Back to Bill Evans Trio and WfD...

Just received my copy of the CD - original 1987 remastering by Joe Tarantino (althought the CD cover itself does say ©1987 and ©1992). Listening on my work PC (with HQPlayer & Juli@ card feeding pair of Stax headphones) this version really sounds like it's from the same master as the 24/192 version I have from HDTracks. The stereo left/right pan sounds identical, as too does the audience noise in the background. BUT, the CD version sounds a LOT brighter... more digital!

Attached are the two respective Audacity spectrograms.

Mani.

earflappin, nice to have you back!

I can see how my first post in the thread http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=1549.0 might be interpreted as the NOS1 sounding 'sterile'. However, I was then using KS Adaptive. It became quite clear that the NOS1 sounded more 'organic' (and better) with KS Special.

Of course, everything in the aforementioned thread relates to the 'original' NOS1. As soon as I get hold of a 24/768 async USB NOS1 (not sure how long this will take), I'll let you know what I think...

Mani.

Yeah, my Victorian ghosts told me they like travelling to more Northern climbs when the weather gets too hot here (not very often, of course). But I'm glad it's all sorted out now as they were getting fed up of all my accusations of what they did to my NOS1s when I was away.

Anyway, really nice story Peter. And as I've said in a PM, there's absolutely no rush on my part - I'm actually quite enjoying listening to LPs right now - but I'm very much looking forward to hearing the 'new' NOS1. (BTW, at what point will it become the NOS2?)

Mani.

Not sure if those of you outside the UK can access this, but there's an interesting documentary on the making of 'Paranoid' here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00vlq0y/Classic_Albums_Black_Sabbath_Paranoid/

It probably won't remain accessible for more than a few weeks.

Mani.

I also got this error message a few times playing a 24/96 wav file. My Weiss AFI1 interface can accept 32 or 24 bit - I have it set to 24 bit. I'm not sure if there's an issue with a 24/192 album. Let me try this later today.

Just a couple of points from my side:
1. I haven't used the Weiss/PM2 combo for playback duties for a while now, and have just started using them again a few weeks ago (whilst my NOS1s are being upgraded). But when I was using this combo daily, I always had the Weiss set to 24 bit without any issue whatsoever.
2. I only just upgraded to 0.9z-5-2 yesterday - had been using 0.9z-4-1 for ages and ages.

Peter, let me know if there's anything you'd like me to try.

Mani.

I haven't read the article (stopped buying hifi magazines a long, long time ago pretty much after I read a review on the then new Marantz SA-1 which proclaimed it was the best SACD and CD player on the planet - I bought the SA-1 and totally disagreed with the reviewer... and hated the sound of SACD... still do). Did you see the rebuttal by HDTT (http://www.highdeftapetransfers.com/page/20/Response-to-Upsampling)?

Mani.

Hi Nick, looking at your signature, I'm sure your system is one of the more transparent ones out there. And I suspect a TVC is one of the better ways of attenuating in the analogue domain. In any event, I'm very interested to hear what you find, especially as you have both a NOS1 and an AN DAC to hand.

Interestingly, I've never even tried feeding the NOS1 into my Berning/AKG combo, but I certainly will when I get my two NOS1s back from their upgrade (though this may be quite a while off yet). I've always said that recreating the Berning/AKG sound via speakers is what I'm striving for. Having had a good listen last night and early this morning, albeit with the 'poor old' PM2, I realise how far away I still am from getting the sound I want from speakers. There is a clarity but more so a sweetness to the sound that I don't think I've ever heard reproduced through any speakers. Well, I have a few weeks before work kicks off again and may just reignite the quest.

Mani.

Peter, just a very quick thought. Are you sure that the XXHE attenuator isn't doing something strange when Arc Prediction is NOT engaged?

Mani.

Too late! But I wanted to compare the hires with the CD version you have anyway. I've just ordered the CD so haven't been able to listen to it yet. But even when it arrives, I won't have a NOS1 up and running, so I'm not sure if I'll be listening to it in its full glory.

But for now, the hires sounds very good through the PM2. BUT I discovered something that I think I will now need to look into further:

I downloaded the hires from HDTracks last night and wanted to listen to it. But it was late, and I didn't want to disturb my wife who was sleeping in the living room next door. So I switched on the Berning Siegfried amp and listened to the album through my AKG K-1000 headphones (I haven't used the Berning/AKG combo for months and months). I'm not meaning to 'show off' here, I just want to make it clear that the replay chain was about as transparent as I've ever heard. Now, the Berning has a built-in volume pot, so I set XXHE to -0dB and listened. The piano sounded so sweet. The bass just right. Yes, way too much audience noise, but otherwise very nice. And then I thought I'd try it with XXHE set to -3dB and the Berning pot increased just a little. The sound was pretty much destroyed. Dull, dull, dull. All the sweetness was gone.

I'm going to explore this further...

Mani.

According to the the Steve Hoffman website (http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/archive/index.php/t-249217.html) the 24/96 and 24/192 versions were transferred from the original master tapes to digital by Paul Stubblebine... using a PM2. In which case, I stongly suspect they'll be the real deal.

Oh well, it looks like I'm buying the 24/192 version from HDTracks today... Both my NOS1s are down at the moment (being prepared to be shipped back to their Master for an upgrade), but I'll let you know how it sounds on my PM2

Mani.

Hi guys, I'd like to get hold of this myself to have a listen. But which version are you listening to? Is it the 2010 remastered addition as shown in the attachment?

I would get hold of the HDTracks hidef version, but I'm refusing to buy anything else from them until they can ensure that none of their 'high def' stuff has been derived from 16/44.1 PCM originals.

Cheers,
Mani.

I'm currently sitting in my hotel room, many miles away from home, typing and listening to music on my laptop (through a pair of Sony XB700 headphones, which I really, really like BTW). I love my work, which is just as well as I really don't know how else I could realistically make a living. But I know exactly what I'd do if I had the skills...

I mean, could anyone be working harder and having more fun on the planet than Peter right now?

Mani.

Yes I have experience with both. I'd happily use either, especially if "less demanding" system settings help. However, it would have to be silent (unnoticeable from listening position) and not take forever to do things in XXHighEnd (such as process flac files). But if the latter hasn't changed, then an Atom would be out, but a powerful laptop might be OK... BUT only if the SQ was not compromised in any way, shape or form.

OK, I think I understand this.

Well of course. This is the XXHighEnd forum after all!

Anyway, it'll be easy for me to try an Atom/laptop for myself when I have 0.9z-6 and the NOS1 USB upgrades done. But just to make things clear, I'm perfectly happy with my current PCs - I'm just trying to find a way of making the NOS1 more compelling for my friend, who is less willing to 'ruin' his beautiful living space for an obsession with sound.

Mani.

Hey Chris, your English isn't too bad either, but you need to brush up on a couple of areas ;-)


Mani

But do different PCs running XXHighEnd sound different? Is it now acceptable to use a laptop? I'm assuming that if the influence of the SW has been eliminated then the influence of the HW has been eliminated also... no?

I ask this because a friend of mine is very interested in buying a NOS1 but would really like to use a laptop, not a desktop, in his main room.

Mani.