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  1. Stephen Dawson

    TOPPING DX9!

    No, up to 768kHz PCM, DSD256 via DoP, DSD512 native. (I've tested them all.)
  2. Stephen Dawson

    TOPPING DX9!

    I'd agree with that -- that they'd sound the same -- so long as levels were matched extremely precisely and, to a lesser extent, the same filter settings were chosen. Topping DACs with AK DAC chips typically allow the selection of a "NOS" filter (they call it "Super Slow Roll off"). This isn't...
  3. Stephen Dawson

    TOPPING DX9!

    Ah, thanks. You've solved it for me! To restate it: Select "Line Out" for "Out Mode", and then DAC mode in the Advanced Menu. The left display shows a large "DAC" in that mode and the output from the Line outputs are set to max (with low gain). Gain High/Low doesn't work for those outputs. The...
  4. Stephen Dawson

    TOPPING DX9!

    Thanks. No go I'm afraid. I've been through lots of options. I even did a factory reset and started again. The only practical difference between line out and pre out is that line out is always in low gain mode. On both of them the volume control works, even when the DAC mode is set to DAC. Which...
  5. Stephen Dawson

    TOPPING DX9!

    Anyone with a DX9, have you discovered any way to set a different headphone out level to the line (or Pre) outs? I've found that the level of the purported line outs are also adjusted by the volume control. I'd like to have max out for my main system, and ~-35 to -25dB for the headphone, and...
  6. Stephen Dawson

    Topping D30Pro Review (Balanced DAC)

    That's one of my articles. If you want the most accurate sound, choose the filter which is "Fast" or "Sharp" and "Linear" rather than "Minimum" phase. I've tried to explain why in the article, but some very useful background is in this video by Monty from Xiph.org:
  7. Stephen Dawson

    .

    Turns out, you can't be certain that your CD player isn't doing some processing on the digital audio output. I was using a twenty year old Denon CD player (DCD-755AR) to feed, via optical, a Simaudio Moon 280D DAC, and the analogue output was giving me a noise floor of -115dBA+, which is...
  8. Stephen Dawson

    Device for Equal Loudness/Fletcher Munson Curve? Do Any Speakers Adapt to This?

    Interesting. Now you've gotten me to thinking. If you read the fuller piece (posted after your comment) you'll see my entire argument. But could it be that one can have a two-track hearing process? Because, remember, the rest of the world is not loudness compensated. If you live in front of...
  9. Stephen Dawson

    Device for Equal Loudness/Fletcher Munson Curve? Do Any Speakers Adapt to This?

    Avoid the Loudness When I was a youngster and avid reader of Australian HI-FI, nearly every amplifier review contained, it seemed, a mini rant on the presence of a particular button fitted to the amp. Now, many years later, I find myself writing a mini rant on what is essentially the same...
  10. Stephen Dawson

    Device for Equal Loudness/Fletcher Munson Curve? Do Any Speakers Adapt to This?

    I've come to this thread months too late, but just in case: I've been arguing for years that applying loudness compensation EQ is a fundamentally misconceived idea. I review gear for a living. Back when this compensation came in on home theatre receivers -- Audyssey in Marantz and Denon -- and...
  11. Stephen Dawson

    Topping E30 DAC Review

    Ooh, you're making my life so much easier. Thanks!
  12. Stephen Dawson

    Topping E30 DAC Review

    Thanks Rock. So, really, it depends on the particular DAC. I've got one of these coming, so I'll check it out. Now, to think of a way to reliably get a >0dBFs signal going!
  13. Stephen Dawson

    Topping E30 DAC Review

    Curious. Do intersample "overs" matter? Assuming that a line-level DAC like this one can deliver the necessary volts, and the input to which it is connected can cope?
  14. Stephen Dawson

    Review and Measurements of Denon AVR-4306

    These are specifically designed as live performance in ear monitors. They tend to be a bit bright for my taste, but I can see that as an advantage in that situation. The problem, as I see it, is that there is no widely used standard. If the norm was to use, say, 100 ohms output resistance, then...
  15. Stephen Dawson

    Review and Measurements of Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital

    Yes, I've used Fast Roll-Off as the comparison measure. All measurements were with distortion compensation enabled.
  16. Stephen Dawson

    Review and Measurements of Denon AVR-4306

    Just to finish off on the matter of headphone output resistance, one last test and some brief listening impressions. I tried out the Audiofly AF140 in-ear monitors. (RRP $AU399) These use three drivers: dynamic for bass, balanced armature for mids and balanced armature for treble. Nominal...
  17. Stephen Dawson

    Review and Measurements of Denon AVR-4306

    I use a little load box I made. I measure into open circuit, 47.1kOhm, 295 ohms and 15.9 ohms @ 100Hz, 1kHz and 10kHz. I advance the volume to the highest level it will go without visible clipping at 15.9 ohms and use that level for all the measurements. I calculate the resistance using both the...
  18. Stephen Dawson

    Review and Measurements of Denon AVR-4306

    Ah, yes. Yamaha does seem to do it differently to the others. RMS open circuit headphone output voltage on a Marantz NR1609 is 27 volts, on a Pioneer VSX-LX303 is 15.5 volts, on a NAD T 758 v3 is 28.5 volts, on a Denon AVR-X3500H is 42 volts (!). But on a Yamaha Aventage RX-A3080, it's only 3.2...
  19. Stephen Dawson

    Review and Measurements of Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital

    The Optimal Transient filter in this unit, which Pro-Ject recommends as preferable, has some interesting characteristics. First, at first glance it appears to lack an anti-aliasing filter. Here's how a 1kHz waveform, sampled at 44.1kHz, appears on an oscilloscope with the Optimal Transient...
  20. Stephen Dawson

    Review and Measurements of Denon AVR-4306

    Okay, here's the effect of a 470 ohm in-line resistance on the signal fed to a pair of Sennheiser HD 535 headphones. They are headphones with neither the most variable, nor the most even of impedances across the audible frequency range. This graph ought to be more satisfactory. It's generated by...
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