Loaner Candidates - Fall/Winter 2016

Discussion in 'Loaner Requests' started by sphinxvc, Aug 30, 2016.

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What stuff to get for loaner program

Poll closed Oct 6, 2016.
  1. RedNet Ethernet to AES / SPDIF

    25 vote(s)
    36.2%
  2. Lynx E22

    23 vote(s)
    33.3%
  3. Ether Flow

    7 vote(s)
    10.1%
  4. Ether Flow C

    5 vote(s)
    7.2%
  5. ER4SR

    8 vote(s)
    11.6%
  6. Musette DAC

    25 vote(s)
    36.2%
  7. Headroom Standard Amp

    11 vote(s)
    15.9%
  8. Perfect Seal Deca

    6 vote(s)
    8.7%
  9. Torpedo 3

    26 vote(s)
    37.7%
  10. Sony MDR-Z1R

    24 vote(s)
    34.8%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. Jun

    Jun Friend

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    Changed my vote to MDR Z1R, the new sony flagship.
     
  2. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    I'm torn on voting for the Musette...It's good, certainly much more so than previous gen Metrum DACs, but going to the pricier Metrum DACs with the FPGA forward correction module is such a huge step up, from what I've personally heard. OTOH, the Menuet and Pavane are expensive. OTOOH, so is the Z1R. I voted for the Musette anyway, and the Z1R to be an ass.

    I guess if we're OK putting up all sorts of decrapifiers and source components, I'd nominate the Soundaware D100. Base model is good, but according to the rep, they can do the Deluxe and femto models at 120V too. Some of the foreigns sites can get things shipped to the USA in less than a week. Plus it's easier to setup than then RedNet or E22. Latest beta firmware recommended. But, hey, I'm biased. :)
     
  3. sphinxvc

    sphinxvc Gear Master (retired)

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    My vote for the Musette stays if it's competitive with the Gungnir Multibit. What would you say on those two?

    About the decrapifiers, I don't know, there's so many variables at play there, only a few on the loaner are likely to have resolving enough rigs to be able to tell a difference in the first place, and then the findings are likely only to be applicable to those systems.

    Not that we do these loaners for "data collection" but it's a nice plus.

    Voted for the Sony too.
     
  4. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    I think the Gungnir Multibit is probably better overall with a good source, but the Musette might be the most competitive non-oversampling alternative in that price range. It mostly suffers on staging and is probably not as resolving as Gungnir Multibit. The FPGA models are almost a different beast.
     
  5. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

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    I'll join the D100 voting bloc if it gets on the poll. :)
     
  6. HitmanFluffy

    HitmanFluffy Hoping to see real genitals someday!

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    So much interest in the Torpedo here, I wouldn't mind sending my unit around rather than having the site blow a decent chunk of change on it.
     
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I want to focus on gear that isn't too far out of reach for most people, hence the Musette. It's still a sizable amount of change. I wasn't too impressed by the MDHT offerings around the $1000 range (and mods are out of the question). Expanding our world view on DACs can't be a bad thing.
     
  8. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    The RedNet D16 is a freakshow megasauce thing for people who want the last 1-2%. I think we should cover that, just because that is something worth exploring, and some people have had good results with it. I also have the Lynx AES16 to compare.

    The Sony Z1R pricing is a huge turn off and I have strong doubts given their lackluster history with transducers. Seriously, do you guys really believe all that wankery about the Z1R in that Head-Fi thread? Remember guys, this is Jude's shill infested forum. From the man responsible for making us waste our money on ever more expensive headphones and iRiver portables - with ZERO net improvements in sound quality.

    Might need to take up @HitmanFluffy's Torpedo III offer. Do you have the Cinemag OPTs, active current sources, special caps, etc? It's my understanding that the Torpedo III can be tweaked in a number of ways.

    P.S. Just read Lieven's short impressions on headfonia.com on the Z1R: fart cannon. I think we should pass. Let's let Jude shake Sony down for some money and let him take some measurements and make a video of it.
     
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2016
  9. Huxleigh

    Huxleigh Almost "Made"

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    Uh, this is sorta out of left field. But if additional nominations to the original list are under consideration, I'd like to suggest a different D100. Not Soundaware's streamer, but rather @NekoAudio's Mk2 DAC. I'd love to hear this! :)

    Apologies in advance if this has already gone around before. :oops:
     
  10. HitmanFluffy

    HitmanFluffy Hoping to see real genitals someday!

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    @Marvey I have all the upgrades except the Mundorf caps (currently have Solens in there). Its not ready to roll quite yet, I had an inconceivable RK27 failure that I need to address. I'll send it around with my Telefunkens and Mullards.
     
  11. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    I think you'd much prefer the Musette over MHDT, if I had to guess. And fwiw.
     
  12. ButtUglyJeff

    ButtUglyJeff Stunningly beautiful IRL

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    I voted for the Z1R, but if a 6 month wait and see is in order, so let it be...
     
  13. NekoAudio

    NekoAudio Acquaintance

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    Last time the D100 Mk2 went around on a loaner tour (at least one I organized) was around 2012. If you guys decide you want to include it I'll send one out and let SBAF take care of the logistics. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea (i.e. I will not be offended if someone really does not like it), but I'd be happy for more people to get the chance to hear it. :)
     
  14. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    @NekoAudio, talk to Nick to get that going.

    I think we will proceed with the Musette DAC, or maybe one up from it. I'd like to put RedNet on the backburner. Some impressions of it from several people indicate that its slightly better than the Lynx, but not significantly. A few others can also confirm that the RedNet + Mutec as a reclocker after it is a good combo with Yggdrasil. Given the difficulty of setting up RedNet, I think we should pass. But I am willing to change my mind if people speak up.

    I am thinking we should recall the Ether closed and have it upgraded to Ether FLOW closed.

    Torpedo 3 is out of stock. Let's consider this a bit later when stocks replenish.

    Sony Z1R is on the list. Thinking about this one...
     
  15. sphinxvc

    sphinxvc Gear Master (retired)

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  16. Huxleigh

    Huxleigh Almost "Made"

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    This place is so cool. :)

    About the D100 Mk2, I wonder which version should go out for a loan? Speculatively, I'd think that that more members would prefer the XLR model. That'd put me off the list, but the goal should be to help inform the maximum number of prospective purchasers.
     
  17. ButtUglyJeff

    ButtUglyJeff Stunningly beautiful IRL

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    I'm afraid to ask Zach how much a Minuet would cost, but yikes it would be fun to have all the Yiggy owners here to have at it...

    @Hands what do you think of that duel?
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2016
  18. TRex

    TRex Almost "Made"

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    Voted for Lynx E22 & T3. Listened to Flows at recent meet. Nasty treble. I'd take stock HD800 over Flow anytime. ER4SR is actually good. RedNet? Out of reach. :D
     
  19. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Well, I heard the Pavane directly against the Yggdrasil with the Studio and my modded HD650. I posted my thoughts in the Pavane thread. The Menuet should be pretty darn close in performance to the Pavane. The Musette has some similarities, but due to the smaller number of DAC modules and lack of FPGA forward correction, it's surprisingly different sounding at the same time.

    Menuet should be mid-$2K, like a Yggdrasil. Pavane is $5K+.
     
  20. sphinxvc

    sphinxvc Gear Master (retired)

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    I was thinking, what about a good cart? I feel like plenty of people get curious about them, but ultimately hesitate to invest. Maybe that's just my impression of things, but I definitely would have appreciated a cart loaner when I owned a table.

    Maybe something like the Shelter 501 MKIII would work. Shipping would be easy/cheap too.

    Some negatives to consider: there's a high loss of resale value, and they're fragile during installation.

    Or alternatively, we could use funds to get a few of them and send to someone reliable for a comparison. (Like maybe @Marvey or @OJneg) I would be in favor of doing the same for other components we don't have enough data points on, like a few good power amplifiers, preamplifiers, integrateds etc that aren't feasible to ship around.
     

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