[Torq]

  I'm reminded of the most horrific screetch and painful chalk and fingernails on the chalk board I have ever heard from rolling stones albums back in the day.
They had no equal, before or since.
 
JJ

Even compared to the first CD releases of the Beatles stuff?  (Not heard the early Rolling Stones digital versions).

 

[Torq]

Fiio d3. Maybe I'm deaf. But sounds better then my old grace design m920.

Schiit bifrost Uber sounds great too.

 
Maybe I'm getting cranky in my advancing years, but this is relevant here how?
 
Modi Multi-bit > Bifrost Uber > Grace M920 >= Goose Farting in the Fog > Cat Being Fed Slowly Through a Mangle > Fiio D3.
 
For the record, my favorite version of the D/S Bifrost is the Uber (it's a bit more neutral in my rig than the 4490), though I still prefer the Bifrost multi-bit.

 

[landroni]

 
 
Modi Multi-bit > Bifrost Uber > Grace M920 >= Goose Farting in the Fog > Cat Being Fed Slowly Through a Mangle > Fiio D3.
 

I guess this goes hand in hand with the Wet String over USB now...
 
I got myself a D03K some time ago to replace the in-built soundcard of my entry-level TV, and was quite happy with the improvement. Following the above ranking, I'd say the vanilla TV sounded like a sheep being slowly run over by a tank on a burning field, or worse. Truly unlistenable (though the new owner seemed quite content with the thing).
Having never heard a competent DAC before, I expect the Modi MB to prove a revelation...

 

[Torq]

  I guess this goes hand in hand with the Wet String over USB now...
 
I got myself a D03K some time ago to replace the in-built soundcard of my entry-level TV, and was quite happy with the improvement. Following the above ranking, I'd say the vanilla TV sounded like a sheep being slowly run over by a tank on a burning field, or worse. Truly unlistenable (though the new owner seemed quite content with the thing).
Having never heard a competent DAC before, I expect the Modi MB to prove a revelation...

Indeed!
 
In fact, "really-not-very-damp-at-all", never mind "wet", string might rank above USB for audio.
 
Probably the easiest, most reliable, and above all cheapest, ways to improve USB audio is just to turn it all off.  That said, I can think of a number of not-very-expensive ways to put together a little box that would eliminate most of the generally-alleged ills of USB as an audio interface, whilst still using a USB connection to the source computer (for that's what it'd have to be in the model I'm envisaging).
 
You'd incur some control point latency, but it'd work.
 
I've nothing against Fiio ... in fact if their X5 could handle decent sized libraries, or they'd not gimped the X7 with a single card slot, I'd probably be using one of their units as a portable transport now (and I am genuinely hoping they don't go for a total pooch-screw on the T3), but they're hardly competitive with one of the best DACs currently available.

 

[johnjen]

 
Even compared to the first CD releases of the Beatles stuff?  (Not heard the early Rolling Stones digital versions).

Those early Rolling Stones albums were the most horrific sounding albums, EVER!
Everything was distorted, clipped, run into saturation, pushed into the red etc.
 
Utter crap in any and every sense of the term.
 
The digital collect I now have of those very same tracks is so superior, it's like they aren't even the same music.
Now I can listen to them and actually enjoy them, even though they are still distorted in places…
 
I still use this collection as a measure of how well my system is doing, because if even the early RS tracks can get my toes a tapping etc, I know I'm on the right track.
 
JJ 

 

[johnjen]

 
Indeed!
 
In fact, "really-not-very-damp-at-all", never mind "wet", string might rank above USB for audio.
 
Probably the easiest, most reliable, and above all cheapest, ways to improve USB audio is just to turn it all off.  That said, I can think of a number of not-very-expensive ways to put together a little box that would eliminate most of the generally-alleged ills of USB as an audio interface, whilst still using a USB connection to the source computer (for that's what it'd have to be in the model I'm envisaging).
 
You'd incur some control point latency, but it'd work.
 
I've nothing against Fiio ... in fact if their X5 could handle decent sized libraries, or they'd not gimped the X7 with a single card slot, I'd probably be using one of their units as a portable transport now (and I am genuinely hoping they don't go for a total pooch-screw on the T3), but they're hardly competitive with one of the best DACs currently available.

Sig line GOLD I tells ya…
"In fact, "really-not-very-damp-at-all", never mind "wet", string might rank above USB for audio.
 
Probably the easiest, most reliable, and above all cheapest, ways to improve USB audio is just to turn it all off."
 
hahahahahahahahahahahaha
 
JJ

 

[greenpsycho]

  Those early Rolling Stones albums were the most horrific sounding albums, EVER!
Everything was distorted, clipped, run into saturation, pushed into the red etc.
 
Utter crap in any and every sense of the term.

 
I think on one of Michael Fremer's shows he mentioned one of them was actually mastered at the wrong speed or something like that, huge engineering mistakes were made (though since corrected, I believe)
 
Just a quick note: after half a year of hand wringing and adding components to shopping carts, only to abandon later, I finally FINALLY have 2 DAC's I'm proud of and happy with (thanks in part to Torq). Within the past 2 weeks, I picked up a bifrost multibit for my office rig and the PS Audio Direcstream Junior for my home rig, and I could not be happier with both. And to think I almost wasted money on incremental upgrades or some cheapo implementation of the Sabre chip just to save a few bucks.
 
So thank you Torq, your work has helped me greatly.

 

[crazychile]

 

 
Even compared to the first CD releases of the Beatles stuff?  (Not heard the early Rolling Stones digital versions).

Those early Rolling Stones albums were the most horrific sounding albums, EVER!
Everything was distorted, clipped, run into saturation, pushed into the red etc.
 
Utter crap in any and every sense of the term.
 
The digital collect I now have of those very same tracks is so superior, it's like they aren't even the same music.
Now I can listen to them and actually enjoy them, even though they are still distorted in places…
 
I still use this collection as a measure of how well my system is doing, because if even the early RS tracks can get my toes a tapping etc, I know I'm on the right track.
 
JJ 

The first 2 CD's I ever bought (in 1986)  were U2/Boy and Rolling Stones/Flowers. Flowers may not have been anything special on vinyl,  but that CD sounded unbelievably bad. One dimensional and the tape hiss totally obscured any low level detail. It sounded like they mastered the CD off of an old cassette tape that someone had kept in their car for a few years.

 

[somestranger26]

  The PS Audio Directstream products seem to be gone from their site...

 
 

Here it is: http://www.psaudio.com/directstream-dac/

It actually was removed from their site. I checked after seeing @rgs9200m's post.

 

[rgs9200m]

Thanks. I thought I was imagining things when I got 404 errors on the PS site.
By the way, to my ears, the Stones SACDs are splendid and I love them on my EMM.
I think die-hard Stones fans would like a decent SACD player and the discs, even if it's an extra component and inconvenient to use physical discs. It's a blessing that the Stones whole catalog is in DSD IMO.
 
The Beatles are always hit and miss, even the 2009 set. The Japanese Capitol box set is fairly good, better than the 2009 set. They need some darkness in the chain, and the Hugo TT is good for them. Or I need to use my HD650 on the EMM. Any Beatles fans *need* a Senn HD650, if only just for that use.

 

[noshortcuts]

It actually was removed from their site. I checked after seeing @rgs9200m
's post.

I checked also, b4 posting. I googled it. 1st hit opened to a closed page. 2nd hit opened properly and then I pasted the address here. So don't know what's happening.

 

[wink]

Link works perfectly for me.......   

 

[REXNFX]

  Those early Rolling Stones albums were the most horrific sounding albums, EVER!
Everything was distorted, clipped, run into saturation, pushed into the red etc.
 
Utter crap in any and every sense of the term.
 
The digital collect I now have of those very same tracks is so superior, it's like they aren't even the same music.
Now I can listen to them and actually enjoy them, even though they are still distorted in places…
 
I still use this collection as a measure of how well my system is doing, because if even the early RS tracks can get my toes a tapping etc, I know I'm on the right track.
 
JJ 

Cool, out of interest what turntable are you using?

 

[johnjen]

If I can remember correctly, back then it was a Thorens arm and table.
Right now I still have a Linn LP12 with a unipivot arm and I don't remember what cart is mounted.
But I haven't played an album in decades.
 
JJ

 

[jfrocke]

I think the thread is getting a bit off track...  

 
I think many of us are waiting for more of Torq's listening impressions.