[G0rt]

LOL these blind test hypotheticals are funny as hell. Heck include the Sol in a DAC off.

Seriously these blind tests sound like a lot of fun cause there's potential for some real surprises. Thunderdomes are sweet too.

With a DSP pop&click filter!

 

[bcowen]

When we walk the dog, the dog also walks us.

Sometimes, what's wrong is also what's right.

ROFL!!!

Back then you could even get combo deals to feed your Perry Como addiction:

 

[Paladin79]

When we walk the dog, the dog also walks us.

Sometimes, what's wrong is also what's right.

Ah the wonderful sound of one record slapping down on top of another lol. Convenience over quality.

 

[G0rt]

ROFL!!!

Back then you could even get combo deals to feed your Perry Como addiction:

Dayum, forgot about those..

 

[G0rt]

Ah the wonderful sound of one record slapping down on top of another lol. Convenience over quality.

I know that sound! Hot Rats over Paranoid, over Thick As a Brick...

 

[G0rt]

I know that sound! Hot Rats over Paranoid, over Thick As a Brick...

Very handy when the 4-way windopane turns out to be 8-way after all.

 

[Rensek]

So I had the wife sit in the listening chair down in the basement this morning whilst we drank our coffee. I turned off the jazz and cranked bon jovi's lay your hands on me. She came on down like the moth to a flame.

I played the opening two minutes of Lay Your Hands on Me through my system. Once with Bifrost 2 and once with Modi 3.

I asked her which one she liked best. And she goes hmmmm. As she studied my face she asked was the second one your new Bifrost? Instead of answering I asked her this. Which one had a fuller, deeper more detailed sound. Which one seemed like the notes hung in the air longer? Did cymbal crash seem to last longer on one then the other.

She replies that the first DAC seemed to have a more complex sound. She heard stuff on the first one that she hadn't heard before. Especially in the Bass area. She heard a low rumble on parts that she hadn't noticed before. My wife was an all state vocalist in high school and played the drums in band. I use her regularly to listen to new gear, and I trust her judgement.

Which one do you like best is subjective to the preferences of the listener. But she identified Bifrost 2 when she talked about what DAC had a fuller, more detailed, sound.

Qobuz > CCA > Modi3/Bifrost 2 > Saga > Vidar > Zu Omen DW

 

[audio philestine]

Ah the wonderful sound of one record slapping down on top of another lol. Convenience over quality.

I know that sound! Hot Rats over Paranoid, over Thick As a Brick...

Isn't that why on the 2LP sets, side 4 was on the back of side 1, and side 3 on the back of side 2. You'd stack sides 1 and 2 to play, the flip the stack and get sides 3 and 4.

[at least that's the gist of it, maybe I got some details wrong, what do I know, I was born at just the right time to skip vinyl and go straight to CD. I know, I know, ... I can hear the eye rolls.]

 

[ipeverywhere]

It would be funny to throw a Vali 2 in the mix, since it has literally 1000x the distortion of the Heresy

I got well back into my Audiophile hobby last year, even visited The Schiitr, and have discovered I really enjoy pairing slightly warm electronics to analytical, flat, boring, but dynamic speakers/headphones. Something about that combination just sings to my ears. Generally, I'm finding, electronics that don't measure well is the stuff I prefer. However, when I do get the chance to A/B it generally goes like this:
A: That sounds really clean and detailed.
B: That's not so clean.
A: Wow this is really good, listen to that detail.
B: Wait, what, oh... oh that there... that little thing that just happened.. oh that's so sweat
A: Where did that sweat little thing I just heard go... it just.. it just sort of mutes itself.
B: Oh, so sweat that thing that hangs in the air and floats... so magic
A: This is starting to sound dead. Where is the life of the music? Where's the room?
B: Oh, I like this so much better now.
Buy's B. B turns out to be the less "accurate" thing.

A is preferred immediately. B is the thing I want to listen to for 4+ hours. And, I'm consistently finding this to be true. It's why I've got a 90 minute playlist for evaluation and I will sit and listen as long as possible before a store tells me to leave and I have to make a decision. Or, I just buy things from places that lets me send it back. I've been thinking about purchasing both the Magni's to test but, just by their descriptions alone, I already have a mental bias towards one. That bias was reinforced with the reviews here and elsewhere.

Anyway, if you did throw a Vali into the mix it'd be interesting to survey the room over a long period of time after listening to the same rotation over and over. Would people keep their original vote or would they start shifting votes the longer they listened? Would discussions over what others are hearing and what they like and don't like influence the votes? You could call it the 12 Angry Men Shootout.

 

[G0rt]

Isn't that why on the 2LP sets, side 4 was on the back of side 1, and side 3 on the back of side 2. You'd stack sides 1 and 2 to play, the flip the stack and get sides 3 and 4.

[at least that's the gist of it, maybe I got some details wrong, what do I know, I was born at just the right time to skip vinyl and go straight to CD. I know, I know, ... I can hear the eye rolls.]

Was 4-Way Street that way? My memories of those all-vinyl days are oddly fragged...

 

[judson_w]

Isn't that why on the 2LP sets, side 4 was on the back of side 1, and side 3 on the back of side 2. You'd stack sides 1 and 2 to play, the flip the stack and get sides 3 and 4.

[at least that's the gist of it, maybe I got some details wrong, what do I know, I was born at just the right time to skip vinyl and go straight to CD. I know, I know, ... I can hear the eye rolls.]

Yep. I have a few like that, and I do have a Dual 1215 with a stacker. Generally stacking is not advised, but it can be nice to put a stack of 45s on it. And I think I have a 3 LP album somewhere with disc one be 1/6, 2 being 2/5, and 3 being 3/4. I cannot remember exactly though which one it is.

Rather convenient, but I am ok with the adjustment to not stacking.

 

[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

I keep saying we should have a schiitr here in Europe.
I would man it gladly.

 

[Roy G. Biv]

Good Part #1: Lots of new products!
Sounds pretty basic, I know. But a lot of new products is a good thing, especially when they’re replacing some of the oldest products we have, improving what we offer, or moving into new markets. And we did all of those last year.

• Aegir and Ragnarok 2 moved us from a “speaker amp dabbler” to a “speaker amp company,” giving you more high-value options for two-channel systems. Heck, Aegir even earned a Stereophile Class A rating, by far the least expensive product to do so. This is a huge deal.

Yes it is! Still waiting for Zinio to upload the new Stereophile so I can read their Ragnarok 2 review. In the meantime, I posted this awhile back but I think it bears repeating. Yes, Aegir is by far the least expensive product in the list! Congrats, Jason. Looking forward to seeing what you cook up in 2020.

Edit: Context for those who don't (won't) read Stereophile, this list was compiled from the "Recommended Components" article in the October, 2019 issue of Sterophile in the "Power Amplifiers, Class A (Solid State)" category.
HR posted his review on Stereophile here: https://www.stereophile.com/content/schiit-audio-aegir-power-amplifier

 

[NoahFence]

You can fail at noticing any differences. That's what I meant.

There is a nice article on A/B comparisons in the opening of the January 2020 Stereophile.
For the differences in appreciating music it takes time to do it 'right'. Familiar music with familiar equipment also a plus.
That you don't hear these differences immediately doesn't mean you won't appreciate them over time.
Happy listening
NF

edit: let's see if the link works: www.stereophile.com/content/slow-listening

 

[Alexnova]

Yes it is! Still waiting for Zinio to upload the new Stereophile so I can read their Ragnarok 2 review. In the meantime, I posted this awhile back but I think it bears repeating. Yes, Aegir is by far the least expensive product in the list! Congrats, Jason. Looking forward to seeing what you cook up in 2020.

Holy Schiit. Looks like David vs. a bunch of Goliaths.

My speakers ain't sensitive enough for Aegir. That's why I gotta keep buggin' Jason for a monster Aegir 200W or something.