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I think I’m done

Victoria

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*waves*

Audiodyke over here, haha!~

I do consider myself more of a music-lover though (I’m rather vocal about my never-ending pursuit to grow my music collection) but I’m a little bit of a gear nerd too (am a big proponent and lover of active speakers, Class-D amplification, and a huge Bang & Olufsen fan). But yeah it’s a rather male-centric hobby for the most part.

I do enjoy the company on this forum though despite being more of a lurker than poster. Lots to learn, lots to digest, tons of science, but also tons of philosophy and the like.

Awesome system you’ve got though! Jelly! Been wanting to get a pair of 1ET400A’s as well but all my plans are on hold for the time being as I might be moving again. And you’ve also got my dream DAC! If I go for separates again with passive speakers this is exactly the DAC and amplifier I’d go for. Awesome selection and you should be well served!
 

tomtoo

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I would love to be able to hear anything near 20 kHz, or anything above 13 kHz for that matter.

Mine stops at around 15k. But every k more is a huge step up there. People that say they can hear a 20k small Q peak, ,maybe exists. But without proof i would say: proof it first in a abx! As long you not proofed, i dont believe even not when you are the pope.
 

q3cpma

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Please forgive my ignorance. I don’t understand this. Please could you explain?
Basically, neutrality isn't impressive. It just sounds right on most (correctly recorded/produced) material, doesn't emphasize any frequency that could make specific music material stand out.
This is also one reason why some brands have a quite hot top end (6~10 kHz), it sounds "more detailed" than more neutral speakers in a basic in-store comparison. That's later - after the purchase =) - that your impression of "detail" might be rightfully recognized as fatiguing and unnatural (on neutral material, again); may also help vinyl transfers with anemic HF.

Personally, when I went from Yamaha HS7 to Genelec 8030C, I wasn't instantly impressed, but their qualities slowly dawned on me.
 
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voodooless

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Some proposed EQ settings for the RME based on above info:
1626352790673.png

1626352828226.png
 
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Eidie

Eidie

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*waves*

Audiodyke over here, haha!~

I do consider myself more of a music-lover though (I’m rather vocal about my never-ending pursuit to grow my music collection) but I’m a little bit of a gear nerd too (am a big proponent and lover of active speakers, Class-D amplification, and a huge Bang & Olufsen fan). But yeah it’s a rather male-centric hobby for the most part.

I do enjoy the company on this forum though despite being more of a lurker than poster. Lots to learn, lots to digest, tons of science, but also tons of philosophy and the like.

Awesome system you’ve got though! Jelly! Been wanting to get a pair of 1ET400A’s as well but all my plans are on hold for the time being as I might be moving again. And you’ve also got my dream DAC! If I go for separates again with passive speakers this is exactly the DAC and amplifier I’d go for. Awesome selection and you should be well served!
Thank you Victoria. It is all about the music. All I desire is to hear. The tech fetish is a means to an end. It is early yet but I think I have found my end. Currently listening to Poppy Ackroyd “Escapement”. Wonderful! Please may I PM you?
 
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Eidie

Eidie

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Basically, neutrality isn't impressive. It just sounds right on most (correctly recorded/produced) material, doesn't emphasize any frequency that could make specific music material stand out.
This is also one reason why some brand have a quite hot top end (6~10 kHz), it sounds "more detailed" in comparison with more neutral speakers in a basic in-store comparison. That's later - after the purchase =) - that your impression of "detail" might be rightfully recognized as fatiguing and unnatural (on neutral material, again); may also help vinyl transfers with anemic HF.

Personally, when I went from Yamaha HS7 to Genelec 8030C, I wasn't instantly impressed, but their qualities slowly dawned on me.
Thank you! The clarification is valuable. I’d always thought “neutrality” was to be sort. Of course we cannot know the true accuracy of our own system. Too many psycho-acoustic and room influences and we never heard it recorded. And we adapt and accommodate what we hear. I am treble sensitive. I find “bright”, “forwards” reproduction actually painful.

My face hurts! Very happy!
 

Ron Texas

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Honestly, it's quite bad. That big LF bump isn't good but nothing compared to that mess in the sensitive band (3.5 kHz dip followed by wide 5~10 kHz peak) which is simply horrifying. Your best bet is to EQ based on anechoic data or use Dirac which does whole spectrum correction.

Maybe this isn't the right thing to say to someone who just bought new speakers.
 

tonapo

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What are your settings on the DAC please? I have the same one in my desktop set-up but I have been wondering about partnering with some similar mono blocks, possibly DIY'd. I currently have to attenuate the signal from the DAC using my speakers volume control (I have tried in-line attenuators too) or I have to have the DACs volume too low and I lose dynamic range. Anyway, I am interested in how others do it, particulalry with these amps? I am glad you are enjoying it!!
 

tomtoo

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Thank you! The clarification is valuable. I’d always thought “neutrality” was to be sort. Of course we cannot know the true accuracy of our own system. Too many psycho-acoustic and room influences and we never heard it recorded. And we adapt and accommodate what we hear. I am treble sensitive. I find “bright”, “forwards” reproduction actually painful.

My face hurts! Very happy!

Neutrality is something like a orientation mark. Like a compass, good to give a thump*pi orientation. But to find your way, sometimes you have to go left or right from the north direction. So have fun! Cool system!
 

Victoria

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Thank you Victoria. It is all about the music. All I desire is to hear. The tech fetish is a means to an end. It is early yet but I think I have found my end. Currently listening to Poppy Ackroyd “Escapement”. Wonderful! Please may I PM you?

Sure! My apologies in advance if I’m slow to respond though but I’ll definitely check back again soon! I’m on mobile right now and my fingers are getting tired haha!

And I fully agree that our kit is merely a means to an end, it’s what I’ve been saying for many years myself! I ultimately feel that I gain a lot more in return from all the music I’ve acquired over the years and I do have a fixed monthly budget which I spend on music. In my humble opinion there’s so much more satisfaction to be gained from discovering new music than there is from the rather expensive exercise that is constant gear-swapping. That doesn’t mean I shy away from expensive gear though, I just like it to last me many MANY years!
 

Trell

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What are your settings on the DAC please? I have the same one in my desktop set-up but I have been wondering about partnering with some similar mono blocks, possibly DIY'd. I currently have to attenuate the signal from the DAC using my speakers volume control (I have tried in-line attenuators too) or I have to have the DACs volume too low and I lose dynamic range. Anyway, I am interested in how others do it, particulalry with these amps? I am glad you are enjoying it!!

If you use the RME ADI-2 DAC have a look at the post by @chips666 : https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ac-and-headphone-amp.7546/page-59#post-842706

The manual is also excellent, so have a look at page 62 for chapter "31.12 Operation in the Hi-Fi Environment": https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/adi2dacr_e.pdf
 

tonapo

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Thanks Trell! Yes, I got that advice too from the RME website, I am in the number 2 scenario. My Adam F5's actives do have volume control (around the back), and they are turned right down, and I then tend to sit around the magic -18 on the DAC. However I am not sure how it would be with different speakers/amp. I still have the passive attenuators, so thats one possible option.
 
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Eidie

Eidie

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What are your settings on the DAC please? I have the same one in my desktop set-up but I have been wondering about partnering with some similar mono blocks, possibly DIY'd. I currently have to attenuate the signal from the DAC using my speakers volume control (I have tried in-line attenuators too) or I have to have the DACs volume too low and I lose dynamic range. Anyway, I am interested in how others do it, particulalry with these amps? I am glad you are enjoying it!!
I certainly am! I am using the dac with the reference level set to 7db (though it is run balanced so actually 13db). This gives me all the headroom needed.
Check your settings. i/o>line>reference level
 
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Eidie

Eidie

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Better harsh truth than sweet lies. And it's not like I said "you're an idiot for buying this", no?
Well it was close. But no. Whatever. I’ll never be spending $7k on speakers again. Huge grin!
 

Trell

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Thanks Trell! Yes, I got that advice too from the RME website, I am in the number 2 scenario. My Adam F5's actives do have volume control (around the back), and they are turned right down, and I then tend to sit around the magic -18 on the DAC. However I am not sure how it would be with different speakers/amp. I still have the passive attenuators, so thats one possible option.

Sure, a passive attenuator can be a very good option. On my Genelec monitors/subwoofer I too have turned down the volume on them to better match my ADI-2 DAC, the second case in @chips666 post. For my Genelec volume change is actually changing input sensitivity so there is no degradation of doing so.

Setting the right volume level is also depends on the "loudness" of what you are listening too, and for me that is a big range, thus I need headroom for pumping up the volume when needed :)
 
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