I think its important to revaluate the hifi gear from time to time because there are some really good stuff out there, sometimes not awful expensive to. And time moves on with interesting new techniques. I wouldnt buy a class A/B amplifier 2023.
Sorry for late reply. I don't have a chance to do blind AB test, CXN V2 is connected to external DAC and balanced out to Amp, while Plus to Amp via RCA. I could hear the loudness +6dB from CXN V2 over Plus. Plus is a minimalist/all-in-one for convenient music streamer which I may relocate to another room.
Couldnt you airplay/ chromecast from the ROCK to the Wiim? Agree it getting proper certification would be better though.
As an objectivist I would look at the measurements first ( if they are available) if I conclude that there should be no discernible difference then I wouldn’t even bother to run an unsighted /level matched comparison.
Most of my music files bought online were of 24/192kHz. Yes, you are right, I can chromecast from ROCK, I can see Plus under ROON/Audio/ other network devices .
The only insinuation here is from you to me. I never said or meant to say that "people with very expensive streamers" are stupid or smart or of average IQ. Simply, I have no way of knowing that. They could have been led by the old English proverb: I am not rich enough to buy cheap things. The other option is that they have extravagant spending habits....The list is endless!
Those who has done that ends up here I guess
wiim home... (? ,'-) )
How about android Deezer App and chromecast to Wiim?
Absolutely fine with me. Measurement wise it may even be better than your rega DAC, but if the music listening preference is there that you prefer in the rega then that’s it. Measurements are one thing, but it is the person that ultimately needs to sit down and enjoy or not enjoy music with it.Ok, one can ofcourse buy without listening. I did that with my Yamaha wxc50 , but later listening tests has shown that there are better sounding options .Something that can not entirely be explained by the measurements available.
LTS ( swedish soundtechnician society ) reviewed the Yamaha wxc50 with both measurements and double blind listening and concluded that the Yamaha used as a dac did pass the ”before and after” listening tests, and was the cheapest of all dac tested that was this good - on par with Benchmark Dac 2.
Despite that, I can clearly hear the better sound coming from my Rega R dac when listening to music, the difference are clearly audible, to me. The Rega is less boomy in the bass, with clearer bass pitch and the sound has more depth than the yamaha . The sound is more natural and less ”digital” , free of harshness in the treble. Maybe a coloration but its something that makes me wanna listening to more music.
I also bought a ”toptested” IEM earphone recommended here ( not tested by Amirm but by another guy ), the Moondrop LAN that was really terrible sounding, so I dont trust the measurements to 100 % of how it sounds.
Measurements are valuable but must be complemented with listening.
If you call me a subjectivist then thats ok.
I think long therm listening and evaluation make more sense - if I gradualy stop listening to music during a whole month of listening at different volume levels then there is something wrong with the gear, no matter how good it measures.
