New category products

amirm · Feb 27, 2011

Hi.

I thought I start a thread on what new product categories we like to see, other than improvements of existing one. I will start

.

I like to see a new kind of DAC:

1. Integrated volume control.

2. Integrated pre-amp to allow a couple of analog devices to route through.

3. Integrated room EQ. Seeing how this is high-end, love to see the highest performing subsystem here with excellent filters.

4. Great USB input.

In other words, a 2-channel home-theater processor and with excellent sonics. I see #1, #2 and in some cases #4 showing up but not #3.

DaveyF · Feb 27, 2011

I'd like to see a very high quality TT with a USB output and superb on-board DAC/Processor.

My Ion Profile, is IMHO, very sweet

BUT it really isn't a high-end piece

ack · Feb 27, 2011

I am dying for an ADC - a computer server that only outputs is only half the picture. I'd like to see ADC's as separate components that feed a server via USB

Bruce B · Feb 27, 2011

ack said:
I am dying for an ADC - a computer server that only outputs is only half the picture. I'd like to see ADC's as separate components that feed a server via USB

+1.. I've been at Andreas for a year to build an A-D. The Burmester phono is a start, though it's out of reach for most folks. I tell everyone to just buy a Korg MR2000s. It's an A-D, a D-A, has a HD for storage that your computer sees as an external HD.

amirm · Feb 27, 2011

ack said:
I am dying for an ADC - a computer server that only outputs is only half the picture. I'd like to see ADC's as separate components that feed a server via USB

What would you do with the data once digitized? Route them back out or record?

ack · Feb 27, 2011

I am looking to digitize all my LPs in high rez

amirm · Feb 27, 2011

I see. So translating, you want to see audiophile ADCs as opposed to many Pro products of that sort.

ack · Feb 27, 2011

Yes. Think of a modern day Pacific Microsonics Model 2, scaled down and much cheaper, around $5K tops, with HDCD.

amirm · Feb 27, 2011

[Close your ears Bruce

.]

Those are good thought!

Steve Williams · Feb 28, 2011

ack said:
I am looking to digitize all my LPs in high rez

ack , you need to talk to fellow member here "astrotoy" who is in the process of digitizing in HiRez his over 20,000 LP's to give to his daughter and her husband.

Larry has started a thread here on this very subject

NorthStar · Mar 2, 2011

I'd like to see Digital done right; like with all the benefits of Analog...

* For me, DSP, digital Auto Room EQ, DACs, digital HDMI, and all that digital pizzazz always have detrimental results!
Timing, jitter, out-of-sync, blurring, pumping, deconstructing, remanufacturing, debalancing, ...are all real handicaps.

Also, I'd like to see more realistic Movie audio soundtracks done right by real pros, and not manufactured sound effects (Musical scores are fine though).

And Music recordings, well, we all know what's going on here, and it's up to us to choose carefully our selections from the right sources; like JVC XRCD2 recordings, SACDs, HDCD encoded CDs, and those other great audio recordings from the best record labels (ECM, Three Blind Mice, Clarity Recordings, Reference Recordings, Sheffield Audio Labs, Chesky, Auvidis, Opus3, Proprius, Analekta, AudioQuest Music, Analogue Productions Originals, Telarc, Concord Jazz, Silence Records, ... and more on those lines).

** 20,000 LPs are a lot of Vinyls!!!

Phelonious Ponk · Mar 2, 2011

Steve Williams said:
ack , you need to talk to fellow member here "astrotoy" who is in the process of digitizing in HiRez his over 20,000 LP's to give to his daughter and her husband.

Larry has started a thread here on this very subject

Now that, is a gift of love.

Tim

JackD201 · Mar 2, 2011

Phelonious Ponk said:
Now that, is a gift of love.

Tim

Oh yes indeed!

Alan Sircom · Mar 3, 2011

amirm said:
Hi.

I thought I start a thread on what new product categories we like to see, other than improvements of existing one. I will start .

I like to see a new kind of DAC:

1. Integrated volume control.

2. Integrated pre-amp to allow a couple of analog devices to route through.

3. Integrated room EQ. Seeing how this is high-end, love to see the highest performing subsystem here with excellent filters.

4. Great USB input.

In other words, a 2-channel home-theater processor and with excellent sonics. I see #1, #2 and in some cases #4 showing up but not #3.

This is already do-able. A full-spec Lyngdorf DPA-1 or TacT RCS 2.2 XP will both perform the first three, and adding something like a MF V-Link, which converts USB (asynchronous, to 24/96) to S/PDIF, will cover the last request. People consider these products 'preamp+DAC' rather than 'DAC+preamp', but they perform all the same functions.

I'm not convinced there's a market for a high-end ADCs in the domestic world just yet. There are some excellent ones in the pro market (Benchmark ADC1 for example), but domestic ones simply haven't proved popular and had relatively short life-spans. The Burmester is a notable exception for phono, and I hope that as audiophiles begin to migrate over to servers, this will prove a sector that comes back to life.

Personally, I'd like to see parametric EQ appear on preamps, as well as increased use of room treatment (both DSP and acoustic panels) and more audiophile companies taking active loudspeaker systems seriously. That's probably enough to have me tied to a loudspeaker stand (using the finest eight-nines OFC silver-plated copper, rope-lay litz wire, naturally) and burned for my heretical views round some parts.

LL21 · Mar 3, 2011

I am probably going to be considered more "pedestrian" here...but i would love to see a true "plug and play" high-end music server...something that competes with esoteric, Kalista-level reference transports. everytime i hear about mac mini, or another platform, the amount of software, keyboards, screens, wifi, network access, that needs to be added just to get it to play, is daunting. i have a Zanden DAC just waiting for the right server to come along...meanwhile, just using an oppo 83 digital out.

i have heard at least 3 server systems now, and i cannot say any compared well against a top-flight transport. One was set up by the designer...very good, but not SOTA sound to my ear, nor that of the owner of the store, or any of his business partners.

JackD201 · Mar 3, 2011

I'm just as daunted lloyd. As a serial early adopter, i've decided to slow down and wait for things to settle down on the server front particularly on the store to platform front as the technical part doesn't bother me nearly as much. To me it is clear that I'll be buying downloads from more than one place. So far Apple has me in its tight grip by simply making things so easy for me. Juggling downloads into files and dragging them into a music server system manually is not appealing to me in the least. What would appeal to me is a system from which I can directly purchase from multiple sites into one library. I know this is wishful thinking but the powers that be should realize that virtual store front turf wars will only cost them money.

Alan Sircom · Mar 3, 2011

It's very early days for the audiophile side of the computer/server revolution. The media server - until a few years ago - was the preserve of multiroom companies struggling to create a stable platform both in terms of file and metadata. Sound was an important - but secondary - consideration. That has changed in the last two or three years, but it involves a hefty rethink on the part of the server designers to make their plug and play servers play well.

The computer side is more open, because computers are multi-task devices. But the sheer amount of options on offer mean many short-change themselves in their computer-side solutions. It's possible to jump through a few hoops and deliver a good, audiophile-friendly performance from PC and Mac alike, but some of these are met with vast amounts of ridicule from people in the computer industry and as such some of the information doesn't make itself known as often as we'd like. It strange that some of the advice is common to audiophile and audiophile-hating PC music enthusiasts; use dbpoweramp, EAC or Max to rip discs as best as possible, make a series of back-ups, use something better than Windows Media, set your computer for bit perfect output, etc, etc. But soon after this, things go insane on both sides. Suggesting that lossy compression sounds functionally identical to lossless or the original file will send audiophiles into apoplexy, as will suggesting the use of a SSD in place of a spinning disk on the other side. I suspect there's too much posturing and not enough meeting in the middle going on.

JackD201 · Mar 3, 2011

That pretty much explains why I'm in a holding pattern right now Alan. I don't have the expertise nor the time to gain it to roll my own at the moment.

Nyal Mellor · Mar 3, 2011

amirm said:
Hi.

I thought I start a thread on what new product categories we like to see, other than improvements of existing one. I will start .

I like to see a new kind of DAC:

1. Integrated volume control.

2. Integrated pre-amp to allow a couple of analog devices to route through.

3. Integrated room EQ. Seeing how this is high-end, love to see the highest performing subsystem here with excellent filters.

4. Great USB input.

In other words, a 2-channel home-theater processor and with excellent sonics. I see #1, #2 and in some cases #4 showing up but not #3.

You've just described the Holm DSPre1 except it does need a better (higher resolution) USB input. Hopefully DEQX will release something with a USB / FW input.

andy_c · Mar 3, 2011

I'd like to see Harman come up with a pre-pro having similar features and price to an Onkyo 5508, but with 4 sub outputs and the equivalent of a JBL BassQ inside to support the multi-sub approach. Only one mic need be provided to minimize cost at the expense of requiring the user to move the mic during the calibration procedure.

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