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To have a reference, I tried music on my old Bose Revolve+ for the first time since a long time, had been using it exclusively for podcasts. I hadn’t expected it to be so bad.

Weak mids, reduced treble, focus on upper and mid bass, but that bass is so muddy and undefined that I’m really scratching my head how I could ever think this sounded good. That was the very beginning of my audiophile journey, sure, but still …
And that thing cost some 280,– € or so!

In fact, it’s so bad that I’m wondering if the speaker might simply be defective. It’s nearly six years old, after all, and might simply not have aged well.

The two hosts examine albums by popular artists that are deemed to be bad and take a positive attitude towards them.
A wide variety of genres, very knowledgeable hosts, often very funny, nerdy, at times absurd. In one word: Great.

What setup do you have with the Zen Stream? I'm finding exclusive mode NAA and changing out the PSU for an iPower both help smooth it out versus running stock PSU with AIO mode DLNA

@Ash1412 Actually, I forgot to switch back to exclusive mode after I did a firmware update yesterday, will have to try that. Though I didn’t hear much of a difference between AIO and exclusive mode, a little maybe.
I have a 15V iPowerX PSU I bought with the Zen in a bundle.

Adding on to all that nervosa I also found wifi warmer than my (powerline) ethernet. I do USB which is bright by default so I consider any extra warmth a benefit.

If only my damned ISP could finally fix the constant connection issues me and some neighbours have been experiencing for three weeks now, I could test with streaming, too, not only local files. :/

One great album.

Graphic cards for audio?!! But come to think of it, it makes total sense...

Are you talking about the original Neo iDSD? I've tried the Neo iDSD 2 and I was super impressed with it. As a DAC only, I actually liked it more than the Bifrost 2/64. The built in headphone amp is really quite decent as well.

It’s the original one, yes, which I got for cheap. It’s a great package, sounds totally great alone already, I would be more than happy with it. But paired with my Meier Jazz FF amp (which has a little fuller and more natural sound, resolves better and has more power) and HQPlayer, it’s spectacular, IMHO.

I think it’s the first time that I have a DAC that doesn’t at least have some tendency towards insipidity. Compared to what I had before, there’s especially a bit extra oomph in lowest registers, which helps to get the best out of my HEDDphone Two. Perfect! :)

Will give me a lot to play with in terms of comparing the DAC native and with HQPlayer to the DACCORD and the D-6, and the amp with the Jazz FF.

I personally really liked the Neo iDSD, even just with redbook FLAC (didn't try any DSD files with it). To me, it was the first DS dac that I felt satisfied with, having R2R qualities. IMO, it was the price (a bit outside my budget at the time) and the looks that turned me away from it. Look forward to your impressions!

Never gotten ears on this one, would be curious to hear your thoughts on it vs the other iFi stuff that might be more known elsewhere! Pricey it definitely is, but hey if it sounds grand...

Yes, there’s digital volume reduction going on, also going from 16 bits to 32 bits. But switching DAC bits to 16 in HQPlayer doesn’t remove the effect, and digital volume reduction using Roon doesn’t cause the effect.

Anyway, after listening to the D-6/HQP for some weeks, I wanted to compare to the DACCORD again. It remains the same: D-6/HQP at DSD256 >> DACCORD/HQP at 192 > DACCORD at 44.1 >>> D-6 at 44.1

I don’t understand the obsession with Hqplayer. I always feel something very artificial in the sound.

Not as natural and “real” by far, kinda artificial in comparison to what I got used to over the last few months, but totally great.

Some change every now and then helps a lot to enjoy music more again, IMHO.

Do you have the HQP volume at -3 dB? That’s the recommendation.

Ok, I just found that I had accidentally left HQPlayer in PCM mode instead of SDM, which means the DAC’s filters aren’t circumvented, and quite some extra sizzle on this particular DAC. I had experimented with that before.
That explains it. And shows once again how much influence the filters have.

Correction: There’s still quite some edge where I first noticed it: Bach’s Matthäus-Passion in the Harmonia Mundi recording with Raphaël Pichon and Pygmalion. I now think it’s simply the recording, and I just didn’t notice with my previous DAC and its mild treble. The edge I found in OTHER recordings, though, was me leaving HQPlayer at PCM.

The truth is, you probably have a $2K dac at least! (probably more ;) )

I think so, too. I wish there was a simple D/S DAC with a chip that supports not getting in the way, together with a great “rest”, i.e. clock, USB interface, output stage, PSU, and whatever else I might have forgotten.

Holo could make such a DAC - a "Cyan" (i.e. decent USB, decent discreet output stage, decent power suply, etc.) with a good modern AKM for $1300, maybe less...too bad they probably won't

@ColdsnapBry I snagged mine for like $350 open box (effectively new) at headphones.com. It's probably $400+ over there right now.

SG Akustik in Germany still have b stock Elegia (not Elex!) for less than € 500,–. Probably better value, yes, if you’re not specifically looking for a light-weight HP.

Actually, not even b stock, but you have to accept a magazine subscription, which IIRC doesn’t include extra costs if you cancel it on time, though. And you can get another 20% off if you send them any old working headphone or loudspeakers in return. X-)

I thought I’d better put this into the HQPlayer thread: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/the-hqplayer-thread.11376/page-6#post-429501

@crenca I wouldn’t even say that I hear more detail. Maybe I would in an A/B test, but that’s not what makes the difference to me. Somehow, I enjoy the music much more lossless, but can’t really say why. I always wanted to try with aptX, but never got around to it yet.

I’ve debated selling my Auteur for a Bathys. I use headphones infrequently and when I do the noise canceling and ability to use as a wireless headset is something I need.

@Merrick I don’t think I will ever buy a closed-back again, I have the Bathys for that duty. Plus, they are my travel headphones for hotel room/good quality as well as for train/plane wireless and ANC requirements, and I use them as a headset for meetings when I’m at the office. Great allrounders.

those days are the best... I love those days.

@joch It doesn’t help that the Vali 2+ with the WE tube sounded noticeably better than with many other tubes I tried. :(

It is inexpensive enough and will likely be easy to flip if not to your liking, but I do understand the hesitation. This hobby can easily become obsessive if not careful.

There was a period (2017–19) where my solid state amps were unable to make me *feel* the music. The OG Vali 2—with a hundred dollar Mullard—fixed that. Since then, however, I use solid state most of the time. If you’re pleased with your current amp, save your money. You never know what real need you’ll need it for. Bear in mind, if this is applicable, that a hybrid won’t cut it with the good Sennheiser phones.

As a Raal fan, I have to ask - how was the bass?

how did they compare to the magna? Id never heard of these till I saw your impressions in the world of headphones thread.

@Soups One word: Wonderful.
@SoupRKnowva I didn’t hear the Magna. There were always people there, of course (world premiere at this World of Headphones), and I was happy to get some listening time at all shortly before I had to leave.