[motion51]

McBerto, I just checked Moon-audio, and they dont seem have one in stock. I guess I will have to go with TTVJ if anything, or just wait for ALO audio to have them in stock since I want to get a cable with it ;p

 

[Mcberto]

Or you can get one from Brian at BTG audio when he starts taking orders again.

 

[gmahler2u]

Quote:

 

 
My portable setup.
 
iPod Classic/iPhone 4s/PC ==> Cypher Labs Algorhythm Solo -dB ====> RSA The Intruder =====> LFF's Paradox 

nice set up +1

 

[Chexxchexx]

Sorry to say it, but I think Ray missed the mark with The Intruder. As far as I can tell, it's a more powerful SR-71B (which arguably wasn't necessary, as I wouldn't expect enough people are likely to either travel with top-of-the-line over-the-ear headphones or drive them at home via a portable amp) with a DAC incapable of supporting audiophile-quality files. Hopefully, the arms race is over now that any headphone can be capably driven from a portable amp such as The Intruder or Rx MK3-B. Me, personally, I'd prefer an IEM-focused, cost-no-object DAC/amp that does it all or a purpose-built amp with no glaring short-comings.

If the rumors of Ray's stand-alone DAC are accurate, despite it being 24-bit/192 kHz, I'm concerned that the mark is being missed again. Based on all of the buzz, it seems Ray would do well to target something like the Centrance HiFi M8 which, in my view, will have all of the key boxes (DAC plus amp in one, 24/192 support, Apple device compatible, USB compatible, etc.) checked. If not an all-in-one, at least target the other three.

 

[bmichels]

Quote:

Sorry to say it, but I think Ray missed the mark with The Intruder. As far as I can tell, it's a more powerful SR-71B (which arguably wasn't necessary, as I wouldn't expect enough people are likely to either travel with top-of-the-line over-the-ear headphones or drive them at home via a portable amp) with a DAC incapable of supporting audiophile-quality files. Hopefully, the arms race is over now that any headphone can be capably driven from a portable amp such as The Intruder or Rx MK3-B. Me, personally, I'd prefer an IEM-focused, cost-no-object DAC/amp that does it all or a purpose-built amp with no glaring short-comings.
If the rumors of Ray's stand-alone DAC are accurate, despite it being 24-bit/192 kHz, I'm concerned that the mark is being missed again. Based on all of the buzz, it seems Ray would do well to target something like the Centrance HiFi M8 which, in my view, will have all of the key boxes (DAC plus amp in one, 24/192 support, Apple device compatible, USB compatible, etc.) checked. If not an all-in-one, at least target the other three.

+1
If the INTRUDER was 24/192 I would have bought is....

 

[motion51]

It will be really nice to have all in one with RSA sound but I guess we just dont have that right now ;p and so far I am happy with Intruder anyway.

 

[gmahler2u]

Quote:

It will be really nice to have all in one with RSA sound but I guess we just dont have that right now ;p and so far I am happy with Intruder anyway.

+1

 

[Staal]

Quote:

+1
If the INTRUDER was 24/192 I would have bought is....

 
I agree and wasn't happy to learn that the Intruder "only" does 16/48. However, it sounds fantastic, and I don't see the point in slapping a potentially cheaper 24/192 chip in there just because of the numbers. Like someone pointed out earlier, a lot of HD tracks are just painted up pintos.
 
My point is don't necessarily be put off by the numbers. The intruder sounds fantastic. CDs are limited to 16/44,1 and "back in" the CD days a lot of people had crazy expensive speaker setups with crazy expensive DACs. The fact that a below-$1000 product does 24/192 doesn't mean it'll necessarily sound better than an equally priced DAC capable of higher bit & sample-rates.
 
Heck, even my boss who's an audiophile with a lot more money to blow than I still prefers his CD-players to the whole digital audio thing. I don't know much about CD-players but as I he just picked up a $4-5000 one I assume it's because he thinks it sounds great and not because he's not aware that a digital audio solution would allow for higher bit & sample-rates. And no, I am not comparing the intruders DAC to that of a pricey CD-player.

 

[Doralikesmath]

The thing is the Intruder's DAC chip is way outdated and even not recommended by its producer, TI. It's is considered as a low-end DAC chip in the market, which can be found in many $20 cheapo DACs on ebay. I even got better sound with my 4 years old laptop sound card than with the Intruder's DAC so there is no point to use teh Intruder's DAC section.

 

[Staal]

Well if that's true I do see the problem. I haven't seen any information about what DAC chip is used in the intruder.
 
Oh well, I guess it's just a matter of not using the DAC if one has a better one at hand although most people (including me) probably wouldn't have had a problem spending an extra few $100 in return for a great DAC-section .

 

[Doralikesmath]

Some people tore down the Intruder and you can look up for the images of its circuit board. I just sold my Intruder because of the super disappointing DAC and took a try with the M8. Hopefully it will turn out to be a good investment.

 

[Chexxchexx]

Oh well, I guess it's just a matter of not using the DAC if one has a better one at hand although most people (including me) probably wouldn't have had a problem spending an extra few $100 in return for a great DAC-section .

This is exactly the problem I have with The Intruder: why use a DAC chip incapable of supporting audiophile-grade recordings in what I can safely assume is an otherwise exceptional flagship product? I would've left out the DAC and called it the RS-71C given that without the DAC it doesn't appear to be more than a more powerful version of the RS-71B.

Given the feature-set and level of performance we're seeking at the top-end of the price range, I just don't think folks would complain about a higher price tag for the "perfect" DAC/amp combo. This extra cost would be even easier for us to justify when you consider that one less interconnect would be required. And, if Ray could do it with his sound in a smaller chassis than the Centrance HiFi M8 (even if bigger than The Intruder), he'd almost certainly have a serious hit on his hands.

I feel as if certain designers need to hear from their target market which led me to post the thread below. Perhaps I'm off-the-mark, though.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/637681/please-tell-me-the-gain-range-arms-race-is-over-plus-feedback-for-designers

 

[Mediahound]

Quote:

This is exactly the problem I have with The Intruder: why use a DAC chip incapable of supporting audiophile-grade recordings in what I can safely assume is an otherwise exceptional flagship product? I would've left out the DAC and called it the RS-71C given that without the DAC it doesn't appear to be more than a more powerful version of the RS-71B.
Given the feature-set and level of performance we're seeking at the top-end of the price range, I just don't think folks would complain about a higher price tag for the "perfect" DAC/amp combo. This extra cost would be even easier for us to justify when you consider that one less interconnect would be required. And, if Ray could do it with his sound in a smaller chassis than the Centrance HiFi M8 (even if bigger than The Intruder), he'd almost certainly have a serious hit on his hands.
I feel as if certain designers need to hear from their target market which led me to post the thread below. Perhaps I'm off-the-mark, though.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/637681/please-tell-me-the-gain-range-arms-race-is-over-plus-feedback-for-designers

 
 
Does the Intruder put out more power than the SR71b? I thought the amp section was the same on both. 

 

[brianc0428]

The Intruder's High Gain Setting is 21 on the SR71-B the high gain is 11.

 

[Mediahound]

Quote:

The Intruder's High Gain Setting is 21 on the SR71-B the high gain is 11.

 
Thanks. I think that would only be useful in driving the He-6s because on my SR71b with high gain on anything beyond 2 o' clock is already louder than I would want, even with high Ohm cans!
 
PS, Headamp is working on a new "Pico Power' amp, which sounds promising:
 
"[size=x-small]Powerful like a desktop amp, small like a Pico."[/size]
 
http://www.headamp.com/pico/index.htm