[RTodd]

Not the right thread but could you sum up in a few words what's R2R and what's the advantage.

From a technical perspective the difference is less software. The DAC chips do the conversion from digital to analog and than using software compare many samples averaging a result that than becomes the analog output. The R2R process on a R2R chip or using discrete resistors creates the analog output by using resisters. There is more to this just my limited understanding.

Soundwise many like the more analog sound of the R2R approach for the conversion from digital to analog. Less digitally processed sound.

 

[FooFighter]

Interestingly I found the M8 to have the most analogue sound to my ears subjectively compared to other DAPs
I ve also read that statement in more than one M8 review.
Would be interesting to read a comparison between those DAPs

 

[RTodd]

Interestingly I found the M8 to have the most analogue sound to my ears subjectively compared to other DAPs
I ve also read that statement in more than one M8 review.
Would be interesting to read a comparison between those DAPs

They are so so different. Better to hear it for yourself. I agree M8 is awesome, so is my P6 Pro and I prefer the P6P for balanced armatures and estats. M8 is warmer sounding and I prefer it with sets that include dynamic drivers.

The analog difference is not about tube warmth it is about digital artifacts and edginess.

Cayin’s new announcement is interesting, I will wait for the all new one though and skip the N6ii variant.

 

[fzman]

In a very important way, everything matters to the quaility of audio playback/reproduction.

The real issues arise when we try to determine to what degree which bits are contibuting to the overall effect. (Pun intended) On top of that, there is the need to assert uniqueness or 'better-ness' to a product when marketing it, and seems like lots of 'reviewers' swallow, whole-hog, the marketing claims. (There is an OTC medication that referred to itself as an XXX-blocker, rather than as an anti-XXX, which is how the competition identified its products. Different, or just different words?)

There is also the fact that people try to establish/identify/recognize patterns or trends to help deal with the huge range of stimulii we are all constantly bombarded with. We have to quickly zero in on the important stuff, and ignore the background - e.g., which bit of the envoronment is the hungry tiger, and which other bits are the trees....... We want to assign a genre to miusic, film, tv shows, and to people as well (stereotypes), since that limits the data to categories vs individuals-making the cognitive tasks much easier.

<Yes, this WILL be on the exam> lol

I do not have an M8, but I do have an SP2000, a DX300 as well as a P6Pro. They do not sound the same, but they are all good, and more than good enough to use for musical enjoyment. Not because of specific bits and bobs inside them, but because of everything inside them, and the specific schematic, board layouts, materials, etc...

<We now return you to this thread, already in progress>

 

[tawmizzzz]

I have a rule.
If I have to A/B more than one time to hear the difference , it probably isn't worth obsessing over something and I'm not gonna pretend that tiny differences are going to make a difference to my experience. Same goes with tips, cables etc. YMMV

Good plan to stick to! I've kinda just began to trust my ears without obsessing over the details of how I A/B. Burn-in helps, etc.-but nothing to the part that the IEM sounds entirely different. And sometimes when we try too hard, we look for things that aren't there lol.

Outside of the standard A/B consistencies of: same song, same source, similar volume levels, and "equal" cable or pairing synergies-there are two psychoacoustic elements that attribute to my enjoyment of music pretty heavily:

-My mood
-Time of day

I notice I don't enjoy music as much during the workday most likely due to subconscious stress. But once the sun starts setting and there are less external stimuli, that intimate relationship to the music slowly drifts in and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

 

[RTodd]

There is also the fact that people try to establish/identify/recognize patterns or trends to help deal with the huge range of stimulii we are all constantly bombarded with. We have to quickly zero in on the important stuff, and ignore the background - e.g., which bit of the envoronment is the hungry tiger, and which other bits are the trees....... We want to assign a genre to miusic, film, tv shows, and to people as well (stereotypes), since that limits the data to categories vs individuals-making the cognitive tasks much easier.

It is an art to be able to pull out what matters, in a way that elegantly communicates.

 

[Mehran]

Good plan to stick to! I've kinda just began to trust my ears without obsessing over the details of how I A/B. Burn-in helps, etc.-but nothing to the part that the IEM sounds entirely different. And sometimes when we try too hard, we look for things that aren't there lol.

Outside of the standard A/B consistencies of: same song, same source, similar volume levels, and "equal" cable or pairing synergies-there are two psychoacoustic elements that attribute to my enjoyment of music pretty heavily:

-My mood
-Time of day

I notice I don't enjoy music as much during the workday most likely due to subconscious stress. But once the sun starts setting and there are less external stimuli, that intimate relationship to the music slowly drifts in and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Absolutely, state of mind is everything.
This is a tricky hobby , your attitude plays a big part in how much you are able to get satisfaction out of listening to music and get lost in it so to speak. And I think music can be a great source of joy and therapeutic, so there's a danger in focusing too much on SQ and not seeing the "big picture" anymore , hearing acoustical properties instead of the connecting in a deeper level.

 

[fzman]

Absolutely, state of mind is everything.
This is a tricky hobby , your attitude plays a big part in how much you are able to get satisfaction out of listening to music and get lost in it so to speak. And I think music can be a great source of joy and therapeutic, so there's a danger in focusing too much on SQ and not seeing the "big picture" anymore , hearing acoustical properties instead of the connecting in a deeper level.

Truth! Heart rate also determines whether music seems fast or slow. Nothing drives me crazier than listeing to music while taking a walk, and the tempo of the music is faster than I want to walk at that moment, but as a drummer- cannot resist-must walk at correct beat. argh! Mind control. LOL

 

[RTodd]

Truth! Heart rate also determines whether music seems fast or slow. Nothing drives me crazier than listeing to music while taking a walk, and the tempo of the music is faster than I want to walk at that moment, but as a drummer- cannot resist-must walk at correct beat. argh! Mind control. LOL

Especially difficult when it is polyrhythmic.

 

[szore]

I notice when I listen to pop, top 40, the beat is almost always exact to my walking....

 

[DaYooper]

I notice when I listen to pop, top 40, the beat is almost always exact to my walking....

That's because you're dancing, not walking.

 

[tawmizzzz]

Especially difficult when it is polyrhythmic.

Yeah I made the mistake of watching Tomas Haake play different rhythms independently from feet to hands, and deciding that I would keep my new drumming hobby only a hobby lol.

Dude is like an octopus with a brain for each limb.

 

[Lupino]

Yeah I made the mistake of watching Tomas Haake play different rhythms independently from feet to hands, and deciding that I would keep my new drumming hobby only a hobby lol.

Dude is like an octopus with a brain for each limb.

Check out Pete Zeldman, He takes polyrhythms to a level way beyond Haake.
Drumming legend Bob Moses said that a monument should be built in honor of Zeldman.
Try walking to this.

 

[szore]

This is how you play the drums, my friends....Notice Animal's technique....

 

[MarkPharaohII]

Well, I've joined the group and bought an M8 from MusicTeck

I've seen some pairings listed in various reviews, but is there also a dedicated post somewhere on this thread listing out good pairings? Thanks!