I like most of the things you have done in TT3.0, and it makes the system sound better. In my testing, I ran into some issues that may or may not be issues for other folks.
First, fresh reset, install TT3.0-LAN, take all the defaults with two exceptions - only use digital output and I turn the display on. I only use digital output over Coax to the DAC, and we like to see the clock on the display. Also, turning off the display has no detectable effect here. Second, our default DAC is a Wavelength Proton, which just won't work with the Touch, so one of our goals is to get an S/PDIF DAC to sound as close to the Proton as possible. Sometimes, that just isn't very close at all, so we settle for enjoyable, detailed, but laid back sound, or as much of it as we can drag out of a different DAC. So for this testing, the setup is Touch -> AudioQuest VDM-X -> Emotiva XDA-1 (Coax) -> AudioQuest Sidewinders -> NAD T747 7.1 Audio Inputs (bypass) -> Nordost Flatline MK II -> Maggie 1.7s. For testing, we have also ran this through a NAD M2, and a Rega DAC, a Bryston DAC, and a few others. Overall, the sound with the TT3.0 mods installed is much smoother. The soundstage is imaged more precisely, but with reduced depth, and with reduced vertical cues. By that, I mean, it is harder to tell if one instrument or performer is behind or in front of another, and it is more difficult to tell if one or more players are on a raised platform. Of course, that is all dependent upon the recording too, so we used recording very familiar and well known to us for the evals. The comparison was against the same tracks playing from a Macbook running Amarra, and feeding through the Wavelength Proton, with all else the same. The reduced depth in the soundstage does give some music a very flat presentation and puts an avery unflattering emphasis on some recordings. Note that these are not bad recordings, just recordings that depend a lot upon the spatial cues in the system to bring them to life. This seems more of a problem on live recordings than highly engineered recordings. The lack of vertical cues is only noticeable when directly compared to a system that reveals those cues. With high res recordings, the TT3.0 mods seem to cause vocals to recede into the background. In a way this is good, because it means the soundstage depth is restored to a degree. But it is out of balance, and causes vocals to be difficult to distinguish. Oh, and following the tuning tips for the Squeezebox server is not safe if you have hi-res AIFFs in your library. Playing a Hires AIFF can resulting the DAC loosing lock and a utterly unsettling blast of noise through your speakers. That's about it. In general the sound is an improvement over the base system. I expect that it is tuned to Soundchecks preferences for his system, and just has an out of balance presentation on our systems. -Paul -- paul.raulerson ------------------------------------------------------------------------ paul.raulerson's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=50346 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=91322 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
