[Roy G. Biv]

Yes. A dedicated button for each of the inputs is what I’m asking for. Input buttons would get a lot more use at my house than the “invert output” button which I’ve pressed exactly twice.

 

[LobalWarming]

Kudos to @Charente for FRAZE, a brilliant idea, well executed.
I'm reminded of the many non-native speakers I worked with over the years. I particularly enjoyed sharing idoms with them. It was fun watching some QA engineers from India puzzing out "knuckle head". Many of them spoke English very well, and interpreting idioms in context was usually possible for them. The absence of context makes the FRAZE game that much more challenging.
I'll add, sheepishly and without excuse (as there is none), that I am a monoglot...

No shame in that... Stereo is just a huge long-tailed marketing exercise. Even Schiit knows this - why they strive for the best monotonicity in their DACs.

 

[cricket]

Likely wants to go from 1 input directly to another without cycling through inputs in between.

I believe that's exactly what he means and I'm all for it, too. I don't want remotes with more buttons, just devices that respond to more than stepping sequentially forwards and backwards. We'd use universal remotes or personal projects to take advantage of that capability.

 

[VNVNation]

Strange "review" of the URD from John Darko.

 

[Dr. Cube]

Yes. A dedicated button for each of the inputs is what I’m asking for. Input buttons would get a lot more use at my house than the “invert output” button which I’ve pressed exactly twice.

And here I still have to get up and push the button on the front panel... It's like living in the stone ages!

 

[Harum7]

Guys, I don't wanna believe this isn't some sort of Schiity humor. I found the wording sarcastic like what Jason writes on the FAQ section of the Schiit website and the product manuals!

 

[riffrafff]

Guys, I don't wanna believe this isn't some sort of Schiity humor. I found the wording sarcastic like what Jason writes on the FAQ section of the Schiit website and the product manuals!

Reminds me of this:
https://bangshift.com/forum/forum/b...but-goodie-funny-aircraft-maintenance-reports

 

[ArmchairPhilosopher]

Strange "review" of the URD from John Darko.

I mean, he has kept insisting for ages that sonic differences between different DACs would generally be small. Which is something that I just can't square with my own experience. If he really thinks that the difference between, say, a FIIO R7 and a Bifrost or Yggy is negligible, then I don't know if I can trust his ears, quite frankly.

He's got a captivating way of presenting, though, so he's got that going for himself.

Also, as a general rule on audio gear reviewers, whether it be in print, in forums, or on YouTube:




Edit for clarification:
Reviewers have their place in the world, especially when it comes to the direct sales landscape where you can't just go to a retailer and audition something you're interested in.

But if you base your purchasing decisions on reviews alone, you've got a real problem on your hands. Watch or read ten reviews, and you'll end up with twelve different opinions — and you're still none the wiser whether or not you will actually enjoy the sound or performance of any given product yourself.

If you still need to rely on reviews for your purchase decisions for some reason, I suggest you do what I do: Watch and read all kinds of different reviews for gear you're already intimately familiar with. You'll quickly figure out which reviewers have a similar taste to your own. That way you know whose ears you can trust.

And try to avoid those who are directly sponsored by gear manufacturers or retailers, or those who keep recommending the same brands or retailers. There aren't many of them out there, but they exist and they stick out. I would try to avoid them, there's just no way that they can be unbiased in their recommendations.


Edit 2:
YouTube and forum reviews tend to be based on a few hours of listening. They also tend to come from reviewers who need to make a living, published on platforms run by algorithms that favor and thus reward a constant influx of new content, leaving them with very little time they could spend on repeated, extended listening sessions over the course of weeks or even months. To believe that this could foster high-quality, trustworthy results would be naive.

Here's an excerpt from one of my favorite stories about an old-school reviewer and how she worked:

Colleagues and other restaurant critics described her reviews as tough but fair and scrupulously researched. The Times required three visits to a restaurant before publishing a review; she dined six to eight times before passing judgment. For an article on deli sandwiches, she collected 104 corned beef and pastrami samples in one day to evaluate the meat and sandwich-building techniques. [...]

Another of her reviews, based on blind tastings by several Times staff members, favored private-label liquors over popular brand names of Scotch, bourbon, rye, vodka and gin. The review ran weeks before Christmas, the busy liquor-selling season.

“I heard that two million dollars’ worth of advertising had been canceled,” Ms. Sheraton recalled in her memoir. She approached the executive editor. “I asked Abe Rosenthal if that was true. He said, ‘That’s none of your business. It was a great story.’”

That's how proper, trustworthy reviews are done.

 

[ImagesbyMurray]

Guys, I don't wanna believe this isn't some sort of Schiity humor. I found the wording sarcastic like what Jason writes on the FAQ section of the Schiit website and the product manuals!

 

[Roy G. Biv]

And here I still have to get up and push the button on the front panel... It's like living in the stone ages!

I promise that I would care less about the issue if I was the only one in the house using the equipment. FWIW, I’m pretty happy with my gear but it’s ok to have a wishlist, right?

 

[eliottj]

I mean, he has kept insisting for ages that sonic differences between different DACs would generally be small. Which is something that I just can't square with my own experience. If he really thinks that the difference between, say, a FIIO R7 and a Bifrost or Yggy is negligible, then I don't know if I should trust his ears, quite frankly.

Agreed. My ears have lost alot over the years but I have no trouble hearing differences in Dacs most of the time.
Perhaps he doesn't know what to listen for, which is an aquired skill. Anyway, I don't think much of his reviews, although I'm sure he's a great guy and all.....

 

[VNVNation]

I mean, he has kept insisting for ages that sonic differences between different DACs would generally be small. Which is something that I just can't square with my own experience. If he really thinks that the difference between, say, a FIIO R7 and a Bifrost or Yggy is negligible, then I don't know if I should trust his ears, quite frankly.

Agree. Surprised he didn't pair the URD with a Unison USB MB DAC for a proper comparison.

 

[ImagesbyMurray]

I mean, he has kept insisting for ages that sonic differences between different DACs would generally be small. Which is something that I just can't square with my own experience. If he really thinks that the difference between, say, a FIIO R7 and a Bifrost or Yggy is negligible, then I don't know if I should trust his ears, quite frankly.

I wonder living in an apartment in Berlin with the back round noise? After living in downtown Seattle and Portland when younger, I could never go back to that.....

 

[VNVNation]

Reviewers have their place in the world, especially when it comes to the direct sales landscape where you can't just go to a retailer and audition something you're interested in.

Especially true in remote (Non U.S/Europe) areas such as Australia where its not only impossible to audition but also costly to ship items back to the US if it doesn't float your boat.

 

[eliottj]

To anyone interested, I have an Asgard 3 w/es9028 Dac module listed in the classifieds. Like new. Moving up to a Bifrost 2.