Yes, 2 channels because we have only two ears. I've played CDs since they first hit the market. For me it's more than a hobby as I need to listen & compare other people's performances, this being my profession as a performing classical musician! I started with the original Sony / Marantz players, then a Denon SACD player before buying my first stand-alone DAC to which I fed the output from the Denon. The first dac was a Gustard X16, followed by R26 then I bought a HALCRO SACD player. Then Discovered LAiV and found that the CD file included on a SACD sounded better through the Harmony dac than the SACD through the HALCRO. Better, for me, being more realistic & not simply comparing one dac with another. I've spent all my life with live, non-amplified music, mainlyin the middle of a symphony orchestra. Now I have an even better CD transport (TEAC VRDS) and am getting the best sound ever. I've had disagreements over the years with some who tell me "bits are bits and you can't hear any difference", so I've had to justify my hearing saying that I don't imagine it - if I can hear it, then it's real - please see my forum post here, number 1,209 on page 81.
I find this a very interesting take. And I can relate to it even though I do not play any instrument other than my own voice. And I've been on the other side for a good while doing PA and recording. Unfortunately very handicapped by the equipment I had to work with. Capturing acoustical instruments wasn't easy (with SM57's). Reinventing the wheel every other week. But I know what acoustical instruments sound like.
It's annoying that they always saw me as their minion sound engineer more than a singer. While I sing a heck of a lot better than most of them.
Anyway, what really captures me in the sound from the Laiv is how real instruments sound. Comparing to other DACs. Playing vinyl voices are even more real. But I understand that vinyl is not ideal for a lot of classical music (about ⅓ of my collection).
I took the leap to the Laiv Harmony instead of the Denafrips Venus 1xth knowing I would give up native DSD, which really is better in my experience. Much closer to vinyl. But I rather have almost perfect PCM than great DSD on a few selected recordings.
Now the problem with SACD-players is that the format is in fact master quality. And Sony is really bullish on their priceless vault of masters. Understandable. But this calls for rigorous copy protection so that every SACD-player is bound to the hip to the DAC inside the same case. And these, unfortunately, are not evolving at all and are really staying behind compared to the latest high end DACs. The result being that the CD layer sounds better on the latest and greatest DACs than the DSD64 via the internal ageing DAC technology.
That said: DSD still sounds great on the Laiv Harmony even if it is converted internally to PCM705.6. And I strongly prefer my high resolution flacs and dsd files over old Redbook pcm44.1 standard. This is an easy win. Many CDs are badly mastered in general, classical music is the exception there.
Now that I have my HP2a hooked up to my new Hifiman HE1000 I can really compare coax and USB (to i²s via Akliam DDC). Also because via HP I play louder, I now hear so many instruments just naturally emerging in the soundstage because I recognise their timbre.
I prefer the USB/i²s over coax. Not that coax is bad, not at all, but USB sounds just a bit more engaging, fuller, more lush. Coax sounds a bit tighter, restrained.
@2bxfile
I've known Hans Beekhuizen ever since he wrote in our local paper print Hifi Video Test Magazine. I never thought of their reviews as authoritative as say, the HFN&RR from the UK and German publications. So I still have that same feel with HB, while Tarun is much better at listening and giving his report on that.
I don't care much about measurements. Lately again reaffirmed by an engineering bureau measuring noise and vibrations in my appartement. I'm shaking in my bed every morning. And I hear a constant drone of 89.2Hz. I did not measure that, I hear that and compared it to a sinal generator. Like tuning a string instrument. They could not measure that with a professional calibrated dB meter. But I hear it all the time.