Hopkins' System
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The Qobuz apps have been updated recently (I am using version 9.0.0.1 on Android) and the small issue I reported above seems to have disappeared. The connection to my WiiM pro is "robust".
I read an interesting post today on a french audio forum. The author describes his visit to Jean Hiraga's "listening room". Who is Jean Hiraga? Read this:
Post in thread 'Jean Hiraga' https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/jean-hiraga.394074/post-7224273
You can see a video of Hiraga's system here:
Here's another better video (on a facebook page, which cannot be embedded here):
Fever
Notice how little the sound changes as the phone moves around the room. The room has extensive treatment, and you can hear a "drier" sound on this video compared to the more reverberant sound of many rooms heard on other videos.
The source on this second video is a CD player.
Here is the forum post (in French):
forum-hifi.fr
The author praises the system, explaining (Google Translation with small corrections):
"Listening of such quality surpasses anything I have ever heard from commercial equipment, whatever their price, and when you consider that it starts with an old CD player, a basic DAC that has been slightly tinkered with and a 30W tube amplifier in mono-amplification, you wonder about the infernal escalation of high-end audio."
Later on in the article he did mention that he regretted not listening to vinyl, as Hiraga himself explained that vinyl offered even better tonality ("timbre").
You should not, however, "discount" digital...
Post in thread 'Jean Hiraga' https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/jean-hiraga.394074/post-7224273
You can see a video of Hiraga's system here:
Here's another better video (on a facebook page, which cannot be embedded here):
Fever
Notice how little the sound changes as the phone moves around the room. The room has extensive treatment, and you can hear a "drier" sound on this video compared to the more reverberant sound of many rooms heard on other videos.
The source on this second video is a CD player.
Here is the forum post (in French):
La tournée des popotes
forum-hifi.fr
The author praises the system, explaining (Google Translation with small corrections):
"Listening of such quality surpasses anything I have ever heard from commercial equipment, whatever their price, and when you consider that it starts with an old CD player, a basic DAC that has been slightly tinkered with and a 30W tube amplifier in mono-amplification, you wonder about the infernal escalation of high-end audio."
Later on in the article he did mention that he regretted not listening to vinyl, as Hiraga himself explained that vinyl offered even better tonality ("timbre").
You should not, however, "discount" digital...
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Funny, because I was immersed in the life of another well known Japanese designer, whose passion for audio was ignited while listening to this LP:
Well 'written' article, a pleasure to read.I read an interesting post today on a french audio forum. The author describes his visit to Jean Hiraga's "listening room". Who is Jean Hiraga? Read this:
Post in thread 'Jean Hiraga' https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/jean-hiraga.394074/post-7224273
You can see a video of Hiraga's system here:
Here's another better video (on a facebook page, which cannot be embedded here):
Fever
Notice how little the sound changes as the phone moves around the room. The room has extensive treatment, and you can hear a "drier" sound on this video compared to the more reverberant sound of many rooms heard on other videos.
The source on this second video is a CD player.
Here is the forum post (in French):
La tournée des popotes
The author praises the system, explaining (Google Translation with small corrections):
"Listening of such quality surpasses anything I have ever heard from commercial equipment, whatever their price, and when you consider that it starts with an old CD player, a basic DAC that has been slightly tinkered with and a 30W tube amplifier in mono-amplification, you wonder about the infernal escalation of high-end audio."
Later on in the article he did mention that he regretted not listening to vinyl, as Hiraga himself explained that vinyl offered even better tonality ("timbre").
You should not, however, "discount" digital...
I finished putting the crossover inside the speaker and rewiring the woofers of one of the speakers. I also installed better speaker terminals.
Some Bill Charlap to finish off the evening:
Some Bill Charlap to finish off the evening:
The crossover looks great! Just out of curiosity, what's the reason for those connection blocks? Why not just solder things together?
Thanks. I enjoy the sound.This was streamed from Qobuz (Qobuz Connect) using the WiiM Pro streamer (Wi-Fi network connection). The Wiim Pro is powered with an M2Tech Van Der Graaf power supply (which has a 5v output). The Toslink digital output of the WiiM Pro is slightly modified to go through a coaxial cable with a LED at the end ("ElectroTos" cable). The digital cable goes into the Toslink input of my powerDAC-SX. The powerDAC-SX directly drives the speakers.
Listen to It's So Peaceful In The Country by Bill Charlap on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/track/309495838
P.S. I also started using bluetooth earbuds (for their convenience, in addition to regular headphones). Out of curiosity, which earbuds are you using?
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My soldering skills are not very good, and these connectors offer a good connection, so it is simpler, and that way I can easily make changes (though I am happy with the results at this point). I did solder the wires to the speaker binding posts and speaker drivers.
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I listened to the Wiim on Saturday after the show in Munich in the system of my son (Naim integrated amp, Naim SBL speakers) and it sounded very good even with the integrated DAC and streaming from Spotify. Out of curiosity I talked to them on Sunday at the show. Very friendly people...They told me they will launch next year a new streaming top model.
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Cool.
The WiiM works very well (for me). My girlfriend uses it with Spotify occasionally, and it sounds fine - I do prefer using (and listening to) Qobuz. The connections to Spotify, Qobuz, radios, and to my Lyrion Music Server are "robust", and you can switch seamlessly between the sources. I like the app's features, but I only really use the app itself when I want to change the audio settings (for example, switching to a single channel, or going back and forth between the two channels if I want to compare the sound of my left and right speaker). I leave it on pretty much all the time (it has a "sleep" mode), but when I do turn it off, it turns back on really quickly, which is nice. For all these reasons, I have stopped "fiddling" with other sources.
Sound quality-wise, I am completely satisfied, but I have never compared it with "high end" audio sources. I guess I don't see the need to do that at this point.
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Most certainly you have tried it already, Wiim support now Qobuz Connect. In Munich I had the impression that QC sounds quite a bit better than some other streaming solutions.
Yes, that's what I use now (previously, I was using the Qobuz plugin in Lyrion - ex Logitech Media Server). I have not seriously compared the two, but Qobuz Connect sounds great.
French singer Henri Salvador recorded his best selling album in his 80s.
fr.m.wikipedia.org
I must have heard one of the tracks - Jardin d'Hiver - a hundred times in audiophile demos, and I often play it myself, as a result, to test my system.
The arranger for that album actually wrote the lyrics and the music was written by this singer who made her own version before Salvador:
Her voice is nice, though limited, and the results are pleasant. This style of singing, close to "talking", by people who can barely sing, has become popular here in France. It reminds me of Carla Bruni, French President Sarkozy's wife, who also recorded ... I digress.
Here is Henri Salvador's version:
I recorded it (again):
While I think the mood of the song comes through, there is still s huge gap between the recording and the original track when you hear them both with headphones. When listening to my speakers, I enjoy the sound, and listening is immersive. The tonal balance seems better than on the video recording. His voice, which is close-miced, is very forward, but it's hard to get the same clarity on all the instruments in the background, as you hear them on the original with headphones.
Henri Salvador — Wikipédia
I must have heard one of the tracks - Jardin d'Hiver - a hundred times in audiophile demos, and I often play it myself, as a result, to test my system.
The arranger for that album actually wrote the lyrics and the music was written by this singer who made her own version before Salvador:
Her voice is nice, though limited, and the results are pleasant. This style of singing, close to "talking", by people who can barely sing, has become popular here in France. It reminds me of Carla Bruni, French President Sarkozy's wife, who also recorded ... I digress.
Here is Henri Salvador's version:
I recorded it (again):
While I think the mood of the song comes through, there is still s huge gap between the recording and the original track when you hear them both with headphones. When listening to my speakers, I enjoy the sound, and listening is immersive. The tonal balance seems better than on the video recording. His voice, which is close-miced, is very forward, but it's hard to get the same clarity on all the instruments in the background, as you hear them on the original with headphones.
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Well it's long list lol
Two models of sennhiser tw3 and 4
3 models of aviot a Japanese company
Nobel fokus prestige
Gemini 2
Sony two models there current flagship and the one before that
Bowers and Wilkins pi7 the new 8 is marginally better but not worth owning
Audio technica ath twx9
Technica current flagship
A bunch of others .
Masters and dynamics looks cool not great and buggy
Blue tooth are good but wired iems or better ciem is very good
Headphones are good but not convenient as buds
There is a great forums for portable audio
Headfi plenty to read up on.
May I ask what headphones you use ?
Thanks That is an impressive list!
I was using Etymotic IEM's, which I loved, but started using BT earbuds after the cables on my Etymotic broke (wires in the jack or tip becoming loose) for a third time this year...
I purchased relatively cheap models - Sony WF-C510, which are OK, but nowhere close to the Etymotic.
I will check out Head-Fi.
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