[Christer]

I have just got back from CanJam NYC - great show, brilliant to be able to travel and do shows again!

One of the things I have been looking at was cleaning up aliasing distortion from existing recordings, and I concluded that there is not much mileage in that.

The only way we can really improve existing recordings is by improving M scalers/DACs/amps and the transducers. Fortunately, there is still a lot of mileage there!

Already back?
No concerts or Broadway shows? Why hurry back so soon?
Anyway, talking "transducers",did you get a chance to hear the Stealth?
And if so, what is your impression of it compared to your Aeon2?
I am going to hear Sibelius´ 6th live tonight.
Cheers CC

 

[endless402]

The ones I have are from Japan, such as Sony and Audio Technica. If I only intent to use one input, and space is an issue, a TS to single RCA adaptor will work.

You’re fortunate to be in the land of many accessories ! I’ll see what I can import lol

 

[dcp10]

The only way we can really improve existing recordings is by improving M scalers/DACs/amps and the transducers. Fortunately, there is still a lot of mileage there!

Rob, I wonder if I can ask you a little about how your proposed DX Power Amp fits into all of this please?

• Currently, the DAC is the focal point of a system, with sources leading in, and analogue sound coming out.

• In the brave new world of digital power amps, do you envisage the M-Scaler as becoming the focal point, with sources leading to the M-Scaler, and having a separate headphone DAC (e.g., TT2 or Dave) and a separate DX power amp? Or would the DX Power Amp also provide headphone output? (volume, presumably being controlled via the M-Scaler's DX volume buttons?).

• What would the role of a high-end DAC (such as Dave) be in a world of digital power amps? Would Dave be relegated to headphone use?

(still sitting on the fence between M-Scaler/TT2 and M-Scaler/Dave btw!!!).

 

[Rob Watts]

Already back?
No concerts or Broadway shows? Why hurry back so soon?
Anyway, talking "transducers",did you get a chance to hear the Stealth?
And if so, what is your impression of it compared to your Aeon2?
I am going to hear Sibelius´ 6th live tonight.
Cheers CC

I wanted to keep the trip as short as possible - when planning the trip USA had Covid bad. I am off to Asia soon for CanJam Singapore and catching Covid would mess things up!

I didn't hear a Stealth at the show, but I bought one unheard. Initial impressions on the flight back was extremely positive.

Rob, I wonder if I can ask you a little about how your proposed DX Power Amp fits into all of this please?

• Currently, the DAC is the focal point of a system, with sources leading in, and analogue sound coming out.

• In the brave new world of digital power amps, do you envisage the M-Scaler as becoming the focal point, with sources leading to the M-Scaler, and having a separate headphone DAC (e.g., TT2 or Dave) and a separate DX power amp? Or would the DX Power Amp also provide headphone output? (volume, presumably being controlled via the M-Scaler's DX volume buttons?).

• What would the role of a high-end DAC (such as Dave) be in a world of digital power amps? Would Dave be relegated to headphone use?

(still sitting on the fence between M-Scaler/TT2 and M-Scaler/Dave btw!!!).

So when the DX concept was put together, we didn't have M scalers. Now my thinking is M scalers to feed DACs for headphones, and DX amps for loudspeakers. If you don't have an M scaler, then the DAC can feed future DX amps.

The pressure to do DX amps is off me somewhat as the TT2 is adequate for driving my loudspeakers.

 

[Christer]

I wanted to keep the trip as short as possible - when planning the trip USA had Covid bad. I am off to Asia soon for CanJam Singapore and catching Covid would mess things up!

I didn't hear a Stealth at the show, but I bought one unheard. Initial impressions on the flight back was extremely positive.



So when the DX concept was put together, we didn't have M scalers. Now my thinking is M scalers to feed DACs for headphones, and DX amps for loudspeakers. If you don't have an M scaler, then the DAC can feed future DX amps.

The pressure to do DX amps is off me somewhat as the TT2 is adequate for driving my loudspeakers.

Thanks Rob, that sounds promising, I hope to audition the Stealth later this month. Going by specs alone it should be good.But unless it outperfoms both my other headphones very clearly and on such a level that I simply can not resist it, I will definitely stop at that, for the time being.
But if I can travel in SE Asia again next winter as I used to, for many years, I might get it somewhere there where the price will most certainly be more affordable than here in Sweden.
I do not really need a closed back headphone at home. I live in the countryside with no traffic noise or close neighbours and so far none of the others I have heard could really compare with open ones imho.
Staying at hotels in SE Asia AC nosie can be disturbing while listening to music.
PS. Hope you can allow yourself some more time in Singapore this time, imho it is really worth it even more so than NYC.
Cheers CC

 

[dcp10]

So when the DX concept was put together, we didn't have M scalers. Now my thinking is M scalers to feed DACs for headphones, and DX amps for loudspeakers

Exciting times!

 

[dcp10]

Rob: any thoughts as to possible timescales for the DX power amp? And are we talking DAVE-level pricing?

 

[Rob Watts]

So the DX amp project did get stalled. I had two technical issues from the first prototype - and one of those issues has now been solved - this was getting the second order analogue noise shaper topology to be stable at high voltages. Another issue is being looked at now with another prototype. If that works, then I can go back to Chord with a development proposal. So we are talking some time in the future - and my personal view would be to do something at the Dave level.

 

[dcp10]

That's great, many thanks, Rob!

 

[organicmac]

Although I was avidly awaiting the arrival of DX amplifiers when I acquired DAVE a few years ago, I have been extremely happy with the sound of DAVE directly driving B&W 805D3's with DB3 sub. As my room would not easily accommodate larger speakers, I would now be interested to try the 805D4 but no longer holding my breath for DX amplification.

 

[miketlse]

Although I was avidly awaiting the arrival of DX amplifiers when I acquired DAVE a few years ago, I have been extremely happy with the sound of DAVE directly driving B&W 805D3's with DB3 sub. As my room would not easily accommodate larger speakers, I would now be interested to try the 805D4 but no longer holding my breath for DX amplification.

All I can say is that i experimented with using Hugo2 for driving Focal Aria 936 floorstanders.
To my great surprise, I discovered that with less than 1W, the Hugo2 could direct drive 300W speakers adequately for 'not too loud' listening to Jazz and similar music.
However for the long term, I sense from Robs posts on all threads, that expecting DX amplifiers to arrive within the next 18 months is optimistic.

 

[The Jester]

Also being “on the Dave level” would mean a price tag to match, add to that the speakers that could do justice to the preceding components would make it prohibitive for those wanting to move from headphones to a speaker based system,
Maybe a reference model followed at some stage by a lower powered and priced alternative ?

 

[Currawong]

I didn't hear a Stealth at the show, but I bought one unheard. Initial impressions on the flight back was extremely positive.

Like a true Head-Fi'er! It'll be good to get your impressions of them.

 

[Widell]

Like a true Head-Fi'er! It'll be good to get your impressions of them.

This is the way! , bought mine to unheard, no regrets.

 

[ra990]

Like a true Head-Fi'er! It'll be good to get your impressions of them.

And yours! When's that review dropping?