K3cT

Oh yes, I think I know what you're talking about. I've listened to a virgin bass-light NAD RP18 and it's probably underdamped. Rounded edges and loose bass were the key symptoms and also a very "light" sound. I still love the sound in its stock-form though and I wouldn't bother damping it. Basing on that, the LCD2 should be slightly to overdamped side so I agree with you there. The HE6 is the other way round.

What's the sonic difference between these two damping conditions?

Don't think so. It's the initial recording that actually truly matters and there is jackshit that you could do about it once they are in CD form.

Are there any plans for adding an USB input, Wes? And as a DAC designer, do you have an opinion regarding the FOTM Sabre ESS9018? Any plans of using it in your DACs?

Yeah, I can confirm that Asr's issue is not an isolated case. I can't edit my profile either.

Ah, I see. I think the LCD2 would make a very fine pairing with the β22 so go for eet.

I was under the impression that you own one, swt61.

I kinda stopped following the threads on the Symphones in HF. How long is the average waiting time for this nowadays?

Interesting! But I cannot find any information regarding the USB input in its white paper. Is it limited to 16/48?

If only the Halide is $150 cheaper... it seems like a very elegant solution to this jitter-y shenanigans.

The older Grace M902 is pretty bad-ass but its amplifier section is definitely miles better than the DAC so depending on your intended use, this could be an issue.

Do want. A more neutral and a more intimate O2 sounds orgasmic.

It's Amperex but I didn't ask the owner specifically what model it is but it's the one that comes with the Glass Jar kit. Yeah, I mentioned to him that changing the tubes should be a top priority to improve its sound.

The LCD2 sounds amazing with the β22 that's for sure. It didn't seem to do as well with the EHHA for some reason.

Interesting! If these tips can fix the comfort issue then I could seriously consider getting the Ety for portable use. Love the clarity on those things. Just a side question for you Ety ER4P/S users: do you guys use it amped or unamped?

I'm actually a bit conflicted with ER4P/S. I love its sound but only when used with the double/triple flange tips but goddamn, they are a pain in the ass to wear in that configuration. If price, sound and ergonomics are all considered then I will go for the Triple.fi 10 Pro. It's really hard to beat it in the $150-class range.

Merry Christmas everyone! Time to get drunk.

In Foobar, go to Preferences > Advanced > Playback then set "Full file buffering up to (kB)" to any large number. See the picture I've attached. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4131[/ATTACH]

Speaking on this issue, do you guys with laptops without optical output use USB or one of those fancy USB-to-S/PDIF converters? Converters especially have become so varied and loaded with different technologies that choosing one may not look as simple as it seems!

I have no idea about SSD being an improvement sonically but I do set my Foobar to cache everything into the RAM for playback which seem to be the same thing theoretically.

That's good to hear. Do you like it now? I thought the HE6 has an amazing treble but that's about it.

I wonder if there is something in your signal chain that causes sibilance with the HE6. It's definitely not sibilant out of a β22 and HD800 is considerably more tipped in the treble region.

I actually really like the SR71A so I hope this B version will at least sound similar but balanced-only for a freaking portable, really come on now?

With platinum driver?

Can you enlighten us more with your statement regarding the relation between global negative feedback and the ESS9018? And IIRC, the Legato I/V module that TP offers is a similar non-negative feedback that Audio-gd has a hard-on with right? The bill for LCD2 couldn't have come at a better time. Perhaps but with so many factors involved such as the analog stage and power supply, it's hard to say really but I do believe that the choice of DAC will influence how your final product will sound in one way or another. And as luvdunhill had remarked, I do think that the WM8741 is a very competent chip. The PerfectWave is much loved around here and it uses that. The Pico DAC does too if I remember right.