[earnmyturns]

Roon does send the audio file between nodes and endpoints, not an audio stream. At least in most cases, by my current understanding.

Roon uses its own uncompressed protocol, RAAT, to communicate between the Roon server and Roon endpoints. RAAT is designed to synchronize multiple endpoints of tye same type for simultaneous play of the same material. It operates over wired or wireless connections. More details: https://help.roonlabs.com/portal/en/kb/articles/raat#What_is_RAAT

 

[DavidSerig]

Thank you for that link! I tend to avoid the ASR crew with their graph > ears mentality of audio quality assessment but that was a good review from Amir.

So as a headphone unit, it might play well with any upgrades down the road but not so well with my current 'phones... very interesting.

I would take his subjective reporting with a grain of salt. People who are big on objective data tend not to be aware of their subjective biases. I could easily see him allowing his desire to make his data seem important to influence what he hears after the tests. Had he listened first and reported, and then tested, I'd trust his comments more. But imho he is just as vulnerable to subjective bias as the rest of us.

But I do trust his results are completely transparent. The headphone measures completely transparent by his standards, sinad at 115 db.

 

[DavidSerig]

Look closer. At voltages that drive headphones to volume levels that don't leave you with hearing damage, the Kara does very good. Even with low impedance.

How Amir "heard distortion" on the DCA Stealth is unclear. Did it lose bass control?

He claimed bass distortion, which is easy to believe with the Stealth depending on the power available. Unless you have low impedance, low sensitivity headphones and you intend for this to be your main headamp, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[adias]

ASR is not very respected here but they are the first to review Kara and they like it. However, they show uneven channel SE distortion, and that was already an issue in their review of Freya S. Is this a fluke? A fluke that they seem to catch every time or a channel to channel parts variations?

Review here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...t-kara-preamp-and-headphone-amp-review.48048/

Also this review on this site: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/schiit-kara-impressions-thread.969604/#post-17740786

 

[eliottj]

Airplay doesn't transport audio files, it transports an audio stream that has been decoded from your audio file by the originating audio player application.

The audio player application decodes the given file into uncompressed audio data and hands that uncompressed stream of audio off to the operating system. Dozens of different things can happen after that point, however. And what exactly that will be is entirely up to the audio APIs that the audio player app is programmed around, how the audio pipeline on your Mac is set up, the macOS version that's in use, what third party applications you give permission to interfere with that pipeline, and how they in turn were implemented.

That's precisely why I, personally, am not a fan of third party audio pipeline applications like Airfoil, Loopback, Audio Hijack, SoundSource, et alia. Understanding the path your audio takes on any operating system is already a bit of a nightmare in the best of cases. Adding any more or less entirely opaque third party applications to that mix only complicates this without actually offering any actual benefit beyond some edge cases that some people insist on wanting to have covered.

Not at all sure that my suggestion would work (or is correct), but how about using Audirvana. It controls the operating system (as much as possible) to ensure bit perfect files.

 

[Balthazar B]

Hmm. Black coffee and Beethoven works too.

Always liked that record cover. Clockwise from the left we have a car salesman, a banker, a professor, and a police detective.

• Sizing you up for a sale
• Sizing you up for a loan
• Sizing you up for your intelligence
• Sizing you up for the crime

 

[Mr Rick]

I don't know why I do this to myself. Brought my old NOS Pioneer PL-516 out of storage, and connected it to the Ragnarok phono input. Found some LPs that appear to have only been played once, to transfer to R to R or cassette tape. Needless to say, I'm again exploring the big black disks.

This afternoon I fell into the rabbit hole again. It's called the Tone Poet Series.

 

[sixergixer]

This afternoon I fell into the rabbit hole again. It's called the Tone Poet Series.

The Tone Poet series is arguably the greatest reissue series of the last ten years or more.

My three favorites so far have been:
Dexter Gordon 'One Flight Up'
Andrew Hill 'Passing Ships'
Grant Green 'Nigeria'

It's a deeeeeeep rabbit hole, my friend!

 

[Harum7]

Maybe. Maybe not.

Could also be a tasty new phono cartridge technology. The Schiitake™ MM (moving mushroom) cartridge.

The Schiitake™ MM (moving mushroom) cartridge That was gold, dude!

 

[Charente]

I don't care if MQA exists or does not exist. I just know it was not for me and I will be voting with my $$. I saw no value in its prior iteration, but if the IP allows for a reincarnation where I think it adds value to me and my listening experience, then I am certainly open to reconsidering my position.

Absolutely ... I'm not an MQA supporter in the least .... certainly not an alternative to Red-Book, let alone anything higher.

I wonder if it was pitched as an MP3 (320 kps) alternative for those who have 'modest needs', whether that might fly better as an idea ? Or, is MP3 sufficient for purpose ?

I don't know enough about it ... and having not listened to any MQA tracks for a long time ... so I'm not sure.

 

[Timster]

If you haven't perused this topic, you'll find plenty of good ideas and varying opinons here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/schiit-freya-impressions-and-tube-rolling-thread.832177/

Much of the most recent discussion is around the N since that's the current bargain tube preamp. But you'll see lots of recommendations for the +.

FWIW, I like some of the Chinese 6SN7 tubes (Linlai, Shuguang, etc.) in my +. None of them are dirt cheap, but there are affordable options that are much better sonically than the JJs. Also consider picking up a pair (or quad) of LISSTs, which impart their own sound signature, and that will be a hedge against Tubeaggedon, should that ever come to pass.

If you can, try to check out some Raytheons

https://www.tctubes.com/Raytheon-6SN7GT-black-plates-1.aspx

I generally run Raytheons on the left side and Melz or CBS/Hytron 5692’s on the right. The latter are not low cost tubes unless a person loaded up a few years back.

Thanks All, appreciate the responses! I might see what I can find in EU over the next week - you never know I suppose. Otherwise some food for thought on my return!

 

[Timster]

All wireless audio streaming protocols, regardless of whether they're using Bluetooth or WiFi as their transport layer, employ some sort of compression algorithm, some better sounding than others, but none of them truly bit-perfect. So if wireless is your thing, just pick what performs best for you, that's pretty much all you can do with the current state of the art.

As distinct though from sending a file over WiFi .. it should be bit-perfect, yes?

Redundant based on further clarifications and replies!

 

[Timster]

The Tung Sol are good, and you can roll tubes, I like the Gold Lion 6922 with adapter.

The Sylvania "Bad Boy" though it's difficult to know it's an actual bad boy, note the flashing on bottom, square top, three holes .... Don't be fooled by similar Sylvania tubes listed bad boy that have small differences like the flashing on top ... though such tubes may have similar sonics such as a full sound and big bass.

I haven't heard the JJ but the Tung Sol with sound airier with an enhanced top end, so those and the Bad Boy gives you two options.

I have a tin ear YMMV.

Also I guess the Chinese colored, funky shaped tubes also have a colored sound that stands out.

Thanks David, much appreciated

 

[Daniel Johnston]

He claimed bass distortion, which is easy to believe with the Stealth depending on the power available. Unless you have low impedance, low sensitivity headphones and you intend for this to be your main headamp, I wouldn't worry about it.

Yeah, that's what I read too.

But to say Kara isn't good with low impedance headphones becuase he drove the Stealths to high volumes with presumably bass heavy music to some level of distortion (all assumed since he didn't share tracks to compare or reference), that's the frustrating part. What is low impedance to Amir? There are a ton of headphones that live between the relatively hard to drive Stealth and the HD650. And, even the Stealth doesn't require monster power. Dan Clark recommends 500mw. Kara gives you twice that.

I personally wouldn't care if Kara drove the Susvara or Abyss 1266, if you apend $6k on a headphone, you'll probably spring for a dedicated HP amp. But the Stealth is different. It's a low distortion headphone that does well with reasonable power outputs found in many different sources. I plug my Stealths into a variety of components from my Syn to my PrimaLuna. I can tell you which combos work well and those that don't. I can also tell you that power output and max volume are not correlating factors to listening enjoyment. Nor do I crank up each to "see what happens" I'll use the Hostiles Cradle to Grave sometimes as a test track, but even then, there is little correlation to overall enjoyment. Amplifiers are not necessarily designed to operate at full power and measure as well as in their ideal power band. Amir skews toward measurements at max power with his SiNAD metric.

I visit ASR because I am curious as to how different components measure on Amirs consistent (but arguably flawed) measurements. One needs to take into context what the measurements actually mean. To do that, one needs to visit other websites and forums that do measurements. And invariably, his conclusions and listening test are highly biased bordering on useless. He did okay in the beginning by listing his test track used to form his conclusions. He doesn't bother with that anymore.

I'm glad he didn't hatchet the Kara because his site is pretty visible to the general public. This is not in any way an attack against you. It needs to be repeated over and over that ASR is not a "scientific, unbiased website". It is highly biased using questionable measurement metrics to make even more questionable conclusions. I'm sure Amir has his methodology down making his data accurate. It's the ranking based on said measurements that is questionable.

 

[KoshNaranek]

That would be awesome but I doubt the market for that is big enough and it would need to be adjustable or customizable. Not gonna happen

I agree that the market is small and that it is unlikely unless Jason gets bored.... But Syn basically happened because Jason got bored. I will continue to hope.

That said, I was searching for an external crossover just last week, anyone have any recommendations for current products?