Dreadhead

You are right... I used placebo entirely incorrectly here. If Hirsch was around he'd smack me

I don't know all there is to know and I know it. I dont' even know 1/1000th of all there is to know but I like things to backed up with scientific explanations or proof not entirely possible placebo effect.

I entirely accept that the engineers did whatever the hell they did with the audio in the mixing room/software. I'm concerned only with what happens after it's burned to the digital domain in its final form. I can state they use DSP because for one they do volume control within the software. That said I said I think they are using DSP because the damn software on vs off sounds a lot different.

Saying that pro studios use it is not a stamp of technical excellence by any stretch of the imagination. There are well respected studios that put Shatki stones on stuff. As far as programs sounding different my experience is the exact opposite. I've used 3 different pieces of software (WMP, WinAMP and foobar) and to play my music into ASIO then on to my PC and I've never heard any difference when setup to bypass their DSP and volume control (other than foobar seems to have fewer DPC issues because of its lighter footprint). I have never heard anything remotely resembling the difference I heard with Amarra off vs on. If the software is outputting bit perfect audio then it should sound the same. The only thing left is jitter which while possibly audible can't be responsible for the mid-range sounding sweeter or more impact or whatever other thing people say they note between different software.

Happy Birthday Boomy! I hope you have a great one.

Reks for me it's a matter of philosophy, I agree there are lots of things that people can do to make audio subjectively better sounding but for me I want accuracy to the original recording above all else. I rather control the fun stuff that makes it better sounding myself and not pay $400 for it. Also applying the DSP to the signal is not not being bit accurate which is again not kosher with me unless you tell me what you're doing. They could also be dithering the signal as well or adding a noise floor. Hmmm. Really makes me wonder. To bad I don't have any Almarra approved hardware or I'd love to get their digital signal and do a bit compare.

Linuxworks, you're being such a douche that I actually feel bad for agreeing with some of your points earlier. I still agree with some of them but WTF on the MAC tirade. Calm down.

Yeah my guess is that they're applying a phase "correcting" filter in the time domain with a convolution much like Ayre does. I just can't get over the "the correct math is not the best sounding math" (paraphrase) statement they made.

I can't agree more. The whole things stinks of crap to me. For me there was an audible and striking difference when it was on vs when it was off in DOTU's system. I don't know what it does but I know that stuff shouldn't change that much with somethings that is supposedly only making sure the output is bit perfect. They're doing some voodoo, which is why they are obfuscating the situation because if they told you what they were doing someone else could do it too.

His paper is an interesting read too.

My question is what do you do about DPC latency issues that arise when you're moving that much data around.....

I stand corrected I was guessing that USB2.0 was enough but I really was guessing I would never run it at 384 though. I run 24/96 and that's it. If it's good enough for Lavry it's good enough for me.

Other interesting info on the thread Interesting. Must be using USB 2.0 If the price for the gold holds up then they are by far the cheapest way to get up to that sample rate. The thread over there is here:REALLY High End New Dac - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

Yeah Antelope is taking their time releasing it though....

Sucky dude. I hope you get your money back.

I woke up from a dream where me and the management of my project were stuck on a sinking ship and then I realized this perfectly describes the actual situation and now I can't get it out of my head edit: Dusty good luck with the cat integration

deweet. Still love mine. I would recommend you try the DAC out as well but using it just in the digital domain is sweet

Quite a few people have been talking about the Alpha being "the" DAC just the way some others speak about dCS or emm or whatever the hell else. So what's-his-face was stating that he felt it wasn't up there with the dCS, not that I give a particular crap what he thinks. Since when did he call Jeff a shill or even accuse him of it? I just did a search and he put a grand total of 3 posts on this thread none of which I read to call anyone a shill. He expressed his opinion, came back and clarified why he felt that way and that's about it. I'm not acquainted with the guy or if he's a douche that deserves banning or not.

To be fair nate he was talking about the Alpha DAC not the Ayre.

I hate your hat I love my Bel Canto Though I should listen to it more to justify the cost.....

I assume it follows the rules and doesn't output the digital on anything but HDMI right?

^ That amp is cool. I was wondering if anyone had done that. My Ety ER4S could do with a bit more juice...

Nice Dusty!

happy birthday!

Found out that my co-worker has bronchitis and since I've been feeling unwell for a while decided to go and see if I did to and guess what: I do Also: Last two posts to this thread