The Bigblog!

Yeah, I get that.

I have vinyl that was not transfered to CD, but admittedly not all that much.

I have opened up to the world of CD collection, and whilst I now rip everything to .WAV, it's still great fun to collect certain versions of albums. Not to mention finding rarities for £1 because everyone knows CD is dead lol

I don't want to pay the modern costs for vinyl replay, for carts, vinyl, or retips for that matter, especially when digital sounds so good here at the moment.

I am currently using a Topping E30 MKII DAC. Its superb, and available for less than three pieces of brand new vinyl.

Quite sobering when you start looking at the costs.



*Weight to stop it from moving
** No audible difference with or without weight.

Well, it's up against stiff opposition today>

Yeah, shoot out, shmoot out.
I get it, but if a component is good, it's good.

I think you can get to a level of quality where it becomes about "am I engrossed in the music?".
If the answer is Yes then further improvements or changes can be interesting or enjoyable, but not necessarily essential.

I've a gut feeling that there is a distinction here between pure electronics (dacs, amps) and transducers (speakers, phono cartridges, headphones).
I guess it's because transducers are more difficult to get to be accurate, so they are inevitably further from the truth and it's then more crucial to pick your own bundle of preferred compromises.

The Reiymo is such a beautifully made piece of equipment. I was literally drooling when I took the lid off.

I'll get some much better pics when I have some decent light to work with.

Initial thoughts are VERY initial as i only had an hour with it before work and it was FREEZING cold when it got here.

So, i played Lambchop - The Saturday Option, and the wife came in ....Conversation occurs:

Wife: "is this your new DAC?"

Me: "yes, why?"

Wife: "it sounds Sh#t"

Me: "..........er"

Wife: "Well it does! I have heard better in here"

Me: " What's wrong with it?"

Wife: "It's all at the top (HF). I am having to try and hear the bottom (LF) and i shouldn't have to try and hear it, therefore it's Sh#t"

Me: *stunned*

But she wasn't wrong. It was toppy and lean, and hyper detailed.

I explained that it was absolutely frozen, and that i was only making sure it was working. She said "you might want to get your old one back (Aqvox) lol"

I swapped some cables and went to AES for the link between X50D and Mutec and CA OCC copper RCA to BNC for the link between Mutec and DAC and left it for 90 minutes to warm up. When i came back, it was MUCH improved. the LF had filled out, and passed the wife test for LF, but she remained unconvinced.

As i listened, it started to open up. Soundstage expanded significantly and i was starting to get some atmosphere and "mood" in the music i listened to. Unfortunately, thats as far as i got today. I played Ike Quebec whilst i got ready for work and i have to say, it was starting to sound like something i *Want* to listen to again. I was a bit relieved, but i know DACs can be a little funny until they have warmed up.

I'll do a full write up, but by the time i left for work, it was starting to sound WAY better.

I absolutely understand T, and it was starting to show signs of life, but it wasn't great straight out of the box lol.

It will be on for 24/7 and i'll give it a workout over the next few days. I just need to get my AES cable back for a full loom now... stevew

Ah, ok....that starting to make some sense then.

I am not overly concerned having owned R-2R DACs before, but I was hoping to be blown away straight out of the box....should have known better.

Watch out, she'll want that framed 😉😂

in almost 40 years I've never once had something that sounded crap to begin with but became good after warm up, burn in, whatever.

Not speakers or electronics.

I'm highly sceptical the idea that R-2R DACs need to be left on all the time to work properly, didn't seem to apply to all those old CD players that used them though?

Not sure I would buy anything that compromised. If it were the case.

Come and listen to a brand new pair of Vaders vs my run in pair (early next year). You may be rather shocked by the difference the run in makes! Even my (non hifi inclined) friends were shocked by the difference.

your using brand new drivers out the box - if you buy a loudspeaker it's already been tested at the factory so the drivers already have time on them.

Do you blind test between the two pairs or does everyone know which is new and which is run in? I wouldn't be shocked by a fairly small difference, I would by a large one. But what's small and what's large is subjective.

It does not irk me in the slightest and I'm amused that you think I am putting anyone 'on trial'. I was not the one who offered this comparison as evidence of some objective truth about driver break in.

I just asked a simple question about the methodology of the comparison. As I'm sure you're aware impressions from sighted comparison can be affected by bias. Just wanted to know if that was controlled for. If it was then I would regard the comparison as valid evidence. If not, then it carries less weight for me.

On the contrary Arke backs up his claims regarding the quality of his products  with measurements - which is a damn sight more than 90 percent of commercial speaker manufacturers do. 

Just occurred to me but if you look back through the thread it was Arke who was  challenging my subjective impression (That I have never heard any device improve with break in).


So who's zooming who?

Agreed, but with that in mind it just proves how incredibly easy it is to get something skewed a little out of context?



My point was more of a general one that inside our hobby it's okay to not be expected to qualify subjective opinions/impressions and indeed beliefs, with anyone's yardstick of objectivity. Although, I concede there must be some semblance of logic to back up certain claims.



I think you could argue until the cows come home regarding folks challenging another's impression with a 'never heard it myself' one, but it certainly doesn't mean you're wrong. In fact, it backs up the requirement for a balance of both subjective and objective to land at a sensible conclusion. Certainly it's a useful way to evaluate the equipment in question. Of course people will place more stock in one than the other and I strongly agree that 'some' of these subjective impressions regularly stray into an area that is a bit loose with facts.



I'm not furnished with enough hours to thumb back through various threads but I take your point on the above. Although I'm sure I've contradicted myself many times in the past . . . . I could attribute that to a growth in knowledge but it's more likely an increase in pessimism . . .