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  1. R

    Audio Grade Duplex Cryogenic

    Cryo'd Hubbel 5362 duplexes are my favorite after trying Furutech GTX D gold and rhodium versions, Audience (rebranded Cardas with their own treatment) and Audioquest Edison and maybe another I am forgetting. I may revisit the AQ Edison at some point as I liked a lot about it. But for midrange...
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    Furutech DPS-4.1 limited edition power cable vs Nanoflux power NCF

    I'm scaling back on audio cables and my Furutech Nanoflux & Nanoflux NCF power cables are now listed on Audiogon along with Acrolink/Esoteric's last flagship power cable at very attractive prices. Check out my posts on the first page of this thread for my feedback about these cables!
  3. R

    Luxman's new D-10X flagship sacd player

    I don't have extensive experience using the usb input but when I owned a Lumin X1 (Lumin's flagship streamer), I used the usb output of the Lumin to connect to my D10x's usb input. I found the sound much better than the Lumin X1 analog output and heard the same attributes I hear from using the...
  4. R

    Is there much love for cassette decks here?

    I have a number of decks but recently bought the best sounding of the bunch - a Teac V-8030S. It's stunning sounding. I also have a Tascam 122 MK3 that is one of the best sounding I've owned. I actually sought out the Teac because of my experience with the Tascam and I was not disappointed. I...
  5. R

    BetterCables Silver Serpent Air Interconnect?

    A follow up - I recently changed tape decks to a model that I would say is more neutral and revealing. I found myself unsatisfied with the BetterCables Silver Serpent Air so I brought out the Audioquest Earth and Iconoclast 1x4 OCC to compare. In this instance the Iconoclast was my clear...
  6. R

    SFP/FMC/Optical cable - The only important ethernet cable?

    Yes, the FMC was a $75 StarTech device. It sounded terrible and sent the sound quality several steps backwards versus non-fiber. The switches (one on the sending end and one in the room with my stereo) I bought were even cheaper and sounded better than the FMC out off the box and changing the...
  7. R

    SFP/FMC/Optical cable - The only important ethernet cable?

    Is there a particular manufacturer for the power bank you use? I'm not familiar with them.
  8. R

    SFP/FMC/Optical cable - The only important ethernet cable?

    My experience is that upstream changes find their way through downstream fiber. When I first started experimenting with fiber last year, I bought a StarTech FMC that looked like the one pictured in the diagram. Saying it sounded bad is an understatement. I replaced it with a CHEAPER Trendnet...
  9. R

    Who has bought esoteric wire for behind the wall

    I bought the Audience Hidden Treasure and had my electrician run 4 20 amp dedicated lines to my listening area. It was a fairly short run of maybe 25 feet for each one so it wasn't a big investment. I'm very happy with it but who knows if a generic 10 gauge wire would have been just as good.
  10. R

    Kef Reference 207/1

    I am able to use hifiengine with the Firefox browser so give that a try if you can. The site is blocked when I use the Safari browser on my MacBook.
  11. R

    Where my Black Flag people at?

    He's back playing with Fear again and arguably hasn't lost a step playing in his original, frenzied style. His speed and precision still amazes me.
  12. R

    All New Yamaha NS 5000 Speakers..... World-Beaters ?

    I have a pair of Harbeth 40.2 speakers powered by a Vitus SIA-030 (can be either 60w Class A @ 4ohm or 400w AB @ 4ohm) and was considering getting a pair of these Yamaha speakers. But I was advised by an owner that the Vitus would not be provide enough current for the Yamaha speakers. He...
  13. R

    Where my Black Flag people at?

    Black Flag sounds great on my system. Keith Morris for the early stuff, for sure, but I think Rollins' voice fits the early to mid 80's sound in a way his predecessors wouldn't have been as suited for. My server is well stocked!
  14. R

    Do Mobile Fidelity Vinyl Re-issues Have a Digital Step in the Process?

    Look up titles you have at the MoFi website. Details of the signal chain are on each page when available.
  15. R

    MQA, Worse than FLAC?

    For some reason you're presumptuous enough to think that the device doing the decoding may not contribute to the noise level. In my case there was some interference on display with the computer decoding FLAC vs playing AIFF files.
  16. R

    MQA, Worse than FLAC?

    I accept that FLAC and AIFF/WAV are identical files on playback. About 8 years ago I had a service rip my very large compact disc collection to hard drives and my plan was to use a Macintosh Mac Mini as an audio server. There weren't nearly as many audio specific devices at the time I started...
  17. R

    iFi Audio iPower Elite PSU - The Official Thread

    I didn't try a Shunyata cable but I'm glad to read that one pairs well.
  18. R

    iFi Audio iPower Elite PSU - The Official Thread

    None of any significance in my experience. Also worth noting that mine didn't sound as good with aftermarket power cables. Stick with stock or something like the stock in a different length if you need it. Hosa makes a good basic 14awg OFC power cable that's available on Amazon in different...
  19. R

    BetterCables Silver Serpent Air Interconnect?

    I don't know why that's the case either. But construction and a couple of measurements of the Iconoclast cable are different in the RCA vs XLR. Is that the reason they sound different on the same piece of gear? I don't know for sure. As far as BetterCables is concerned, their flagship XLR isn't...
  20. R

    BetterCables Silver Serpent Air Interconnect?

    I love this RCA interconnect. I use them on my 2 cassette decks and a tuner and had the same positive reaction to their sound on each component. The tone when using them sounds correct, natural and pleasurable to me and I recommend you try a pair directly from them or from Amazon. Years ago, I...
  21. R

    iFi Audio iPower Elite PSU - The Official Thread

    I use a few of these on ethernet switches and a modem and I'm very happy with them. I think they've improved my streaming experience. Interestingly, I tried various high end power cables with them and preferred a basic no-frills cable with this device.
  22. R

    Do Mobile Fidelity Vinyl Re-issues Have a Digital Step in the Process?

    Not really. If you look up the record manufacturing process, most of the information describes cutting, plating, lacquers, stampers, etc, and not what happens before that since it is variable with regard to any sound processing in the mastering process. MoFi added a picture of the "master tape"...
  23. R

    Vitus SM-103 Monos

    From the 101 manual:
  24. R

    My own experience with Luxman D10X

    A different opinion - I used the Luxman D10x usb input when I owned my Lumin X1 and the sound was superior to the analog outputs of the X1, itself. My 2021 manufactured D10x is the best digital playback I've heard.
  25. R

    Vitus SIA-030

    It looks like you removed the stock footers from your Vitus. My dealer told me they cannot be removed. How did you remove yours?
  26. R

    DCC Compact Classics Versus Analogue Productions?

    Also, the DCC s/t Doors comes from the master tape but the AP used a copy due to the master being worn out. I love the DCC Doors titles on LP and CD but only compared CD to the AP SACD. The first album sounds more saturated and tangible on DCC.
  27. R

    Furutech DPS-4.1 limited edition power cable vs Nanoflux power NCF

    I wouldn't think that spades are needed but Furutech uses them in their own cables so there must be a reason. Consistency of the connection from cable to cable is the first reason I can think of. If I'm not mistaken, I've seen another manufacturer using them inside their power cables, too...
  28. R

    All NEW Perlisten Audio S7T Loudspeakers...The World's BEST At ANY PRICE ?!

    All 3 speakers were in the same room and the dealer insisted I check out both Magico speakers since he was underwhelmed by the Perlisten as well. Both of us agreed that the 20K Perlisten (with the wood finish it's not 17K) didn't sound as good in his room as the 25K (at the time) Magico A5. Then...
  29. R

    All NEW Perlisten Audio S7T Loudspeakers...The World's BEST At ANY PRICE ?!

    A Stereophile review of them lists the price of the M2 at about 56K + about 8K for what were optional footers at the time of review. So yes, it might be predicted that the M2 would sound better but the A5 is in the same ballpark and sounded better in the same room in which I heard the Perlisten...
  30. R

    Do Mobile Fidelity Vinyl Re-issues Have a Digital Step in the Process?

    This article from 1998 about DSD being compared to the master tape at Mobile Fidelity's headquarters is a great time capsule of changing technology at the time. https://positive-feedback.com/Issue1/MoFiDSD.htm

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