Dreadhead

I'm a huge DEQ2496 fan so I will not waste your time gushing. The free stuff that is software based works well too but to be honest once you get a calibrated measurement mic for $100 you're set with a pretty damn amazing setup for under $500. As far as audible differences between DACs I am coming to believe that the majority of it is in phase space not amplitude. In the case of the Benchmark DAC1 I think it's somewhere in the IMD that make stuff seem too bright. I can ABx out a DAC1 mastered track pretty easily using the samples from the Mytek Website: MYTEK DIGITAL USA Also in the DAC1 price range I would take the Mytek Stereo96 over the benchmark. I have done single blind between the Mytek, BC DAC3, DEQ2496, and Weiss DAC2 and to be honest I could never nail down any difference. I did not have my switcher when I had the DAC1 but I'm pretty sure I'll still be able to pick it out as long as I have a track with enough distortion. On a well recorded track I'm not so sure.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!

Al: scary stuff. really glad to hear your wife came out unscathed! I am riding more and more these days and I know it's a matter of time before some dick hits me. In general people are really good about bikes/runners around here but once and a while there are dicks (esp buses and commercial vehicles). Reks: I hope you feel better. I had a bit of an "episode" in the heat at Lowes Garden center yesterday so I know the feeling. As far as what I did: Finally fully finished the landscaping yesterday and used the hot tub 3 times over the weekend. Time to fortify our savings again after the landscaping money pit.

Absolutely. If I still looked like I was disagreeing I wasn't.

I haven't tested either myself (I don't own any AP stuff) but the numbers you quote sound excellent and I agree are well in the noise. The measurements I refer too are the measurements of for many of the DACs (eg Bel Canto DAC3) that convert SE to balanced using silicon. That said I can't see how that Jensen transformer is anything but transparent. As I said I was not sure that was a good transformer and apparently it was not

Thanks for posting those Free is good. Free and good is even better......

Considering the measured noise/frequency/phase performance on the discrete (or even active) SE -> balanced designs out there I'll take my chances with silicon. Last time I looked at audio transformers the THD/frequency response didn't look to promising and it still doesn't: http://www.rane.com/pdf/bb44xdat.pdf I don't know if that's a "good quality" transformer but the Rane transformer stuff is very common in the studio as I understand it.

Same here, theoretical dislike really. It's a trasformer, it has both phase and frequency response, usually introduces some noise, and is definitely not entirely passive. Hence not a big fan. Haven't really heard any transformer balanced stuff in detail (heard Dans M3 and liked it, but that was not in detail).

So Nice he said it twice

^ Good for you man Pets rule.

Technically noise rejection as well. Though I'm not a huge fan of transformers in the signal path.

Old 97's - Too Far to Care

No not bad at all. Sort of ridiculous really.

You have to check to make sure. Most XLR to RCA ICs short two of the pins and it is possible if the output stage is not designed for this then output will have issues and possible damage. If you custom make your cable without the pins shorted though I can't see any issues. Actually most pro gear that I've used automatically senses the short and bumps the gain on the in phase signal by 6db which is pretty cool.

^ You are so past the event horizon and well on your way to the black hole that is JH13

Great news Al! I got up went to work out with my PT then I went to work. Which is where I am.

Now that is dedication to a hobby. Makes me wonder how much cool shit I could buy if I didn't have a mortgage to pay..... damn.... oh well I like my house.

This one also looks interesting: iriver E30 shows up in wild: audio quality praised - SlashGear Supports FLAC

I just placed an order on a bunch of stuff that was already in my cart. I hope it showed up.

I missed that... that's great news. Still not buying

Vicky thanks for the comparison. I love my Ety ER-4s but I would love a IEM that I could run straight from my player.....I look forward to hearing these some time but I will not spend that much sight unheard on something that has zero resale value. I wish JH Audio had more info on their website. I'd be interested to know what decisions they made when they tuned the sound of the IEMs etc.

And in a year they will be offering ear replacements that wire the music directly to your brain