n_maher

Mastodon - Crack the Skye

Amazon keeps trying to make me pay for those MP3s...

The seller seems like a good guy and it appears as if I'll only be out return shipping shortly (which I volunteered to cover). Now as a wonderful aside I spoke with Noble electronics yesterday about the EAD DAC that I bought and they confirmed that it is not working correctly adn should be sent in for repairs. Perhaps it's time I get the TT out of the closet?

Unfortunately not. I took the cover off last night and everything looks to be ok but the CD simply refuses to cue/spin up. I had the meter on the motor as I pressed play and there is no voltage being applied so something is definitely pissed. There is almost no point in fixing it. Just to get someone to sneeze on it would cost more than 1/3 of what it cost not to mention shipping it back and forth to the repair place or any parts (if available) that might be required. Here's to hoping the seller honors his statement that he'll give me a refund if I return it. If so I'm swearing off sources for a while.

I don't know, but there are not words in any language to describe how pissed I am right now. I even unpacked it earlier to make sure it powered up and the drawer opened before lugging the fucking 23lb beast home. I should have known better than to tempt fate. My luck with digital equipment is spectacularly bad.

Today I took receipt of a broken EAD T-1000 CD Transport. For the second time. Fuck.

Precisely why I left it instead of deleting it. Stupid is as stupid does.

MOTMOTMOTMOTMOT

Hmmm, I was under the impression the USB port was to allow for use with external HD's, maybe it can serve as an output too? I've certainly done less research than you though.

Not sure how you'd use it with the Touch regardless of whether you're talking Logitech or Apple Touch since it is USB input only.

Whatever you say Pliny the Shill.

EAD T-1000 Transport (again) Pics later.

If the ECD-1 is a mid-fi DAC but a big upgrade from the DAC1 what does that make the DAC-1? I'm not trying to nit pick you to death but to me mid-fi is an odd term and perhaps hard to quantify given how wide a range we might be expecting it to cover with the examples you're using. And if the high-end doesn't even start with something like the Alpha then where does it? NOT THE THUMBS!

I think we should just have a little vintage DAC table in NYC, no?

No real concrete opinion no, but the resistors could be being used to help the amp see a load that it is comfortable driving. Someone much smarter than me is required here.

I was just curious, not passing judgment. May be a crackerjack of a little K1k amp, who knows?

Are you planning to drive them with the TA-10?

I'm hardly one to talk, I'll have a post in the what you bought thread later today.

We need an updated list. WTF don't you own at this point? I could have sworn you already had a Parasound...

Exactly, I have no context for the opinion that he's offering. Only that he made a seemingly offhand comment that pretty much dismissed the Alpha DAC. Or at least that's the way that I read it. So now I'm trying to figure out where he was coming from and yes, so far he's struck me as a douche so I'm not exactly coddling him while doing it. Maybe he considers his ECD-1 to be "just another mid-fi DAC" but heck if I know what his definition of mid-fi is.

I think my comments are relevant regardless. He's comparing a ~3k stetup to a 30k setup in a system that he's largely unfamiliar with and claiming that not only is the $30k setup superior (color me unsurprised) but that the Alpha DAC is just another mid-fi piece of equipment. I'd like to know how exactly he reached that conclusion since I don't think Jeff is exactly a shilling moron here to sell us on the Alpha and may have heard some ok rigs in his time.

Provided that one selects a step-down transformer capable of providing adequate current I see no reason that it would be at all audible unless the component it's feeding would provide crappy power to the amp regardless of what it's fed. When you think about it every component uses either a step down or step up trafo in generating B+.

Ok, now explain to me what makes the Ayre just another mid-fi DAC? You were comparing it to what, a $30k digital front end? Did you compare the Ayre to anything remotely close in price or are you just talking out of your ass and trying to use hyperbole to impress us?

Something does not compute. You paid $5, what is there to wonder about? It's almost guaranteed to be a throw-away item, if you're lucky it's half-decent.

Please elaborate on your extensive experience with both, lest I be tempted to whack you with a for being a giant .