Recent content by PieterG

Actually the resistor ladder architecture is fairly old. It was this type of DAC they put into cd players. The modern versions that have become so popular are much more accurate thanks to their state of the art "digital brain" (an FPGA). I like the sound too. It simply didn't pair very well...

This sounds like a very expensive trap. Your speakers may already be good enough. Based on personal experience, i'd say the biggest sound improvements are most likely in the room, not the speakers. Mine are set up in the living room, which i know has too much open space and hard reflective...

I'd say yes. Speakers depend so heavily on room interaction. Headphones are way more direct. I also agree that they are two distinct listening experiences that each have their own place.

FYI: just tested foobar2000 (v2.25.5) on Win11. When i set the output device to my USB-connected DAC in exclusive mode, its display confirms 24bit/96kHz playback. It's the first time i play local flac files. I've been playing through the Tidal app on this machine for several weeks. No problem...

+1 for sound quality (availability matters too - only a few things so far i have searched but not found)

Parametric EQ is quite detailed and even less obvious than graphic EQ. Fortunately a quick AI search goes a long way. For what it's worth, i don't use EQ with headphones either, only with my speakers. It can be fun to play with the presets but most of them are too much.

What leaps out at me from your pictures is the massive -12dB overall and the +9.7dB in deep bass. Those are not exactly subtle tweaks. I wouldn't be surprised if your excellent HD600 now sound like a JBL bluetooth speaker ;) Nothing wrong with that, but designed to be exciting from low listening...

The Cocktail has a display that shows stream format, right? If it plays Tidal without resampling, a hi-res stream should appear as something like PCM 24bit/96kHz. (That's assuming you picked a 24/96 source of course...)

Is that a sign of your ears getting old? :( Future-proof just took on a whole new meaning ;) I'm not sure either if i prefer musical warmth or analytical detail. The type of music makes a difference too, and i listen to many different things. With the recent upgrades i did, it seems easier to...

Surprising. But since you prefer the WiiM already, what's the additional DAC for again? Was it usb input for lossless Apple Music? Perhaps take another good look at the Topping DX5-II. It has a lot of connection options and much more power to drive headphones, if you plan on adding them later...

Have you checked what's possible with Apple? I think wireless tops out at 256 kbps, assuming there is still no native support for aptX or LDAC. If so, there is no point in buying the best wireless IEMs unless you'll be using them with another player as well. That Sennheiser dongle or another...

I have the same experience, and for the sake of this conversation i measured SPL. (Don't look at these as accurate measurements, i just used a free phone app to get a general idea at my normal listening position.) Up to 45 dB i would say it's background music. If the room is otherwise quiet...

Excellent summary. It looks like i've been doing it right :):( This deserves a nice little table... FrequencyEQ Impact 50-75Hz Boost to beef up kick drums and sub bass lines. Cut to reduce excessive low-end weight. 80-200Hz Boost to add body to snares and guitars, punch to kick drums...

True. Don't buy those ultra neutral speakers because some people on a forum, some respected reviewers, or the "expert" sales guy said so. In addition, i have tried to learn how to use an equalizer to my advantage. I have a few custom curves that i play with depending on the music genre and the...

The instinctive reply should be: neutral. After all, you want an accurate representation of what was recorded. My idea - true or false - is that neutral speakers can be tuned to taste by applying minimal EQ. For my taste, in my untreated living room, i add some body and take away some sharpness...