I still much prefer NOS mode. I think it is still most natural and organic but it is very much affected by the source. If source is poor or the AC noise is prominent the SQ gets pretty bad. It has no digital filter as far as I understand. Sometimes I do OS X 0 which is NOS with digital filter. It gives a cleaner smoother sound but not as thinned out or artificial as OS x4-8. I think the OS may give a more solid layering of instruments and position of instruments but it does lose some of the presence and life-like quality of NOS. OS feels more like listening in a recording studio with good microphone placement. NOS feels like you are in a concerto hall listening, less perfect but more real. OS may be better for poorer recordings or when your AC mains is having a dirty day.
Very much agreed..... I have had my R7-HE for around two weeks and I am experimenting a lot with NOS VS. OS. I have also used Audrivanas OS and it's weird; at first my ear likes the cleaner sound, but after a while I switch back to NOS because I find that OS whether from the computer or from the DAC damages the bass frequencies and stresses the treble frequencies; and something sounds "not real" or "not correct" about that;- although it may take some time until my ear figures it out. If OS could improve transparency without brightening up the sound- I would be pleased, but OS in all forms to my ears changes the tonality in favour of upper frequencies and at the cost of lower frequencies and that seems unnatural. I believe that the way to increase transparency and detail is to use more transparent cables, IC's, etc. and to have purer power and better clocking. Trying to accomplish this goal by using OS works but at the cost of damaging purity.
I feel similar (although not as extreme) feelings about silver IC's as I do about OS. They increase transparency over 95% of copper cables by stressing the treble frequencies which short term sounds great but long term- my ears detect something is wrong. A few top of the line copper cables (very few) can provide equal transparency and better detail than silver IC's without brightening things up although they will never sound as open because it is specifically the extended treble that opens things up.
Just my two cents.
Last edited: