Reference DACs – an overall perspective

This is an ‘old’ thread but it still contains observations relevant to 2020 There has been many threads the last few months regarding the sonic signature of some of the highest regarded reference DACS (Dcs,Meitner,Ensemble,Audio Note,Zanden,Reimyo,Accustic Arts) here on the GON. I have been very fortunate to audtion many of these wonderful pieces in my […]

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Did music evolve in the same way and for the same reason?

Paul McGowan writes:  There’s increasing evidence that rhymes, poems, meter and cadence in stories were created not because they are beautiful but because they helped us keep the words straight before the advent of written language.  It is how our civilization kept important lessons, histories, messages and stories intact without writing anything down. Imagine any […]

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Video explains how audio fidelity is assessed and measured.

Ethan Winer writes: I just completed a video version of my workshop “Lies, Damn Lies, and Audio Gear Specs” from the October 2013 AES show in New York City. This video explains how the fidelity of audio equipment is assessed and measured, and is an offshoot of my book The Audio Expert. https://www.linkedin.com/groups/New-video-explains-how-audio-78816.S.5819158464273874947?view=&item=5819158464273874947&type=member&gid=78816&trk=eml-b2_anet_digest-null-2-null&fromEmail=fromEmail&ut=1bL6gGbiv-u6g1

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…… but not all products lend themselves to online sales.

Paul McGowan writes: My son Scott bought a really cool watch online for his girlfriend’s birthday.  He took it to a watch repair shop to have the band adjusted and got scolded for buying online. “Shame on you”.  This admonishment despite the fact the watch repair shop didn’t carry the brand bought and had no […]

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Does the very best hi-fi get ignored? Discuss.

Lets examine what hi fi is supposed to be about i.e. the most life like reproduction possible with nothing added and nothing taken away from the original. How many items of hi fi equipment I wonder are passed by for doing exactly that??! If equipment has an unnaturally warm sound, or slightly excess bass giving […]

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200 hour review nonsense

Just read (scanned) the Australian review of the new Rega dac in the trade + reviews section. The chap makes mention of things improving significantly after 200 hours playing time. Now, this is something that gets bandied a LOT in reviews and it’s generally around the 200 hour mark that is the norm for apparent […]

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What happens in a vacuum?

Paul McGowan writes: Vacuums suck (sorry, just couldn’t resist the joke)…but it’s not too far from wrong. It’s really the problem behind the classic AB test method: replace one piece of gear with another to form a value judgment. We all do it, but is it as definitive as we might hope? The answer has a […]

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PS AUDIO: Dedicated lines

Paul McGowan: With all the great power products on the market today it’s easy to forget that we still benefit from the basics – like dedicated power lines. A dedicated power line is simply a separate power circuit and wire dedicated specifically to your audio system.  The key point is that nothing else is on […]

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Jittered?

Paul McGowan writes: Probably time to cut back on the coffee. But if your jitter problems relate to your digital audio system then there’s hope. Jitter is all about timing. Digital audio depends heavily on an accurate clock. That clock meters out precise intervals, like a musical metronome, and the quality of your music depends […]

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Is Audio a true addiction?

The thread starts:  Reading articles about addictions and the diagnostic criteria for defining what an addiction is, I am struck by how many points of a diagnostic chart can be used to evaluate our behavior regarding audio matters. For sure, my long attendance of Naim world and forum has suggested a state of addiction in […]

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The TONTO synthesizer

“TONTO is an acronym for “The Original New Timbral Orchestra,” the first, and still the largest, multitimbral polyphonic analog synthesizer in the world, designed and constructed over several years by Malcolm Cecil. TONTO started as a Moog modular synthesizer Series III owned by record producer Robert Margouleff. Later a second Moog III was added, then […]

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