Adding warmth with a pre?

karlsushi

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Yes I do this anyway - I use the musicbee player on my PC connected via usb cable from PC to DAC, I really like playing around with the EQ settings - they really do make a difference, I can't imagine life without EQ now (although it's never a good idea to keep fiddling)
I actually find the musicbee EQ more user friendly than the Linn Space Optimisation that I experimented previously (when I had a Linn streamer obvs). When I replaced the Perreaux for the T+A I immediately turned down the higher frequencies and boosted the mids - I may experiment further.
Sorry to set you off on yet more wild goose chases, but another thought for you based on this. Have you ever tried a USB to Spdif converter?

I use a PC as a source and can wholeheartedly recommend one. I use a SingXer SU-2 which is about £250, but worth every penny in my view. It improves the sound from my PC, even against supposedly well-implemented USB inputs on DACs.

It's main impact is to take away digital glare, which is a well known phenomenon when using a PC due to all of the internal noise.

Another thing to check is that you are using a proper bit-perfect ASIO driver on your PC and ensure that as little as possible is running during listening sessions. It may even be that the processing of your eq is adding some digital glare. Maybe.

Many will say a PC isn't a good source at all, but they are too flexible for me to head to the inflexibility of a streamer and with my SingXer, I believe the gap is pretty small in terms of SQ.

Just a thought.
 
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rabski

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Sorry to set you off on yet more wild goose chases, but another thought for you based on this. Have you ever tried a USB to Spdif converter?

I use a PC as a source and can wholeheartedly recommend one. I use a SingXer SU-2 which is about £250, but worth every penny in my view. It improves the sound from my PC, even against supposedly well-implemented USB inputs on DACs.

It's main impact is to take away digital glare, which is a well known phenomenon when using a PC due to all of the internal noise.

Another thing to check is that you are using a proper bit-perfect ASIO driver on your PC and ensure that as little as possible is running during listening sessions. It may even be that the processing of your eq is adding some digital glare. Maybe.

Many will say a PC isn't a good source at all, but they are too flexible for me to head to the inflexibility of a streamer and with my SingXer, I believe the gap is pretty small in terms of SQ.

Just a thought.
Definitely.

I use a modded Node now, but when I used to stream from the PC direct, I used an old Topping D10 purely as a USB to SPDIF converter. The difference was fairly subtle, but definitely noticeable.
 

Rayymondo

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USB to Spdif converter?
Thanks, I'll definitely look into this, I use the PC for convenience and not about to change that. Actually I was a relatively early adopter of streaming, and had one of the first Linn streamers which I loved (Linn Sneaky). Later I bought a Klimax Renew which was a fantastic piece of kit for the money, I only sold that recently and bought the T+A Dac as I couldn't get a good network connection in my new place (moved approx. one year ago)
I did prefer network streaming without having to have cables trailing across the floor, but I got fed up of networking issues and quite happy with the USB Dac for now - will certainly look at the Spdif converter though. I don't have much else running when listening to music, just have this forum page open for browsing sometimes. I have had concerns about the EQ and SQ but turning it off never seems to have a negative effect - quite the opposite infact, usually sounds much better with a bit of boosting or cutting here and there.
 

linesrg

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Good Evening All,

No one person can state one way or the other that a pre-amplifier adds or subtracts anything.

I find it interesting that some LP12 enthusiasts defend the "sound" of the earlier decks and complain that modern versions sound too "CD like" or something similar. I would take the view that the newer LP12 sounds less coloured.

When you go to a live performance of music, generally speaking there is little between you and the artist(s) performing, particularly with non electric instruments. Why would you want to put anything extra between yourself and a source in your domestic environment - the old Quad thing about an amplifier being a wire with gain?

In addition to this discussion you have to add that a great many people aren't listening to their hi-fi alone but how their hi-fi sounds in the room they are doing the listening in.

I have had a high specification LP12, a NAC52 c/w SuperCap, a SNAXO 3-6 c/w SuperCap, a Klimax DS/3, a 10 channel Akurate Exactbox, 4 x NAP250 and 2 x NAP135 into modified Isobariks so a pretty fair system listened to in a room with GIK acoustic panels.

After extensive listening the NAC52 c/w SuperCap was the first to go followed by the LP12. After some listening and development of Exact filters for the Exactbox the SNAXO c/w SuperCap were next to go.

All but one of the Naim amplifiers have now gone having been replaced by Avondale products (10 channels thereof).

I'm currently experimenting with some Avondale amplifiers into Sara9's and given the far more complex system detailed above I was very, very surprised at how these particular amplifier boards performed that I'm heading in a slightly different direction currently. Specifically I'm getting a NAXO 2-4 modified/ serviced at Naim and have an old Hicap which I'll be sticking a TPR4 in so I can drive the Sara9's actively with four of these particular Avondale boards.

This system is being driven by a MacBook using Tidal as a source so no pre-amplifier as I'm using the headphone socket to drive the amplifier direct. This is a pretty non hi-fi source by any definition but the sound really made me sit up and take notice. There is simply no way a pair of Sara9's should sound like this.

Regards

Richard
 

antonio66

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I like your idea of giving yourself a little more time, my initial thoughts were to recommend a valve buffer and would certainly take up uzzy's kind offer and give one a try, my guess is that a 'better' buffer could be purchased if you thought this was the way to go :)
 
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