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DuckToller's Sonic Encounters

THE AIRPULSE A80 - short review with measurements

THE AIRPULSE A80 active desktop speakers - short review with measurements The Airpulse A80 horn-loaded Ribbon Tweeter design active desktop speaker is the youngest and smallest sibling of the Airpulse family designed by Phil Jones, produced and marketed by Edifier International. It may be available in the US starting 599 $. European prices are around 699 €. While her inner values are broadly identical with the recently reviewed Airpulse A100, the Bluetooth stack of the A80 has evolved
DuckToller

DuckToller in Speaker

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DuckToller's Sonic Encounters

The new Airpulse A80 & Airpulse A300 pro

There had been members suggesting more reviews on active bookshelf speakers after the Airpulse vs Kanto reviews and when Airpulse asked me about reviewing the new A80s I felt it would make sense to report about them here in the forums.     Last  week I have received the fancy blue coated A80 active desktop speakers from Airpulse, they are the smaller sibling of the already reviewed A100 and sell for 699 USD. These two may have some smaller technical differences only, wh
DuckToller

DuckToller in Speaker

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DuckToller's Sonic Encounters

Like a late November afternoon sky: About DACs and smartphones - an opinion:

Could we relate to DACs performance somehow like to a fall afternoon’s beautiful cloudy sky? I assume It may lie in the eye of the beholder which picture carries more beauty for him or her while obviously there are objective criterias to define a picture's qualities. For example, I’ve selected 2 fall sky images I took with my then smartphone in  2016 and 2018 The technical quality is limited, the impression may suit you or not. But is as much in line how I saw the sky as I could c
DuckToller

DuckToller in Opinion

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DuckToller's Sonic Encounters

AMR/iFi announces the iFi micro iDSD signature

Update: Last week I received the iDSD signature and I was noticed the iDSD neo is on its way. That pair may get a double feature review. I did a couple of shots over the weekenbd which will be posted here today or tomorrow.   on 10 / 09 / 2020 By chance (searching for some iFi iDSD pro information) I noted today on the iFi website that the company announces a new version of the iDSD micro. https://ifi-audio.com/products/micro-idsd-signature/ They say it is "Out of this wo
DuckToller

DuckToller in DAC - Announcements

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DuckToller's Sonic Encounters

Khadas announced Tone2 pro mini desktop & portable DAC

Wesion - Khadas, well known for the 99$ Khadas Tone Board DAC, has announced a sublimal successor for the beloved unit, here are the first renderings: The Tone2 pro - details:   DAC + OPA1612 Op-Amps - Tone2 Pro combines the ESS ES9038Q2M with x4 OPA1612 operational amplifiers that deliver superior audio quality. High Performance - Up to 32bit 384KHz sample rate, bit-perfect DSD512, and -118dB THD+N (
DuckToller

DuckToller in DAC - Announcements

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Qhwoeprktiyn's blog

Meet Jan Evensmo - Jazz Archeologist

You may have come across Jan Evensmo's work referenced in jazz publications or liner notes or by reading his fascinating website  -http://www.jazzarcheology.com/ . I contacted him and he kindly agreed to answer a few questions:   Q: Your website is entitled "the treasures of vintage jazz". You have written "solographies" of numerous famous or lesser known artists.  When did your passion for jazz start and how did you come to writing these solographies?   It started when I was
Qhwoeprktiyns

Qhwoeprktiyns in Vintage Jazz

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Phil C's Blog

USB and Other Digital Cables Roundup as of July 2020 Revision 1

Introduction Sources for the digital cable roundup include the Internet and audiophile publications and are mainly "Recommended Components" lists, "Editors' Choices" lists, and audio component reviews that mention the digital cable included in the reviewer’s own stereo system.  These are lists and reviews I have happened upon over the years.  I have no doubt overlooked many lists and reviews, so let me know and I can include them next update.    If a cable is mentioned frequently
Phil C

Phil C

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Phil C's Blog

USB and Other Digital Cables Roundup as of July 2020

Introduction Sources for this cable roundup are mainly "Recommended Components" lists, "Editors' Choices" lists, and audio component reviews that mention the digital cable included in the reviewer’s stereo system.  If a cable appears frequently and over several years in these sources, my theory is that it may very well be a superior cable and worthy of consideration.  I hope that my fellow audiophiles and music aficionados will find this roundup helpful, for instance, when researching and s
Phil C

Phil C

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Qhwoeprktiyn's blog

Loren Schoenberg on Ben Webster

Loren Schoenberg (of the the National Jazz Museum in Harlem) has published a four part lecture on Ben Webster on YouTube.    The production is not of the highest quality (but the content easily makes up for it), and some of the tracks are better heard on youtube directly or from your collection, if you can find them. There are quite a few rarities.     Part 1:     Part 2:     Part 3:     Part 4: 
Qhwoeprktiyns

Qhwoeprktiyns

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Qhwoeprktiyn's blog

In Praise of Ellington - The Pianist

Duke Ellington recorded music for 50 years.   Ask any Ellington fan to pick their favorite album, they will not be able to decide. Ever changing, throughout these 50 years, but always distinctive, what is it that makes Ellington so special ?  His arrangements, his compositions, his ability to gather in his band the best talents and use them at their best ?   One aspect which I find fascinating is his piano playing. His style and sound is instantly recognizable, and forms the
Qhwoeprktiyns

Qhwoeprktiyns

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Qhwoeprktiyn's blog

Ellington gems

Ellington never ceases to amaze and suprise me. Witness this short piece, released by Storyville earlier this year: "The Lake", part of his suite "The River", and performed at the end of a 1969 concert. Here are the Storyville notes:    "On November 7th, 1969, Duke Ellington and his orchestra played two concerts in Rotterdam, in the famous De Doelen concert hall. The second concert of the evening was prolonged, as the public wouldn’t let Ellington go. So while the rest of the bandmembe
Qhwoeprktiyns

Qhwoeprktiyns

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Qhwoeprktiyn's blog

Japanese greetings

At this time it is relevant to reflect on the merits of japanese-style greetings. Respect can be shown to others while avoiding the traditional western handshake.    Bowing can start when you first see the person at a distance, and continue as you approach them, but has to stop at a one meter distance !   Avoid the mistakes of Trump and Obama.            
Qhwoeprktiyns

Qhwoeprktiyns

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Qhwoeprktiyn's blog

A simple solution to all problems ?

Reading AustinPop's excellent review of the EtherRegen I could not help but thinking - does it need to be so complicated ? Cascading switches, linear power supplies, audiophile network and DC cables, clocks - there has to be be a better way ! Call me naive, but I believe there is always an elegant and simple solution to all problems, and don't see why digital audio should not conform to that rule. If we have not found it, then we need to look harder  
Qhwoeprktiyns

Qhwoeprktiyns

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Qhwoeprktiyn's blog

Remastering quality (for vintage jazz fans)

Here's an example to illustrate the importance of remastering quality.   The track is "Stepping into Swing Society" by Duke Ellington, recorded on January 13, 1938. I love the title !   Here's what Eddie Lambert has to say about this track (in "Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide" - a little publicity for this great book:https://www.amazon.com/Duke-Ellington-Listeners-Guide-Studies/dp/0810831619 ) :   "By early 1938, the swing era was well under way. and Ellington in
Qhwoeprktiyns

Qhwoeprktiyns

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Qhwoeprktiyn's blog

Vintage Jazz

A beautiful interpretation of "I Cover the Waterfront", by Henry "Red" Allen, dating from 1957:     Red Allen - trumpet J.C. Higginbotham - trombone Buster Bailey - clarinet Coleman Hawkins - tenor saxophone Marty Napoleon - piano Evertt Barksdale - guitar Lloyd Trotman - bass Cozy Cole - drums   In the words of Gunther Schuller ("The Swing Era"):   "Recorded evidence of Allen's work from 1946 to his death in 1967 is
Qhwoeprktiyns

Qhwoeprktiyns

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Qhwoeprktiyn's blog

my simple system

After spending quite a few years experimenting with various components, I finally have a system which satisfies me, so I thought I would describe it and explain why.   Speakers: Davis Courbet 4 (http://www.davis-acoustics.com/en/courbet-n4/) Amplifier: Lavardin ISX (http://www.lavardin.com/lavardin-isE.html) DAC: ECDesigns MOS16 DAC (https://www.ecdesigns.nl/de/info/mos16) Source: ECDesigns UPL (with ElectroTos cable) (https://www.ecdesigns.nl/de/info/upl16)  
Qhwoeprktiyns

Qhwoeprktiyns

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Audio Preordination

The where and why - a time and place to build

Some three years ago I resided in the state of California. ...     After arriving in Nampa it was time to get serious and find a place that would house my ideal system. This actually became an obstacle as just about every older home my wife and I looked at were not planned well for an entertainment room. I mean, low or high ceilings? Hard or soft carpeted flooring? And then there was the main issue the wall for the entertainment system. Floor plans, arrrggghhh for new homes I could not
Shimei

Shimei

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Phil C's Blog

USB and Other Digital Cables Round Up as of December 2019

USB and Other Digital Cables Round Up as of December 2019 Follow 0     This round up of USB and other digital cables is gleaned from various audiophile publications and Internet articles that I have happened upon over the years.  I hope my fellow audiophiles will find this round up helpful, for instance, when narrowing down choices for a cable purchase.       There are two sections:  USB Cables and Other Digital Cable
Phil C

Phil C

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Keweenaw

Remote locale in NW Wyoming using 4G/LTE cell service for TIDAL

T-mobile allows unlimited "Tidal "HiFi" and "Master" lossless streaming (without data cap) on its cell system with 4g/LTE. We have no Wifi or Fibre optic available in this remote area  obviously power that is  severely and constantly line conditioned.    The CCK adapter works well but was wondering if there is a dpnp or server ios app that could "throw" the content to a Mac Mini  or Grace digital tuner  then to  our DAC.  The ability to use the iphone in hand would be preferable to being wi
Keweenaw

Keweenaw

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Handy bash scripts for alsa and mpd

mpd-monitor: realtime monitor of an audiostream from source, through mpd, to alsa and your DAC

Dear fellow audio enthusiast,   Today I published a first draft of mpd-monitor, a minimal load and realtime monitor of an audiostream as handled by mpd. A screencast says it all:       Details and documentation are available at the gitlab repository: https://gitlab.com/ronalde/mpd-monitor/. When you experience bugs or issues, which will be the case, please submit those in the gitlab project.   I would like to hear your thoughts.   Happy list
ronalde

ronalde

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Describing the Technologies in Computer Audio

What is all this new disk stuff? -- M.2, NVME, Optane

Over the last few years the form factor for mass media storage devices has started to evolve.  PC motherboards and many laptops now have SSD (Solid State Drives) as their primary non-volatile storage.  The computer industry invented the NGFF (Next Generation Form Factor) system which is now called M.2.   The M.2  interface is directly connected to the bus structure of the computer.  This dramatically improves the speed of operations.  One of the largest improvements is the NVMe  protoc
bobfa

bobfa

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