And while I'm at my PC, and because I know there are quite a few car nuts here...

My gorgeous NSX is gone. I just couldn't justify keeping it with two young kids, and only two seats. So needed something with small rear seats. There was an obvious choice - I went for the limited 50th Anniversary edition, which is a very nice looking car on the inside and out. Will collect it this coming weekend when I'm back in the UK.

Will miss the NSX though - such a great, and very much under-appreciated, car.

Mani.

Hey Peter, greetings from Mexico City (yeah, still never at home).

A while ago, I used to burn all my music onto black CD-Rs. The SQ was much better than even the most expensive silver/gold CD-Rs. I still have a ton of blank black CD-Rs that I stopped using once I switched to HDDs. And they all look like vinyl.

Nothing new...

Mani.

I'll post my thoughts on these two systems in more detail later today. Both sounding different to my own system but very interesting and engaging.

Mani.

Hey Frank, thanks for your thoughts. A few comments from my side...


True. There was something very specific that I was always unhappy about with my system and yes it took a long while to sort out. BUT... overall, my system always sounded 'good'. I mean, the potential of the system was obvious from the start and never in doubt. I can't say the same for most of the systems I heard in Munich.


I'm sure some are. But I'm convinced the majority in 'high-end' totally understand that the priority is in selling 'jewellery' and 'brand' before 'sound quality'.


Well, I have way more disdain for distributors and retailers than I have for manufacturers. How many times has a distributor switched his opinion on a brand from being 'the best thing ever' to 'only mediocre after all' as soon as he happens to stop carrying it? I've read countless examples of this in the past.


A couple of systems at the show sounded very interesting to me. When I was a Munich I was using these systems as the reference.


Difficult, I know. So why not do what Peter does and use real instruments (a drum kit for example) as the reference with which to compare?

Interested in hearing yours or any other thoughts.

Mani.

Hi Dave, I dunno... it just seems that so many people at the show (manufacturers, retailers and consumers) were delusional. Systems costing as much as a nice house and sounding very 3rd rate (compared to my own, or the very best I heard at the show). And I walked into some rooms with the guys in charge ranting and raving about the sound they were getting, which to my ears wasn't far off nails scr*ping against a blackboard.

My 'almost totally Phasure system' cost me less around €30k I guess - not cheap for sure, but still, sounding a quantum leap better than some systems costing over 20 times as much at the show.

And I now totally agree with Peter about vinyl. All the systems I heard that had a vinyl front end sounded totally flat and lifeless to me. All of them. If some of the €600k+ systems that used a vinyl front end were to have replaced that with a NOS1a, then perhaps they might have sounded half-decent... I dunno. But as it was, they were terrible without exception.

And why do I say that this whole hifi hobby is a joke? Well because 99% of 'high-end' manufacturers must really have a good laugh whenever anyone buys their stuff. What they sell is cr*p, and surely they must know this. Their hearing can't be that bad. But their stuff looks good, weighs a lot, costs a lot, and of course, is well marketed to the thousands of mindless 'sheep' in this hobby... sheep who will follow pretty much every new reviewer-revealed 'game-changer' with salivating mouths.

And this is why I find Peter such a breath of fresh air in this hobby. I am absolutely certain now that the 'Phasure way' is the best way... the results simply speak for themselves. If any newbie to this hobby were to come to me, I'd advise them to build a decent PC, then buy XX, then a Clarixa, then a Blaxius, then a NOS1a, and finally a pair of Orelo/Orelino speakers... in that order and up to how much they can afford. I'm pretty certain this would give them absolutely the best bang for their buck.

It seems to me that authenticity is in very short measure in this hobby of ours. Those who frequent this site should count themselves as very lucky.

Mani.

Just a very quick post for now (too much to do)...

My 'Phasure system' as it stands is simply so far beyond 99% of what I heard at Munich that I think this whole 'hifi hobby' is a joke. A real joke.

There were two systems that sounded very interesting to me, one for €600K and the other for €300K. But the rest really were mediocre at best.

More to come when I have time (and I still haven't downloaded XX 2.0 yet!)...

Mani.

I'll be at the Show all day tomorrow (Saturday) and most of the day on Sunday. Let me know if anyone wants to get together.

Mani.

Nothing! 'Kiss-Kiss-HighEnd' rules...

Mani.

Hey Gerard, we all appreciate what Peter does, but... blowing two kisses to the guy? Com'on, let's not get carried away here.

... of course!

Mani.

The discussion is getting way too technical (and interesting). So I'll bring it back down to ground with my own name suggestion. You could take a leaf out of Ferrari's book and call the new DAC "LaPhasure". Ordinarily, I'd say this is the most stupid idea put forward... however, it seems to have worked perfectly for Ferrari. But maybe that says more about the person buying the car than anything else?

"LaPhasure"...

... yeah, stupid name.

Mani.

Understood - we can always rely on Joachim to be the sound of reason in any discussion.

But you didn't answer my question:


I'm serious, I'd like an answer because this matters very much to me. Maybe via PM if it's more appropriate?

Mani.

"Lego": from Danish leg godt, 'play well', according to the Oxford Dictionary.

Well that's what a DAC should do - play [music] well. But I suspect the word 'Lego' already has just a few trade marks

("Legato" is also taken BTW.)

Mani.

[Highlight mine.]

Hmm. So the whole thing appears to be an April Fool's joke... but actually isn't?

Yeah, I'm confused.

Mani.

Got back from the gym this morning, switched the PC on and had a quick look at what was happening on the XX forum. Saw a single post by Peter asking people not to post about 'voodoo'. Seemed totally strange to me. Had some breakfast and cleaned up. Came back and there was an exchange between Peter, Nick and Paul, with a short comment by Joachim at the end. It was then obvious that Paul had posted something that Peter didn't appreciate. And now, the whole 'voodoo' thread has been deleted.

What's going on guys? Well actually maybe this doesn't matter - the thread has been deleted so maybe Peter just wants to move on.

But it leaves me in a difficult position because I posted about Nick's mods a short while ago and what I thought about them. Peter's original post in the voodoo thread mentioned something about not posting your thoughts on anything that comes across as 'voodoo', even if you finish it with "I have no commercial interest in this". Oops!!! I've done this sort of thing for as long as I can remember. Haha... most of it when I've been talking about Phasure products on various other forums.

Peter, or anyone else, I want to be a 'good citizen'. Can you let me know where I may have over-stepped the mark so that I can avoid doing so in the future?

Cheers, Mani.

Hey Peter, really nice story.


Well that would be really great. I look forward to the day I see the 'PaulSt' username on the forum. Having someone from Phasure who actually makes sense [and can play the drums 'on beat'] would be a nice change.



Mani.