Recent content by Randem Tox

I said converting one level of DC from a low-voltage SMPS to higher voltages was extremely common. Doesn't matter whether it's for tubes or not - that's by no means the only application - nor is it even close to the most extreme example of such DC-DC conversion. You're the one that said such a...

There's no reason for it to be any dirtier than any other switching supply; that's just a question of what you do after the raw DC-DC conversion. And yes, of course, if you're boosting voltage it has to come at the expense of a commensurate drop in available current. Just as it would with a...

It's done all the time for generating significantly higher voltages (multiple kV if you like) as well, even from a trio of AAs. No big deal at all to take a 28v input and get 250v out of it. Again, may not be the best approach but that's a long way from "won't allow".

Emphasis mine ... How so? It's entirely routine to generate all manner of different voltages from a single DC input, switching or otherwise. As long as the total internal power consumed isn't greater than that supply can deliver (including allowing for conversion losses) its a non-issue. In...

That's a much more reasonable statement. It's not the same thing as "cables do not matter". And I only bring this up, because when you're arguing about signal artifacts > -90 dB from the fundamental, precision matters. Precision in measurements, analysis, and in the expression of that...

Oh, sure they do. Not in the sense that choosing silk or cotton or air over PTFE for your dielectric, or silver vs. copper will result in audible changes in a headphone cable or interconnect or AC cable, but cables are specced the way they are for a reason. Take a digital connection, like USB...

I believe the reference to those tests is in the context of being able to correctly identify which DAC was which/that a difference exists and NOT in making a determination as to which was higher fidelity. Those are two very different things.

The iFi Micro iDSD BL very definitely DOES have an analog input. It's right there, smack-bang in the middle of the unit's front panel, clearly labelled.

A single AKM 4490.

That's nice, in this case. You still clearly have some USB/UAC2 issues elsewhere, however - as shown by multiple instances of DACs you've tested having issues under the Win10/CE UAC2 support that work fine for other people. If they were broken for everyone (e.g. Hugo 2 works fine with UAC2...

I'm increasingly convinced the myriad USB/driver issues (UAC2 wise) @amirm seems to continually run into are due to either a fundamentally borked Windows installation or iffy laptop USB implementation. This is not helped by Microsoft's 15-years-late-to-the-party adoption of UAC2, I'm sure. But...

Is the actual uploaded music stored in, and streamed from, our personal iCloud drives?

:) Nah, they offer a "tweaked" version for "senior audiophiles" ... but they omitted the "t". I'm (natively) English (heading back there in a couple of days, my little jaunt to the PNW ends this week), so I take a particularly perverse pleasure in pointing out major butchering's of my...

From the listing: Quick! Sign me up!!

It isn't. Very close, but not identical. Guy I know in the Seattle area has both the ADI-2 Pro and the ADI-2 DAC, if you want I can see if he can get together with you to measure them.