Recent content by RTHerringbone

Yeah, this is pretty much my view on things. Most of all, I just think that streaming =/= bad or lazy, it's just a different way to access the things we love. I still thoroughly enjoy buying and listening to records, but if I'm streaming and find a new song I really like, I can instantly use...

Plus Tidal has the "Decades" filter, which in the specific example cited returns a reasonable selection of playlists and albums? Maybe better examples can be given of this issue.

Ooooh, what does it look like?

With intent, or just out of curiosity?

I am, but have nothing to compare it to so can't comment on sound characteristics compared to a standard DAC / Amp. But: it works well, it's got great build quality and is an almost exact footprint match to the WiiM Ultra, so creates a nice matching stack of stuff in my headphone setup...

Rega make fine turntables. They have some upgrade limitations, but upgrades aren't a key requirement of some listeners, so read into that accordingly. Rui has loud and subjective opinions mostly centring on the year in which equipment was manufactured.

I have zero interest in that Tube DAC other than to say: 1. FiiO innovate quickly and know what a curse this hobby is 2. It's quite gorgeous https://www.fiio.com/newsinfo/1099293.html

I suspect many of us are guilty of it (I certainly am!) but I'd just see how things sound with your current amp and unless you are *sure* you're missing something, then save yourself a few quid.

I absolutely wouldn't bother. I would try the RCA connection to your amp and then switch to optical / USB to see if you can hear a difference. It's pretty likely you won't, so then just go with whichever of those two options has the nicest cable! Simple as that. You won't need another box in...

That's a contender for some of the worst Photoshopping I've ever seen.

Just use the optical out or USB to bypass the internal DAC on the Ultra.

It's all about circumstances, isn't it? My WFH office is me on my own all day so I can listen open-backed with no noise coming in and no worries about noise going out to inconvenience others. I had considered closed-backs for downstairs, but really I'll only listen downstairs via the fancy amp...

Don't forget that the FT7s are Planars too, but I think in general you're right - it's a tuning choice rather than a shortfall. I can "feel" deeper bass with the FT7s marginally more, but not to the extent that it's necessarily better, just different. The Stealth's are so, so clean. I'm onto...

I think it's fine - it's super marginal and I'd argue that the mid-range is better represented with the Stealth's, and that's the vast majority of the track. I think it's good that these differences are tangible and you can compare one thing to another critically and constructively.

Maybe. It's the same on Telegraph Road (Alchemy version) by Dire Straits at about 1:45 when the bass kicks in . They're a little underpowered there.