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  1. taww

    Anyone try Isoacoustics Gaia’s and Townshend Seismic Podiums?

    Oh! What a great idea, I shall check this out!
  2. taww

    Anyone try Isoacoustics Gaia’s and Townshend Seismic Podiums?

    I have only noticed Gaias sounding better over time, though I have not had mine sitting put for 3+ years. My issue with them is the opposite - they take many weeks to settle and sound good, and if you move the speaker they need to settle again a bit. They’re also fiddly to level and tighten. But...
  3. taww

    Finally got a new DAC (Tambaqui!)

    @Yorky Unfortunately my entire system has been in storage for over a year during renovation projects that keep getting delayed, so I couldn't tell you! However I would definitely recommend giving it a VERY long time to break in, like several weeks of continuous playback. My experience was that...
  4. taww

    Finally got a new DAC (Tambaqui!)

    I'm also not sure how important a 384khz interface is. I have no recordings in that format, and Qobuz only goes up to 24/192. I would not sweat it unless you have source material you care about in the format, or you really like the upsampling from your Aurender. Personally I have found...
  5. taww

    CD Transport vs Music Server

    I was able to get the RS2 T to work ok with the 19V the HDPlex provides. It all probably gets regulated down to 12V and 5V rails internally anyway, so it only needs enough voltage to clear the minimum dropout of the regulators in the RS2 T. Given the most dated 78xx regulators have a...
  6. taww

    CD Transport vs Music Server

    Unfortunately I don't think you can use it as a SACD transport with another DAC, at least not one I know of. There's no standardized scheme and it technically violates licensing agreements to pass it unencrypted over I2S (you are supposed to use HDMI protocol), so PS Audio is cheating a bit with...
  7. taww

    CD Transport vs Music Server

    The build quality is indeed a bit sketchy. Some details seem like a bad joke, e.g. the little piece of stick-on rubber footer used as a nub to engage the lid sensor. Just handling the thing the first few days I had it, wondering how something that cost over $3k could feel so janky, I felt like I...
  8. taww

    Finally got a new DAC (Tambaqui!)

    No, I never turn off any of my source gear, and in fact I’ve been running the Tambaqui nonstop with either Roon or AES-EBU playing. I only shut down the Gryphon set for obvious conservation and temperature reasons. :)
  9. taww

    Finally got a new DAC (Tambaqui!)

    On week 3 and the Tambaqui sound has taken a few notches up. It continues to do an exceptional job balancing detail with naturalness, vividness with smoothness, while developing real power and depth. Cello and piano in particular have gotten significantly richer and more resonant - zero leanness...
  10. taww

    Finally got a new DAC (Tambaqui!)

    Ah I hadn't caught that yet, but I did see him "debut" with Mahler 5 as mentioned in the opening of the article, and have heard him many times since. He is indeed the real deal. :)
  11. taww

    Finally got a new DAC (Tambaqui!)

    Re: power cords, @PYP as luck would have it, I have had a loom of Kubala Sosna Temptation in the system for a few months. It works very well with the Tambaqui, though after some limited experimentation I haven't found the Tambaqui to be THAT sensitive to the cord - probably less so than the PS...
  12. taww

    Finally got a new DAC (Tambaqui!)

    Thanks Kerry - all this resonates with my experience thus far. I've been running it nonstop with a source (handily, I am also running in the Pro-Ject RS2 T in parallel) and the midbass and overall tone is rounding into shape slowly but surely. The dynamics, which were already killer, are also...
  13. taww

    Finally got a new DAC (Tambaqui!)

    The weird thing is I've heard (possibly incorrectly) that the Kaluga amps can also tend slightly lean, and the Makua is dead neutral... so I'm not sure how that whole getup doesn't come off very cool? I'll just have to stop by Bill Parish's place sometime to hear it. The Tambaqui does work quite...
  14. taww

    Finally got a new DAC (Tambaqui!)

    Or the Bucs...... :rolleyes::p
  15. taww

    CD Transport vs Music Server

    Ah yes, reclockers! They were all the rage until streaming took over. I used a Monarchy DIP back in the day. The 8ps figure of the Synchro-mesh sounds impressive, except don’t you need to ultimately measure the jitter at the receiver/DAC since the clock will have to be recovered again? Would be...
  16. taww

    CD Transport vs Music Server

    Ok yeah, you were right @charles1dad - the RS-2 T does continue to improve (on day 8 now) and has handily passed the PS Audio on a number of discs. I was starting to feel like it wasn’t as big a step up over a typical streamer via Roon as I had been hoping for, but it’s growing on me and...
  17. taww

    Finally got a new DAC (Tambaqui!)

    Ah yeah, if you are on the tube train, then you generally do not have these “fleshiness” problems. :) For my wife and me we can’t get over the THD which is an inescapable characteristic of anything valve - there are some tube pieces which are quite neural and minimize this, but none can match SS...
  18. taww

    Finally got a new DAC (Tambaqui!)

    That’s fair and being a violinist who’s married to an oboist I can appreciate that, and yet I have gravitated towards slightly leaner systems because the ones that give you the warmth and fleshiness more often than not mess up too many other things. Pick your poison I suppose. Anyway, more to...
  19. taww

    Finally got a new DAC (Tambaqui!)

    First off, everyone calm down, the tone is not “off.” :D The Tambaqui has realistic tone but what I think may be happening is the leading edges are so clean and crisp, it draws the ear towards that vs. the core of the tone. The PS audio has softer leading edges that draw your ear more towards...
  20. taww

    Finally got a new DAC (Tambaqui!)

    Thank you! Hmmm hard to say any one thing, but the top things that come to mind: 1. Leading edges and decays are so clean - extremely articulate and resolving. 2. Dynamics are both explosive and nuanced - all the different shadings and swells and diminuendos are more prominent, and it is dead...
  21. taww

    CD Transport vs Music Server

    Hi @charles1dad - yup the Pro-Ject RS2 T is on day 3 of running in now. So far it's good, certainly better than the Cambridge CXC v2 (obviously!), but not knocking my socks off. As of day 2, slight preference for the PS Audio which is more run-in and has a hair more solidity and depth to it, but...
  22. taww

    CD Transport vs Music Server

    Glad to hear it's improving! In my experience, digital components often need the most break-in. I can only surmise the high speed signals make them particularly sensitive to the dielectric characteristics of e.g. capacitors, which do need some time to stabilize. I'll run my in for a couple days...
  23. taww

    CD Transport vs Music Server

    Quick update - I am finding it hard to complete my review of the PS Audio transport without a good comparison piece, so I have finally ordered a Pro-Ject RS2-T which has come back in stock. I also have a Tambaqui DAC now and the PS Audio Transport + Tambaqui sounds quite good via AES-EBU, so...
  24. taww

    Finally got a new DAC (Tambaqui!)

    Been quite happy with the PS Audio DirectStream but had been eyeing upgrades in the $10-15k range for some time. Finally picked up a Tambaqui and after 24 hours finding a lot to like. Will be writing up a review after some more run-in time but it definitely feels like a keeper. I'm particularly...
  25. taww

    Gryphon Essence

    Interesting, I do not have the DAC anymore (auditioned it but preferred my PS Audio) and the Logitech Harmony blasts IR all over the room to make it omnidirectional, so that must mitigate. The Gryphon remote looks cool but I always have preferred slim, light and ergonomic remotes with rubberized...
  26. taww

    Gryphon Essence

    I actually never use the dimmer function so I can’t say. I’d ask Gryphon if they have any suggestions.
  27. taww

    Gryphon Essence

    Welcome and congrats on the upgrade! Would love to hear more about your setup (especially speakers) and what improvements you’re observing vs Diablo. I noticed the beam angle for the Diablo remote seemed a bit narrow, though I didn’t have any issues with erratic control. I use a Logitech...
  28. taww

    Gryphon Essence

    @Thieliste I would hesitate to move to the Essence with a speaker that is regarded as power hungry. I looked up the efficiency of the CS3.7 and it doesn’t seem that bad (90dB/W claimed) but the Stereophile review recommended 150W minimum which tells me the efficiency rating might be optimistic...
  29. taww

    CD Transport vs Music Server

    I saw that as well. Seems... sketchy. :)
  30. taww

    CD Transport vs Music Server

    @charles1dad I was about to order a Pro-Ject RS2 back in December but the stock situation seemed tenuous, and I since received the latest PS Audio transport, so I held off. I do have a LPS I can use with the RS2 (HDPlex 300W) and I'm not so sure about the PS Audio, so maybe I should give the...

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