This is pretty much exactly what I felt when I first compared the NOS1 with my PM Model Two. But two things have happened to change the sound of the NOS1 more in-line with my preferences: 1) it's burned-in 2) I'm now using Special Mode (very, very important to get the NOS1 sounding tonally 'right').

Of course, the MPS-5 is a supposedly superb DAC. At this level I suspect we're in the realm of personal preferences more than anything else. FWIW, I 'hung-on' to the sound of my Model Two for quite a while after I had the NOS1. But right now, I prefer the sound of the NOS1. And I never thought I would say that of any DAC on the planet.

I've said this before, but I think it's worth mentioning again. I think the Pacific Microsonics Model Two is one of (if not the) best digital components ever made. But it is just very difficult to interface to a PC. Here's an experiment I quickly did before dismantling my main hifi (to get the room re-wired). I fed the output of the NOS1 into the ADC/DAC of the Model Two. And you know what, it sounded pretty much identical to the NOS1...

Mani.

Thanks Arvind, thanks Suteetat.

You know, I think I'm just going to order another Magtech amp from Roger Sanders. It sounds really nice in my office system right now. My wife popped her head in this morning as I was playing some Satie and said, "That sounds beautiful." I asked whether she meant the music or the sound, and she said that she meant the sound.

I'm not saying that the Magtech is the best amp on the planet, although it may well be for electrostatic speakers, which is Roger Sanders's expertise. If this system (NOS1, Magtech, Quad 2805) were the last one I ever had, I really think I'd be happy with it.

Mani.

"The unit of slew rate is V/µs."

Hence my confusion...

Mani.

I've currently got my 'Subaru' NOS1 in my office and have just replaced my old Rotel RHB-10 amp with the Magtech. I'm sure the Rotel was very good in its day, but let's just say that I'll definitely want the Magtech in my office when the new NOS1 arrives. I've said it before when I first bought the Magtech, the Quads just come alive with it. They now have real bass. And the sound is super, super smooth.

I'm happy to try a few others amps, but I really can't imagine any bettering the Sanders Magtech with either of my Quad electrostatics.

Mani.

Once I get my new 'white sheep' NOS1 for my office system, I think I will want to use my Sanders Magtech amp in my office driving my 'small' Quad 2805 speakers. I will then need a new amp in my main room with which to drive my 'big' Quad 2905 speakers. The obvious answer would be to order another Magtech amp. But I have one here already, and so it may be a good opportunity to test a few other amps against it before I make a decision.

I've recently been drawn to Soulution amplifiers - really too expensive for me, but still, I'm interested in learning more about them. I've attached the specs for their stereo power amp, the 710. They quote the slew rate as '330 nano seconds'. This means nothing to me... could someone help me out with understanding this figure (I'm sure it's very simple).

Does anyone have any experience with Soulution amps?

Mani.

What's going on? Don't know, but it seems strange that the Red Cross are asking for money specifically for Japan, when they say none has been requested from Japan. Could the RC be using this as an opportunity for raising funds in general? I'd be pretty cheesed off if they were - my wife and I already give regularly to charity and on this ocassion I wanted to make a one-off donation specifically for Japan.

Maybe sasaki could tell us if there are any reports in Japan of relief agencies asking for more money.

Mani.

I've just made a donation here: http://www.redcross.org.uk/Donate-Now/Make-a-single-donation/Japan-Tsunami-Appeal

Although I accept that not all this money may go to Japan: "In the event that we receive more donations to the Japan Tsunami Appeal than the Japanese Red Cross and International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement can reasonably and efficiently spend, any surplus funds will be used to help us prepare for and respond to humanitarian disasters both here in the UK and overseas."

Mani.

I mean too slow to use certain HotKeys (Alt-U/D in particular) in a useful way. Right now, if I want to change the volume in unattended mode, I simply press Alt-X, stop play, change the volume and then hit play again. This is actually quicker on my system than waiting to Alt-U/N to take affect... and I kind of feel more in control (although waiting for services to stop takes longer than it used to). I can totally see why some people would want these HotKeys to work in a responsive way.

Just another thing, in my first post in this thread I specifically said "don't work well for me". The implication here was that there is something 'wrong' with my PC and not XX.

Mani.

Peter, I'll have a play with all of these. Like I said, Alt-N works perfectly, and is the only one I ever tend to use. But Alt-E, Alt-P, Alt-T and Alt-X work for sure.

I think what might be happening is that 'we' just aren't waiting long enough for some of the change(s) to take effect and then use another Hotkey command too soon. This results in the 'Something wrong with Remote Command' error message once XX comes back to attended mode.

But I've just tried Alt-D in unattended mode, and waited for ages... with no effect on volume. Is the PC in my office (dedicated music PC, E8600, 8GB fast RAM, W7SP1 x64, all settings as in my signature) simply too slow?

Mani.

I have to admit that I usually set the volume to the level I want first and then listen in unattended without making any adjustments. The only control I sometimes use (very rarely actually) is Alt-N.

Most of the unattended controls don't seem to work very well for me either I'm afraid, but it's never been a particularly big issue.

Mani.

PS. I've attached a jpeg of my desktop background that I use to help in unattended mode... shame most of them don't work for me 

Hi sasaki,

Welcome. Thank you very much for your post. It's just a shame that your first post here is during such a difficult situation. Of course, we hear a lot of details on the news, but you know, it's just different coming from a local person. I for one really appreciate the specific details you mention in your post. Thank you.


I will look into this today.


You're welcome.

Mani.

Not with a NOS1 they don't. The more I listen to the NOS1, the more I think a pair of Quad electrostatics are a great match for it - are coherent, act as a point-source and are ultra, ultra-fast.


Haha.

I like the blue colour - it matches the curtains in my main room perfectly. But it's an interesting colour for Peter to have chosen, no?

Mani.

Hi Brian,

That's an interesting take on things. I suppose I was thinking more of short-term relief work - donating money to specifically help agencies do their immediate work. But I'm sure you're right - Japan is probably going to be able to provide the necessary financial resources to such agencies. I'd still like to hear back from Peter's friend there though.

Thinking longer term, yes buying Japanese goods might help...

Mani.

Peter, yes please ask your friend and let us know what he/she advises.

Yes, the English are known for their queing. And I'm sure that were something similar to have happened here 50-60 years ago, the scene would have been similar. But alas, the English character has changed in this time - just go to any English town/city (apart from Central London) at 10-11pm on a Friday or Saturday and you will see exactly what I mean. (For anyone interested in reading more about this, Jeremy Paxman wrote a good book about it called 'The English'.)

Mani.

PS. I was born and bred in England and love most aspects of my country... but I don't have a drop of English blood in my veins, and for some reason find it far easier to call myself 'British' than 'English'.

I'd like to send some money to Japan. I've done a quick Google search and it's not obvious how best to proceed. Does anyone know of a good way to do this? I.e. Guaranteed to get to the people who need it. Is there a particular organisation that I should look into, e.g. The International Red Cross? Any others?

I saw a report on TV yesterday showing people lining up in a queue waiting to buy food from a shop with very little stock left in it. No commotion. No complaining. No pushing or shoving.

What character.

Mani.