Pale Rider

Just when the Megatron was about to go up for sale. It's winter here anyway; not as cold as Iceland, but the extra heat in the library is nice.

That site is a bit slow. Based on a recommendation from a friend, I have three of his power supplies that I use for powering some fiber media converters. I ordered them directly from his site. They were shipped promptly and safely. The power supplies seem well made and solid.

I have had recent excellent experience with the Tortuga passive LDR preamps driving my Merrill monoblocks. http://www.tortugaaudio.com/

I did. I placed an order for a LDRxB. Will permit me to set up more than one DAC into the speaker system, and (I think) to take the direct stereo out of the Oppo for playing those discs that have proved difficult to rip. I like the company, their DIY support (good attitude), their 10% new-newsletter-subscribercustomer discount, and the reviews are encouraging. Been looking for a way to add a little flexibility to the system, without an active pre, and without breaking the bank on some of the commercial passives. Thanks @Craig Sawyers for the link.

I know this is an earlier post, but I have realized I could use a passive pre. I like the thinking of the Tortuga LDR, and its price range beats heck out of most of the commercial autoformer/transformer options. corresponded with John Chapman, but some of the supplies necessary to build a balanced version of AVC-1 are no longer available, and the OEMs he supplies are clearly exploring what the market will bear. Has anyone here used a Tortuga? They have a 30-day policy which seems very fair.

Interesting contrast. Although I have "listened" to the K1000 a couple of times for a few minutes, I am not familiar enough with its sound to make that assessment.

Sarcasm noted. But why should I have to do that, just for the inconvenience of managing multiple libraries? I own a fair bit of material in DSD. Forgive me for wanting the choice to listen to it that way on the go. For $3k, I don't think it's too much to want to have a rig that can play my files without requiring me to manage multiple libraries. I own a fair bit of DSD material, some of it original, and I don't actually want to down sample it. If I want to support DSD releases, regardless of whether others might think we humans cannot hear the difference, I am pretty sure that's my choice. My guess is that a DSD-capable version of this or a competitive unit will be available before long.

This may be a "mileage variance" item. I can't I can't speak to any of the phones you mention except the Senn, so I am not going to disagree with the assessment of the others. I for one could not tolerate the 650, but I found the 800 head and shoulders better. Admittedly for me, that was not an upgrade choice but a first buy choice. And it wasn't just a "flavor" difference for me; detail and soundstage were markedly better. Now at the time, I was using significantly different amplification equipment, so who knows what difference that played. . At the risk of belaboring what I wrote, while I am not optimistic, I am hopeful that the 4 year interim since buying my 2, I will get more than just a "flavor" change when the 4 comes out. And if I don't, well, I am not stuck.

I certainly wasn't suggesting I expected or hoped Audez'e would change their pricing strategy. In point, I was simply expressing my non-optimistic hope that they might deliver a significant performance improvement. I did not perceive any of the models that came after my LCD-2 (a headphone I thoroughly enjoy on the Taboo) as worth the replacement cost. But 4 years later, I am willing to give the 4 a try. I am not complaining about price, and I am not suggesting that Audez'e will have "changed behavior." Just hoping for an incremental performance improvement that I will find worth the price. If not, I can return them. Seems pretty fair overall to me.

Plus DSD. I get what Shure is doing, just seems to me limiting when you look at what other DAP/DAC combos can do.

DAC is limited to 96kHz material. Not a fatal flaw, but a frustrating one.

+1

Was about to post the same question but you beat me to it. Anyone know anything about these? Saw this at the other site: Head-Fi Review

Yeah, no kidding. I am hopeful, but not optimistic.

Well, yes, and i am not getting rid of my 2, and I have a 4 on order to try it out.

Yes indeed. One track after another.

I've been pretty pleased with the Lumin ever since I got it. I've had it for about 2.5 years, and at the time I got it, it was a step up in smoothness, dynamics, and detail over the PS Audio PerfectWave DAC I had at the time. It was also a much more robust network player, and its software controller was more reliable than most of the UPnP player-controllers. Lumin has also consistently provided software and firmware updates for its player. When i upgraded my PWD to a DirectStream, I moved the Lumin over to become the player for my primary headphone rig. It will be interesting to see how the NADAC compares to it. With respect to the headphones, swapping the KGSSHV Carbon/SR-009 in for the Decware Taboo3/LCD-2 was night and day.

You will love the KGSSHV Carbon. I know I love mine. it arrived today, courtesy of excellent Birgir service, and while i have only been able to play it with my new SR-009 for a few hours, it sounds wonderful. One of the things i played today is the DSD Getz/Gilberto, and it is sweet.

I have a pair of these in black that I just received, that I plan to use for travel. Normally, I don't care for closed cans, but my JH13 IEMs are no longer comfortable, and I am less interested in getting new customs every couple of years as my ears change. I am not used to the "closed" sound, so I feel a bit like I am listening in a tunnel, and they are a touch boomy for my tastes, but they are reasonably comfortable, and the mids are pretty nice. Looking forward to using these with the QP1R.