[Shahrose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by upstateguy /img/forum/go_quote.gif For the record, are you implying that a computer as a transport is inferior? USG

IME, it is, and I'm a computer guy.

 

[greenstuffs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shahrose /img/forum/go_quote.gif IME, it is, and I'm a computer guy.

would you be able to tell the difference in a blind test?

 

[Welly Wu]

Consider the Ray Samuels Emmeline HR-2 or Raptor. They are terrific sounding.

 

[kentturbo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welly Wu /img/forum/go_quote.gif Consider the Ray Samuels Emmeline HR-2 or Raptor. They are terrific sounding.

I'm very much considering the HR-2. Unless someone can talk me out of it =P

 

[Shahrose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenstuffs /img/forum/go_quote.gif would you be able to tell the difference in a blind test?

Between 2 different coaxial outputs (one from computer and one from a good external transport), and if given sufficient time with each...maybe, but it wouldn't be easy.
Between coaxial from a good transport and USB output from a computer (motherboard), I am pretty confident I would, since I did it several times before (my cynical brother tested me).

Although I entertained your question here, I won't go further with this debate. Please read the forum rules about DBT.

 

[Born2bwire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kentturbo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm very much considering the HR-2. Unless someone can talk me out of it =P

I've started thinking that the HR-2 is becoming overpriced these days. You can get a lot more for you money in terms of overall features. I haven't had a chance to compare the two, but for example, the basic Headroom Desktop amp is now $800, a little cheaper than the HR-2.

 

[upstateguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shahrose /img/forum/go_quote.gif Between 2 different coaxial outputs (one from computer and one from a good external transport), and if given sufficient time with each...maybe, but it wouldn't be easy. Between coaxial from a good transport and USB output from a computer (motherboard), I am pretty confident I would, since I did it several times before (my cynical brother tested me). Although I entertained your question here, I won't go further with this debate. Please read the forum rules about DBT.

Well, that's pretty conclusive then.

USG

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by upstateguy /img/forum/go_quote.gif For the record, are you implying that a computer as a transport is inferior? USG

Basically, yes I am, at least for a PC. (Macs are better in that regard.) A good high-end sound card for a PC will get you part of the way there but not nearly the resolution you will get from an outboard computer unit like a Logitech Transporter, specifically designed to generate a low jitter S/PDIF or AES/EBU signal. You don't have the noise issues and jitter problems you get when generating the S/PDIF signal inside the computer.

With a Mac you can use a soundcard like a Lynx, or even the optical output to an Amarra software or hardware unit.

I'm not very fond of USB either but the Sonicweld Diverter is pretty good in that regard.

 

[upstateguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Born2bwire /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've started thinking that the HR-2 is becoming overpriced these days. You can get a lot more for you money in terms of overall features. I haven't had a chance to compare the two, but for example, the basic Headroom Desktop amp is now $800, a little cheaper than the HR-2.

When I was looking for a new amp a few years ago I found that feature-wise it was hard to beat the GS-1. Switchable inputs, loop out, preamp out, gain switch, small form factor, plenty of power to run 650s or 701s and for lack of a better description, it had a holographic quality. The GS-1 seemed to played in a larger space than any of my other amps. [If you search a little, Asr had a pretty good review of the GS-1 where he described what he termed as it's "holographic" sound]

I also noted that the GS-1 was extremely neutral and didn't color the sound like an HR-2, which has the Ray Samuel's "house sound". (To be fair I should add that many folks like Ray's "house sound" and purchase his products for that reason)

The other thing I found was that GS-1s almost never show up on the for sale forum and if you wanted one, you had to order it and wait a number of weeks......

You'll find lots of opinions here, including mine, so my advice is to go to a meet and listen before you buy.....

USG

 

[Covenant]

Configured correctly, computers are proven to be capable of being bit-perfect transports to an external DAC.

What more can you want from a transport than bit-perfect output?

 

[upstateguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPodPJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif Basically, yes I am, at least for a PC. (Macs are better in that regard.) A good high-end sound card for a PC will get you part of the way there but not nearly the resolution you will get from an outboard computer unit like a Logitech Transporter, specifically designed to generate a low jitter S/PDIF or AES/EBU signal. You don't have the noise issues and jitter problems you get when generating the S/PDIF signal inside the computer. With a Mac you can use a soundcard like a Lynx, or even the optical output to an Amarra software or hardware unit. I'm not very fond of USB either but the Sonicweld Diverter is pretty good in that regard.

I'm going to disagree with you then.

I have optical out of my music computer, separating the electronics of the computer from my Northwood DAC, which then handles any jitter issues, (for those who believe in jitter issues).

I don't care that much for USB either, but I do the conversion with a Blue Circle Thingee for my laptop which doesn't have optical out.

When I compared the optical signal from my music computer to the USB signal from the same computer, (using the Thingee to convert it to optical), I was not able to tell the difference between the two.

USG

 

[Elephas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPodPJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif Basically, yes I am, at least for a PC. (Macs are better in that regard.) A good high-end sound card for a PC will get you part of the way there but not nearly the resolution you will get from an outboard computer unit like a Logitech Transporter, specifically designed to generate a low jitter S/PDIF or AES/EBU signal. You don't have the noise issues and jitter problems you get when generating the S/PDIF signal inside the computer. With a Mac you can use a soundcard like a Lynx, or even the optical output to an Amarra software or hardware unit. I'm not very fond of USB either but the Sonicweld Diverter is pretty good in that regard.

You are incorrectly characterizing a PC-as-transport system.

Or you are just incorrect.

With a PC you can also use a soundcard like a Lynx, or in my case an RME HDSPe AES.

Regarding the OP, if the Prehead 1 is anything like a Prehead Mk2, I think most $1K amps will not have an easy time winning a comparison.

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elephas /img/forum/go_quote.gif You are incorrectly characterizing a PC-as-transport system.

If you are using your computer strictly as a server to send the raw data files to a source that decodes them, in that sense it is fine as a transport.
However if you are using your computer as a transport AND source, that's where you will have issues with quality (specifically on a PC).

 

[aug1516]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPodPJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you are using your computer strictly as a server to send the raw data files to a source that decodes them, in that sense it is fine as a transport. However if you are using your computer as a transport AND source, that's where you will have issues with quality (specifically on a PC).

I don't want to get too off topic here but I want to point out that the only real difference between Macs and PC's is that they run different operating systems, the hardware is almost identical. So if we take the same high end sound card and put it in a PC and a Mac it will sound exactly the same, the OS does not really have much to do with sound quality anymore, especially when you get into higher end sound cards.

 

[Covenant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPodPJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you are using your computer strictly as a server to send the raw data files to a source that decodes them, in that sense it is fine as a transport. However if you are using your computer as a transport AND source, that's where you will have issues with quality (specifically on a PC).

That's what a transport is, a vehicle for transporting binary data to a DAC. The problem is that people incorrectly assume that the DAC being used is a soundcard whenever anyone mentions "computer as source".

An XP computer running ASIO, or a Vista/Win7 computer using WASAPI is going to provide bit-perfect output to any external DAC. "Jitter" is a controversial topic, but would be handled by any reclocking done at the DAC anyway. The only potential issue is that the USB input of many DACs is not well implemented, it's thrown in there as an afterthought, which leads to people thinking that their computer is the weak link in the chain.