SBAF Funded Loaner Gear Candidates Q2 2016

Discussion in 'Loaner Requests' started by purr1n, Mar 21, 2016.

  1. DrForBin

    DrForBin Friend

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    hello,

    anything from STAX is a winner for me!

    @3X0, your offer of the 323S as loaner is very generous, as we in mid-fi land would more than likely go no further than it as a STAX amp. thanks for that!:bow:
     
  2. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    Last edited: Mar 23, 2016
  3. BioniclePhile

    BioniclePhile The Terminal Man - Friend

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    The Soekris DAC is a cool idea too, it'd be cool to compare with Bifrost Multibit for those who have it.
     
  4. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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    A project I've had in mind is a Soekris DAC + 6922 output stage. Transformer coupled of course.
     
  5. BioniclePhile

    BioniclePhile The Terminal Man - Friend

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    Do it quick before Purrin and Craig get the Gungnir/Yggdrasil tube output project out!
     
  6. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    Expect a few new items to be added to our lovely list of loaners I just need to confirm everything but spoke with quite a few vendors at CanJam:

    Campfire Audio (whole line)
    Empire Ears
    ampandsound (possible just regional)
    Chord Hugo/Mojo
     
  7. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Nice! I'd love to hear the Mojo.
     
  8. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    I know I'm a broken record, but given some of us either won't or are not yet ready to move to vinyl (god help us all), I'd like to see some loaner offerings for digital source gear so that everyone and their mom can hear how much these types of products, if done right (most aren't), can improve their Yggdrasil's and Gungnir Multibit's.

    Really enjoying the Soundaware D100. At $850 and with the box being the size of that for a large headphone like the Dharma, I don't think it would be unreasonable. They are easy to buy from sites like eBay or Shenzhen audio and ship relatively quickly.

    Also would recommend the Mutec 1.2 at around $400-500. Relatively small, easy to use, multiple output types for various DACs. Seems a lot of folks are still tied to USB.

    I recommend these because everyone walked away from the last Denver meet realizing how important these things are even vs. a Regen w/ LPSU. I would like to see them in the hands of more people if there is enough interest.

    I would also be interested in trying some electrostatics. That's an area I have very little experience in.

    If anyone is crazy enough to loan out a good turntable, that would also be sweet. I have a few records and nothing to play them on! (You can see that I am eventually setting myself up for the inevitability of a vinyl rig.)
     
  9. BioniclePhile

    BioniclePhile The Terminal Man - Friend

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    The Mutec 1.2 could also come with a Regen since people've said that the sound changes depending on power source and cables even. I'm a bit skeptical of cable sound changing since it's still digital info, but if we get the things on a loaner, people can see for themselves.
     
  10. velvetx

    velvetx Gear Master West/Vendor Spotlight Moderator

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    Oh yah forgot working on the following:

    Soekris dac1101
    RHA
    Ayre Codex
    Audeze Sine
     
  11. Chris F

    Chris F Boyz 4 Now Fanatic - Friend

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    Similar to Hands suggestion above but one tier up... How about a Mutec MC3+ USB? It's expensive at 1K but I feel mine takes the imaging/stage and overall resolution on Yggdrasil up several notches. I think it will do the same for the vast majority of DACs which makes it a very interesting product.
     
  12. Rotijon

    Rotijon Friend

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    Do these USB interface work better than schiits USB gen 3?

    I actually have a audiogd interface, but just too lazy to hook it up lol.
     
  13. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Depends on implementation. The Mutec looks to be a serious product for the studio market and it's made by Germans. Germans are serious people and don't f**k around, unless they are Beyer.

    For reference, the very well respected Empirical Audio Off Ramp 5 / OR5 (no turboclocks) with an LPS was not as quite good as the Schiit USB Gen 3 (can't remember, but I think the OR5 was just a bit less resolving and more clinical). I don't think the Audio-GD USB converter is in the same league, especially if it still uses that VIA USB chip. (The internal Master 7 implementation of the VIA sounded like ass.)
     
  14. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    Sometimes I wish I had a monster resolution dac to help me test these things, I just don't love listening to them so I can't justify spending the cash.

    Anyway, I have some legit converters here now.

    Audio-GD DI-U8 and Transient Mkii right now.

    Mutec 1.2 and 3+ USB on the way.

    Maybe I should find someone local with an Yggdrasil to come by and try them out with me.
     
  15. steve

    steve New

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    Oh man I'm just looking for one of these, please do let me know your thoughts one these, seriously;)
     
  16. Rotijon

    Rotijon Friend

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    Id like to see your comparisons. I have a Audiogd DI-2014. Would be interesting to see if there is much difference.
     
  17. BioniclePhile

    BioniclePhile The Terminal Man - Friend

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    But is it really worth the money? It costs almost as much as a Gungnir Multibit. I mean, we're all about squeezing the tube of toothpaste until only atoms of freshness are left within, but I'd personally just go for the Yggdrasil and be set right there in my situation.
    Man, people in this hobby do a lot of unnecessary spending. :p
     
  18. JoshMorr

    JoshMorr Friend

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    Unnecessary spending is all in the eye of the beholder my friend. This whole hobby can be seen that way, tell someone off the street how much you have invested in equipment to plug headphones into and see their reaction.

    I would personally love to hear a mutec device to see the difference it could make on my Gungnir Multibit. I'm still half in skeptic land even though all the positive reports from trusted and respected people who don't BS. While the 3+ is obviously the better device with the USB clock, I think the 1.2 might have the wider appeal. I also couldn't see justifying spending as much money on a converter / clock as on the Dac itself at any performance increase (make sure to remind me of this and call me names when I'm building a lps for my 3+). Even the 1.2 is a very pricey unit that just converts input at the end of the day, but the loaner program could help determine if that cost is reasonable for the increased performance. No need to go overboard with regens and lps yet, just test the waters.
     
  19. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    The Mutec and Transient weren't too far apart on the Gungnir Multibit (I think the RCA coax was holding the Mutec back vs Transient and BNC), and both made a surprisingly positive difference vs straight USB. I'll say it over and over again. When I heard the difference on the Gungnir Multibit loaner I felt totally justified in spending a few hundred bucks for a great USB->SPDIF converter, plus my DAC is SPDIF only. Spending closer to a grand or more on an SPDIF bridge is where you're basically ignoring value and just going for what is best for the sake of going with what is best.

    Those with Yggdrasil will see smaller gains, but gains nonetheless. (Again, not all SPDIF bridges are created equal regardless of price or on-paper specs.)

    So many people with a Gungnir Multibit is why I'd like to see more people test it out.
     
  20. Chris F

    Chris F Boyz 4 Now Fanatic - Friend

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    Value is a subjective concept. Yggdrasil is already an extremely high value component and the steps up the digital source ladder from Yggdrasil (MSB Signature etc...) cost well over 5 figures. If you can get something which makes a real improvement for 1K that is pretty good value in the "big" picture IMO.

    The MC3+ USB feeding Yggdrasil AES isn't a subtle change to my ears. It really improves the soundstage/imaging and because of this the overall resolution (which was already excellent) moves up to an almost uncomfortable level in the sense that if you want to you can really dissect every mix/master down to the individual track level and hear exactly what is going on.

    For me this new found resolution was invaluable as I can now hear some treble grain in my LP transfers which I did not hear before. This caused me to try recording DSD128 using my TASCAM-DA3000 and then converting to PCM for post processing instead of simply using 24/192 PCM as I had been doing previously. The A/B vs the same track recorded a few days back was very revealing in favor of this process.
     

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