[JamieMcC]

I like the phrase  "Lies, damned lies, and statistics"  trust your ears, not the numbers they are to easily manipulated to suit.

 

[MattTCG]

  I like the phrase  "Lies, damned lies, and statistics"  trust your ears, not the numbers they are to easily manipulated to suit.

this. 

 

[cddc]

A question about the USB Dac: 
 
Does the music player matter, when you use a USB Dac (say, Modi)?
 
Is Foobar2000 better than Winamp, or is Amarra better than Vox, when using a USB Dac?
 
When a computer is sending digital signal to the USB Dac, does it send over the songs themselves (say, flac or mp3 files), or interpreted signals (i.e. output from music players)? If it is the former case, I think the music player does not matter.

 

[abablitz]

Does the quality of my audio files decrease if im feeding my DAC via a windows 8 tablet? 

 

[UNIFi]

In my experience with my dac the player doesn't matter so much, but some players allow better component eq's, crossfeed and other things like that. The SQ seems to be pretty much the same through all of them for me, Foobar is my go to due to adding components. I can run Kernal Streaming for mine.

 

[HPiper]

  A question about the USB Dac: 
 
Does the music player matter, when you use a USB Dac (say, Modi)?
 
Is Foobar2000 better than Winamp, or is Amarra better than Vox, when using a USB Dac?
 
When a computer is sending digital signal to the USB Dac, does it send over the songs themselves (say, flac or mp3 files), or interpreted signals (i.e. output from music players)? If it is the former case, I think the music player does not matter.

If you are using an off-board dac all the player is doing is sending a file to the dac, could be another hard drive for all the computer cares. Just need a player that supports wasapi or alsa and you are good to go, and most do. I think you are going to see a LOT of people using Foobar2000 as it is very easy to use, has everything you could want in a player and is free. I just bought Jriver but haven't really used it much yet. While it does a lot more than Foobar it is also a lot more complicated.

 

[upstateguy]

I totally ignore the specs. I'm sure my ZDSE doesn't measure as good as the O2 while it smokes the Crack even. I like it better than my LCD-3 and Mjolnir. Anyway user impressions and reviews are the way to go...

 
Realize that you're comparing your $2200 OTL Zana to a DYI $125 O2 SS? 
 
I don't think I've seen specs for the Zana, but I'd venture to say that if another tube amp measures better, it probably is capable of reproducing the source material more accurately.  Maybe not more romantically, but certainly more accurately.
 
That said, I listened to this Zana at a meet years ago, with my 650s and it was very nice indeed. 

 

 
 
but it was not the best tube amp I ever heard.  That distinction belongs to a DYI amp made by n_maher.  

 

 
 

<snip>  
Is Foobar2000 better than Winamp, or is Amarra better than Vox, when using a USB Dac?
 
<snip>

 
I use Foobar but I have Winamp also.  Can't really tell the difference between them.

 

[cddc]

 

 
 
 

Just curious, for large tubes like the ones above, do you have to wait a long time for them to warm up?

 

[MattTCG]

I find most tube amps will benefit from about 15 minutes of warm up. 

 

[whirlwind]

  I find most tube amps will benefit from about 15 minutes of warm up. 

 
Yup...that sounds about right for my Mad

 

[cddc]

  I find most tube amps will benefit from about 15 minutes of warm up. 

15 mins sounds too long to me. How about the smaller tubes, like the ones in Vali and Lyr? Thanks.

 

[Eee Pee]

  15 mins sounds too long to me. How about the smaller tubes, like the ones in Vali and Lyr? 

 
Heh, why is that?
 
Strangely the smaller tubes take longer, like 16 or 17 minutes.

 

[connieflyer]

  Does the quality of my audio files decrease if im feeding my DAC via a windows 8 tablet? 

I does not matter what your source of the files is, the bitrate and quality of the recording itself is what matters.  The dac is a digital to analog converter, it should not change the "quality" of the file.  If it does, there is something wrong with the dac itself.  If you stream the file from win8, win 7 or mac or whatever, so long as the file is of a good quality the output will be also.  After the dac, whatever player you use, the file can be altered with crossfeed, bass boost, treble boost or cut or whatever you want to add or subtract from the file to make it sound "good" to you.

 

[MattTCG]

15 minutes...for the best experience. 

 

[cddc]

   
Heh, why is that?
 
Strangely the smaller tubes take longer, like 16 or 17 minutes.

That's simple. I'd like to have the rigs work at full potential as soon as they are turned on. Well, 1 or 2 mins might be fine to me. But 15 mins or longer really sound too long to me, unless I have planned 2+ hours for listening.