[KoshNaranek]

It's complementary, of course. Pseudo-complementary designs are usually very, very bad, unless you're talking about circlotrons. It uses real Toshiba 2SC/2SA parts from VAS to output, though, so it's as well-matched as possible.

Thank you sir.

 

[Mr Rick]

 

 
Stacking ain't a great idea. The top amp will cook. Get a rack. Or use just one Vidar...it's WAYYYYY underrated.

 


I was thinking of grabbing one Vidar for my desk stereo and using the balanced out from the Jot on top for my headphones and as a source. Not a good id

 
 
To use the Vidar in balanced configuration you need two Vidar. The balanced input to the Vidar makes it a monoblock.

 

[Pandahead]

Vidar, as it will be at Axpona (ugly, un-anodized, un-screened, beat to hell, but with the right heatsinking and a 1.0-level production board in it.)

It is a thing of beauty!

 

[Brubacca]

This is extremely speculative, especially in the absence of independent measurements. Depending on the device, it could be better or worse than a computer...which could be better or worse than another computer...which could be better or worse than a tablet...which could be better or worse than a phone. 

We've done some investigation into USB quality, and there's no real correlation with price or type of device--there is, however, two different ways to handle packets. PCs and Linux do it one way, Macs do it another way. Beyond that, it's catch-as-catch-can. And, in any case, we could be measuring the wrong thing. Or fooling ourselves, as there is no difference in data integrity.

I can tell you definitely that with my Gumby DAC the MicroRendu sounds better than three other devices- Squeezebox Touch, A small form factor Atom Based PC, and a Naim UnitiQute. This is after many months of use. I don't know why and don't care why it is. Does it measure that way? Don't know, don't care. It sounds better.....


Vidar looks awesome. Hope you have a good show.

 

[DigitalFrontEnd]

Well...first off it's a grand cheaper than the Rossini.

Plus...
- it has both balanced and single-ended audio outputs
- the output stage incorporates "Hierarchical Converter technology [by MQA]
- the front panel has large, square buttons
- AND...all of these buttons are duplicated on the full-function remote control.

Haters gonna hate!

Hey, I stay up at night DREAMING about Hierarchical Converter technology!

 

[DigitalFrontEnd]

   
Can you elaborate more on this, please? I'm interested about the why's.
 
Thanks!

First, subjective: I have been experimenting with file playback for 10 year know..windows, mac, linux, chrome books you name it, then streamers...streamers combined with computers..
my ears without exception prefer the purpose built streaming solutions of the past few years by a wide margin.
 
Secondly, as the other poster said, these devices are optimized for audio functions and file playback.
 
Do some research and see how many pure audio engineers Apple and Microsoft employ.  

 

[DigitalFrontEnd]

 
I'll put it down again:
 
"All unnecessary noise creating circuity is either not present or disabled."

...and much more....

 

[ScottFree]

Reading 2017, Chapter 6 makes me wonder if during his job at Magnavox he may have encountered a man dressed in a expensive three piece suit, a Walther PPK and a penchant for vodka martinis, shaken not stirred.
 
 

 

[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

  Reading 2017, Chapter 6 makes me wonder if during his job at Magnavox he may have encountered a man dressed in a expensive three piece suit, a Walther PPK and a penchant for vodka martinis, shaken not stirred.

No I think it's the coffee.

 

[Robert Wortman]

  First, subjective: I have been experimenting with file playback for 10 year know..windows, mac, linux, chrome books you name it, then streamers...streamers combined with computers..
my ears without exception prefer the purpose built streaming solutions of the past few years by a wide margin.
 
Secondly, as the other poster said, these devices are optimized for audio functions and file playback.
 
Do some research and see how many pure audio engineers Apple and Microsoft employ.  

​At the risk of sounding contentious, maybe defending Jason a bit, you don't necessarily need audio engineers to design a computer to transmit data.  It may be audio after the DAC but before that, it's just data.

 

[winders]

  Again, in the absence of measurements, claims of "cleaner" or "better formed" are speculative. If you've measured the difference, yourself, and have data to back it up, that's great. If you think it sounds better, that's great as well—but it is, of course, only an opinion. Others will argue that if the data is recovered, there is no difference. I'm in the middle—I'll refer you to the Measurements chapter for more detail.

 
Sure. I am assuming a certain level of trust in the "cleaner" or "better formed" USB output since I don't have the hardware to measure or the knowledge to interpret the measurements.
 
I am in the middle too. Especially when it comes to cables and interconnects. But some things have become clear from listening. One of those things is that really bad USB sounds worse than better USB. Another thing that is clear is that eliminating ground loops and leakage loops improves the sound quality too. Somehow this bad stuff going in to Yggy, even though all the one and zeroes get there intact, sounds worse than when less bad stuff gets in to Yggy. Mimby seems even more affected by dirty power.

 

[LarryMagoo]

  First, subjective: I have been experimenting with file playback for 10 year know..windows, mac, linux, chrome books you name it, then streamers...streamers combined with computers..
my ears without exception prefer the purpose built streaming solutions of the past few years by a wide margin.
 
Secondly, as the other poster said, these devices are optimized for audio functions and file playback.
 
Do some research and see how many pure audio engineers Apple and Microsoft employ.  

What Streamer do you use that shames Mac's and PC's?  

 

[DigitalFrontEnd]

 
​At the risk of sounding contentious, maybe defending Jason a bit, you don't necessarily need audio engineers to design a computer to transmit data.  It may be audio after the DAC but before that, it's just data.

Well, that line of thinking is exactly people get frustrated with digital file playback. It ain't just data IMHO.
 
By the way I am not a streamer evangelist. I am not on a mission to change or judge any one's sources.
 
Simply reporting what I have experienced sonically. 

 

[DigitalFrontEnd]

  Well, that line of thinking is exactly people get frustrated with digital file playback. It ain't just data IMHO.

Both the aforementioned Sonore microRendu and the Bryston BDP-3. 
 
I also am experimenting with the SOtM sMS-200 and it is very impressive. 

 

[purehifi192]

  Wow, some of you guys need to switch to a decaffeinated brand. Stuff's done when it's done. Things are quiet because we just had a big show and we're getting ready for another big show this weekend.
 
That said, I can confirm that we'll have a final-but-ugly Vidar at Axpona this weekend. This is not to be confused with the pretty-but-thermally-crappy version we showed at RMAF and has been playing at the Schiitr. In this case, it's a hand-assembled-but-on-final-board-with-final-heatsinks-and-clips-in-an-unfinished-chassis version. PC boards are finally released to production. Now it's a waiting game. (And, before you ask, it'll be done when it's done.)
 
And I'll have a new chapter for you tomorrow.

 
@Jason I am planning to come up to the Schiitr on Friday.  If you're getting ready for another show this weekend, should I try to come up tomorrow or push till next week instead?