Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] External DAC on Transporter: best output option
Dave, I'm in Pompey and up for a trip across to Hayling. My ears are probably past their prime, and I don't do much serious listening nowadays, but I'm up for a challenge. I have transporter myself, coupled to some old Linn kit. Send me a PM and we can maybe sort out a time for the test. Cheers Chris lostboy's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=125 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=106519 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] External DAC on Transporter: best output option
Perhaps I'll catch someone in the South of England tonight who's interested in the interaction between a Transporter & a DAC... Dave :) Golden Earring's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=66646 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=106519 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] External DAC on Transporter: best output option
I wondered if anyone has clocked that I hail from Birmingham originally: in fact I'm a native Balsall Heathern! Family decamped to Solihull when I was 4. Richard Hammond went to one of my early schools (after me). So I can't really help being a petrol-head. I got away to University at age 19, and after a protracted spell living & working in London, I finally escaped to the South Coast. Being an only grandchild, I don't have any close relatives (other than my 2 adult daughters). My second cousins went to Wales which is very pretty & green, but only because it rains a lot! Dave :) Golden Earring's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=66646 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=106519 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] External DAC on Transporter: best output option
arnyk wrote: > Solder gun? I hope you are speaking generically, because solder guns are > way too crude for this kind of work. Right now you can get very > workable Chinese clones of Hakko precision thermostatically-controlled > soldering irons for well under $20 in places like eBay. These puppies > are easy to use because they heat fast and hold their temperature. Set > and use them properly and insulation burning and trace lifting are > minimized. > > I found a bunch of these on sale for even far less and bought about 20 > and gave them to my audio friends Christmas before last. Everybody I've > asked reports that they continue to give good service. Mine do, too. Set > them for about 325C and solder in peace. Spare tips in various shapes > are available for under $1 each from the same source. I've realised I'm one 4 pin Neutrik XLR light (hadn't originally contemplated the unbalanced adaptor, which is a no-brainer on reflection), so have decided to watch the snooker today and ordered myself a soldering iron with adjustable tip temperature as per your kind recommendation, at the same time. It's not a race, after all... Dave :) Golden Earring's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=66646 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=106519 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] External DAC on Transporter: best output option
garym wrote: > I had a 95 miata (the maroon special edition that year). Fantastic > little car. After a decade of driving it I sold it to my brother who > still drives it. It gave me all the pleasures of the sports cars I > drove in my youth, without any of the headaches (67 MGB, 71 MG Midget). > But I have to say, I saw a mint, restored 66 MG-B the other day, and I > was drooling! ;-) The MGB (pre- black bumpers!) was a great looking car. The engine was somewhat lacking in power unless fettled. The MGC was of course a death-trap because the 3 litre straight 6 engine was too heavy and unbalanced the car. The variant with the aluminium Rover V-8 had plenty of oomph, but if I remember correctly it didn't arrive until the accursed black bumpers had been fitted... Dave :) Golden Earring's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=66646 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=106519 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] External DAC on Transporter: best output option
I had a 95 miata (the maroon special edition that year). Fantastic little car. After a decade of driving it I sold it to my brother who still drives it. It gave me all the pleasures of the sports cars I drove in my youth, without any of the headaches (67 MGB, 71 MG Midget). But I have to say, I saw a mint, restored 66 MG-B the other day, and I was drooling! ;-) *Home:* VortexBox 4TB (2.3) > LMS 7.9 > Transporter, Touch, Boom, Radio (all ethernet) *Cottage:* VBA 3TB (2.3) > LMS 7.9 > Touch > Benchmark DAC I, Boom, Radio w/Battery (all ethernet except Radio) *Office:* Win8(64) > LMS 7.9 > Squeezelite *Spares:* Transporter, Touch(3), Radio(3), Boom, SB3, CONTROLLER *Controllers:* iPhone6 & iPadAir2 (iPeng & Squeezepad), CONTROLLER, or SqueezePlay 7.8 on Win8(64) laptop *Files:* ripping: dbpoweramp > FLAC; post-rip: mp3tag, PerfectTunes; Streaming: Spotify garym's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=17325 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=106519 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] External DAC on Transporter: best output option
Golden Earring wrote: > It's a 2002 Mazda MX-5 Great car, and also illustrates the difference between subjective and objective preference. I have a Morgan. I would be the first to admit that the MX-5 is objectively better in pretty much every way, and cheaper. > I presume you're expecting it to warm up in a few weeks anyway... "We get what we get..." :) "To try to judge the real from the false will always be hard. In this fast-growing art of 'high fidelity' the quackery will bear a solid gilt edge that will fool many people" - Paul W Klipsch, 1953 Julf's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=42050 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=106519 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] External DAC on Transporter: best output option
Julf wrote: > What car is it? It is pretty variable weather in Amsterdam right now > (8.2°C according to the weather station on my roof) and even colder here > in Helsinki where I am on a business trip. > > I do have to say that I am extremely lucky in having something that is > the ultimate luxury in Amsterdam - a garage. It's a 2002 Mazda MX-5, but it does have a very good heater (for top-down winter jaunts!) and electrically heated seats, so I think I'd survive. I presume you're expecting it to warm up in a few weeks anyway... Dave :) Golden Earring's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=66646 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=106519 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] External DAC on Transporter: best output option
Golden Earring wrote: > Just got my 14.5 year old sports car back on the road this year after a > couple of years off. I'm staving off the rust monster by treating the > underside to a serious burst of Ku-rusting + Hammeriting, but it's > turned a bit chilly in Blighty for my arthritic back today. Apparently > it'll warm up on Friday & next week, so I should finish the work then. A > trip across to Europe would be fun before Brexit turns us into unwelcome > foreigners! > What car is it? It is pretty variable weather in Amsterdam right now (8.2°C according to the weather station on my roof) and even colder here in Helsinki where I am on a business trip. I do have to say that I am extremely lucky in having something that is the ultimate luxury in Amsterdam - a garage. "To try to judge the real from the false will always be hard. In this fast-growing art of 'high fidelity' the quackery will bear a solid gilt edge that will fool many people" - Paul W Klipsch, 1953 Julf's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=42050 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=106519 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] External DAC on Transporter: best output option
arnyk wrote: > Solder gun? I hope you are speaking generically, because solder guns are > way too crude for this kind of work. Right now you can get very > workable Chinese clones of Hakko precision thermostatically-controlled > soldering irons for well under $20 in places like eBay. These puppies > are easy to use because they heat fast and hold their temperature. Set > and use them properly and insulation burning and trace lifting are > minimized. > > I found a bunch of these on sale for even far less and bought about 20 > and gave them to my audio friends Christmas before last. Everybody I've > asked reports that they continue to give good service. Mine do, too. Set > them for about 325C and solder in peace. Spare tips in various shapes > are available for under $1 each from the same source. I'll look out for one of these. I do have a 30W conventional soldering iron as well, but that can struggle to get the gubbins hot enough to feed the solder in. I have some long-nosed pliers which make a good heat sink to stop melting things. I'll take it steady & look for a better tool if what I've got isn't up to snuff. Thanks for the tip. Dave :) Golden Earring's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=66646 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=106519 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] External DAC on Transporter: best output option
While I'm getting up the bottle to re-visit my long neglected soldering skills, I thought I'd chuck a couple of musings in. To be honest I still find the ability of modern electronics to turn a collection of discrete 0's & 1's into a convincing complex analogue musical system to be a technological miracle. I wasn't impressed by the very early CD's, particularly on classical music since the strings sounded harsh compared to my LP12 deck with a Koetsu Rosewood Signature in the end of the Ittok arm. However more recent CD's sound fine, so I think the problem was the recording engineers getting used to the very different challenges of getting good digital recordings rather than the equally difficult but familiar techniques necessary to create good-sounding LP's. I've still got my deck, arm & cartridge and I shall connect it up to the Mytek in due course (it has a built-in MC/MM phono preamp) just for old time's sake. My Koetsu is probably worth a small fortune now! There are of course a considerable number of audiophools who still prefer vinyl: Sir Elton John himself expressed that opinion only a couple of weeks ago. Incidentally, I hope he's convalescing well after his 2 days in intensive care after catching a nasty bacterial bug in South America last week... There are also a significant number of professional photographers who still prefer photographic film (which is of course analogue) to modern digital cameras, depending of course upon the genre of photography they specialise in. In fact many of the greatest photographic images of the 20th century were taken with very basic camera gear. I'm not a good enough photographer to have a worthwhile opinion, but I do know that the photographer's first concern should be where he's standing, closely followed by pointing the camera in the right direction and pressing the shutter at the right moment. I have a couple of DSLR's with 12.3MP sensors which are quite sufficient for A3 prints IF you frame the picture correctly in the first place. It seems to me that more recent cameras with massive sensors (aside from landscape photography where resolution does matter) only benefit people who frame their shots incorrectly and then have to crop their image drastically to retrieve a passable image. You'll never get a great picture this way though, because you'll have baffled the autofocus and the exposure settings... Returning to audio now, you can undoubtedly enhance your listening experience by closing your eyes, or better still turning the lights out. I need a flashlight to hand in the latter instance because I have a black cat who doesn't understand that I can't see in the dark like she can! My point is that human brains are very complex organs (analogue again!) and have the ability to tune in to a given sense, especially in the absence of other distractions. I don't think that we know everything that there is to find out about the process of listening to music. Just a couple of pennyworth! Dave :) Golden Earring's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=66646 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=106519 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] External DAC on Transporter: best output option
Golden Earring wrote: > Now I'm getting really tempted! > > Now where's my "third hand" & my solder gun? :D > > Solder gun? I hope you are speaking generically, because solder guns are way too crude for this kind of work. Right now you can get very workable Chinese clones of Hakko precision thermostatically-controlled soldering irons for well under $20 in places like eBay. These puppies are easy to use because they heat fast and hold their temperature. Set and use them properly and insulation burning and trace lifting are minimized. I found a bunch of these on sale for even far less and bought about 20 and gave them to my audio friends Christmas before last. Everybody I've asked reports that they continue to give good service. Mine do, too. Set them for about 325C and solder in peace. Spare tips in various shapes are available for under $1 each from the same source. arnyk's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=64365 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=106519 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] External DAC on Transporter: best output option
Julf wrote: > Cafes or coffee shops? :) > > There are some great jazz cafes - and great venues such as Paradiso (an > old church, and way too small for major acts, but they still do it > because... well.. it is Paradiso), Carre (an old circus), and for > classical, there is Concertgebouw. All within easy walking distance. Now I'm getting really tempted! Just got my 14.5 year old sports car back on the road this year after a couple of years off. I'm staving off the rust monster by treating the underside to a serious burst of Ku-rusting + Hammeriting, but it's turned a bit chilly in Blighty for my arthritic back today. Apparently it'll warm up on Friday & next week, so I should finish the work then. A trip across to Europe would be fun before Brexit turns us into unwelcome foreigners! I'll have to content myself this week making up some leads for my Sennheiser HD800S cans. They give you both an unbalanced cable with a TRS jack plug and a balanced one with a 4 pin XLR connector. Unfortunately at 3 metres they're too short to reach my sofa. However, I have discovered by pestering Sennheiser's technical support that the actual cables are both 4 core + overall screen. They've simply made the common ground for the unbalanced cable by connecting 2 wires (& the screen) to the sleeve on the jack plug. So I can chop the unbalanced lead that I don't need up, & add some Neutrik XLR & jack plugs to make a balanced extension lead, a short unbalanced adaptor & a another short but weird adaptor that converts the output of two out-of-phase jack sockets on the DAC (which has a built-in 6W balanced headphone amp) into the standard 4 pin XLR balanced connector. This should keep me off the streets today! By the way, these headphones knock the socks off my system in every aspect except the extreme bass which rolls off in common with all other open designs. It is very well controlled though so it's a fair trade-off for the excellent sound at all other frequencies. Sennheiser charge £250 for spare leads, & Mytek $160 for their own adaptor, so this bit of DIY will save me £££'s. Now where's my "third hand" & my solder gun? :D Must concentrate to get all the connections right: but it should look the part when I've finished because all the cabling will be the same. Dave :) Golden Earring's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=66646 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=106519 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] External DAC on Transporter: best output option
Golden Earring wrote: > I've always harboured a secret desire to visit Amsterdam. I've been told > that the music in the cafes sounds amazing... Cafes or coffee shops? :) There are some great jazz cafes - and great venues such as Paradiso (an old church, and way too small for major acts, but they still do it because... well.. it is Paradiso), Carre (an old circus), and for classical, there is Concertgebouw. All within easy walking distance. "To try to judge the real from the false will always be hard. In this fast-growing art of 'high fidelity' the quackery will bear a solid gilt edge that will fool many people" - Paul W Klipsch, 1953 Julf's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=42050 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=106519 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] External DAC on Transporter: best output option
I've always harboured a secret desire to visit Amsterdam. I've been told that the music in the cafes sounds amazing... :cool: Dave :) Golden Earring's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=66646 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=106519 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] External DAC on Transporter: best output option
Julf wrote: > Sounds good (apart from the uncalled-for "unlike my detractors"). Happy > to help as much as I can. but physically travelling from Amsterdam is a > bridge a bit too far... Perhaps that was uncalled for, my apologies. I just seemed rather busy last night replying to so many posts at once. Totally chilled this morning, and still enjoying the music. If I can get anyone to co-operate, I shall post the full methodology and the exact results obtained for everyone's edification - even if I get egg on my face! Dave :) Golden Earring's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=66646 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=106519 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] External DAC on Transporter: best output option
Golden Earring wrote: > I have all the necessary equipment (2 identical unused Transporter SE's > recently acquired from the same eBay seller in San Jose, CA, a DAC with > the capability to achieve exact signal level matching, an amplifier with > two sets of balanced XLR inputs and two sets of identical analogue XLR > balanced interconnects) to conduct a genuine double-blind listening test > designed to refute my proposition that using my DAC with one Transporter > slaved to its word clock output results in an audibly superior result to > using the other Transporter's internal DAC and its balanced analogue XLR > outputs, and unlike my detractors, I am quite open to being proved to be > wrong. Sounds good (apart from the uncalled-for "unlike my detractors"). Happy to help as much as I can. but physically travelling from Amsterdam is a bridge a bit too far... "To try to judge the real from the false will always be hard. In this fast-growing art of 'high fidelity' the quackery will bear a solid gilt edge that will fool many people" - Paul W Klipsch, 1953 Julf's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=42050 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=106519 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] External DAC on Transporter: best output option
Fizbin wrote: > No. Never in the history of the internet has anyone replied with a > sentence like... "You know what? You're absolutely right. What was I > thinking?" I have all the necessary equipment (2 identical unused Transporter SE's recently acquired from the same eBay seller in San Jose, CA, a DAC with the capability to achieve exact signal level matching, an amplifier with two sets of balanced XLR inputs and two sets of identical analogue XLR balanced interconnects) to conduct a genuine double-blind listening test designed to refute my proposition that using my DAC with one Transporter slaved to its word clock output results in an audibly superior result to using the other Transporter's internal DAC and its balanced analogue XLR outputs, and unlike my detractors, I am quite open to being proved to be wrong. Is there anyone interested enough and close enough to Hayling Island (we do have a bridge!), which is just east of Portsmouth to undertake the experiment? I will throw in tea & biscuits without charge to any takers. This seems to be the most productive means of establishing whether my listening experience is the result of self-delusion or not. Of course, should the experiment actually support my proposition, the question of what would make the difference would remain open, and would give us something interesting to ponder on this tangled thread... Otherwise, I shall take the inevitable "you hear what you want to hear" refutation squarely on the nose, and stand corrected. This is my concept of open-mindedness. I have an eclectic selection of 6500 lossless albums on my Synology NAS, so we can use a suitable variety of source material for the investigation - or you can bring some of your own that you are particularly familiar with. I sincerely hope someone will find the time to do this without dismissing the experiment out of hand as "unlikely" to be of value: at the very least you could have the personal satisfaction of proving me wrong! I await any positive response with pleasure. Dave :) Golden Earring's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=66646 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=106519 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
