NAD Wireless USB DAC 2 Review

[mikemcsw]

Over several years I compared thousands of Luxman, Harman Kardon, Yamaha, Sony, Technics, Pioneer and Mission amps and receivers with instant switching capability on low end and up to ~$2500 speakers in a sound room and at low to low medium volumes the sound is virtually identical to each other except for some entry level Sony receivers using STK amp IC's. We did blind testing so that we could not cheat and be influenced by our bias(s). When getting into the more difficult load speaker types a more expensive high current capability amp is req'd as we know and in that category I've heard a couple that sounded different and that again was at low to low-mid volume levels. Of course for headbanging rocking situations we obviously need lots of power but we are chatting about sound quality not quantity. Have you been doing blind listening tests?

also i noticed of the amps you mentioned that you tried, you didnt mention either mcintosh or pass labs...and those are the only 2 that i have heard a noticeable difference with....i am curious if you have tried "thousands" why didnt you try mcintosh or pass labs since you are so keen on trying "thousands". I think if i tried thousands of different amps i would have given up after a couple hundred anyway. (grin). I am only up to about 40 or 50, but always willing to try another amp in hopes of finding one i like as well for less money.

 

[Trell]

not worth responding to...

And you appears to be trolling.

 

[Doodski]

i am curious if you have tried "thousands" why didnt you try mcintosh

I have worked on some McIntosh stuff and listened to it although it was not in any capacity for direct switching like in a sound room to compare with other product and it was not a blind test.

or pass labs since you are so keen on trying "thousands".

Pass labs was simply not in the mix. Can't try them all or I would be a super human.

 

[mikemcsw]

And you appears to be trolling.

I was gong to say the same to you...perhaps change your id from trell to troll...

I have worked on some McIntosh stuff and listened to it although it was not in any capacity for direct switching like in a sound room to compare with other product and it was not a blind test.

Pass labs was simply not in the mix. Can't try them all or I would be a super human.

i would say to do such critical listening comparing "thousands' qualifies you as super human.

 

[mikemcsw]

And you appears to be trolling.

I was gong to say the same to you...perhaps change your id from trell to troll...
At least i am sharing my personal experience where you just seem to make single sentence statements without any justification....sounds like trolling to me.

 

[mikemcsw]

I have worked on some McIntosh stuff and listened to it although it was not in any capacity for direct switching like in a sound room to compare with other product and it was not a blind test.

Pass labs was simply not in the mix. Can't try them all or I would be a super human.

just out of curiosity, what amp do you use now?

 

[Doodski]

I was gong to say the same to you...perhaps change your id from trell to troll...

i would say to do such critical listening comparing "thousands' qualifies you as super human.

I don't remember saying you appear to be trolling. Do you have me mixed up with somebody else?
Not super human I was just in a work environment for 9 years with 5 of them working for a major chain where I had access to a ton of gear. After I went back to study electronics and became a electronic tech and serviced gear for another 15 years before going into industrial work.
You seem to have glossed over that I did say that I have heard a couple of amps that did sound better.

 

[Trell]

I was gong to say the same to you...perhaps change your id from trell to troll...
At least i am sharing my personal experience where you just seem to make single sentence statements without any justification....sounds like trolling to me.

This is the audiosciencereview forum, not headfi.

 

[Doodski]

just out of curiosity, what amp do you use now?

I don't use a speaker amp at this time. I am retired and live in a building where sound levels are expected to be quiet. So I use headphones at a loud setting to get my jollies.

 

[mikemcsw]

fair enough...i thought you were on the same bandwagon that believed all amps sound the same.
Yea, i think i started quoting someone else when your message popped up and i think i replied to both in one message...my mistake sorry.....
Anyway, i am glad you have heard differences between amps...i was beginning to think everyoone on this site thinks all amps will sound the same if they measure x distortion or something like that. I personally have have an exlectronic background as well, but mostly computer background (repaired mainframe and designed networks for several fortune 500 companies). ON the side i got into buying/sellilng stereo equipment as a hobby to try different gear and have probably bought and sold a thousand different pieces of gear, which is why i questionsed the ability to "critically listen to thousands of amps", as i know how much effort goes into just a/b'ing 2 amps, let alone a hundred or a thousand...and 2000 almost seems impossible in my mind unless you have been doing every day, 20hrs a day, for tens of years....anyway, again, my apologies for thinking you were one that believed there is no difference in amps or thinking you were the one that accused me of being a troll.

 

[mikemcsw]

This is the audiosciencereview forum, not headfi.

another troll statement....will respond in kind....
i get all the audiophile forums mixed up...i don't pay patronage to any of them because most sites have their followers that think they are audiophiles that get their panties in a bunch for anyone that experiences different than them.

 

[Doodski]

fair enough...i thought you were on the same bandwagon that believed all amps sound the same.
Yea, i think i started quoting someone else when your message popped up and i think i replied to both in one message...my mistake sorry.....
Anyway, i am glad you have heard differences between amps...i was beginning to think everyoone on this site thinks all amps will sound the same if they measure x distortion or something like that. I personally have have an exlectronic background as well, but mostly computer background (repaired mainframe and designed networks for several fortune 500 companies). ON the side i got into buying/sellilng stereo equipment as a hobby to try different gear and have probably bought and sold a thousand different pieces of gear, which is why i questionsed the ability to "critically listen to thousands of amps", as i know how much effort goes into just a/b'ing 2 amps, let alone a hundred or a thousand...and 2000 almost seems impossible in my mind unless you have been doing every day, 20hrs a day, for tens of years....anyway, again, my apologies for thinking you were one that believed there is no difference in amps or thinking you were the one that accused me of being a troll.

No worries. I sensed your back was up a bit from the constant amps sound the same banter that goes on here at ASR. I was being nice. Those sound like some big pooders for sure in your line of work. To listen to that many integrated amps, receivers and power amps when one is working as many days and hours as I did is not unfathomable. We had ~6-9 staff dependent on the season in the home audio dept that maintained and loaded the gear into and out of the sound rooms so we all shared that operation and so we had easy access to compare old and new gear as time allowed us to do. We where encouraged to go into the sound rooms and do blind tests and sit for as long as was req'd to determine what was this and that. It was a great experience but after 9 years of that my back was up...lol.

 

[srkbear]

Actually, the main factor is the room and speaker positioning, then the speakers themselves.
Everything else contribution is so small it has almost no effect if they are working properly.

That’s the main point you took from my post? Okee doke!