State-of-the-Art Digital

[Al M.]

I wasn't asking you to apologize for your moniker...I was making a comment on appeal to authority and that perhaps (tongue-in-cheek of course) Al M. was subliminally influenced to consider you an authority based on your Moniker having the word "guru" in it.

Funny.

 

[microstrip]

(...) As to the Living Voice Vox Olympian/Kondo system, you'll remember what I told Kevin Scott and wife in Munich, after occupying a seat in their demo room for another one and a half hours the second or third day round: that I want to be buried in there.

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

Can I ask what year or what was the DAC and amplifiers?

 

[howiebrou]

Brad, I don't know what the French put in their cooking, but their digital is up there, and has the least synthetic tone of any non analog source I've heard. Ked and Dave love the Neodio, I was all set to go Audiomeca Mephisto in late 2000s, I love YBA, and JackD201, RBLNR and myself are slaves to 5" silver discs re Eera.
I can assure you that 6 yrs straight Eera Tentation cdp listening, and there is not the merest hint of sheen, glare, iceiness, over analysis, resolution for resolution sake. My Eera totally nails the closest SS digital you're gonna get to what analog excels at.

The French really punch above their weight. Loved my Audioaero, when it actually worked...Loved my Metronome when it worked...

 

[spiritofmusic]

You should have gone Eera Tentation.
One to two cds a day for 5 years, never a hitch.

 

[howiebrou]

You should have gone Eera Tentation.
One to two cds a day for 5 years, never a hitch.

Didnt know about it then but they did sound good.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Howie, I can't think of many audio components this good. For me, a total vinylphile, to find a digital front end that absolutely feels like I've always listened to it, never creating any feeling of cognitive disconnect, and never causing my mind to drift to lp when a cd is playing, and all at a hugely manageable price, makes it a miracle in it's own right.

 

[morricab]

Funny.

You only think its funny because you don't think you can be influenced...

 

[howiebrou]

Howie, I can't think of many audio components this good. For me, a total vinylphile, to find a digital front end that absolutely feels like I've always listened to it, never creating any feeling of cognitive disconnect, and never causing my mind to drift to lp when a cd is playing, and all at a hugely manageable price, makes it a miracle in it's own right.

Their dacs and transports look interesting.

 

[spiritofmusic]

JackD201 is the man to ask here about the Eera line.

 

[Al M.]

You only think its funny because you don't think you can be influenced...

Haha, you can't let go, can you? Funny.

 

[wil]

That was not the point. He confirms that in general voices can sound that way in a live concert, depending on the circumstances.

I've definitely heard Tenors and Baritones come across with a metallic glare in recordings--but hardly ever with sopranos (which seems a little counter-intuitive to me). I think it's probably due to the miking technique not being up to the task of controlling the unique sonics of these super-charged vocalists.

 

[Imperial]

I think that the top tier companies and the top tier products these days are Not the best digital stuff....
There are now a generational shift because you have
- network switches
- network to usb
- usb to usb
- and what not. - components
That are linkable and atomic clock syncable ...
One can make a chain og these and present the data flow to a dac and it will over perform something fierce...

I bet a chocolate and a superodel of any ones choosing that tech wiz users with now how most likely have better sound than rich dudes with factory set up component chains... These days...

Money no longer gets you the best sound!!!

Knowledge does!!!

Imperial has spoken!!!

 

[morricab]

I've definitely heard Tenors and Baritones come across with a metallic glare in recordings--but hardly ever with sopranos (which seems a little counter-intuitive to me). I think it's probably due to the miking technique not being up to the task of controlling the unique sonics of these super-charged vocalists.

He was talking about live, unamplified concerts...

 

[morricab]

I think that the top tier companies and the top tier products these days are Not the best digital stuff....
There are now a generational shift because you have
- network switches
- network to usb
- usb to usb
- and what not. - components
That are linkable and atomic clock syncable ...
One can make a chain og these and present the data flow to a dac and it will over perform something fierce...

I bet a chocolate and a superodel of any ones choosing that tech wiz users with now how most likely have better sound than rich dudes with factory set up component chains... These days...

Money no longer gets you the best sound!!!

Knowledge does!!!

Imperial has spoken!!!

Only those with the ears to hear...otherwise they are no better off than the majority of audiophiles who also are rudderless in a sea of digital choices...

 

[Mike Lavigne]

I think that the top tier companies and the top tier products these days are Not the best digital stuff....
There are now a generational shift because you have
- network switches
- network to usb
- usb to usb
- and what not. - components
That are linkable and atomic clock syncable ...
One can make a chain og these and present the data flow to a dac and it will over perform something fierce...

I bet a chocolate and a superodel of any ones choosing that tech wiz users with now how most likely have better sound than rich dudes with factory set up component chains... These days...

Money no longer gets you the best sound!!!

Knowledge does!!!

Imperial has spoken!!!

thank you Imperial, for the offer to make a wager. i hope you had a wonderful Star Wars Day (May the fourth).

i agree that certainly these days no dac or server stands alone; they need the proper network set-up to reach their potential. does not matter the brand or price point.

please tell us about your listening comparisons regarding the 'generational shift verses the top tier companies'........and name names.....so we might win a chocolate. (assuming superodel (sp?) = super model......who could refuse?).

i like chocolate. but being married 46 years have no opinion on the latter.

 

[BruceD]

The French really punch above their weight. Loved my Audioaero, when it actually worked...Loved my Metronome when it worked...

I loved My Jadis gears--when it worked-my friend loved his AudioMeca--when it worked-a Photographer friend loved his Balcar Strobes--when they worked!

I think tho MicroMega punches above its weight-- good bang for the Buck--and they work--so I'm told

BruceD

 

[wil]

He was talking about live, unamplified concerts...

Right, but it doesn't surprise me if these vocal sonics from tenors don't present challenges to concert hall acoustics as well.

 

[acousticsguru]

Can I ask what year or what was the DAC and amplifiers?

It seems it is what I've been saying every year, although it's alternatively been Vox Olympian and Palladian, and one year two rooms even so one could actually audition both. I honestly don't remember all the details, but I remember there was another brand of tube amplification used in one of their rooms one year, and that it made an enormous difference, in favor perhaps of a more highly resolved sound, but less involving in every other respect. I believe the combination I liked best was with KSL-Gakuoh bi-amping, and although preamp, phono stage and DAC were all Kondo KSL, I don't remember which generation. It may not yet have been the Ongaku-DAC, as only redbook CDs were played back from a transport.

Maybe Christoph or Brad (morricab) remember the respective models in more detail?

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

 

[microstrip]

It seems it is what I've been saying every year, although it's alternatively been Vox Olympian and Palladian, and one year two rooms even so one could actually audition both. I honestly don't remember all the details, but I remember there was another brand of tube amplification used in one of their rooms one year, and that it made an enormous difference, in favor perhaps of a more highly resolved sound, but less involving in every other respect. I believe the combination I liked best was with KSL-Gakuoh bi-amping, and although preamp, phono stage and DAC were all Kondo KSL, I don't remember which generation. It may not yet have been the Ongaku-DAC, as only redbook CDs were played back from a transport.

Maybe Christoph or Brad (morricab) remember the respective models in more detail?

Greetings from Switzerland, David.

Thanks. I was particularly curious about the use of the Kondo KSL DAC. I have a mint one facing me and I am still considering if I should ask Emile for a SPDIF card for the Extreme to listen to it in streamer/server mode, the KSL accepts SPDIF up to 24/96 - it covers 95% of the music I listen.

 

[acousticsguru]

Thanks. I was particularly curious about the use of the Kondo KSL DAC. I have a mint one facing me and I am still considering if I should ask Emile for a SPDIF card for the Extreme to listen to it in streamer/server mode, the KSL accepts SPDIF up to 24/96 - it covers 95% of the music I listen.

Nice and congratulations! I'm surprised you're not listing it in your "signature". Does that mean 95% of the music you listen to is on redbook CDs?

Greetings from Switzerland, David.