[Ripvanlink]

  Well, I auditioned the X5 with Noble 4 a while ago but it was pretty good sounding. Both my N4 and N6 are heaps and bounds better than the tf10 and even having quite a bit of lower treble emphasis the high remain smooth and refined and the harsh tf10 just can't touch them[size=12.8000001907349px], so I can easily assume k10 should be even better.[/size]

Yes, defintely EEEEEEE-sier

 

[kova4a]

  Ah, so you tend to disagree with those in Head-fi who think there's no difference between hi-def and, say, cd quality or flac, right? I don't have the money right now to spend on hi-def recordings b/c I'm saving  up for November's K10 purchase. I tried to download from a free samples hi-def website that a member offered, but for some reason, can't at all get the X5 to recognize it. So...I'll have to wait on that so I can gain my own comparisons, Oh well.
I never even entertained the possibility that the K10 could be sibilant. What I just wonder about is, whether it could cure the sibilants I hear with my UM-modTF10. Also, I fully realize the diff between a well-mastered recording and the usual drip one gets from these fancy and complicated consoles that egomaniacal engineers like to foist on the public, lol. And... sometimes, it's also a matter of humidity and other conditions which would adversely affect the sound quality.
I know you are right about the K10, sq3rjick, we are destined to become a mutual admiration society, hee hee.

You can get some high-end equipment and start making vinyl rips yourself. 

 

[Ripvanlink]

One recording I'm looking forward to obtaining to test all this out is my favorite all-time recording, a budget-labelled (but hardly any longer, a rather costly SACD) Vox recording of Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances with Donald Johanos and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra... yeah, I know, who is he? And who are they, lol.
So much AAAAAIIIIIR, a veritable halo around each orchestral instrument, great soundstaging and image, and such expressive and professional musicality and superlative engineering. Who would expect a budget label like Vox to make even so-called audiophile recordings shamed in comparison?
Anybody happen to have that CD? I'd like to know b/c I'm coming from a vinyl perspective on this and would like to get a reality if digital can at all come close. I'm eager to find out how it will sound through the K10. The only thing is that, for the near future I'm not willing to spend the $24 to obtain it as is charged on Amazon. Evidently, I'm not the only one so impressed.
Wow, it would be a gas if a Noble customer just so happened to know this recording. Huh? Huh? 

 

[Ripvanlink]

  You can get some high-end equipment and start making vinyl rips yourself. 

Okay, well, Christmas is coming up pretty soon so I'll def ask Santa Claus. Or maybe you have this high-end stuff and can rip it for me?

 

[sq3rjick]

Ah, so you tend to disagree with those in Head-fi who think there's no difference between hi-def and, say, cd quality or flac, right? I don't have the money right now to spend on hi-def recordings b/c I'm saving  up for November's K10 purchase. I tried to download from a free samples hi-def website that a member offered, but for some reason, can't at all get the X5 to recognize it. So...I'll have to wait on that so I can gain my own comparisons, Oh well.
I never even entertained the possibility that the K10 could be sibilant. What I just wonder about is, whether it could cure the sibilants I hear with my UM-modTF10. Also, I fully realize the diff between a well-mastered recording and the usual drip one gets from these fancy and complicated consoles that egomaniacal engineers like to foist on the public, lol. And... sometimes, it's also a matter of humidity and other conditions which would adversely affect the sound quality.
I know you are right about the K10, sq3rjick, we are destined to become a mutual admiration society, hee hee.

I wouldn't go quite that far. If pressed, I don't think I could honestly double blind pick between hi resolution and the equivalent FLAC or CD rip, given that they came from the same master recording. However, I am a firm believer that storage is cheap and will continue to get cheaper, and I would rather get the best possible version, even if I can't hear a difference. It is the same reason that I ripped all of my CDs to FLAC and not MP3, even though the file sizes were much larger. I would rather feed my equipment with the best possible source files, even if I am not going to necessarily be able to tell a difference.

Now, I will say that as far as 192K vs 96K, there is not going to appreciably be a difference, and in fact the 192 can sometimes be worse than the 96. For example, the ADC that was used for the HDTracks 192 rip of The Eagles collection actually throws out the least significant bits (they are all 0) in 192K mode, while it doesn't in 96K mode, so the 96K rip of those files actually have more information in them than the 19K rip.

I can also say that the SACD rip of Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me" sounds immensively better than theregular CD, as it comes from a better master recording. The SACD isn't sibilant, whereas the CD version is piercingly so (to the point that I can't listen to the opening track on headphones due to the painfulness of the harsh S in TLR recording). I could double blind pick out the SACD of that particular album every single time, by listening to that one opening track.

I also don't quite believe that there is infinite information in the analog grooves of a vinyl album, but I do really like the overall analog sound of a good vinyl setup. But I believe it is perfectly possible for digital music to sound just as good, and maybe even better.

As for the TF10 vs K10, I do think the K10 will solve the harshness issue, provided the harshness isn't simply inherent in the recording.

 

[kova4a]

Well, the main thing with vinyl is that often vinyl releases remain unharmed by the Loudness wars and sound much better due to the higher dynamic range, so on more than one occasion vinyl is the only way to go if you want to hear a certain album in good quality. 

 

[Ripvanlink]

  Well, the main thing with vinyl is that often vinyl releases remain unharmed by the Loudness wars and sound much better due to the higher dynamic range, so on more than one occasion vinyl is the only way to go if you want to hear a certain album in good quality. 

Yes, I agree with you on the superiority of vinyl. The digital ones though, have the edge in background silence, of course, and I'm still curious to compare the Rachmaninoff digital recording with the vinyl one, which I'll compare from memory, since I no longer have the vinyl. I'll know. It's a heart feeling with this recording.
Dynamic range seems to be one of the great limitations of our present digital medium. Do you think it possible that someday, somone will come up with a new digital innovation to trump analogue? I keep hoping.

 

[Ripvanlink]

Sq3rjick, I'm very encouraged by what you say. Intend to order the K10 on November 1st at the San Diego meet and I get to "meet" Brannan, maybe, to boot.
By the time I actually receive the K10, it should be near to my birthday, which is December 10th... aha, a 10 for a 10! Remember that movie...10? I think the K10 IS a 10 by the meaning rendered in the movie!

 

[mscott58]

Hope it makes it there by your birthday as quoted build time is 6-8 weeks, which is from receipt of the impressions at their labs.

I'll let you know how long it takes mine to show up, which were ordered and impressions made on 10/11.

 

[fiascogarcia]

  Well, the main thing with vinyl is that often vinyl releases remain unharmed by the Loudness wars and sound much better due to the higher dynamic range, so on more than one occasion vinyl is the only way to go if you want to hear a certain album in good quality. 

 
 

  Yes, I agree with you on the superiority of vinyl. The digital ones though, have the edge in background silence, of course, and I'm still curious to compare the Rachmaninoff digital recording with the vinyl one, which I'll compare from memory, since I no longer have the vinyl. I'll know. It's a heart feeling with this recording.
Dynamic range seems to be one of the great limitations of our present digital medium. Do you think it possible that someday, somone will come up with a new digital innovation to trump analogue? I keep hoping.

Vinyl sounds fantastic, if you are invested in quality equipment.  The degradation of fidelity with each playback, without using multi-thousand dollar turntables, is one thing I will never miss!!

 

[mscott58]

   
 
Vinyl sounds fantastic, if you are invested in quality equipment.  The degradation of fidelity with each playback, without using multi-thousand dollar turntables, is one thing I will never miss!!

Hallelujah to that. I never dipped my toe in the vinyl pond, as I feared it was a slippery slope! (and sorry for the mixed metaphors). Have spent enough on audio gear as it is without playing with spinning vinyl discs. 
 
As for the quality of digital recordings, there can be huge differences. All of my CD's have been ripped to FLAC level 0 versus MP3 or other lossy formats. I can definitely tell the difference of FLAC versus more compressed formats on all of my systems. Regarding HD content (24-bit, greater that 44.1K - mostly 96k) I can here a difference, but it takes really good gear. On my fully tweaked 2-channel system, definitely can tell. On my desk-top LCD-3F's driven by a really good DAC and amp, definitely can tell. On my current travel system - usually not. However, after my Noble K10 customs arrive and I eventually hook them up with my Geek Wave XD128 Ultimate, I should be able to tell on that system also. 
 
However, given all of this, the most important thing is to enjoy the music! If you rock out with an iPhone and some mid-level ear buds then go for it and be happy. 
 
Cheers

 

[bangkokkid]

We start this week with a set of Wizard-designed Kaiser 10 crafted for a friend of ours across the pond in the UK.​

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Deep reds, blues, and purples dance together to create a fantastically nebulous scene. The rings around the canals make these particularly unique!​

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Last, we have some exciting news to share for all our friends in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan this week. Please stay tuned!​

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[Ripvanlink]

   
 
Vinyl sounds fantastic, if you are invested in quality equipment.  The degradation of fidelity with each playback, without using multi-thousand dollar turntables, is one thing I will never miss!!

yes, and digital has its own advantages such as quieter background. I just had a thought concerning my earlier mention of possible new innovations in digital sound technology. It concerns the new quantum technology that is developing now and perhaps soon to come out commercially. Maybe quantum computers can affect sound quality. Comments?

 

[Ripvanlink]

Wow, I see 5 barrel openings coming out of the earpiece. My UMmodTF10 only has 2! Very beautiful, btw.

 

[Ripvanlink]

Say Mscott, no apologies for the mixed metaphors. They actually work together, The slippery slope of the vinyl pond.... I like it, lol. You might slip and fall in, but that might be a groovy splash.