomings, obviously it is as it is sensitive to RF which has to be considered, as for SQ @fidshimmer looks to have compared it with several competent DACs without disregarding it and the feature set is really good for the price. I think I will be happy; I can use it in several use cases at least one will fit as I see it.

 

[Strat1117]

Thanks, bro! I fully intend to have the time of my life. Tours take a lot of energy, but, done right, they are about as fun as it gets. I have to say that I'm a bit jealous of where you live though. Tennessee is a great state to love music in and the TN blues-rock and indie-rock scenes are so awesome!

Everything I know about the road I learned from 200 Motels.

UM MEST <= Mojo 2
Dark Side of the Moon
by Pink Floyd
Learned so much about this album from Kirk Hamilton’s podcast “Strong Songs”, strongly recommended!

Tidal> BF2 > A90D > Focal Celestee > Yes - Fragile
Exploring , new to me , this album after somebody shared. I got plenty of albums/artists to explore from others sharing
so thanks

You guys are making me feel very old. I first bought both of these albums at Korvettes in ~1975 for $2.99. Along with a few others like Aqualung and Zeppelin II, the very definition of Classic Rock.

[ECM, Editions of Contemporary Music: October, 1982.]

One of my long time references - it really doesn’t get much better. My copy is pressed on that special see-through (not clear - it looks black, but if you hold it up to the light, it’s translucent) vinyl that ecm used in the 1980’s. Great music, superb recording. They did a live follow up album a couple years later. Earlier, Circle Paris, a little more experimental, different personnel (except Chick Corea), but in the same vein if you enjoy this. Also on ecm. Great playing.

- - -

My new friends are a bad influence - feeding my already miserable insomnia. Up all night listening to my new LCD-3, which arrived today (Monday) and I am just listening passively while trying to get their measure. So far - delicious! Exactly what I had hoped they’d be, but way too soon to make any more explicit observations.

Right now, I’m playing one of a plethora of posthumous releases featuring the extraordinarily gifted, versatile and prolifically recorded John Abercrombie, who I saw live at the Bottom Line in NYC in the late 70’s - after Timeless, the album with Jan Hammer and Jack deJohnette, came out, IIRC.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

Everything I know about the road I learned from 200 Motels.


You guys are making me feel very old. I first bought both of these albums at Korvettes in ~1975 for $2.99. Along with a few others like Aqualung and Zeppelin II, the very definition of Classic Rock.


One of my long time references - it really doesn’t get much better. My copy is pressed on that special see-through (not clear - it looks black, but if you hold it up to the light, it’s translucent) vinyl that ecm used in the 1980’s. Great music, superb recording. Circle Paris is a little more experimental, different personnel (except Chick Corea), but in the same vein if you enjoy this. Also on ecm.

- - -

My new friends are a bad influence - feeding my already miserable insomnia. Up all night listening to my new LCD-3, which arrived today (Monday) and I am just listening passively while trying to get their measure. So far - delicious! Exactly what I had hoped they’d be, but way too soon to make any more explicit observations.

Right now, I’m playing one of a plethora of posthumous releases featuring the extraordinarily gifted, versatile and prolifically recorded John Abercrombie, who I saw live at the Bottom Line in NYC in the late 70’s - after Timeless, the album with Jan Hammer and Jack deJohnette, came out, IIRC.

I feel you on the insomnia front. I rarely sleep more than a few hours and often not at all. On that note, I'm gonna go take a nice hot shower to see if I can find my zen place.

 

[Strat1117]

I feel you on the insomnia front. I rarely sleep more than a few hours and often not at all. On that note, I'm gonna go take a nice hot shower to see if I can find my zen place.

I hear you. I wish I could tell you that you’ll outgrow it, but I’ve had to deal with it since college. It got a little better for a while, but now it’s back with a vengeance. At least you’re in the right business for it! Good luck getting in the Zone.



I’m giving up (it’s 5:20 am, and I’ve been out of bed since 12:45), and putting up a pot of coffee. Ah, well….

️

 

[Luis Mad]

Here something classical but different with tonal and atonal mixed in one bag, but I like it...

Bernstein Chichester Psalms

flac files- sony nwa55l as dac- Etymotic ER4XR

 

[Shane D]

Today is the first day of the rest of my life with my new Clears.

 

[Shane D]

And for the next few weeks it will be a battle to the death:
Elex's vs Clear's.

 

[Luckyleo]

Qobuz > Bifrost 264 > Jot 2 > GS3000x

Give me some of that old timey blue grass!!!

 

[jonathan c]

And for the next few weeks it will be a battle to the death:
Elex's vs Clear's.

A) “Here we go, Clear, here we go!”
B) “Let’s go Clear, let’s go Clear”.

 

[Shane D]

A) “Here we go, Clear, here we go!”
B) “Let’s go Clear, let’s go Clear”.

Me thinks you are biased...

 

[gimmeheadroom]

[ECM (Editions of Contemporary Music): February, 1979.]

I was able to find this one but not Mountain in the Clouds. The latter is not on any streaming service I have.

BTW if you have not heard Eberhard Weber's albums I think you would enjoy them- they're somewhat similar to the album you posted here.

I had heard him as a session man on Monty Alexander albums and elsewhere. His own albums are very different.

 

[joshamk]

Best of Depapepe - Cobalt Green

Direct from Mac Mini M1 to Hifiman Edition XS via Apple Music.