[Not so fat head]

Beautiful day today. Nice to see the blue sky again and breathe fresh air instead of smoke.

Being a Californian, I know the feeling..
Take care!

 

[emdeevee]

Beautiful day today. Nice to see the blue sky again and breathe fresh air instead of smoke.

How far from home is this, out of curiosity? If it's close, which I suspect it is, you are a lucky man.

 

[Rockwell75]

How far from home is this, out of curiosity? If it's close, which I suspect it is, you are a lucky man.

5 minute drive and about halfway through a 2 hour hike.

 

[twister6]

What a weekend I had! Last minute, my ex backs out of the duty, so I gleefully agree to move my 19 year old daughter into her new college dorm in New London, Connecticut, from Socal
...
And the daughter was happy and satisfied with her new room, so everyone wins!!

Seems like Watercooler is back to multiple dozens of posts a day, and I'm still trying to catch up with everything...

Your post resonated well with me since my wife and I moved our 18 year old daughter to her freshman dorm a week ago. She shares a similar small room with a roommate, and we had to use bed risers to create more space under the bed to maximize the storage area with similar plastic drawer carts Now, she is decorating the room in exactly the same way with those mini posters and extra lights lol!!!

Fun times for sure, though not so much fun for us paying university tuition

 

[Sajid Amit]

My experiments with CD Players

So I don’t think you can get much better than a Mass Kobo or a Tsuranagi to amplify IEMs, pun intended.

You don’t need much to amp IEMs anyway.

But given how revealing how high-end IEMs are, I have long wanted to experience CDs with IEMs! I was a CD-first listener in my teens. That was probably when it all started for me.

Moreover, lately, I have been very satiated with my Trifecta, Perpetua, XE6 and Helios (different flavors covered!) and concomitantly, unexcited by the new releases. So I decided to traverse the road not taken, of experimenting with CD players as sources.

Consequently, a few days ago, I brought in a relatively inexpensive Marantz SA8003 to use with my Tsuranagi and my IEMs.

It would be an overstatement to say I was blown away but an understatement to say I found positive improvements vis-à-vis DAPs as sources.

The Marantz greatly enhanced the stage width and resolution of the XE6 and the Dita Perpetua compared to what I am used to with DAPs and even the Hugo 2. The left to right expansion of the soundscape was particularly enjoyable.

So I wanted to take it up a notch and went to one of my dealer's showroom to try higher-end CD players, namely the McIntosh MCD-600 CD Player and the Accuphase DP-570 CD Player. These are considerably more expensive than the $1000 Marantz loaner I have brought in. The McIntosh goes for $7500 and the Accuphase, $11,000.

Findings:
1. CD players as sources make a definitive improvement to staging compared to streaming via DAPs. Very noticeable improvement and makes the experience more intoxicating and lifelike.
2. Differences between built-in DACs in CD players are noticeable in tonality but less so in terms of technical performance.
3. With IEMs, the Tsuranagi naturally performs at a much higher level than built-in amps of CD players.
4. I love the Marantx house sound. Sounds a lot like the Brise Tsuranagi and I may get a higher-end Marantz CD player.

I also tried the Esoteric N-05XD which is a top-of-the-line streamer DAC and pre-amp. I enjoyed the sound of this DAC. Very meaty with some of the best bass I have heard. Bass presence just goes up several notches on this DAC.

However, when streaming with this wonderful streamer-DAC, it still does not match the CD players in terms of soundstage expansion.

I absolutely adore my Sony WM1ZM2 having tried all the other DAPs in the market (with the exception of the Shanling M9+ and LP6 and its variants) so it's not like I need sources.

But given how satiated I am with my current crop of IEMs and the Tsuranagi (I have tried the Mass Kobo, yes), continuing to experiment with sources seems like a worthwhile dimension of the hobby.

 

[Natesdailies]

Have you installed the Darwin V2 filters and tried the DRX10K dynamics supercharger?

Yes. I got those installed. Keeping most settings default except for Soundfield which can widen the stage. I like the Mastermind feature so far too.

Mastermind: Toggling A449 for instance makes mids flatter and gives transients a crisper tonality. Vinyl Tone slows down the transients while adding heft in the low end. This seems to inject a notable different tuning without distortion like MSEB.

These features add further versatility to the DAP. Kudos to the Hiby team for supporting existing current owners with this update which could have been rolled out to another product release .

 

[Scubadevils]

My experiments with CD Players

So I don’t think you can get much better than a Mass Kobo or a Tsuranagi to amplify IEMs, pun intended.

You don’t need much to amp IEMs anyway.

But given how revealing how high-end IEMs are, I have long wanted to experience CDs with IEMs! I was a CD-first listener in my teens. That was probably when it all started for me.

Moreover, lately, I have been very satiated with my Trifecta, Perpetua, XE6 and Helios (different flavors covered!) and concomitantly, unexcited by the new releases. So I decided to traverse the road not taken, of experimenting with CD players as sources.

Consequently, a few days ago, I brought in a relatively inexpensive Marantz SA8003 to use with my Tsuranagi and my IEMs.



It would be an overstatement to say I was blown away but an understatement to say I found positive improvements vis-à-vis DAPs as sources.

The Marantz greatly enhanced the stage width and resolution of the XE6 and the Dita Perpetua compared to what I am used to with DAPs and even the Hugo 2. The left to right expansion of the soundscape was particularly enjoyable.

So I wanted to take it up a notch and went to one of my dealer's showroom to try higher-end CD players, namely the McIntosh MCD-600 CD Player and the Accuphase DP-570 CD Player. These are considerably more expensive than the $1000 Marantz loaner I have brought in. The McIntosh goes for $7500 and the Accuphase, $11,000.





Findings:
1. CD players as sources make a definitive improvement to staging compared to streaming via DAPs. Very noticeable improvement and makes the experience more intoxicating and lifelike.
2. Differences between built-in DACs in CD players are noticeable in tonality but less so in terms of technical performance.
3. With IEMs, the Tsuranagi naturally performs at a much higher level than built-in amps of CD players.
4. I love the Marantx house sound. Sounds a lot like the Brise Tsuranagi and I may get a higher-end Marantz CD player.

I also tried the Esoteric N-05XD which is a top-of-the-line streamer DAC and pre-amp. I enjoyed the sound of this DAC. Very meaty with some of the best bass I have heard. Bass presence just goes up several notches on this DAC.



However, when streaming with this wonderful streamer-DAC, it still does not match the CD players in terms of soundstage expansion.

I absolutely adore my Sony WM1ZM2 having tried all the other DAPs in the market (with the exception of the Shanling M9+ and LP6 and its variants) so it's not like I need sources.

But given how satiated I am with my current crop of IEMs and the Tsuranagi (I have tried the Mass Kobo, yes), continuing to experiment with sources seems like a worthwhile dimension of the hobby.

Agreed - I have the Audiolab 6000CDT which I’ll connect directly to my inbound Eversolo this week, very excited to hear my CDs via IEMs for the first time. Likewise vinyl as again I’ll be able to connect to the A70Pro.

I actually dug out some old Marantz equipment from my attic to get repaired - these go back about 20 years and I’d like to have back operational.

 

[FooFighter]

@Scuba Devils
Have had A70pro for demo for a week fed by my DAPs for bedside and found it fantastic device for it's price driving my DCA STEALTH with ease and brief listening with my IEMs was showing blackness that was better than my desktop Ferrum Oor.
Have been eying the Eversolo but found out that it's too big for the available space I have on my desktop.
Am nevertheless looking forward to your impressions of Eversolo and Topping once you have it.
Looking at the reviews so far and feature set there's hardly anything better around 1k bucks.
Topping DX9 might get interesting but no Streamer still inside there.

 

[Scubadevils]

@Scuba Devils
Have had A70pro for demo for a week fed by my DAPs for bedside and found it fantastic device for it's price driving my DCA STEALTH with ease and brief listening with my IEMs was showing blackness that was better than my desktop Ferrum Oor.
Have been eying the Eversolo but found out that it's too big for the available space I have on my desktop.
Am nevertheless looking forward to your impressions of Eversolo and Topping once you have it.
Looking at the reviews so far and feature set there's hardly anything better around 1k bucks.
Topping DX9 might get interesting but no Streamer still inside there.

Yes I can’t wait to try both - fantastic to revisit IEMs, buds and headphones with a desktop source. I love also that the Eversolo can take up to 4TB SSD, I’ll be busy transferring all my FLAC library which probably is around 2TB, leaving me with plenty of room. I noted also that you can rip CDs straight to the SSD and it will name and add artwork. And of course it has VU meters which I’m a sucker for!

Picture borrowed from Google image search…

 

[NOMOS]

I haven't got this songs out of my head for days,..
The Elysian 2023 beats me with the BASS with this songs that is no normal ,.
Unbelievably good !

 

[Deferenz]

I haven't got this songs out of my head for days,..
The Elysian 2023 beats me with the BASS with this songs that is no normal ,.
Unbelievably good !

Is it the Annihilator 2023 you have?

 

[FullCircle]

Not sure if anyone else has tried the Noble Spartacus yet. This was amongst the other goodies sent across by Wilson from Jaben Singapore as I am stuck home recovering from a slipped disc.

I did a search online but couldn’t track information except about Spartacus the movie and the history.

Anyway, I managed to find the necessary details: it uses only Sonion drivers. The pretty faceplate is made from organic amber material.

The driver configurations are:

• Ultra High: 1 BA
• High + Mid-high: 2 BCD
• Mid-bass: 1 BA‘
• Bass + Ultra Bass: 2 BA

It’s quite nice cos it comes with switchable plugs for 4.4mm, 3.5mm and 2.5mm.

It is still early days with the Spartacus. I had a quick listen this morning while awaiting the Amazon Fresh delivery chaps. First thing I noticed is that the fit is much better than I have experienced thus far. Usually I find that Noble UIEMs then to be pyramid shaped and stick out my ears a fair bit. It would also feel uncomfortable because the shell is clinging for dear life from the point of insert of the ear tips.. This time around the Spartacus, the insertion is just nice, the shell sits flush against my concha and does not stick out. Together with the cable over my ear, I almost did not notice it was there.

Listening to my vocal music, my initial impression is that it is nice and cohesive. Soundstage seems big enough. Vocals are rendered well.

The Spartacus is fascinating. I think it needs burn in for sure. But even at this early stage, it is promising. The trebles are extended but controlled. If they pushed out any further, I am sure it would cross over into sibilance.

I also happen to have the Viking Ragnar on hand, as part of the care pack from Wilson, Jaben SG. I had a quick listen for comparison. I suspect that the Spartacus has that same details and nuances as the Ragnar but overlaid with more bass which gives a fuller, more 3D sound. I am not sure that as a consequence it creates an aural illusion that the sound stage is smaller than Ragnar. Perhaps it is only because Spartacus has more depth in its soundstage.

I think if you are fan of the Noble house sound, you will find the Ragnar and Spartacus to be quite complementary. By side by side comparison to the richer fuller sound of the Spartacus, the Ragnar has a grander soundstage but yet strangely austere.

Anyway, those in Singapore are in luck. The Spartacus demo unit is in at Jaben Singapore. I should be sending the care pack and this demo back to Wilson by the end of the work week.

 

[jwilliamhurst]

Yes. I got those installed. Keeping most settings default except for Soundfield which can widen the stage. I like the Mastermind feature so far too.

Mastermind: Toggling A449 for instance makes mids flatter and gives transients a crisper tonality. Vinyl Tone slows down the transients while adding heft in the low end. This seems to inject a notable different tuning without distortion like MSEB.

These features add further versatility to the DAP. Kudos to the Hiby team for supporting existing current owners with this update which could have been rolled out to another product release .

What In the…..What DHC cable is that?

 

[Alpexis]

What In the…..What DHC cable is that?

Would love some sound impressions for that dhc iem cable... Txs!

 

[phiemon]

I haven't got this songs out of my head for days,..
The Elysian 2023 beats me with the BASS with this songs that is no normal ,.
Unbelievably good !

Top recommendations, thank you!

I already like Moby a lot, but somehow I just ignored these collaborations, my bad.