Merrick

The 2011 remaster is a remaster of the 1996 remix, which is the mix I fell in love with. Much cleaner than the 1973 mix! The demos are indeed fantastic too.

I did not know that! The version I always knew was the original CD release that my father had, which was pre 96.

To be accurate, the CD release of the 2011 is the remix, the downloadable version is the original mix. The remix removes the reverb and double tracked vocals, and depending on the song pushes the vocals forward. Unfortunately the mastering isn’t as good as it has been for the original mix.

I think to do real balanced is why they had to go with different chips. It still could happen with the AD5781.

I am, that would get rid of my Eitr > RDAC setup on my desk. All in one setups are my preference except amps.

@Pogo put the new "Lupa" 8-knob EQ on top of the stack, for reasons which I assume are obvious :)

Darmok and Jalad IMO! @ Tanagra

You forgot Naughtius and Maximus.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kx_G2a2hL6U/maxresdefault.jpg

Hooking my GOV2+ Infinity up to a Liquid Platinum and Lyr 3 really brought out the best in the device and I'm annoyed I spent so much time listening to the onboard amplification.

HD580 is great. I can imagine it being a good pairing

I don't have to imagine, I can listen to exactly that chain with the HD580 but with Gold Lion tubes in the LP. It's good. But I like Audeze LCD-2 style headphone sound in that chain better.

@Hammy An LCD-2 style headphone is on my list to get, but not in the cards at this moment.

So you're going to put your stuff as far apart from each other as possible right? For ultimate isolation and AuDiO qUaLiTy

@ChaChaRealSmooth is this what they mean when people want audio all around the house?

Just order a few connectors and chop them up

Doing more serious listening and I’ve had the amp running all day. I’m not detecting any distortion with the FDX1 at reasonable listening levels. I’m running the pot between 8 and 10 o’clock depending on how loud the track is mastered.

I’m also surprised at how spacious this combo sounds for an IEM. I love the FDX1 but other than Andromeda I’ve never experienced a seriously spacious IEM. The LP doesn’t elevate the FDX1 to Andro levels of head stage, but it is more spacious than I thought the FDX1 was capable of.

That being said, while this does sound good I would not call it an optimal pairing. The Lyr 3 in low gain with the TS tube brings out the best in the FDX1 far more.

I'm curious to hear your thoughts comparing the two amps, but I would recommend holding off the cap mod for the LP. Spend some time with the LP in stock form with whatever tubes and see if you like the way it sounds. If you don't, then maybe consider having the caps upgraded by Ksorota. I'm not sure I made the right decision by having the caps swapped in my LP.

I'm skipping the mods purely for warranty reasons. 5 years is generous and I don't want to muck that up.

@Skyline Good point, I’ll do the caps mod five years from now.

The RPi (at least RPi 3) is such a terrible USB source, even Gen5 couldn’t do much with it. Unison manages to make it possibly passable, but IMO, still not great.

Edit: Typing almost the same thing as rtaylor, too slowly :)

@rtaylor76 @rlow That's totally fair, and a better USB source could change the equation, but the RPi setup works best for my main system, so for me that's the USB source that mattered most.

I found Unison to be just a bit better than a HiFi Digi+. There was just a a tad more detail and clarity with Unison.

Everything sounds best late at night. The sleep deprivation is part of it, but it's kinda chicken/egg. You get sleep deprived because it sounds great and then it sounds better because you're sleep deprived but comfortable.

Not even kidding. The closest I think I've gotten to total transcendence has been those moments when I can barely keep my eyes open but the music is making me want to fight it.

Yeah, definitely miss my Gungnir Multibit. BF2 is good but.. not that good.

If I had my DAC's sound everywhere I would not be able to listen to music at all while working. It pulls my attention too much.

@k4rstar The player does have a high OI, so it’s not suitable for OI sensitive BAs like CFA IEMs. The Andromedas sounded pretty mushy out of it. It’s great for DD IEMs or cans, and planars that aren’t so insensitive that they need speaker taps to power them. The Pono can put out a good amount of power in balanced mode but even in SE it can power a good amount of cans.

I've been a fan of the Pono from the beginning. It managed to combine the spacious Sabre sound with an amp section that enhanced and worked with that sound. Synergy.

I use a variety of headphones with the Pono. All with balanced cables. Latest is a Audioquest NightOwl which sounds really neat with the Pono.

My only advice is bug @tommytakis and make him flip his pair. : /

@Merrick yea.. a well driven FDX-1 is pretty special. Reminds me of the Elex in many ways. Not surprisingly, I enjoy the Elex a ton, as well. Been keen on hearing the Elex w/ the Lyr 3 (seems there's some great synergy there too). It's either the Lyr 3 or a good budget ss.

Sadly the Elex is out of my price range. C’est la vie!

I like the first part of this, the dark road of spending not as much!

I do have a SW51+ ordered but I would have ordered that even if I didn’t get the Gungnir. I have HD580s and the FD-X1, and unless I come across an insane deal on a modded pair of HD800s, I’m not super inclined to get more headphones. And upgrading my turntable will cost me more than I could possibly afford right now.

It’s been on for 11 hours now and the magic is creeping in. I’m listening to Revolver and hearing details I’ve never noticed before. More than that, the music has an immediacy and realism to it that no other DAC I’ve owned has come close to, including the OG Bifrost MB. I’m going to be spending many nights rediscovering my music collection. And if this is the warm up period, I can’t wait for the final sound.

Did you have to get a replacement?

Yeah, the original set I ordered from Hong Kong and I figured with the improvements built into the X1, I might as well just order from Drop.

@rlow I have Apple Music and Qobuz which are both useful but I've spent a lot of time, energy, and money tracking down my preferred masterings for the bulk of my collection, and very few of those masterings have made their way onto any streaming service. So having an easy to use remote option is a must for me.

I worked around it by setting up a VPN connection to my house - which works fine, but it's really not something a non-IT person could do.

-1 Roon. Closed api, expensive, who's curating that music/playlists/suggestions. It's pretty & blinds you, they are borrowing plllllenty of open source code/ideas already out there.

Thanks! Shot schiit an email. Will report back.

Response: "The gungnir has two SE outputs. This should be fine if you do, it just seems unnecessary." This, refers to 600ohm transformer load.

@batriq Sounds like a proper Schitty answer. Still, another reason for me to get the A2 upgrade down the line.

Yep, we're seeing some full albums on 12" 45, and also seeing a decent number of 20 minute EPs released that way. My personal favorite though is my copy of Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance, which switches between 45 rpm and 33 rpm on each side of a double album spanning 4 records.

That happens to be very nearly the ideal duration for a quickie with the missus. Hmm.

But do you change sides?

@Biodegraded What can I say? I’m a complex man. But seriously how can I pass on that price when a new BF2 is $700 and even a b-stock BF2 isn’t much better; I’d be a fool not to. I’m still rocking a launch Modi MB for my 2 channel system.

That was a crazy good price, @Merrick. I was tempted too, even at the price he first listed it at

Well now with a Gungnir Multibit in my system I really will have only turntable upgraditis!

In my experience the fit is really hit or miss, but I have no problems if I'm just going to do some rowing in the garage. For jogging they stay in 95% of the time, but that last 5% is a PITA. The AirPod Pros were great in my open floor plan office for reducing the unwanted background noise, but these days they're mostly relegated to phone call use.

I like the standard ones more. If we ever go back to how things were before and I start riding the train to work again, then I’d consider the Pros. I think the standard AirPod design is brilliant.

Well my wife wants my OG airpods so I’m keeping the pros. I have had issues with the OGs staying in my ears at times, even when not doing strenuous activity, so the pros win out. I still wish they were cheaper though, especially since they have non-replaceable batteries so I basically have to buy AppleCare to be able to get the inevitable replacements at a lower cost down the line.

You will get something better don't worry...but we are living in the time where everything is worth few rolls of toilet paper

Don't think of it as stolen but as a gift given to your grandmother while she travels to a better place
You will feel better

Karma has a way of working things out. You may never see it but those responsible will definitely have some "interesting" times.