[Siddhant]

Would love to have this discussion on ASR....... There are for sure some gear measuring badly but sounding great anyway through our ears.

iFi Zen Dac is an another interesting example. Almost all reviewers giving it really good reviews except ASR because of poor measurements. It's really, really difficult finding poor reviews for the Zen Dac, that's for sure.

Interview with Schiit Audio - Part 1: why all amps sound different

Amir had said a while back that the test he does is mostly to see if the values are matching to what the company claims. Measurements are used to tell what are the technical flaws, like an amazing 6Watt 1000$+ Amp which can power 600 ohm headphones without distortion is meaningless to a person who is trying to drive his sensitive IEMs unless it is distortion free at low gain also. This is where you have to look at the measurements for the IEMs/Headphones you own. Amir recommendation is generally based on how little technical flaws it has compared to other dacs/amps at the same price rather than Sonic performance(Except loudness as it is still directly related to power).
Then again I don't know the guy personally so who knows he could just really like numbers ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[makatech]

Amir had said a while back that the test he does is mostly to see if the values are matching to what the company claims. Measurements are used to tell what are the technical flaws, like an amazing 6Watt 1000$+ Amp which can power 600 ohm headphones without distortion is meaningless to a person who is trying to drive his sensitive IEMs unless it is distortion free at low gain also. This is where you have to look at the measurements for the IEMs/Headphones you own. Amir recommendation is generally based on how little technical flaws it has compared to other dacs/amps at the same price rather than Sonic performance(Except loudness as it is still directly related to power).
Then again I don't know the guy personally so who knows he could just really like numbers ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I have very good impression in general from Amir and the ASR site, I like it and the forum is great but it's still at bit funny (rare?) situation when an entry level product receiving amazing reviews almost everywhere (and so many of them) including a big number of rewards (a couple of them important rewards in this industry) getting a clear non buy recommendation from ASR strictly based on measurements. I also feel it's a bit complicated with some USB DACs because some of them may not deliver up to specs when running USB powered (power & noise levels, which iFi clearly is stating themselves) comparing to using a power supply, not the forget the different firmwares in circulation. Also Amir stating the Zen Dac is ugly looking in the beginning of his review and spreading his negative conclusions about Zen Dac on Amazon (the review section) which is hmmm debatable I would say. Not sure if he is doing this after most of his reviews? Well, what can I say, we are all humans.

Amir seem be working really, really hard with all reviews and I truly respect that, amazing effort.

 

[iFi audio]

I have very good impression in general from Amir and the ASR site, I like it and the forum is great but it's still at bit funny (rare?) situation when an entry level product receiving amazing reviews almost everywhere (and so many of them) including a big number of rewards (a couple of them important rewards in this industry) getting a clear non buy recommendation from ASR strictly based on measurements. I also feel it's a bit complicated with some USB DACs because some of them may not deliver up to specs when running USB powered (power & noise levels, which iFi clearly is stating themselves) comparing to using a power supply, not the forget the different firmwares in circulation. Also Amir stating the Zen Dac is ugly looking in the beginning of his review and spreading his negative conclusions about Zen Dac on Amazon (the review section) which is hmmm debatable I would say. Not sure if he is doing this after most of his reviews? Well, what can I say, we are all humans.

Yes, we're all humans and as such we're biased whether we like it or not. Although useful, measurements are a part of something larger, can be biased as well and conducting them is not always as easy as it might seem.

 

[Ryno1330]

Does anyone know which amplifier in the market would be a more powerful amplifier than the A90 that is priced close or a somewhat higher than the prices of the A90 but not too expensive and high-end?

I'm just learning here so help me here. I'm starting to research amps and isn't this considered a very high powered amp, especially at this price range? Anyway I thought this could drive any headphone out there.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Yes, we're all humans and as such we're biased whether we like it or not. Although useful, measurements are a part of something larger, can be biased as well and conducting them is not always as easy as it might seem.

Careful not to be seen as saying that measurements are unimportant. That can come off as defensive. Marketing material talking about how great and innovative a companies new product line is is far more subject to bias. I think Amir from ASR is extremely technically competent and it isn't really a question of how hard testing is, we all know that he is more than skilled enough to test anything audio.

 

[nigel801]

Any experience here on using RCA to XLR connection if it is better than RCA to RCA to A90? planing to use Hugo 2 with A90

 

[tomwoo]

For anyone who is interested in A90/D90 stack. They are currently 15% off on Amazon as one of the Prime Day deals.

 

[rmsanger]

Amazon currently has the A90 on sale for $75 off and D90 for $105 off. I'm sure there is a general deals thread but thought I would post it here.

 

[Melt28]

Amazon currently has the A90 on sale for $75 off and D90 for $105 off. I'm sure there is a general deals thread but thought I would post it here.

Shenzhen audio also has the same deal. I just bought mine from there.

 

[Ryno1330]

Amazon currently has the A90 on sale for $75 off and D90 for $105 off. I'm sure there is a general deals thread but thought I would post it here.

Dang I was going to take advantage of that but both I could find at that price were not arriving until late Oct. or Nov. I've been burned on delayed Amazon shipments before and don't know that I want to risk it again.

 

[makatech]

Any experiences or comments about Topping D90 vs SMSL SU-9?

 

[MakubexGB]

For anyone who is interested in A90/D90 stack. They are currently 15% off on Amazon as one of the Prime Day deals.

Lol those bastards! I've had my full price Amazon purchased A90 for less than a week! Oh, well. You win some, you lose some.

 

[makatech]

typo

 

[MakubexGB]

I am guessing SMSL SU-9 priced $360 lower is one of the reasons, it's a big difference for very similar specs.

The SU-9 is a DAC, though. Maybe you're thinking of the D90?

Edit: Also, I'm a bit confused, where do you see the SU-9 priced $360 lower?

 

[makatech]

The SU-9 is a DAC, though. Maybe you're thinking of the D90?

Edit: Also, I'm a bit confused, where do you see the SU-9 priced $360 lower?

Yes, maybe admin can delete my post. ,-)