Follow Up: Puffin Phono DSP Preamp

[watchnerd]

@BDWoody did you order the SPDIF Puffin?

If so, I'd love to compare notes.

So far, and to my surprise, it seems like there is a difference in sound* between the optical out of the Puffin going into the Devialet and using the built-in Devialet phono stage itself.

There could be all sorts of analog reasons (e.g. differences in actual loading despite both being set to 200 ohm, analog front ends before the ADC) for this that have little to do with the ADC portion of either one.

*sighted testing, no rigorous volume matching, so dubious observational value

 

[o2so]

Lasers = no ground loop hum for me

Pardon me. "lasers"?

 

[BDWoody]

@BDWoody did you order the SPDIF Puffin?

If so, I'd love to compare notes.

So far, and to my surprise, it seems like there is a difference in sound* between the optical out of the Puffin going into the Devialet and using the built-in Devialet phono stage itself.

I did. I will have to see if I notice the same. Haven't gotten mine yet...should be this week.

It would be interesting to compare a couple of rips between the Devialet and the Puffin.

 

[win]

what are the advantages of the spdf output?

having access to the digital domain allows you to use your dac as a preamp/source selector. It also allows you to run dsp on the signal without an additional D/A loop in your system somewhere.

 

[watchnerd]

Pardon me. "lasers"?

optical output

 

[watchnerd]

I did. I will have to see if I notice the same. Haven't gotten mine yet...should be this week.

It would be interesting to compare a couple of rips between the Devialet and the Puffin.

Unsung benefit of the digital out:

I don't need right-angle RCA adapters to make for prettier cable dressing.

Once dialed in, I can just chuck the Puffin out of sight and use the 10 foot Toslink cable.

 

[Soniclife]

So far, and to my surprise, it seems like there is a difference in sound* between the optical out of the Puffin going into the Devialet and using the built-in Devialet phono stage itself.

There could be all sorts of analog reasons (e.g. differences in actual loading despite both being set to 200 ohm, analog front ends before the ADC) for this that have little to do with the ADC portion of either one.

Care to waffle on about the perceived differences?

It would be interesting to compare a couple of rips between the Devialet and the Puffin.

I'd be very interested in that. With both rips precise level matching and ABX etc can be done as well, to really get to the bottom if they are different.

 

[watchnerd]

Care to waffle on about the perceived differences?

I'm reluctant for fear of pre-emptively tainting @BDWoody with cognitive bias.

 

[BDWoody]

I'm reluctant for fear of pre-emptively tainting @BDWoody with cognitive bias.

It's probably those cheap toslink cables...

Feel free to wax eloquent... I'll do some blind comparisons when I get mine, because I care.

Is there a record that is going to be the standard if we've got a few of us sending in rips/samples? Is there a way to legally share rips with others, if they own the same record?

Don't want to get anyone in trouble, especially since I'm supposed to be the responsible one...

I did Side2 of DSOTM as my first rip (out of the 8 billion available versions/pressings) with the VM540... Turned out surprisingly well (IMHO), but I've got to dial in the process if these are going to be compared.

 

[Soniclife]

Is there a record that is going to be the standard if we've got a few of us sending in rips/samples?

A spread of different music would be better I think, and avoid different pressing angst, and 'oh no their system kills mine' angst.

Is there a way to legally share rips with others, if they own the same record?

If i's not full tracks I think it's OK, but using IM to share links to interested people is probably best.

 

[watchnerd]

Feel free to wax eloquent... I'll do some blind comparisons when I get mine, because I care.

Using an MC, and sighted, the Devialet sounds more detailed / has better low level resolution, but this could be spectral balance issues if the 200 ohm loading setting between them isn't identical in reality.

Or it could be gain differences.

Or simply voodoo of the mind.

Material was small ensemble acoustic jazz recordings, a couple of different Blue Note albums.

 

[watchnerd]

IIs there a way to legally share rips with others, if they own the same record?

Given the number of vinyl rips on YouTube, I don't think you need to sweat it.

 

[JP]

Given the number of vinyl rips on YouTube, I don't think you need to sweat it.

YouTube's systems catch everything and the copyright holders choose to leave something up, take it down, or to monetize it and take the revenue. Just because it's on YouTube doesn't mean it's now a free-for-all.

 

[watchnerd]

YouTube's systems catch everything and the copyright holders choose to leave something up, take it down, or to monetize it and take the revenue. Just because it's on YouTube doesn't mean it's now a free-for-all.

Well, if we're going to proceed with an abundance of caution, then ASR better pull down all those rips I made earlier and posted links to Google Drive.

That being said, the copy right holders haven't seem to have viewed vinyl rips through the same piracy lens as digital copies, because they're flawed.

 

[JP]

That being said, the copy right holders haven't seem to have viewed vinyl rips through the same piracy lens as digital copies, because they're flawed.

Based on?

 

[watchnerd]

Based on?

An ex-Naval Intelligence / ex-NSA friend employed by both the MPAA and RIAA on anti-piracy matters.

 

[JP]

I'd think it's the PROs that'd apply in this case.

 

[watchnerd]

I'd think it's the PROs that'd apply in this case.

It's all about the money.

They could be viewing it through the lens that vinyl rips actually act as marketing for people to buy records.

And I don't find that illogical -- having a rip of an LP is not the same user experience as owning the LP itself.

 

[JP]

I spent more than a decade in a business where we had to deal with the four major PROs. Didn't find them to be at all pragmatic about such things. I don't see a lot of vinyl rips out in the open. The vast majority of what's on YouTube is authorized by the rights holder, and everything else is torrent sites, etc. with other pirated music.

 

[watchnerd]

I spent more than a decade in a business where we had to deal with the four major PROs. Didn't find them to be at all pragmatic about such things. I don't see a lot of vinyl rips out in the open. The vast majority of what's on YouTube is authorized by the rights holder, and everything else is torrent sites, etc. with other pirated music.

*shrug*

I've shared vinyl rips for years (although not whole albums).

Not a peep.

Michael Fremer has posted multiple vinyl rips for cartridge comparisons on Analog Planet.

They're still up.