My thought on this whole thing is that it proves one important fact. Technology is advancing so rapidly that the divide between audiophiles and audio enthusiasts is diverging more than ever. If we have to figure out whether a guy sitting in front of the cabinet or if the levels are exactly matched to the nth degree to determine which product is just slightly better, then the answer is clear. There just isn't enough difference between good gear and fantastic gear these days. And apparently good gear can start at $300. I had my dealer A/B the Transporter vs. a Linn Unidisk at my house with my new 2 channel Linn Artikulat system. If there was an obvious difference, I think I should have noticed it since the system is more than capable of demonstrating flaws. I didn't. He said the transporter sounded amazing - and it was not in his best interest to admit that, obviously. I've also A/B the TP DAC balanced out into my Bryston DP-26 vs. using the DAC in the DP-26 and honestly, they sound only a hair different, but I can't even tell you which one is better. Certainly I wouldn't pay good money for that difference.
So, yes I could have eliminated all the possible reasons that it wasn't obvious, but then I'd have to take a step back and ask why do I need to go to such great lengths when I will never actually experience a difference day to day? I do sit and listen as a hobby and I do often listen analytically unfortunately (instead of just listening to the music). But I still don't think the differences are earth shattering. Only the dedicated audiophile would let it bother them enough to go through all that and certainly to pay the difference. Obviously if you are loaded, you'd probably just buy the best sounding gear you can regardless of price, but that is a special case. The others just have a special bug for audio perfection that most of society doesn't. I'm more and more inclined to believe placement/room are your biggest bangs for the buck. Of course I say that having my room as my biggest deficiency... -- thomsens ------------------------------------------------------------------------ thomsens's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=1352 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=35068 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
