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May CDApS Meeting (Read 3108 times)
Palomino
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May CDApS Meeting
05/10/19 at 15:44:33
 
Tomorrow will be el Presidente's swan song CDApS meeting.  He is moving to Colorado to open the state's first Dispensary/Listening Room/Old Fashioned & Mead Bar.  Mixing pot, music and booze.  How does he come up with this stuff?

The gavel will come down at 2:00 PM at my house.  For those of you behind on your dues, please bring a check.

We have a packed agenda:

1. Super Tweeter - Super sound or snake oil?
2. Knockoff Eichman Bullet plug evaluation (direct from China)
3. Qobuz versus Tidal MQA - a scheduled twelve round bout

Also, we will be evaluating my room to see if wall to wall diffusers add life to the music or kill the buzz.

Please plan to arrive early.  Parking is limited.


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i7 Mac Mini with LPSU/SSD running Audirvana 3.5, Uptone Audio Regen on LPSU, Mytek Brooklyn DAC+, Ven Haus DIY Silver ICs, 25th Ann. Zen, PS Audio P5 Power Supply, PS Audio Power Cords, GR Research Speaker Wire, DIY Big Betsy and Crystal 10 Open Baffle Speakers
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Showme
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Re: May CDApS Meeting
Reply #1 - 05/10/19 at 17:36:34
 
Gotta know the address for the Colorado extravaganza!!
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Palomino
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Re: May CDApS Meeting
Reply #2 - 05/10/19 at 17:50:15
 
Show, let's just say its in the early concept stage.
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i7 Mac Mini with LPSU/SSD running Audirvana 3.5, Uptone Audio Regen on LPSU, Mytek Brooklyn DAC+, Ven Haus DIY Silver ICs, 25th Ann. Zen, PS Audio P5 Power Supply, PS Audio Power Cords, GR Research Speaker Wire, DIY Big Betsy and Crystal 10 Open Baffle Speakers
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Palomino
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Re: May CDApS Meeting
Reply #3 - 05/10/19 at 17:56:03
 
Here is the web site for the real Eichmanns.  Seems they have now changed the name.

http://www.eti-research.com.au/bullet-plugs/

And an older reiview

https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?action=post;num=1557499474;title=...

These have been around for awhile and I'm interested in upgrading my ICs so I thought I would give the knockoffs a try.
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i7 Mac Mini with LPSU/SSD running Audirvana 3.5, Uptone Audio Regen on LPSU, Mytek Brooklyn DAC+, Ven Haus DIY Silver ICs, 25th Ann. Zen, PS Audio P5 Power Supply, PS Audio Power Cords, GR Research Speaker Wire, DIY Big Betsy and Crystal 10 Open Baffle Speakers
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Palomino
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Re: May CDApS Meeting
Reply #4 - 05/12/19 at 13:52:24
 
Another good session yesterday.  We got through most of our agenda and spent a fair amount of time talking about various audio and non audio topics.

El presidente brought some top, top shelf whiskey which he and I sipped during the session.  Our fearless leader was also running on no sleep having to work on his house for the sale but I don't think it hampered his cognitive abilities. (He also left some scotch he couldn't take in the move which looks really good).

Its hard to try to represent opinions of multiple people but here goes.

The first and most obvious experiment was the addition of the super tweeters.  I purposely put on a song had some high end to start.  The immediate response was it was too intense on the top end.  It was good to have some new ears to listen to this because I have spent a few weeks with them and my ears have adjusted somewhat.

But as the session went on and we listened with and without the super tweeters, we were all able to hear the benefits.  Some air on certain songs, and more clarity and focus throughout the frequency spectrum.

In one experiment we turned everything but the super tweeters off.  The first reaction is that they aren't adding very much, but they were definitely adding sound pressure to the room.  It kind of felt like you were coming down in an airplane and you want to pop your eardrums.

It was like if a song had a certain frequency it was pretty harsh, but other songs without that frequency actually sounded better.

We did measurements on our phones and its a fairly flat response to 20K.  I have done other measurements with a decent mic and REW and saw the same pattern.

So based on the feedback and my own feelings about them, I am going to try to pad them down a DB or two and see if the other benefits are still there without the ice pick in the ear on some songs.  Another option would be to look to a different tweeter with some extended response to see I get the same benefits.

As far as the Eichmann bullet knockoffs, they were perceived as definitely changing the sound, and I think for the better.  Again, I think it depended upon the song to a certain degree.  Eric was not in the room when I did one of the switchouts but Aaron could definitely hear the difference.  We all like the concept of these plugs.

I have spent more time on my own doing A/B and I feel they have a more open and musical sound.  Perhaps a little soft but given the super tweeter situation, a welcome softness.

I do not currently have "good" wire in them.  I just wanted to see if I could hear the difference so I put some 20/22awg silver plated copper I had left over.  Not heatshrink or techflex yet.

I think the next step here is to try some good solid gauge sliver wire and some proper construction.  I think they could be very good.

The room sounded very good.  On some songs that we were all familiar with it sounded very good.  Nice wrap around sound stage.  I am not completely happy with it and intend to implement some of the suggestions Steve detailed in the "too many diffusers" thread.

A great ah-ha moment for me was when Eric mentioned that there was a dead zone on the left side of the room.  I have been frustrated by this for some time now and attributed it to the window that is on that side of the room.

Well, that side of the room also has my "bass trap" which is basically all my absorbers I no loner use stacked vertically into a 2 ft pile.  Given Eric's comments, I moved half the absorbers to the other side of the room to balance it out and I feel it had a effect.  

Now I can hear the opening to the room on my back right side, but progress regardless.

We didn't get to the Qobuz vs Tidal comparison.  My own tests say Qobuz is better but I typically can't find my music.  I will likely cancel and wait for their library to fill out.

After the session, we went to a Thai restaurant which was outstanding.  A big thanks to Mary and Aaron for the restaurant find and treating us to dinner.

Then we said our goodbyes and Lonely Raven disappeared into his trusty FJ.  We hope he visits in the future for another session.

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i7 Mac Mini with LPSU/SSD running Audirvana 3.5, Uptone Audio Regen on LPSU, Mytek Brooklyn DAC+, Ven Haus DIY Silver ICs, 25th Ann. Zen, PS Audio P5 Power Supply, PS Audio Power Cords, GR Research Speaker Wire, DIY Big Betsy and Crystal 10 Open Baffle Speakers
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Donnie
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Why does it hurt
when I pee?

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Re: May CDApS Meeting
Reply #5 - 05/12/19 at 14:34:24
 
It sounds like you all had a great time.

See ya LR! Happy trails,

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Owner of the infamous RED TORII and Dan the Redheaded Amp
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