The Dark Side; Digital audio equipment recommendations and setup.

[Joe Mac]

Can you not hook up an external DAC to the Node? Thats a bit of a bummer. I have an Auralic Aries Mini which has the option to go USB out to an external DAC, which is a nice feature. Looks like the new Node does DSD though.

I think the Denafrips stuff is the best DAC I’ve heard after having 5 or 6 different DACs but maybe something like Icon may be your best bet then.

You can but the node doesn’t have DSD processing codecs so it will still convert it to PCM and pass it onto the DAC. A bit like schiit they see it as an audiophile fad with limited wider appeal. From what I’ve heard I really like how chord DACs sound.

 

[MikeH]

You can but the node doesn’t have DSD processing codecs so it will still convert it to PCM and pass it onto the DAC. A bit like schiit they see it as an audiophile fad with limited wider appeal. From what I’ve heard I really like how chord DACs sound.

Shame! Seems like the new regular Node does DSD native maybe? Didn’t look into it a ton though.

Haven’t heard the chords but have heard a lot of people like those too

 

[Joe Mac]

Shame! Seems like the new regular Node does DSD native maybe? Didn’t look into it a ton though.

Haven’t heard the chords but have heard a lot of people like those too

As someone who was an early adopter of SACDs and a fan of DSD I’ve actually lost faith in it as a playback medium and it’s very difficult to know whether what you’re getting a DSD tape transfer or recording or if it’s just a PCM transfer or recording inside a DSD file container. Where it does shine is as a recording medium. I have a few files and records recorded in DSD, and the CD layer of the mofi discs, and they sound utterly fantastic, even downsampled 24 bit PCM, 16 bit CD, or cut to record.

 

[Jbraswell]

Can you not hook up an external DAC to the Node? Thats a bit of a bummer. I have an Auralic Aries Mini which has the option to go USB out to an external DAC, which is a nice feature. Looks like the new Node does DSD though.

I think the Denafrips stuff is the best DAC I’ve heard after having 5 or 6 different DACs but maybe something like Icon may be your best bet then.

Yeah, the Node operates with USB and coax out will send signal to external DAC. RCA and fiber optic out uses internal Node DAC.
I have the 2021 version. Great streamer for the most part. Just is a one trick pony outside of that need.

I'll keep an eye out for Denafrips.
I don't want to drop more than $1K when the time is right.

My Yamaha AVR plays Qobuz through the older JBL bookshelves today.
So really this is kind of a bonus add for the main system if DSD turns out to be something worth chasing.

 

[Jbraswell]

If you up your membership tier for Qobuz, downloads are pretty significantly cheaper.

FYI

Some DSD files are up for sale now.
You do receive a discount if already paying for the sublime streaming.
I won a free year sub with the TT giveaway but it's under Qobuz society sub instead.

 

[MikeH]

FYI

Some DSD files are up for sale now.
You do receive a discount if already paying for the sublime streaming.
I won a free year sub with the TT giveaway but it's under Qobuz society sub instead.



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Yea there are tons of DSD available for sale. I just have a lower tier I think so I don’t get that discount yet. As @Joe Mac said though there have been a lot of places selling DSD which were just FLAC in DSD containers so would be interested to see what the deal is with these…$11 or so isn’t bad. For $22 I’d rather spend a little more and get vinyl.

 

[Joe Mac]

Yea there are tons of DSD available for sale. I just have a lower tier I think so I don’t get that discount yet. As @Joe Mac said though there have been a lot of places selling DSD which were just FLAC in DSD containers so would be interested to see what the deal is with these…$11 or so isn’t bad. For $22 I’d rather spend a little more and get vinyl.

A lot will depend on the label and the original source. I think you can be prerty safe with the two big audiophile labels doing their own tape transfers and some smaller boutique labels that put out recordings made in the DSD domain. I’d be much more skeptical of the larger labels, there were certainly SACDs out where the source was a 24/96 or 24/192 tape transfer, I even think one of the classical labels actually included that as the source in their booklets for the ones done that way.

With more recent music most was recorded in PCM to begin with so even bothering with DSD seems odd for those releases.

 

[Nee Lewman]

Hey everybody! I’m getting ready to try setting DIRAC up again! Will report back.

 

[Nee Lewman]

Measurements are taken and filter is set. Listening to Breathe by Pink Floyd without filter now.

 

[Nee Lewman]

Holy shit! Man imaging just went off the charts. With my eyes closed the speakers are gone and the music is all around me. Everything is crisper and more distinct as well. A little disorienting in something like time cause it sounds like there are four drum kits cause of the way the stereo image goes back and forth.

Can recommend and I haven’t even played with tweaking it, just running the default curve.

 

[folsom_lives]

Holy shit! Man imaging just went off the charts. With my eyes closed the speakers are gone and the music is all around me. Everything is crisper and more distinct as well. A little disorienting in something like time cause it sounds like there are four drum kits cause of the way the stereo image goes back and forth.

Can recommend and I haven’t even played with tweaking it, just running the default curve.

Well I know what I'm getting myself for Christmas now.

 

[Nee Lewman]

Well I know what I'm getting myself for Christmas now.

I thought the card was worth it for BluOS in and of itself honestly. That’s done more to change my listening habits than anything. This won’t get used as much as I’d like because listening sessions over the speakers in my chair are few and far apart these days.

 

[folsom_lives]

I thought the card was worth it for BluOS in and of itself honestly. That’s done more to change my listening habits than anything. This won’t get used as much as I’d like because listening sessions over the speakers in my chair are few and far apart these days.

I already had a Node so the streaming capabilities were already squared away, but the DIRAC is tempting. That and the card would mean one less piece of equipment clogging up my shelf. Selling the Node would probably make up the cost of the card anyway.

 

[Mather]

Holy shit! Man imaging just went off the charts. With my eyes closed the speakers are gone and the music is all around me. Everything is crisper and more distinct as well. A little disorienting in something like time cause it sounds like there are four drum kits cause of the way the stereo image goes back and forth.

Can recommend and I haven’t even played with tweaking it, just running the default curve.

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE

It's pretty awesome eh? Once you really get the hang of it and start playing with curves and individual frequencies you'll be even more amazed. You can basically make your system sound however you want with a couple of quick adjustments. Highs too shrill, quick fix, too rolled off, quick fix, speakers need more mids, quick fix...

 

[Nee Lewman]

@Mather did you have somebody set yours up or have you played with adjusting the eq?

Listening to Manics right now and I don’t like all the things it’s done. Much of it was much more subtle with Floyd. I’m probably gonna do a lot more listening before I go screwing around with it, but at least on Life Blood, there are things I like with the filter on and things I like with the filter off.

 

[Nee Lewman]

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE

It's pretty awesome eh? Once you really get the hang of it and start playing with curves and individual frequencies you'll be even more amazed. You can basically make your system sound however you want with a couple of quick adjustments. Highs too shrill, quick fix, too rolled off, quick fix, speakers need more mids, quick fix...

Well you just answered that question above.

 

[Mather]

@Mather did you have somebody set yours up or have you played with adjusting the eq?

Listening to Manics right now and I don’t like all the things it’s done. Much of it was much more subtle with Floyd. I’m probably gonna do a lot more listening before I go screwing around with it, but at least on Life Blood, there are things I like with the filter on and things I like with the filter off.

I leaned to do it myself so over time I just figured out how it works. Adjustments are very easy it just becomes a trial and error thing. How many filters can your amp save at once? 1 or 3?

 

[Nee Lewman]

I leaned to do it myself so over time I just figured out how it works. Adjustments are very easy it just becomes a trial and error thing. How many filters can your amp save at once? 1 or 3?

I want to say there were five slots in the app? But I don’t know. I assume you can just overwrite them because I still kind of want two different speaker set ups for a whole variety of reasons and because I can.

 

[Mather]

I want to say there were five slots in the app? But I don’t know. I assume you can just overwrite them because I still kind of want two different speaker set ups for a whole variety of reasons and because I can.

Yes they are infinitely over writable but yes that's the best idea. Make a few different filters for different styles of music. I like my filter for everything except old RnB and funk recordings that really want much more mids and bass than the usual listening. Pump those up and save the second filter and you're good.

 

[Nee Lewman]

Yes they are infinitely over writable but yes that's the best idea. Make a few different filters for different styles of music. I like my filter for everything except old RnB and funk recordings that really want much more mids and bass than the usual listening. Pump those up and save the second filter and you're good.

Listening to the new Billy Strings and I bet I’m good with the default for most things. Will give it a while before I start tweaking.