I've really been enjoying music via the Extreme with the new Taiko USB card. In fact, I can't wait until have the chores and must-do items taken care of each day so I can sit down in peace and luxuriate in the incredible music the combo is transmitting to my DAC. So far, four days into the new card (which has been left with files playing 24/7) and it still seems to be getting better and better.
I owe a more detailed report, but besides being a procrastinator I may just be the world's laziest man alive, so I'll quote and slightly edit a piece of what I posted over on
@Skanda's Extreme thread:
"I'm a terrible procrastinator, and I owe a more detailed post about what I am hearing over at the other Extreme thread, but briefly I'd say the improvements I'm hearing so far are (not in ranked order) in dynamic range and pop, tonal saturation and low level detail, improvement in noise floor, allowing even better timing and phase accuracy -- depth, width and image precision being the primary beneficiaries -- and the sensation of palpable presence -- the air in my living room seems energized, even at remarkably low volume levels."
In fact, this last phenomenon -- the sensation of life and involvement -- now kicks in at much lower levels than ever before, yet I find I can also turn the level up much higher without feeling the music is overbearing or too much in my face. Both, I think are indicative of digital noise that I wasn't even aware of being eliminated by the new card.
I'll post thumbnails of some of the music I've been enjoying the last few days, and follow up this post with a few more devoted to sharing music. Some of these were recommended right here in our WBF thread.
Life is good!
Steve Z