CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS

  • December 31, 2015, 09:43:30 AM
  • Welcome, Guest
Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: 1 ... 5 6 7 8 9 [10]

Author Topic: Anax at InnerFidelity  (Read 7940 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

ericfarrell85

  • Able Bodied Sailor
  • Powder Monkey
  • ***
  • Brownie Points: +14/-2
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 88
Re: Anax at InnerFidelity
« Reply #90 on: September 23, 2015, 09:28:31 PM »

Anax,

When you were over at Tyll's place did you notice anything about the 20k streamer? Seriously though, with that front end why wasn't everyone singing their praises? I expected at least several "this is the greatest sound ever" comments, but instead what we got were a bunch of tempered responses. I think Han even said there was nothing there to pull him away from an HD650, lol. Were the setups there demonstrably superior to what you have in your own home? Otherwise that streamer is a joke if it cannot exceed what you get from a 20 year old Denon CDP (magical though it may be).
Logged

Hands

  • Pizza the Hutt
  • Mate
  • Pirate
  • ****
  • Brownie Points: +331/-8
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1591
  • Master of Revelatory Bird Calls and Fine Art
Re: Anax at InnerFidelity
« Reply #91 on: September 24, 2015, 03:24:42 AM »

We didn't really have the time or equipment to worry about source, cable, or power conditioning stuff...it was there and it played music. I'd have to bring it home and compare for days to comment on it.
Logged
The other master and I invite you to visit our digital museum of fine art and revelatory bird calls: https://www.facebook.com/SchrodsonkMuseum

Anaxilus

  • Phallus Belligerantus Analmorticus
  • Pirate
  • **
  • Brownie Points: +65535/-65535
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3493
  • TRS jacks must die
    • The Claw
Re: Anax at InnerFidelity
« Reply #92 on: September 24, 2015, 03:30:37 AM »

Anax,

When you were over at Tyll's place did you notice anything about the 20k streamer? Seriously though, with that front end why wasn't everyone singing their praises? I expected at least several "this is the greatest sound ever" comments, but instead what we got were a bunch of tempered responses. I think Han even said there was nothing there to pull him away from an HD650, lol. Were the setups there demonstrably superior to what you have in your own home? Otherwise that streamer is a joke if it cannot exceed what you get from a 20 year old Denon CDP (magical though it may be).

Ah, that's a great question. I was beginning to wonder if anyone was going to pick up on that. Obviously I had touched on it a bit over at InnerFidelity's comments section when some people started making spurious assumptions that I basically got to A/B or DBT what was exactly the same as my home audio rig. I actually had to specify some of the differences even though my own profile is public and Tyll actually mentions the gear used on the bottom of every article. Here are the differences:

My home rig: PC (Jriver), turntable, or vintage CD Transport>Yggy>custom 2A3x4 parallel tube amp>HD800 (modded).

DAC test rig: PS Audio P10 regenerator+Synology NAS>Aurender W20>ATI DMM AES digital 'reshaper' junction box>Test DACs>Schiit Ragnarok+miles of thick blue Cardas Clear cables>HD800 (modded).

My first impression hearing everything I had heard before was that pretty much most of the gear seemed a bit warmer or thicker and a little less incisive than what I had remembered hearing at various meets in the past. I think I mentioned that to Tyler/Hands right away and he can confirm whether that's true or not. So right away I knew I was going to have to adapt a bit and sort of reconfigure my sights and maybe even listening protocols.

As for determining what, if anything, might have been the culprit(s) there simply wasn't time or was it part of the agenda. My personal chain is relatively simplistic and even within that I've tested and AB'd just about every major part down to the tubes, caps, potentiometers, drivers, firmware, and buffer settings over months. So there's no way I can give you a definitive answer about the streamer in particular.

I'll say this fwiw. I deliberately chose the Ragnarok to DBT the DACs withh since to me it was the clearest and most resolving amp there, and I still stand by that claim with respect to most if not all the SS headphone amps I've hard to date. However, it is not perfect as the soundstage isn't very wide or layered which presents a very flat and 2D soundspace. Plus the bass could use a big more impact with the HD800. The Rag also has a very slight upper mid/lower treble accentuation that can make certain metallic instruments sound a bit more etched (or 'solid state' sounding) even with the Yggy.

One thing to note, I believe the listeners prior to our arrival may have heard the Rag from the Yggy via the SE outputs. I had mentioned to Tyll those outputs were being summed so we switched to XLR using the Rag for the tests. While notably different, it wasn't as big a downgrade as using SE output from a circlotron amp like the Rag or Gungir. Still, that might help account for some differences in impressions.

Bottom line, as good as the Rag and all the other amps were, I don't think they were a match for my own reference amp in terms of transparency, resolution, imaging, etc. I had hoped maybe the new EC ZDS might be able to make it to Tyll's in time as I think that probably w ould have been the best amp there for my tastes and preferences. So in that respect, it's simply too difficult to say anything about the other parts in the chain I was unfamiliar with.

I can say that I believe my limited meet experiences tell me the Aurender is better than the Aries which romaz seems to have confirmed independently in another thread. That said, the Aries was not something I ever considered remotely capable of replacing what I was already using.
« Last Edit: September 24, 2015, 04:05:50 AM by Anaxilus »
Logged
"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading." - Lao Tzu

"The Claw is our master. The Claw chooses who will go or who will stay." - The LGM Community

"You're like a dull knife, just ain't cuttin'. Talking loud, saying nothing." - James Brown

Anaxilus

  • Phallus Belligerantus Analmorticus
  • Pirate
  • **
  • Brownie Points: +65535/-65535
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3493
  • TRS jacks must die
    • The Claw
Re: Anax at InnerFidelity
« Reply #93 on: September 24, 2015, 04:01:48 AM »

I think someone asked about the clock for the Antelope. It certainly helped the Zodiac Platinum become more focused and tighter. Compared to the Yggy, The Zodiac without the clock was notably less incisive with its imaging and control of harmonics. Tyler called is sounding more strained when music got too busy. However, with the clock added, the Zodiac sounded much better focused and articulate coming closer to the Yggy but not quite there. So the clock works to improve the Zodiac for sure, but I wouldn't say changes the game. I'd have to see what it could do with other DACs.

To help illustrate, this is the track I used for the DAC DBT. While it's a track I have, it's not something I actually ever use myself as I'm sure OJNeg, LFF or Marv can tell you they've never heard me AB gear with this song before. I decided to use it because I felt it was the best option for the protocol and gear we were using at the time. By this point, the test just needed to get done, too much still to do. It's actually a somewhat compressed track (but not too bad) from the Miami Vice soundtrack. I was listening around 90dB to 20-28 second loops from the intro for specific things while cycling through the input relays on the Rag from 1-5 even though there were only two inputs. So after #2 I'd cycle through the next three to get back to #1.

Some key notes were how well the piano harmonics were cleanly delineated (whether they actually stopped and allowed air into the musical scene or blended with the other instruments), how accurate the timbre was on the drums (was it organic or kind of hard and crunchy sounding), were the drum brushes too metallic and etched sounding, and the clarity and tone of the guitar twang at 28 seconds.



So in the end, even with the added $10K clock, the Yggy still sounded just a bit cleaner and clearer.
« Last Edit: September 24, 2015, 04:59:14 AM by Anaxilus »
Logged
"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading." - Lao Tzu

"The Claw is our master. The Claw chooses who will go or who will stay." - The LGM Community

"You're like a dull knife, just ain't cuttin'. Talking loud, saying nothing." - James Brown

OJneg

  • Audio Ayatollah / Wow and Fluster
  • Mate
  • Pirate
  • ****
  • Brownie Points: +120/-3
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1245
Re: Anax at InnerFidelity
« Reply #94 on: September 24, 2015, 04:34:30 PM »

this is the track I used for the DAC DBT

Yuck really?
Logged

Hands

  • Pizza the Hutt
  • Mate
  • Pirate
  • ****
  • Brownie Points: +331/-8
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1591
  • Master of Revelatory Bird Calls and Fine Art
Re: Anax at InnerFidelity
« Reply #95 on: September 24, 2015, 04:53:52 PM »

My first impression hearing everything I had heard before was that pretty much most of the gear seemed a bit warmer or thicker and a little less incisive than what I had remembered hearing at various meets in the past. I think I mentioned that to Tyler/Hands right away and he can confirm whether that's true or not. So right away I knew I was going to have to adapt a bit and sort of reconfigure my sights and maybe even listening protocols.

Those points came up in some form or fashion over the weekend, yes. You definitely talked a lot about having to adapt to the setup and tracks. I recall you more wondering what the whole setup might have been doing rather than mentioning anything specifically about it being warmer or less incisive than you'd heard before. There was a lot going on, though, so I may have misheard or misremembered. I do know you definitely weren't crazy about most of the HD800 cables Tyll had on hand. ;)

I actually thought the Zodiac sounded more tonally similar to the Yggy without the clocks. With the clocks in place, it sounded less strained and more relaxed while simultaneously sounding more precise and clear overall. Bigger stage than without clocks. A bit thicker too, but not in a more-slam sort of way. I thought they were easier to tell apart with the clock in place than without. Yggy sounded more like the more forward DAC to me with the Zodiac clocks in place, where as they were more similarly forward without clocks (though this forward nature didn't work as well on the Zodiac...see my "strained" comment). Something like that...

So, even if they sounded exactly the same, why would I pay the price for the Zodiac when I could get the Yggy for much less? DSD capability sure as hell ain't worth it either.
Logged
The other master and I invite you to visit our digital museum of fine art and revelatory bird calls: https://www.facebook.com/SchrodsonkMuseum

Anaxilus

  • Phallus Belligerantus Analmorticus
  • Pirate
  • **
  • Brownie Points: +65535/-65535
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3493
  • TRS jacks must die
    • The Claw
Re: Anax at InnerFidelity
« Reply #96 on: September 24, 2015, 05:38:34 PM »

Yuck really?

Based on 'studies' the proper length for a loop is 10-20 seconds with anything more leading to fatigue or confusion based on the conversation I had with Tyll. I wanted to try to stay within the parameters of the test as setup for everyone. Which is why i should have probably stopped at pass #8. :P
Logged
"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading." - Lao Tzu

"The Claw is our master. The Claw chooses who will go or who will stay." - The LGM Community

"You're like a dull knife, just ain't cuttin'. Talking loud, saying nothing." - James Brown
Pages: 1 ... 5 6 7 8 9 [10]