[tincanear]

hoping Jason's next product announcement is for a still-nexus-based scaled down Ragnarok 2 optimized for lower impedance (planar) headphones @ 3 to 5 Wpc, Continuity output stage, some input switching capability, remote, space inside for 1 or 2 modules, and XLR pre-amp outs for future 2-channel expansion capability, call it Freynir S.

 

[TheTechQ]

• Wall-warts, yeah, that’s getting ugly with tariffs and such. Don’t be surprised if they come from Taiwan or Mexico soon. I wish we could make them in the USA, but I’m not sure that’s feasible.

Perhaps you could make the wal-wart optional. If you select one, you can choose the country of origin. Some customers will care, others will not. I have plenty of USB power available, so I have many unused wal-warts.

As one result of all of this, we’ve been made more aware of the importance of local supply chains. It’s fairly terrifying to see how much manufacturing capability we’ve lost in the USA. And yes, I know, it’s a global economy, and there’s no putting the genie back into the bottle, but I gotta ask: do we really just want to be a consumer/service economy?

I believe it is important to not have a single source of anything important. We learned this the hard way with COVID-19. Health care professionals could not always get the gear they needed for a new, unknown virus because the supply chain was limited. Supporting local businesses diversifies the risk of supply disruptions.

Thank you for this very interesting thread. I enjoyed reading it.

 

[Timster]

Soooo.... am I the only one waiting on a Super Aegir? I'll take a mono amp doing 100W into 8ohms and 200W into 4. I mean, more would be better but...$$$.

Oh, I'm always waiting on Jason's next design in the speaker side of the world. I have favorite circuit designs of his and when he hints at something special using those designs I like I get antsy.

hoping Jason's next product announcement is for a still-nexus-based scaled down Ragnarok 2 optimized for lower impedance (planar) headphones @ 3 to 5 Wpc, Continuity output stage, some input switching capability, remote, space inside for 1 or 2 modules, and XLR pre-amp outs for future 2-channel expansion capability, call it Freynir S.

Guys.... Sorry, this thread is currently discussing french fries, beer, mayo, bbq, charcuterie boards. Catch up please
hahahaha


(Edited to add French Fries)

 

[EricDH]

What do you expect. They eat spaghetti with meat balls. You won't find that in Italy....

Let's not talk about the American thick bottom "pizza" (zoals Mario uit de jaren 80 Igloo reclame al aangaf, is "de bodem" erg belangrijk).

 

[KoshNaranek]

Guys.... Sorry, this thread is currently discussing french fries, beer, mayo, bbq, charcuterie boards. Catch up please

The only thing that would make this conversation better would be to add tanks!

I want to have a pint with David Fletcher and I don't even like beer!

 

[jnak00]

hoping Jason's next product announcement is for a still-nexus-based scaled down Ragnarok 2 optimized for lower impedance (planar) headphones @ 3 to 5 Wpc, Continuity output stage, some input switching capability, remote, space inside for 1 or 2 modules, and XLR pre-amp outs for future 2-channel expansion capability, call it Freynir S.

That sounds like a Jotunheim 2, which is also what I am hoping for.

 

[r2muchstuff]

Guys..... Catch up please
hahahaha

No, that is catsup

 

[A Jedi]

The only thing that would make this conversation better would be to add tanks!

I want to have a pint with David Fletcher and I don't even like beer!

This is awesome lol

 

[Les Strat]

The only thing that would make this conversation better would be to add tanks!

I want to have a pint with David Fletcher and I don't even like beer!

Somehow I don't think he'll be ordering French Fries with mayonnaise to have with his beer

 

[Les Strat]

Any ZZ Top fans that also subscribe to Qobuz?

This afternoon I listened to "ZZ Top's First Album" using Roon. I started with the CD rip (FLAC lossless/uncompressed) from my collection. This CD is from the ZZ Top "Six Pack Collection" (1987) whose liner notes state "We have attempted to preserve, as closely as possible, the sound of the original recordings." In other words, no remastering.

Since I was using Roon I noticed in the "Versions" tab that Qobuz has both a 44/16 and a 96/24 version which is the "Studio Masters Edition". Might as well try out the 96/24 version, right?

Holy Schiit, the remastered version is NOTHING like my CD rip. By comparison it sounds awful!!

Let's use "Brown Sugar" as an example. The CD intro opens with Billy Gibbon's guitar and vocal being mostly centered in the mix with an appropriately gritty, live studio sound. The 96/24 mix has vocals hard-panned to the right, guitar hard-panned to the left with ALL of the gritty, live sound completely gone. This completely messed up the feel of the song for me. The rest of the song continues with the same lack of feeling of a live recording that the original had. The remainder of the album is much the same.

Interestingly, the Qobuz 44/16 version (unknown provenance) reverses the vocals to hard-panned left, guitar hard-panned right. Go figure...

All this to say that remastering isn't always a good thing. Audiofools make a lot of noise about "being true to the source" and get horny when a Hi-Res version of their favorite album becomes available. But I gotta remind everyone - buyer beware. IMHO, my CD version is far superior to the remastered version(s).

I don't have a record player (yet) but I'd be willing to bet that an original analog issue of the album sounds better than any of the digital versions.

If anyone prefers the remastered version then good for you. We all have our preferences.

Now let's get back to our Scottish BBQ mayonnaise French Fry Gorilla Glue Fish 'n' Chips discussion.

edit - Not all remasters are evil BTW. I think the most recent remaster of the Beatle's "Sgt. Pepper" is very nice.

I am a ZZ Top fan and was lucky enough to see them live in London back in the 80s.
It was a short gig, but brilliant. We left wanting more...
I have several of their albums, all of which I've ripped to lossless files, so haven't needed to listen to any on Qobuz yet.
My experience regarding remasters is the same as yours.
Some remasters sound awful... but some, like the recent Giles Martin Remixes/remaasters of Abbey Road, White Album and St Pepper sound fantastic!
I like having the option of listening to either my own ripped CDs or the Qobuz versions, (when I own the CD), to select the format I like most.
I'd say it's about 50/50.
Living in a rural part of UK, my broadband speed cannot cope with streaming 'Hi Res' files from Qobuz. I have therefore limited my streamer to 16/44.1.
What I have found is that when I do listen to 'Studio Masters' versions on Qobuz, they usually sound worse than the standard 'CD- FLAC 16/44.1' version.

It will be interesting to find out what some of my old CDs sound like when Mike's CD Transport is available, and connected to my Yggy with its new Unison USB board, which I will be installing when it arrives from the US.....

 

[Varejao17]

Perhaps you could make the wal-wart optional. If you select one, you can choose the country of origin. Some customers will care, others will not. I have plenty of USB power available, so I have many unused wal-warts.

Along these lines (similar but different), a certain audio company (based in Brooklyn with manufacturing in Poland) provides a 12V DC input jack for their equipment, along with an IEC mains cable. If the end user has a 12V DC linear power supply with sufficient current capacity, they can bypass the on-board switching power supply...

I like it because the end user has the option, if they are technically inclined, to provide cleaner power from a source external to the chassis. They need to be savvy enough to build an appropriate cable with sufficient current capacity. But the manufacturer need only provide the jack and the internal circuitry to use DC power - although clearly this is less of an issue for a pure solid state device vs. a tube device (for example).

 

[Pedro Janeiro]

Soooo.... am I the only one waiting on a Super Aegir? I'll take a mono amp doing 100W into 8ohms and 200W into 4. I mean, more would be better but...$$$.

Im waiting for something similar too!
My new Proac Tablette 10 (10ohm 86db) still in the box waiting for a power amp , 1 vidar isnt enough i guess. and if i pick 2 will need a Freya.
@Jason Stoddard Any plans for new power amp?
Cheers

PJ

 

[Mike-WI]

Any ZZ Top fans that also subscribe to Qobuz?

This afternoon I listened to "ZZ Top's First Album" using Roon. I started with the CD rip (FLAC lossless/uncompressed) from my collection. This CD is from the ZZ Top "Six Pack Collection" (1987) whose liner notes state "We have attempted to preserve, as closely as possible, the sound of the original recordings." In other words, no remastering.

Since I was using Roon I noticed in the "Versions" tab that Qobuz has both a 44/16 and a 96/24 version which is the "Studio Masters Edition". Might as well try out the 96/24 version, right?

Holy Schiit, the remastered version is NOTHING like my CD rip. By comparison it sounds awful!!

Let's use "Brown Sugar" as an example. The CD intro opens with Billy Gibbon's guitar and vocal being mostly centered in the mix with an appropriately gritty, live studio sound. The 96/24 mix has vocals hard-panned to the right, guitar hard-panned to the left with ALL of the gritty, live sound completely gone. This completely messed up the feel of the song for me. The rest of the song continues with the same lack of feeling of a live recording that the original had. The remainder of the album is much the same.

Interestingly, the Qobuz 44/16 version (unknown provenance) reverses the vocals to hard-panned left, guitar hard-panned right. Go figure...

All this to say that remastering isn't always a good thing. Audiofools make a lot of noise about "being true to the source" and get horny when a Hi-Res version of their favorite album becomes available. But I gotta remind everyone - buyer beware. IMHO, my CD version is far superior to the remastered version(s).

I don't have a record player (yet) but I'd be willing to bet that an original analog issue of the album sounds better than any of the digital versions.

If anyone prefers the remastered version then good for you. We all have our preferences.

Now let's get back to our Scottish BBQ mayonnaise French Fry Gorilla Glue Fish 'n' Chips discussion.

edit - Not all remasters are evil BTW. I think the most recent remaster of the Beatle's "Sgt. Pepper" is very nice.

Yes, HiRes doesn't matter if mastered poorly.
See:
https://www.xivero.com/musicscope/
The MusicScope is a high precision software audio analyzer and measuring tool that works as an Audio-Microscope to visualize the different quality aspects of a music collection.

Dynamic Range Database
http://dr.loudness-war.info/

eg
ZZ Top - The Complete Studio Albums 1970-1990
Available in Audiophile 192kHz/24bit & 96kHz/24bit

Dynamic Range DB
http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=&album=Complete+Studio+Albums+1970-1990

 

[A Jedi]

"They only ever built one - thank goodness - just one really horrible and pointless tank. Built for no good reason."

 

[tincanear]

Guys.... Sorry, this thread is currently discussing french fries, beer, mayo, bbq, charcuterie boards. Catch up please
hahahaha


(Edited to add French Fries)

ok, then i'll have and order of fries with bbq sauce on the side, along with my Frolnir S integrated HP amp,