As I stated earlier, we don't know the mind of all the engineers yet. We haven’t even fully heard yet what XDMS will completely do and what about XDMS + 76, or whatever? The Star Trek of digital audio is before us - "Where no man has gone before.”
Can digital get to vinyl sound and at what price?
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As I stated earlier, we don't know the mind of all the engineers yet. We haven’t even fully heard yet what XDMS will completely do and what about XDMS + 76, or whatever? The Star Trek of digital audio is before us - "Where no man has gone before.”
the last thing i want to do is throw cold water on fun new stuff being introduced. i'm sure the next step of XDMS will be good.
enjoy it!
but it's not what i was referring to asking you to help us know the next step in digital formats........after....... PCM and dsd. or even IF there will ever be a next step.
which was my point.
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I don't conceive of it this way. I am saying that it is gradually getting more difficult to tell vinyl and digital apart, and that it is gradually getting more difficult to determine which achieves greater suspension of disbelief. I have been pulling the rip cord to get me out of this increasingly difficult analysis by preferring tape to both.
Over the course of the eight days that David Blumenstein visited me we did some careful comparative listening among his high resolution files andvinyl and tape
I am going only by suspension of disbelief, not discrete audiophile attributes.
When I am by myself I do zero streaming.
More effective to ask Jim directly. I understood him to mean that the DS Audio optical cartridge did not sound edgy or aggressive or artificial like bad digital.
Are you going to answer my question?
Carlos, I'm having a hard time getting to the point of your message, maybe you can be a little bit more clear? ;-)
All I can say in response is - walk a mile before you abre la boca. ;-)
Carlos,
When somebody invests a great deal of time and effort to evaluate something, whether it's audio gear or something entirely different, and expresses their opinion, it's fine to disagree with that opinion. But when you call someone sanctimonious for expressing their opinion, that implies a moral component which seems totally misplaced in the context of your criticism of someone's personal preferences. That's a bridge too far and is neither appropriate or welcome on what has always been and will hopefully remain, a gentlemen's forum. C'mon man, lighten up.
As far as a DHT filament bias linestage, I have no idea what that is, but am curious as to why there seem to be no commercially available devices for sale with this technology as one would think more than one of today's leading designers or manufacturers would be offering them for sale by now if was the cat's meow. Why do you think that is not the case?
Marty
I'm going to pull a 180 - I've been vocal in the past about how digital $ for $ is better than analog until you reach ~$20K investment. Now, I believe the opposite as I unexpectedly jumped back into analog with a modest setup that I would argue is darn close to my digital. Yet, the digital setup is ~2x the price of the analog.
With regard to your questions and situation (being 125% frank) - I'm sure you can make your digital match or surpass your analog, since, I've heard the Terminator and the Innuos line of products (I had the Statement in my system) and there's many significantly better digital front ends. DCS and MSB (I've heard several models of each many times) would certainly be levels better. And even though I haven't heard you exact analog setup, IMO and IME - yes you can vastly improve your digital to meet or surpass your analog.
WRT the philosophy of analog (the up, down ritual, the cleaning, the tweaking, the purchasing of physical media, etc.) for me, I've always said, if I got back into vinyl, it would be for the records that haven't been remastered and available on digital and / or were remastered horribly on digital, that would be my focus, and I'm sorry I didn't act sooner. There is a plethora of phenomenal vinyl remastered that expands on our "best of" musical favorites adding to digital, and for the select few, you can add tape. So, I'll get up, and down to hear that extra ~5% of music that I would've never had the opportunity previously with only digital, it's worth it. Good stuff for us all!
With regard to your questions and situation (being 125% frank) - I'm sure you can make your digital match or surpass your analog, since, I've heard the Terminator and the Innuos line of products (I had the Statement in my system) and there's many significantly better digital front ends. DCS and MSB (I've heard several models of each many times) would certainly be levels better. And even though I haven't heard you exact analog setup, IMO and IME - yes you can vastly improve your digital to meet or surpass your analog.
WRT the philosophy of analog (the up, down ritual, the cleaning, the tweaking, the purchasing of physical media, etc.) for me, I've always said, if I got back into vinyl, it would be for the records that haven't been remastered and available on digital and / or were remastered horribly on digital, that would be my focus, and I'm sorry I didn't act sooner. There is a plethora of phenomenal vinyl remastered that expands on our "best of" musical favorites adding to digital, and for the select few, you can add tape. So, I'll get up, and down to hear that extra ~5% of music that I would've never had the opportunity previously with only digital, it's worth it. Good stuff for us all!
What is so hard for you to comprehend? When someone starts spewing self-righteous statements about having to have “tip top level”, whatever that is, equipment/system to make a determination of once’s personal preference that’s what I’m talking about. Someone felt superior to others by posting a condescending post like that back and I provided the reality check. Is that clear enough for you? It’s hard to believe that I had to explain that.
Carlos, is he lying? Does Mike not have one of the best if not the best system in this forum? Can you claim you have the same experience over many years (no offense Mike) buying top - notch gear and meticulously comparing? Most of us cannot.
Steve williams
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Mike
I'm with you and don't dispute your argument. Having said that I have learned never to doubt their goal of Taiko and Emile at the helm. I can tell you right now that with everything Taiko has done as well as tweaking my Horizon I can state with virtual confidence that streaming files has become indistinguishable from the same file in my internal library.
Further Emile has about 17 projects in the pipeline all of which will serve to improve the SQ. However what is going unnoticed by many is that Emile has developed a new interface which AFAIK has just become licensed and I am betting will soon become the industry standard and replace USB, Ethernet, AES/EBU, S/PDIF etc. I can say that vinyl is still superior in my system but I can also say with confidence that every time there is a Taiko update which improves SQ, the difference becomes a little less evident. I know you remain skeptical as surely do I , however I have learned never to bet against what Emile has projected for Taiko. Even if it never is achieved I can say that there are many of us here who believe very strongly in Emile's determination. So as I see it , it is a multitude of many different changes along the way . I don't see the gap changing with one great swoop but rather a multitude of small steps.
Perhaps the wrong choice of words, is “self-righteous” a better choice for you?
Ask Thomas Mayer, he makes a great 10Y Silver DHT for around $27K; and there is the rub, most DHT linestages can be DIY built with quality components for around $2K. There just isn’t the financial incentive for commercial companies to built these simple circuits as it would put them in a place where they would really have an impossible time justifying their outrageous prices. By the way, I own one of the Thomas Mayer’s 10Y Silver linestages, along with 7 other DHT linestages and across all of them the level of detail and clarity is superior to commercially available linestages that I have had the opportunity to own, many many in house at this time, or to listen to.
You know, when you wonder away from the mainstream audiophile world there are a number of types of exceptional products that do not have commercial equivalents. You should try it some time.
To me, NO, he does not! I have been at this for over a decade and a half longer then and have observed his progression, or lack there off.
Here comes the "magic" ... As long as you are obsessed with ranking we will go nowhere.
Well, this the argument F. Toole used to create his statistical correct sound. Even mono sound fans still use i to support their preference.
The high-end things otherwise, believing that education on a preference can create a more enjoyable sound.
Sorry, no. High-end biases are learned. It is why we have such diversity in the high-end and often love/hate relations with sound quality. Remember that mine is better than yours is just an individual opinion, more people prefer mine to yours is a fact (true or false, susceptible to debate) .
Carlos and i have history. his attacks started on my Audiogon system page 15 years ago, after his local hifi guys tired of him, i was a big target for his big need to express himself. no worries. sticks and stones and all that stuff.
next case.
You calling somebody sanctimonious is very rich.
I stipulate that I did not go to psychiatry school over the weekend, but your emotional and overwrought triggered reaction to a report about subjective personal experiences suggests insecurity or envy.
i am in some ways. part of my approach. i enjoy the investigation and process of it. it drives me.
speak for yourself. i'm not part of that 'we'. i'm happily where i want to be.
OK, your claim is based on your own experience over eight days listening to your three sources and the standard is suspension of disbelief. For vinyl you were using a Denon turntable from the 1980s or 90s? Are you holding that up as the standard and basis on which you are making your claim generalizing about streaming sounding like vinyl?
Does Al M’s Yggy DAC qualify in your mind as latest generation DAC? If so, it sounds different from my vinyl. I think that is the most modern DAC I’ve heard.
Does your latest generation Lampizator DAC reach the same level of suspension of disbelief that you heard from David’s turntable in Utah?
I think your claim is fairly unique. Of course personal preference is a different subject.
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