Audiophile Thread

[Unsomnambulist]

I've been listening to my Schiit Magni 3 headphone amp for a couple of hours. Not too big a departure from my Vali 2. It's very smooth for inexpensive solid state, and now I can leave it on all the time and not worry that a tube is getting used up! It may be a touch brighter, but it's also clearer and more detailed than the Vali 2. All in all a great buy.

 

[Unsomnambulist]

After some period for burn in (or maybe just brain burn in: me getting used to it), I can say this amp is definitely a winner. In some ways it is mellower than the Vali 2 tube amp. Clearer and a little brighter, but less forward.

 

[axolotl]

After some period for burn in (or maybe just brain burn in: me getting used to it), I can say this amp is definitely a winner. In some ways it is mellower than the Vali 2 tube amp. Clearer and a little brighter, but less forward.

There are certain audio-descriptive terms that do not bear immediate meaning for me. One is immediate; another is forward. [Undoubtedly, there are others, but I digress.]

Could you explain what you mean by saying you perceive that your new SS amp is "less forward" when compared to your tube amp? What are you noticing in this regard?

 

[Unsomnambulist]

There are certain audio-descriptive terms that do not bear immediate meaning for me. One is immediate; another is forward. [Undoubtedly, there are others, but I digress.]

Could you explain what you mean by saying you perceive that your new SS amp is "less forward" when compared to your tube amp? What are you noticing in this regard?

I would say my Vali 2 has an emphasis in the mid-range that is evident. The Magni 3 does not. That, combined with smooth treble, leads to a relaxed sound.

 

[Unsomnambulist]

I bought a Schiit brand PYST USB cable. They are made by Straight Wire.




This is what Schiit has to say about the cables it sells:

"PYST was the god of drinking in Norse mythology. He’d be much better-known if he wasn’t getting schiit-faced all the time. Or, well, not really. PYST stands for Put Your Schiit Together, a set of short cables that make stacking your DAC and amp easy.

Beyond Just Technology: SuperUltraHyperTechnology
PYST cables are made from only the finest 6-nines Unobtanium™ alloy, molecularly assembled in our Alternate Universe™ reality-distortion tesseract field , using a secret geometry reverse-engineered from crashed UFOs, painstakingly smuggled out of Area 51 by deep-cover operatives. Performance is further enhanced by the use of a QuantConnect™ quantum-entangled pair of transmission interfaces, held at absolute zero by our exclusive Stasis Field™ technology. The cables are then wrapped in NanoAeroCap™, a nanotechnology-enabled aerogel anti-capacitance insulation system, featuring Fractal Interleaved Geometry™ to create negative inductance for maximum audio transmission quality.

Or, er, well . . . again, no. These are nice, high-quality cables, with solid, reliable connectors. That’s it. Hope you like them!

PYST cables come in three flavors:

RCA PYST. The RCA Pysts are about 6" long, excluding connectors. They're ideal for, say, stacking a Bifrost and Asgard 2. Please note the dimensions. That's 6 inches. Not feet. And not none of that fancy metric stuff, we're dumb Americans here.

XLR PYST. These are balanced XLR-terminated connectors for stacking, say, a Mjolnir and Gungnir. The balanced XLR Pysts are about 9" long, excluding connectors. Same dimensional disambiguation applies.

USB PYST. This is the complete redefinition of USB cables. It actually, physically transports you* into an alternate universe where superbly-mastered, 24/192 music streams 24/7, free of charge to all listeners, for all genres. Supermodels in this alternate world are all deeply into high-end audio, and will beg to go out with you. Butterflies swirl in fantastic colors over clean-lined porcelain cityscapes, everyone is a millionaire, and flying cars run on air. It's a beautiful place to be!

*Or not. It may have been a hallucination. USB PYSTs are actually just nice, 1M long, USB 2.0-rated cables that have thicker than normal power conductors and silver-plated copper data lines. We think the electrons like silver better, or something. Or not.

In any case, you can get PYST, or you can save some money at Monoprice."

 

[Unsomnambulist]

After many years (I think the HD650 was released in 2001), Sennheiser is coming out with an update to the HD650: HD660S. This is a page on the Sennheiser Canadian website. Apologies if they take the page down.

http://en-ca.sennheiser.com/headphones-audiophile-high-end-hd-660-s

Edit: Sennheiser USA: https://en-us.sennheiser.com/headphones-audiophile-high-end-hd-660-s

 

[Ojai Sam]

Why does anybody do it? <--Warning: rhetorical question alert

It's an aesthetic, albeit a pathetic one. <-- Warning: rhetorical answer alert

I’m not sure the Stones’ early music would have worked nearly as well had they recorded at Abbey Road with Sir George.

 

[Unsomnambulist]

I just received and am using my new "fancy" USB cable. I can't tell any difference between it and my old $4.99 Belkin cable. But, the new one has a fabric sleeve and is nicer to look at, so I'm pleased.

 

[Unsomnambulist]

Schiit Audio Reference System Review Part 1

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/ca/reviews/schiit-audio-reference-system-review-part-1-r676/

 

[Unsomnambulist]

My MacBook hooked up to my DAC/amp sounds better than my Windows laptop did. Don't understand why, bits is bits, right? But it's unmistakeable that the sound is a little smoother and "sweeter".

Also, one album which I thought was badly recorded and had clipping when played from my Windows laptop shows no clipping at all when played from the MacBook. That is very strange.

 

[Unsomnambulist]

Spatial audio is the most exciting thing to happen to pop music since stereo.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017...ng-thing-to-happen-to-pop-music-since-stereo/

Dolby Atmos.

 

[Unsomnambulist]

I've decided to switch back to my Vali 2 hybrid tube amp. The tone is a little more lush, a little more "wet". It sounds better with my MacBook.

 

[Unsomnambulist]

Fuck it, I switched back to the Magni 3.

 

[axolotl]

Fuck it, I switched back to the Magni 3.

"Son, you have an acute case of audiophilia nervosa. It is not life-threatening.; however, it might persist and become chronic."

 

[Unsomnambulist]

"Son, you have an acute case of audiophilia nervosa. It is not life-threatening.; however, it might persist and become chronic."

Not nervosa. What it may be is when I'm in a bad mood/sleep deprived, things don't sound right to me.

 

[axolotl]

Not nervosa. What it may be is when I'm in a bad mood/sleep deprived, things don't sound right to me.

Understood. It was mostly a joke.

That being said, it is still one's nervous system that is affected.

Don't make me call in an expert. ZEEBS!

 

[Zeeba Neighba]

Understood. It was mostly a joke.

That being said, it is still one's nervous system that is affected.

Don't make me call in an expert. ZEEBS!

 

[axolotl]

@JazzyRandy can post wherever he desires, but I thought this observation should be added to the Audiophile Thread.

Since I recently hooked up the new-to-me stereo set-up in the family room, I've been listening to more albums in there instead of my office. I'm very impressed by the ... clarity (I think is the term I'm seeking) of the speakers. The sound is so bright and life like. It's been great listening to old and recent favorites in a new aural setting, and picking up on missed nuances.

You can call it whatever you like - clarity or quality or even late for dinner - but I find it can be revelatory to get away from the computer system and listen via whatever freestanding component audio system one has.

Goodonya, Randy. There be no judgment, here.

 

[patrikc325]

Here is the AVS Forum ideas for the best subwoofers of 2017

http://www.avsforum.com/best-subwoofers-2017/

 

[patrikc325]

Here is the AVS Forum Best Headphones of 2017
Check out The Hifi man ones!
http://www.avsforum.com/best-headphones-2017/