i write this from memory, as i've send my totaldac back to france to be upgraded and my network card was limiting my listening to relatively short periods of time.
first off all, this is based on the first week (it was still burning in) and i was running both my first reclocker (sotm usb-aes/ebu) and taiko switch on wall wart supplies. MAGIC was reached for the first time with the extreme in my system, something i am certain is due to the lower noise floor allowing music to come out of the deepest quiet.
is this the best i've ever heard, well almost in some ways and definitely in another. the bass is now the best i have had in my system, and how the switch network card could possibly do that is a mystery to me. but it was absolutely obvious on every track i played.
as for the lower noise floor, soundstage and effortless detail, i once upon a time had sound a little better (really) but it was transient and i lost it (my speculation: hqplayer and rendu software kept changing and now we know how much sound quality is impacted by software, plus i was using battery power on both the sotm reclocker and the rendu streamer). the MAGIC was even spookier and i remember many times when i was startled to hear an instrument slowly come out of nowhere, or jump in faster than i had imagined possible. vocals had an intimacy that led me to believe i could hear the singer's emotions syllable by syllable............MAGIC.
i've been searching for that sound and after a long years long journey through experimentation as well as following the DIY gurus, my system got regularly better but still nowhere near MAGIC. after reading and researching obsessively, and giving extra weight to people whose ears appeared to align with mine, i hopped on the taiko train. my first experience with the extreme and TAS was promising, better than what i'd had, but still not MAGIC. after an initial stage of panic (and i have to admit disappointment), i realized that the journey was not yet over and Emile & al had much more to do. most importantly, they seemed to understand what they were doing and why!
as you all know, over time the usb card, then xdms, then the switch and network card have made significant enhancements to the sound quality, with more to come (e.g. router & bps & new xdms architecture). i am certain, now that we have crossed the threshold of MAGIC, that the joys of great music will only grow. i fully expect that this evolution path will exceed even the level of MAGIC i had heard years ago (by serendipity).
on friday, my DAC was sent back to france for an upgrade to the d1-triunity which promises further magical rewards.
in the meantime, with no DAC to use with the extreme, i'm finishing my taxes listening to my near-field system:
Clementine s/w on ubuntu NUC ==> hdmi to JVC 32" TV used as computer monitor (dac + amp + speakers).
not the highest end system i've ever heard but i'm enthralled and transported listening to 4/2/1973 on the 50th anniversary of what was my first ever grateful dead show at the Boston Garden.
p.s. preliminary tax status looks like both a federal and state refund..............i'm ready for that router!
Listen to the music play!
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