If your are referring to GOld Bar, it does have 4 of those electrolytic caps instead of just 1 in regular GO bar or 3 in this new GB Kensei. Pretty sure those make more difference in sound than copper vs aluminum housing.
In another note, I'll more interested if there is a way to disable K2HD.
If your are referring to GOld Bar, it does have 4 of those electrolytic caps instead of just 1 in regular GO bar or 3 in this new GB Kensei. Pretty sure those make more difference in sound than copper vs aluminum housing.
In another note, I'll more interested if there is a way to disable K2HD.
The Kensei is not a "limited edition" as the GOld Bar was although it will be in short supply initially as far as I know it will be around for a while!
Another great product from IFI. Although I’m a bit disappointed by the DAC selection. I was hoping more for the usual IFI Burr Brown DACs and not Cirrus Logic again !
Another great product from IFI. Although I’m a bit disappointed by the DAC selection. I was hoping more for the usual IFI Burr Brown DACs and not Cirrus Logic again !
Yeah, though realistically the circuit implementation and selection of other components is likely to play an even bigger role than the DAC itself in the sound. I have quite a few dongles (Kensei, UA5, KA17, S1, R6, R7 just name the most recents) and couldn’t for the life of me tell you that I can definitively catalog the differences as being the DACs or the amps… seems to me they all are a bit different probably being all about the actual implementation. For example the XBass and XSpace features add to the sound signature - how to chalk that up to the DAC? I could be wrong and my ears & brain could be deceiving me, but that’s how I see it…
Yeah, though realistically the circuit implementation and selection of other components is likely to play an even bigger role than the DAC itself in the sound. I have quite a few dongles (Kensei, UA5, KA17, S1, R6, R7 just name the most recents) and couldn’t for the life of me tell you that I can definitively catalog the differences as being the DACs or the amps… seems to me they all are a bit different probably being all about the actual implementation. For example the XBass and XSpace features add to the sound signature - how to chalk that up to the DAC? I could be wrong and my ears & brain could be deceiving me, but that’s how I see it…
Try listening to the Gryphon and the Go Bar and tell me which one you like. Both implemented by the same company, similar features and also price point. I personally prefer the Gryphon
It looks like hardware upsampling with interpolation DSP. It's making more educated guesses for the instantaneous voltages of the PCM signal and forces all inputs to 352.8/384Khz
Welp. Confused them. It's definitely DSP that allegedly restores "information above 22Khz" so it's the antithesis of proper reconstruction filters. It adds back aliased images and ultrasonics that's supposed to be band limited by nyquist cutoff filters.
Try listening to the Gryphon and the Go Bar and tell me which one you like. Both implemented by the same company, similar features and also price point. I personally prefer the Gryphon
implemented by the same company at the same price point doesn't mean implemented the same way…
Edit - there’s also quite a price difference, at least from looking at Amazon… with Gryphon being $150 more. Price doesn’t equal performance, of course.
implemented by the same company at the same price point doesn't mean implemented the same way…
Edit - there’s also quite a price difference, at least from looking at Amazon… with Gryphon being $150 more. Price doesn’t equal performance, of course.
The first question that arises in my mind is, given the similarity in hardware between Kensei vs. regular Go / GOld Bar, isn't it all but possible to just implement K2HD via a firmware update retroactively to the original variance? The 2nd question, or perhaps more of a personal opinion, is that Keisei just doesn't seem to offer enough difference to justify it as a new model alongside Go Bar. I guess it makes more sense to me as a consumer to want to see Keisei as a real upgrade, both hardware and software than to see something more like a side grade. iFi as usual, likes to make multiple products that often occupy/overlap in the same market segment.
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