[upstateguy]

 
Quote:

Hey E, I'm wondering what regal's source is? Has he tried the attenuators?
 
In my system, everything became more focused and tight, including the bass. The lowest octave became a bit more prominent too. The attenuator and converter plugs with shipping only cost me around $30, so it's definitely worth it. People pay hundreds for cables to get a similar change.
Wikipedia: undefined »
His

 
 
Regal's sig says:  Source: Hiface (battery mod), Audiogd 19MK3 (PMD100), AudioGD 3SE(PMD100), AA DDE1.2(PMD100-AD1862)
 
But Regal will have to weigh in on everything else.
 
E

 

[Shahrose]

Yea, I ask because I think it was him who said the attenuators just roll-off the sound, but the transient response increased and treble became more extended and prominent with the attenuators (not in a bad way).
Quote:

 
Regal's sig says:  Source: Hiface (battery mod), Audiogd 19MK3 (PMD100), AudioGD 3SE(PMD100), AA DDE1.2(PMD100-AD1862)
 
But Regal will have to weigh in on everything else.
 
E

 

[upstateguy]

 
Quote:

Yea, I ask because I think it was him who said the attenuators just roll-off the sound, but the transient response increased and treble became more extended and prominent with the attenuators (not in a bad way).

 
I see what you mean, your experience doesn't coincide with his, in fact IIRC, it's the opposite of every other attenuator review.
 
E

 

[TheShaman]

Could the modded HiFace crew let us know how it worked out for them in terms of practicality? Do the batteries last long enough? Did you box it up?
Or did everyone use Jkeny's service?

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

 
What is troubling is that you hear no difference at all... even the transport volume difference that Shahrose,  myself, and others hear, so I don't think it's time for you stop because we still haven't figured out the cause of your anomaly.
 
On the other hand, maybe it's time to try another transport since this one clearly doesn't work in your system, (through no fault of your own).  
 
Why not take jkeny up on his generous public offer of a refund and report back if the offer turns out to be bogus.  How you're treated would be something  that  future modification purchasers would like to know.
 
USG
 

Now that you got me to open and photograph the thing, what does that do for the return policy?

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Could the modded HiFace crew let us know how it worked out for them in terms of practicality? Do the batteries last long enough? Did you box it up?
Or did everyone use Jkeny's service?

 
On a Mac you really have to tippy toe to avoid the kernel panics.  I power up the HiFace now only prior to a system startup or after logging out.  If I power it up while logged in, I'm pretty much guaranteed a kernel panic.  Otherwise, it's been working fine.  I don't use the batteries for too long at a time.  6 hours at the most, I'd say.

 

[sleepy dan]

A little while ago USG claimed that the Hiface was louder than other transports.  He also said it had an upward tilted treble response of 3 decibels.  According to him this is why Hiface owners believed they heard more detail.
 
I've done some measurements comparing the Hiface to my EMU 0404 PCI.
 
First the EMU as a base-line: 
 

 

[sleepy dan]

Now here's the Hiface:
 

 
The small dip in the high treble is due to the low pass filtering in my DAC.  Crucially it's identical in both, as is the output level.  I also measured both with my meter at the output of my DIY DAC .... both the Hiface and the EMU gave 870mV. 

 

[Bubu1]

Originally Posted by Bubu1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif


I have found that the more I listen with the attenuator in my system the more subtleties I notice in the music such as wall reflections or identifying less obvious instruments in the mix. I have found that layering is particularly good with this setup and that if I remove the attenuator the sound becomes more 2 dimensional.

 

USG,

You just have to take me at my word. 

  I'm just sharing what I hear and I'm not alone in my assessment.  I am a scientist and think about well controlled experiments all of the time.  Testing would be nice and would remove subjectivity, but I simply don't have the time right now to do it properly.  In any case, I just simply want to enjoy the music.  I am loving what I hear and I didn't have to spend too much money to try it out. Feel free to try it out yourself.  It will cost you $30-40.  What have you got to lose????

 

 

[Shahrose]

Nothing.
 
Quote:

Now that you got me to open and photograph the thing, what does that do for the return policy?

 

[xdanny]

The longest I've run the batteries is about 14 hours.  I listened to music for about 1 hour and forgot to turn it off.
 
I used jkeny's service, he built a nice enclosure for it.
 
Quote:

Could the modded HiFace crew let us know how it worked out for them in terms of practicality? Do the batteries last long enough? Did you box it up?
Or did everyone use Jkeny's service?

 

[xdanny]

Thanks for taking the time to do these measurements.  It sure helps with some of the confusion.
 
Quote:

Now here's the Hiface:
 

 
The small dip in the high treble is due to the low pass filtering in my DAC.  Crucially it's identical in both, as is the output level.  I also measured both with my meter at the output of my DIY DAC .... both the Hiface and the EMU gave 870mV. 

 

[Bubu1]

Thanks for the measurements sleepy dan.  The results are pretty conclusive!!!!!!

 

[Bubu1]

JKenny has done a nice job with this mod.  I bought mine from him and I would buy from him again. As far as the batteries are concerned, they are great.  As xdanny said, you can probably listen to the unit for an entire day (12hrs) and not completely discharge it.  
Aimlink pointed out a legitimate concern if you are using a Mac.  If you do not power it up prior to launching iTunes, you are likely to induce a kernel panic.  Aimlink's suggestion on how to avoid this problem is a good one.
Quote:

Could the modded HiFace crew let us know how it worked out for them in terms of practicality? Do the batteries last long enough? Did you box it up?
Or did everyone use Jkeny's service?

 

[digger945]

Quote:

Now here's the Hiface:
 

 
The small dip in the high treble is due to the low pass filtering in my DAC.  Crucially it's identical in both, as is the output level.  I also measured both with my meter at the output of my DIY DAC .... both the Hiface and the EMU gave 870mV. 

Quote:

A little while ago USG claimed that the Hiface was louder than other transports.  He also said it had an upward tilted treble response of 3 decibels.  According to him this is why Hiface owners believed they heard more detail.
 
I've done some measurements comparing the Hiface to my EMU 0404 PCI.
 
First the EMU as a base-line: 
 

Would you be so kind as to share with us what kind of software and microphones you used for recording?
Also it wouldn't hurt to know what the "dac" used for playback would be, and amp and cans wouldn't hurt as long as we're at it.
Just for reference of course.