BTW: The music files are downloaded/purchased from Blue Coast Records, a 24/96 sampler album with GREAT, GREAT sound. A mix of small scale blues with very good performers in the tradition of Muddy Waters/Folk Singer. The best SQ I have heard from this kind of music. Highly recomended!

The rest of the story, Leif will tell himself. (It's a story with a happy ending).

I saw them in the 90s on a club scene in Oslo. Great show!

Welcome here my friend to the Show That Never Ends; PC-audio. [Emerson, Lake and Palmer]. Or as a famous person once said: PC-audio is like driving an old car. Always something to be fixed…

OMF is building up a very ambitious system, with both the best hardware and the best software components. Soon he will have a dedicated big listening room too, that lucky bastard. The heart of the system is the Norwegian DRC system Audiolense, which I also have implemented successfully. Audiolense is generating a soundfile (an “inverse” of everything to be corrected according to mic measurement/user eq/etc). The signal must run “trough” this sound-file, before entering the DAC.

With media players like WMP or Foobar, this is easy, because they have options for plug-in modules.
Unfortunately XX doesn’t. So you have to create a digital loop in the software-chain somewhere, and use a programme like Console or Bidule which accommodates plug-ins where the Audiolense soundfile can be read.
I managed this in the “Mixer”-program which is included with my FF400 external soundcard. However OMF is using a LYNX internal soundcard. I don’t know it, but probably there are similar features also there?

I’m not an expert in this field. I only pretend to be. Actually it is my kid brother who set up everything, he-he, with help from local guru Stig-Erik Tangen. Perhaps I downplayed the problems waiting in this field, but OMF should be up to the task, anyway. Also it’s too late for him to turn now, anyway, after everything is purchased. [Evil laughter].

As a starting point, I would check with Lynx usergroup or customer service “how to create a digital loop inside the soundcards software, to manage a 6 channel hi-rez plug-in”.

Hooray!

Now I just have to climb my loft, move down 2,000 CDs in storage and spend my summer vacation ripping all my music all over again. I feel so happy now! (My wife too).

Why did you pay for XXHighEnd when Foobar is free?  
-The point is that digital EQ with lots of FIR filters generate phase errors. They sing like a dead bird, to quote Mr P. So you need a program which can perform a Group Delay Correction in the final stage, before D/A conversion, in order to get (most of) the transient sharpness and dynamics back into the music. But of course, if you wanna live a dull life for free, it's your choice. He-he. (No offense!)

Yes. For as many channels you like.

Some players, like Foobar and WMP, accept plug-ins. Then you don't need aditional soundcard software with digital loop facilities. Hopefully XXhighend will have a possibility of plug-ins too in the near future?

If you want EQ and/or roomcorrection there is one amazing program to buy: AUDIOLENSE XO. It even includes digital XO functions if you want to, for as many channels you like at whatever samplingfrequenzy. At €360.- it's a bargin.

I use it as a EQ/DRC in 2-chanel mode with final Group Delay Correction to minimize any phase errors occuring after the FIR filters. After measurements the program creats a correction file, which I enter into the playback chain, through Convolver plug-in running in a digital loop inside the RME FFMixer software. Life will never be the same.

SOMETHING ELSE:
Peter, -does your new DAC prototype have a capacitor on the output, or is it DC-coupled?

Poor guy. He flew in with his DAC just to learn that it transformed violins into flutes.


LMC has a ESS Sabre based DAC, and he has reported that he is very happy with the sound. I doubt he would say so if it made violins into flutes! (Eventually, if so, I will tease him for the rest of my life. He-he). Are you sure that the DAC of "Visitor A" is not faulty? After all, it's a DIY kit. Probably many places where you can go wrong when putting the parts together.

I was about to order a ESS Sabre kit myself. But know I'll put it on hold. Do you have any release date for your Phasure NOS1 DAC?

------------

BTW: Previously I had a DIY DDDAC with 5 towers (60 pcs) of stacked Philips TDA1543 dac chips, without oversampling (NOS) and no filtering (Filterless). It was build without compromise, including the most expensive CERAFINE and BG capacitors, etc. It was truly an extremly dynamic and "live" sounding DAC. It made most other DACs sound like dead byrds. BUT it also turned violins into synthezisers. It was great on trio 60s-jazz and rock, but not resolved enough for massed strings or choral music. It homogenized crashing cymbals too. I don't know if these artifacts are due to the poor performance of the Philips 1543 (it's a cheap economical DAC chip from 1991...), or because of the heavy figures of folded-down IM distortion because of Filterless operation.

After reading your listening evaluation I am even more confused, because you say that your NOS/Filterless DAC is the real deal, while the ESS Sabre makes violins sound like flutes. -This is contrary to my experience.


PS: Fortunately, in the mean time, I am happy with the Eximus CD/DAC-10. The DAC inside is really a great product. So I have very good SQ while waiting for "the next big thing".

 
Finally today I had time to listen seriously to my system for a couple of hours. The 0.9w-9b is the best version so far. With a large margin. It is incredible pure, detailed and natural sounding. It brings me closer to the recording event. I hear new details in old favourite recordings. More inner details on various instruments, more breathing noise from voices, more acoustic space (if it's on the recording). The funny thing is that I can play MUCH higher now, than before. About 5-10dB higher playback level without listening fatigue. It shines both on simple recordings and complex music. In fact I have never heard complex recordings sounding so uncoloured. Massed strings, lot's of horns, whatever I play, it doesn't sound hard or edgy, -the separation and resolving of tone, timbers and colours is incredible. (Finally I don't have to regret not buying into expensive vinyl anymore. He-he).

The bass deserves special mentioning: It's so deep, dry and detailed! I think it uncovers a new level of sub-bass information.

Q settings: Today I was lost into the music. Couldn't use my dearly time on A-B testing of Q settings. Sorry about that. I started to use 04/30/30/00/00. But also likes 14/30/30/00/00 a lot.

Congratulations with 0.9w-9b, Peter. You are a genius!

OK. That is also a top of the shelf DAC chip. Looking forward to follow your development!

This reminds me about the old Spielberg movie Poltergeist. I think your house is built on an ancient grave yard. The are probably 17500 spirits residing in the soil. 

I missed it! These hi-rez files from RR has just entered the marked. I havn't bought any, but it is in the pipeline. Good to know XX are allready there.

Sorry for mixing up the words here. What I was unclear about, was that my previous DAC also was FILTERLESS. No anti-aliasing, no roll-of. My guess was/is that you are using the Buffalo in filterless mode too?

This is is fantastic reading, Peter!

I had a NOS DAC myself for more than a year, and I agree 100% with the "sharpness of transients" which you refer to. This kind of realisme I have not heard from any other DAC. In the end I sold it though, and bought a more "conventional" OS DAC - my present Stello Eximus. It doesn't have quite the same "sharpness" or slam, but is muuuuch more detailed and relaxed. All in all, a better SQ. (But I still think about my old NOS when I am lonely in the night. Like an old lover). The point is that my NOS DAC (DDDAC) was made with obsolent mid-fi Philips DAC-chipsets, which probably put a negative stamp on the final result. I am very interested in re-trying a NOS DAC which is based on a modern DAC-chip like the Buffalo.

Something else, Reference Recordings  is now selling true mastertape copies with original quality 24/176.4. 176,4 is quad of 44,1. Can you make XX work on this 176,4 samplingfrequency?

Yes 09v6a till now. But now I see that you and the others have moved on and are happy, so I'll try the latest version too.

Wow. Breaking news! Do you have any estimated price? (At least, can you give an indication?).

Lately there has been a lot of emphasize on the SQ differences between the new versions of XX. However I remind you there are also important SQ differences regarding settings of Q1.

The last 12-18 months I have preferred Q1 = -2. It gave me a very liquid and smooth sound, without adding any veil or coloration. In contrast, the +14 setting, was felt to be (a little bit) too “dry”.
However now, I feel that the -2 setting is slightly too soft sound. Too pleasant. Moving up to +4 strikes a good balance between -2 and +14.

I advice you to experiment with Q1 settings once in a while, and especially after upgrading your equipment and after upgrading to new versions of XX. Right now +4 is my winner.