The Mike Moffat (#2 at Schiit) Blog

Discussion in 'Schiit' started by baldr, Dec 15, 2016.

  1. Mr Rick

    Mr Rick Acquaintance

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    Anyone headed to The Schiitr tomorrow?? If so, I might see you there.:punk:
     
  2. baldr

    baldr Schiit-sterer

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    I need some input from those who all would do so. The road to make a music processor is a lonely one, and a new one for me. Indeed, I do not know of any other paths taken by others to study. Therefore I would really appreciate input on your 3-5 desert island disks. Seriously. Thanks!
     
  3. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    Every piece of gear I demo is tested with these albums:

    Paul Simon - Graceland
    Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
    Michael Jackson - Thriller
    Rush - Moving Pictures
    Yes - Fragile
    Supertramp - Crime of the Century
    Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
    Dave Brubeck - Time Out
    Fleetwood Mac - Rumors
     
  4. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    Was a bit confused about desert island discs, but it's a Beeb thing about 3-5 CDs or Records you'd want on an deserted island with you.

    Mine is probably strange, and not the last word in quality, but I don't have much albums where I like the whole album: (Artist - Album)
    Globus - Epicon
    Vitas - Evolution Ltd
    The Noisy Freaks - Straight Life
     
  5. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

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    All great and well mastered.

    I would add Stevie Ray Vaughn's Couldn't Stand the Weather.
     
  6. Changeling

    Changeling Tube Slut

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    Here's 5 of my desert island recordings:

    Andras Schiff - Six Partitas
    Art Pepper - ...Meets the Rhythm Section
    Nina Simone - Little Girl Blue
    Ornette Coleman - Shape of Jazz To Come
    Lee Morgan - Lee-way
     
  7. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    Thats a fantastic album as well. Really, I would need like 20 discs to be satisfied on a desert island.
     
  8. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section is such a stunning album. It really doesn't get enough love.
     
  9. johnjen

    johnjen Doesn’t want to be here but keeps posting anyways

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    That is difficult for me to do.
    Instead I'll list a few tracks.
    Bonnie Raitt Something to Talk About on her Luck of the Draw album
    Copland, Fanfare for the Common Man Eije Oue Reference Recordings
    Overwerk Daybreak on his Afterhours album
    Gogo Penguin Hopopono v2.0 album
    Dave Crusin Things Ain't What They Used to Be on the album Homage to Duke

    Bonnie Raitts track is her at her finest (the whole album is good that way).
    The Copland piece has nice everything bottom to top.
    The Overwerk track has the sound of rain falling early on but is an EDM track.
    Gogo Penguin is all acoustic jazz and is both simple and complex at the same time.
    Dave Crusin's album is big band well done (the whole album is great).

    JJ
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2017
  10. JK47

    JK47 Guest

    MJ - Thriller (sorry folks, this album captivated me as a 7 year old youngster)

    Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms (Another album from when I was a little fella, that brings back great memories of hi-fi shopping with my dad in the 80's)

    Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman (sounds great to me, and well recorded)

    EDIT: O.G. Masters
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 24, 2017
  11. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    Madonna - True Blue

    Mecano - La Fuerza del Destino (a live recording if possible)

    Michael Jackson - Billie Jean or Thriller (a not so current bright "re-master")
     
  12. Dino

    Dino Friend

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    I am assuming CD/Digital. I'm not sure if sound is supposed to be a factor I am listing 5 titles/releases/masterings where I love the music and the sound.

    The Kinks - Greatest Hits - PRT CDKINK 7251 (AKA "The Ugly Pink" version.)

    Hendrix - Band of Gypsys - Polydor 821933-2 - Made in West Germany

    David Bowie - Hunky Dory - RCA PD84623 - 1985 - Made in West Germany

    Brian Eno - Another Green World - 2004 DSD Remastering (Several releases are available of this mastering.)

    Faust - The Wumme Years 1970-73 (5 CD box) RER label (There is only one release of this.)
     
  13. Koth Ganesh

    Koth Ganesh Friend

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    Dire Straits - Love over Gold
    Pink Floyd - Wish you were Here
    Paul Simon - Graceland
    Sting - Brand New Day
     
  14. winders

    winders boomer

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    Eagles - Greatest Hits 71 - 75
    Eagles - Greatest Hits Vol 2
    Michael Jackson - Thriller
    The 5th Dimension - The Ultimate 5th Dimension
    Fleetwood Mac - Rumors
    Beach Boys - Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of the Beach boys
    Beatles - Revolver
     
  15. Perot

    Perot Facebook Friend

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    They Might Be Giants - Lincoln

    Carmen McRae - The Great American Songbook

    Ween - God Ween Satan

    The Mothers - Fillmore East , June 1971
     
  16. baldr

    baldr Schiit-sterer

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    By the way, thanks to all for the suggestions on albums above. I am relieved that I have most of them and will re-listen to them. I really appreciate the suggestions. Sometimes my vacuum is too removed from the world.

    And now for something completely different. Connectors – sockets – ways on, ways off. The good news about analog is that it is pretty simple. RCAs (SE) or XLR (Bal) on, add TRS plugs or 5 way binding posts off, and yer done.

    But what if it is a digital processor? In this case we have support electronics for AES and S/PDIF, more expensive support for USB, and different levels of performance. The legacy format, SPDIF is cheap on the interface, adding 30 bucks or so including the connector, and another 15 to add the transformer and a good AES connector if you want it. Another advantage of this path is that it is an interface that was designed specifically for digital audio. Also it sounds pretty fuckin' good – particularly in the context of the ever present USB. But here's the rub: it is hard to find. If you spin discs and your transport designer was not a moron, there will be a S/PDIF connector that is NOT optical. In that case you are good, you need no further introduction to the finer beers, wines, and methods to enjoy quality audio.

    But what if you have a computer for convenience and modernity hooked up to the net which can stream all of the music you can eat? Well, you are fucked on the quality; yer stuck with USB, drinking PBR and Glen Ellen. Now then, my personal opinion is that USB sounds like ass. Sorry all of you streamers, but that is what I think. Further, it is expensive in the context of S/PDIF. There are obviously many who agree as there are dozens of USB defuckifiers, magic cleaners, noise and crap rubbers, etc., etc., out there to buy for up to a kilobuck or so to conceal the sonic evils of USB; some purists are even migrating to more expensive, harder to use, even harder to support AOIP systems to get their tunes from their computers to their DACs.

    In the old days when most had configurable computers, you could at least add a S/PDIF to your computer. In current times with so many web-input to USB-output appliances the user is stuck with an interface designed for printers, thumbdrives, lightshow interfaces, cell phone programmers, etc. USB is kinda like a hooker who will do anybody or anything. But you can spend a f**k ton of money on currently available DDCs which will put lots of make-up on the USB to conceal its inherent problems.

    I digress. The real philosophical point is how one configures a digital in and digital out processor in the most appropriate way. Let us say, hypothetically, that an entry level processor costs with no interface, $200.00. So we add S/PDIF in and out for 30 more bucks. That brings us to $230.00. So now we have a workable processor with no USB. Then to add USB will be another $50 to $180 according to how much ugliness reduction you want. So now we are at $280 to $410 for no to lotsa makeup USB inputs only – double!! (no USB out but I don't think anyone cares.)

    So one possibility is to come out with the all input processor for max USB lipstick on the sheep at $410. Another is to come out with the minimum lipstick version for $280 – you could still hook up a kilobuck worth of DDC for only $1280. A third possibility is to leave USB off and use the designed for audio, arguably obsolete, non-sheepfucking S/PDIF input and save another 50 bucks and the DDC of your choice if you need USB. Hard not to come up with a bad choice.

    I should point out that the processor prices are NOT real and only intended to show the costs of well executed USB in the context of total equipment cost.
     
  17. johnjen

    johnjen Doesn’t want to be here but keeps posting anyways

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    It seems to me that the USB option is required just to cover the basics and for those who don't have any of the fancy ddc-doodads.
    IOW the majority of those who you are trying to reach and encourage.

    And if you want to include those who do have the doodads you'll need the SPDIF & AES just so those with Jggys can play and for some, to try AES just to see…

    Oh and for all those other AES equipped dacs, as well as those folks that will try one because it's just pocket change anyway.

    JJ
     
  18. johnjen

    johnjen Doesn’t want to be here but keeps posting anyways

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    2nd thoughts.

    If this 'performs' anywhere near what cleaning up ANY digital audio stream can deliver, ie those 1K$ boxes, and do it for ≈1/2 the price, but because its da Schiit, it'll do as good a job if not better, IN ONE BOX, well that is in keeping with the Schiity way of things, isn't it?

    JJ
     
  19. winders

    winders boomer

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    I don't know how you could go to market not supporting USB. You would cut out too many potential customers. How much would it cost to support bare bones USB, SPDIF coax, and AES input and SPDIF coax and AES output?

    If someone has crappy USB they want to use and need to clean it up, they can buy the USB decrapifier that makes them happy. I wouldn't try to do the clean up in the Gadget.
     
  20. Muse Wanderer

    Muse Wanderer Friend

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    There are quite a lot of recordings I would suggest but if I were to choose...

    Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen by Solti - Godderdamerung final act
    . Highly engaging final section with lots of nuance from soprano. Details shine wih higher gear and the bass goes down to the lowest HZes especially with the fall of Alberich

    Bruckner - 5th Symphony conducted by Gunter Wand - finale - great to show off non linear mids and of course dynamics and detail

    Bach St Matthew's Passion conducted by Herreweghe - the voices and orchestra are great with most transducers but excel with the best I tried

    Beethoven Missa Solemnis - conducted by Otto Klemperer - the Kyrie has so much mid and treble energy - most analytical transducers simply fail this part. The Utopia barely made it.

    Chopin Piano Etudes Op 10, 25 by Maurizio Pollini. With crap gear the lowest faintest piano notes are horrid digital sounding with noisy floor gremlins running around.

    Tchaikovski Nutcracker Dance of Sugar Plum Fairy - by Previn. Treble energy in celesta kills ALL sabre DACs I heard!

    Jordi Savall - Les Voix Humaines ... stupefying recording with viola da gamba by a legendary artist. Lots of nuance and hidden gems. Everything Savall records turns to gold!

    Ligeti violin concerto by Kopatchinskaja / Eotvos - great violin artist and recording

    Josquin des Prez Motets by Orlando consort - only voices, heavenly voices

    Mahler 2nd symphony 'Resurrection' by Otto Klemperer and Philarmonia Orchestra - antiphonal arrangement of violins and majestic recording for centuries to come

    And for a living contemporary composer ...
    Sofia Gubaidulina - Sonnengesang 'Canticle of the Sun' - the first 40s breaks a lot of DACs with treble and high mid energy. The middle of the piece has an ecstatic climax of voices. This is sublime music from a great composer written just 2 decades ago.
     
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2017

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