The Dark Side; Digital audio equipment recommendations and setup.

The Eversolo is here.. just fired it up after letting it come up to temperature as it’s freezing out today.IMG_6730.jpeg

Came very well packaged. It looks really nice and feels substantial. Super easy to set up and connect to Roon.

Sounds great out of the box. The A8 is without a doubt smoother and less in my face feeling than the Node/Pontus combo and is much closer to the Node/D-03x DAC that I’m used to.

As a side note, Ive been a silver face electronics guy for the most part, but I’m really digging these black pieces.
 
Really impressed with the A8 so far. Like anything else I suppose, I had read varying opinions on the sound quality. Some said it was thin, some said it was well fleshed out. Mixed bag. The measurement folks loved it but that typically causes me more pause than desire as I kind of equate these great measuring pieces with clinical/edgy.. I base that on nothing other than its what I think..

In my setup, the A8 sounds very balanced and smooth, and lacks no detail or dynamics. Zero grain or edge as I felt I was getting with the Pontus.

I have no negatives to this point outside of the basically non-existent written instructions. Luckily everything was easy to set up and the on screen instructions clear.

Cool piece.
 
I made the mistake of purchasing/downloading a couple DSD albums…. They sound pretty amazing compared to their FLAC counterparts on Tidal.

Curious if anyone invests in DSD music and if so where you get it? I used NativeDSD to purchase these. Prices seemed reasonable, same/less than vinyl at least.

Not sure I want to go down this rabbit hole, but figured asking a few questions won’t hurt.
 
Slimwhit33 said:
I made the mistake of purchasing/downloading a couple DSD albums…. They sound pretty amazing compared to their FLAC counterparts on Tidal.

Curious if anyone invests in DSD music and if so where you get it? I used NativeDSD to purchase these. Prices seemed reasonable, same/less than vinyl at least.

Not sure I want to go down this rabbit hole, but figured asking a few questions won’t hurt.
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You can find some decent stuff here:

Rare Classical and Jazz music in Audiophile Sound

High Resolution Downloads, Classical Music, Jazz Music, Rare Audiophile, DSD Downloads
www.highdeftapetransfers.ca www.highdeftapetransfers.ca
 
Slimwhit33 said:
I made the mistake of purchasing/downloading a couple DSD albums…. They sound pretty amazing compared to their FLAC counterparts on Tidal.

Curious if anyone invests in DSD music and if so where you get it? I used NativeDSD to purchase these. Prices seemed reasonable, same/less than vinyl at least.

Not sure I want to go down this rabbit hole, but figured asking a few questions won’t hurt.
Click to expand...
I almost bought some on Christmas and didn't for this exact reason. I am blissfully ignorant.
 
Slimwhit33 said:
I made the mistake of purchasing/downloading a couple DSD albums…. They sound pretty amazing compared to their FLAC counterparts on Tidal.

Curious if anyone invests in DSD music and if so where you get it? I used NativeDSD to purchase these. Prices seemed reasonable, same/less than vinyl at least.

Not sure I want to go down this rabbit hole, but figured asking a few questions won’t hurt.
Click to expand...
Qobuz started selling DSD recently.
Haven't tried it yet but the source of the file should be on the up and up since they work directly with the labels.

www.qobuz.com

for albums to download in True CD Quality (Lossless), 24-Bit Hi-Res - Qobuz

Qobuz is the world leader in 24-bit Hi-Res downloads, offering more than 100 million tracks for streaming in unequalled sound quality 24-Bit Hi-Res
www.qobuz.com www.qobuz.com
 
Jbraswell said:
Qobuz started selling DSD recently.
Haven't tried it yet but the source of the file should be on the up and up since they work directly with the labels.

www.qobuz.com

for albums to download in True CD Quality (Lossless), 24-Bit Hi-Res - Qobuz

Qobuz is the world leader in 24-bit Hi-Res downloads, offering more than 100 million tracks for streaming in unequalled sound quality 24-Bit Hi-Res
www.qobuz.com www.qobuz.com
Click to expand...
Also worth noting that if you do their top tier subscription, you get a substantial discount on purchases.
 
Slimwhit33 said:
I made the mistake of purchasing/downloading a couple DSD albums…. They sound pretty amazing compared to their FLAC counterparts on Tidal.

Curious if anyone invests in DSD music and if so where you get it? I used NativeDSD to purchase these. Prices seemed reasonable, same/less than vinyl at least.

Not sure I want to go down this rabbit hole, but figured asking a few questions won’t hurt.
Click to expand...
I’m circling that hole myself. I picked up some DSD files from Rare Classical and Jazz music in Audiophile Sound and they sound really good.

I think part of it is I’m finding playback of files stored on local drives sounds better that streamed music. Not by a huge amount, but there is a difference that I find enjoyable.
 
Nee Lewman said:
This might be of interest to some of you:
www.stereogum.com

What If We Were Wrong About Pono?

A look back at Neil Young's doomed hi-res audio player on its 10th anniversary
www.stereogum.com www.stereogum.com
Click to expand...
Mine is sitting in the wooden box it came in. I haven't used it in probably 2-3 years. When I used to travel for work, it was a great thing to have on flights or walking around town. I used to take it with me on walks around the neighborhood. I think it just got too cumbersome to move files back and forth. There would also be weird issues with files not loading or messing up while I was playing them. I think what really killed it for me was getting a DAC and AirPods.
 
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Slimwhit33 said:
I had seen yesterday, and @SnowmaNick also pointed out, that TMR had a Luxman D-06 DAC for sale...

Had, being the optimal word. I'll compare the Eversolo to the Node/D-06 combo over the next couple weeks. I know the D-06 is "older" tech, but its roughly the same timeframe as the D-03x I had (and loved/miss) but is a more advanced unit. For streaming Tidal, it should be great.

I feel better having a Luxman piece back in the house..

I'm returning the Pontus as it just didn't gel with me.. gave it about 3 weeks of use and it just didn't grab me. It was a used unit so broken in so no further changes expected. Its a very nice looking and extremely well built DAC..
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Kinda surprised about the Pontus! My ares was one of the better dacs I’ve heard
 
MikeH said:
Kinda surprised about the Pontus! My ares was one of the better dacs I’ve heard
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I have a feeling that something wasn’t right with the one I got. It was having the daily intermittent distortion issue, which hasn’t happened with either the Eversolo or the Luxman since I got them, so maybe something else was up with it.

I just decided not to get too deep in the weeds with it and returned it. I make no real judgement of the brand off this experience and would be open to trying another one someday.
 
Ginormousthumbs said:
How is the catalog for Qobuz? Is it on par with Spotify or Apple?
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It’s jazz, classical, and Chad friendly is how I would describe it. To be honest, the only real issue I’ve noticed (that wasn’t a hole with all of the services) was when I had an itch to listen to Bob Seger last year but that’s been corrected too. I probably discover as much new music through Qobuz as I do through @avecigrec and the rest of the gang in the new music thread.

I’ll also say this, what I really truly appreciate - almost as much as the hi-res is that it feels like a curated service and not an algorithm. It feels like a big local record store at the height of music sales in the nineties. They have almost everything you could want but if you pay attention to what they are highlighting, you will discover some quality shit that no one else is talking about. And their “magazine” feels like what VMP said their’s was.
 
Nee Lewman said:
This might be of interest to some of you:
www.stereogum.com

What If We Were Wrong About Pono?

A look back at Neil Young's doomed hi-res audio player on its 10th anniversary
www.stereogum.com www.stereogum.com
Click to expand...
I have to admit, I have been looking at getting a new DAP. I have been looking at the FiiO JM1. I like the idea that it has the Google Play store on it so you can install apps like Apple Music or PlexAmp. I would actually use it more at home in my office/music room than I would outside the house.

But then again, I would rather pay off my mortgage sooner.
 
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