Recent content by Chris-E

Thank you for your kind words! Being curious about how we as humans only ever have mediated access to what some may call an 'objective reality' out there, and what this means for how we perceive the world and make sense of it, is a pretty accurate description of my day job. That's why I don't...

That's reassuring that you've never had crosstalk issues with the Douk devices. From this other user's experience I feared it could be an issue in my setup, because the ADI-2 doesn't allow for selectively muting of either the XLR or RCA line outs. It's either both on or both off. Crosstalk could...

This is the thread where the crosstalk issues were discussed: https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/nobsound-3-in-1-out-xlr-audio-switch-review.11062/post-1134575

Thank you so much for taking the time to write these insightful and well-meaning paragraphs! The UMIK-1 is on top of my shopping list, and it seems like I have just added a voltmeter. ;-) Thanks you also for sharing the link to the blind test paper. I am by no means an expert in audio...

Apologies, I have misread your question as you being interested in my ad-hoc subjective listening impressions comparing both signal paths. The "poor man's methodology" was meant as a figure of speech, referring to a quick and dirty approximation of output levels. I will look into the volt meter...

Yes... I know that there'll be comments coming that level matching is only possible when measuring them... and I agree... In the absence of measuring equipment I've matched them 'by ear'. I know, not optimal... But levels are definitely within 3db... I'd rather say prob. 1-2db... There's no...

Thank you for the recommendations. The MP has only arrived today, so I am just getting started A/B'ing the RME's output via the MP vs. directly into the Benchmark. Differences are subtle but noticeable. I have been a bit weary of the noise floor the MP would introduce. Thankfully that doesn't...

After this helpful and lively discussion I've decided to go ahead and give the Musical Paradise MP701-MK2 a go. The unit arrived today, and live A/B switching between signal paths works flawlessly as intended. Cable management still needs improvement. But very first impressions suggest this is...

Thanks for sharing your opinion. No doubt, measurements would be a most valuable addition here. Also I applaud your enthusiasm for the concept of objectivity, and I agree that striving for objectivity can be both, useful and comforting. To avoid possible misunderstandings, and as my listening...

A heartfelt Thank You! to everyone who has contributed to this thread so far, and as such has donated some of their time and expertise to this discussion! What a vibrant community! I couldn't have wished for a (tube-like) warmer welcome to ASR! I'm overwhelmed by the quantity and quality of...

Yes, the two preamps I had considered before starting this thread (Freya+, MP 701-MK2) should be unproblematic. The Schiit for sure, and the MP specs ask for power amp imp of >=10kOhm. It's not lots, but there's quite a few commercial Tier 2/3 Euro-Pop from the 90s (don't blame me - just grew...

Maybe there is a market for distortion plugins for the RPi that integrates with Volumio and Moode? Should have enough CPU power, no? :)

Apologies, Five Guys over In-N-Out here... Guilty of yet another taste abomination. Just irony.... ;-)

Thank you for this! That's exactly why I built my system the way I did. To have a core of rock solid reference components and then get playful (or not) at a later point if and when desired. You wouldn't have similar degrees of freedom to experiment when building a system on a sounded power amp...

Thank you for the kind words! Indeed, I was hoping to make it clear in my original post that I do appreciate, respect, and indeed share the ideal of accurate reproduction and transparency myself. Otherwise I wouldn't have built the audio system I am listening to as I type these lines. I just...