Recent content by ClicketEKlack

Just saw this. What happens when a blind test produces results that challenge the assumptions about what proper blind test results should reflect?

Regardless of what reviewers write, should there be any measurable audible differences between a D90 and a D90SE?

This may explain the reviews of a lot of high-end DACs as well -- those that measure poorly, but get raves for detail retrieval. R2R, etc.

I'm using the Xduoo MT-604, and it's absolutely delightful.

I use the Topping D-90, but I'd bet the Topping D30 would be great.

Has there ever been a proposal on the forum to sponsor a large-scale (post-COVID of course) double-blind listening test? It seems like there’s an awful lot of gauntlets being flung re: unsighted tests without any actually being performed in controlled settings. If we all chipped in some money...

I've done no comparisons, only read others'.

So if measurements are everything, there should be no perceivable difference between a Topping A90 and a Singxer SA-1, both of which measure superbly? As an owner of an A90, I admit I have a sliiiiight case of FOMO about the Singxer. Are all the pro-Singxer comparisons then simply the result of...

That is fair. Perhaps I can. I don't disagree with the ASR premise that if high-roller audiophiles participated in blind A/B tests with their Chord DAVEs, they'd all probably end up with Topping D90se's. Fortunately for my wallet, all the four and five figure high-end audio gear I've tested...

I was an objectivist until this week, when a couple of impassioned (and oft-disparaged) web reviewers convinced me to drop $170 on an Xduoo MT-604 balanced tube amp. I plugged it into my Topping D90 and I haven't listened to my A90 since. I imagine it measures like a wet turd, but through Focal...

It's the audiophile equivalent of anti-vaccine hysteria. One anecdotal incident causes widespread distrust. It's not enjoyable or informative reading.

Wonder if they ever tried to make headphones?

Not a comparison to Asgard, but to Jotunheim 2:

Oh, I'm not in the slightest bit tempted, just curious about the empirical evidence, as this is ASR. IMO, the whole power conditioning thing seems highly suspect. I was talked into getting a budget power conditioner at Best Buy a few years back for my TV and it did jack squat for PQ. I kept it...

What's the verdict on high-end power conditioners? Are they all the same, i.e., worthless, or do some have a positive impact on SQ? I saw the ASR review of the PowerQuest 3 -- is the AudioQuest Niagara basically the same crap tech, just more expensive?