Hey all. Good afternoon to you.
A friend of mine brought over a regular Aardvark a couple of weeks ago and we did a little A/B on my rig, just for S's&G's. While I wasn't immediately blown away, I did hear slightly more into the music on some aspects....but at the same time, I wasn't so sure that these changes were all good, because at the same time, some things didn't......well, they were not improved upon, nor were they a lateral change. They were somewhat detrimental on certain aspects. Mind you, we did not hook up the Aardvark right before the Lumin, as it would have been a PIA to do so, given that daggum overhang on the back of the Lumin UX1. So, we plugged it from the Shunyata Omega E cable that comes from my separately clocked switch, into the Muon Pro that is hooked directly up to the Lumin UX1, and listened to a couple of selections we had just listened to earlier, without the aardvark in place.
As I was not convinced at that particular point in time to immediately order one, I am rethinking/pondering over this option to possibly introduce into my rig. This time, with the Aardvark Ultra.
Questions -
1 - Has anyone used both the Muon Pro and the Aardvark Ultra in their network system and actually done a direct A/B?
2 - For those that have, did you end up using both devices and end up preferring the sound of both used in conjunction with each other?
3 - If the answer to the last question was yes, then did you put the Aardvark or the Muon Pro as the last device, prior to your streaming device?
4 - For those who have tried both the regular, or "classic" Ardvark (as it is commonly referred to as now) and compared it to the Aardvark Ultra, what specific audible differences/attributes did you notice (if any)?
At the time, we only had a short period of time before my buddy had to go pick up his granddaughter. So, obviously, no real amount of time was provided for any kind of break in period. This was more for just a curiosity thing on his part and mine. He seemed to have preferred the difference, as to where, I was a little bit more hesitant to some of the things I heard when using both. Because of the overhang of the Lumin and the location within the rack, it was not possible to simply remove the Muon Pro and test out the Aardvark all by itself. Even if we were able to do so, again....no chance for any real burn in time.
One of the issues.....well, not really an issue, but a conundrum was that, according to manufacturer's dierections, both devices are supposed to be placed as the last device prior to entering into the streaming device. I am curious from those who have tried this combination, if you preferred one before the other or if you found better results by losing one altogether. Also, it would be nice to know how much evaluation time was given to come to your observational conclusion. I did not have the luxury of an extensive listening period or experimentation between the two devices that day, and I still haven't heard the Ultra. I was just wondering if anyone else out there might have had said luxury. If so, I would be interested in hearing your observations.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and I look faroward to any insight you may have to offer.
Tom
A friend of mine brought over a regular Aardvark a couple of weeks ago and we did a little A/B on my rig, just for S's&G's. While I wasn't immediately blown away, I did hear slightly more into the music on some aspects....but at the same time, I wasn't so sure that these changes were all good, because at the same time, some things didn't......well, they were not improved upon, nor were they a lateral change. They were somewhat detrimental on certain aspects. Mind you, we did not hook up the Aardvark right before the Lumin, as it would have been a PIA to do so, given that daggum overhang on the back of the Lumin UX1. So, we plugged it from the Shunyata Omega E cable that comes from my separately clocked switch, into the Muon Pro that is hooked directly up to the Lumin UX1, and listened to a couple of selections we had just listened to earlier, without the aardvark in place.
As I was not convinced at that particular point in time to immediately order one, I am rethinking/pondering over this option to possibly introduce into my rig. This time, with the Aardvark Ultra.
Questions -
1 - Has anyone used both the Muon Pro and the Aardvark Ultra in their network system and actually done a direct A/B?
2 - For those that have, did you end up using both devices and end up preferring the sound of both used in conjunction with each other?
3 - If the answer to the last question was yes, then did you put the Aardvark or the Muon Pro as the last device, prior to your streaming device?
4 - For those who have tried both the regular, or "classic" Ardvark (as it is commonly referred to as now) and compared it to the Aardvark Ultra, what specific audible differences/attributes did you notice (if any)?
At the time, we only had a short period of time before my buddy had to go pick up his granddaughter. So, obviously, no real amount of time was provided for any kind of break in period. This was more for just a curiosity thing on his part and mine. He seemed to have preferred the difference, as to where, I was a little bit more hesitant to some of the things I heard when using both. Because of the overhang of the Lumin and the location within the rack, it was not possible to simply remove the Muon Pro and test out the Aardvark all by itself. Even if we were able to do so, again....no chance for any real burn in time.
One of the issues.....well, not really an issue, but a conundrum was that, according to manufacturer's dierections, both devices are supposed to be placed as the last device prior to entering into the streaming device. I am curious from those who have tried this combination, if you preferred one before the other or if you found better results by losing one altogether. Also, it would be nice to know how much evaluation time was given to come to your observational conclusion. I did not have the luxury of an extensive listening period or experimentation between the two devices that day, and I still haven't heard the Ultra. I was just wondering if anyone else out there might have had said luxury. If so, I would be interested in hearing your observations.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and I look faroward to any insight you may have to offer.
Tom
