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Recesión en Brasil se refleja en caida de su consumo eléctrico t.co/8Z0Bmtl7xz #acn (via Twitter twitter.com/AgenciaCN/status/826127736745947137)
Cloudy electric power sunset / Wolkiger Sonnenuntergang mit strommast - © www.rclassen-foto-stock.de
A photograph of Creuch (or Creugh) Hill, near Greenock, showing three different styles of pylons used on this hillside.
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How to start, the ifi iUSB made a clear diference in the sound of the micro iDSD, then it came the ifi Gemini USB and made an improvement that is noticeable, USB cables make diference in sound, they are not cheap but they make diferences in the sound presentation, bass extension, soundstage.
The focal are very sensitive to changes in the audio chain, and they are getting better and better with each change my computer system receives.
I started plugging some power cables, I had some NRG3, and NRG5 from Audioquest, also Acoustic Arts Ferrite I and Ferrite II, Vovox Textura Power Cables and some other brands from old systems, power cables made amazing diferences on the focal and Mac Pro, the diferences are not subtile as changing a DAC, they where huge and why not trying something better in this regard.
So I called Esotérico and asked the possibility to have a listen to the new Thunder Power Cable from Audioquest, you can buy a top of the line phone or an entry computer for the price of one of this cables, but I wanted to listen what the benefits they could give to my system.
Kindly Mr. Alberto from Esotérico sent me 3 Audioquest Thunder Cables and a Audioquest Niagara 1000 and after listening to the changes I will try to describe I have purchased all the items that was sent to me.
First I connected 2 thunder cables to the Focal Speakers, I was using one pair of Vovox textura on the speakers and comparing to the Vovox textura, the first thing it came to my mind was “the textura is no match for this”.
The textura are detailed cables in the highs and with interesting presentation of all frequencies in this spectrum, but sometimes if not correctly matched they are a little too much in the highs and low on bass, with the Audioquest Thunder the sound was upgraded in all aspects of the Vovox textura but… The imagem grows a lot, buss is very present and articulatd, focus, detail, presence of voices are amazing, the texture of the sounds are incredible, it’s an amazing change and easy perceptible in this context of my computer audio system, I couldn’t believe the changes in the sound, so I listened to music 6 days only with this change of the speaker cables in the Focal Solo 6BE.
Then the Audioquest Niagara and third Audioquest Thunder Cable entered in the system, the sound my computer was more than I expected with the change in the speakers, for some years and I was using a Supra Power strip MD06 to connect my small ifi audio devices, computer and speakers, when the Audioquest Niagara was connected and started playing the first music in audirvana it made one incredible thing that is very easy to notice, with the Niagara in place of the supra power strip it cleaned the sound in a to an extreme that when compared to the supra is like very dense curtain was removed from the front of my speakers, the texture and layering of the music was upgraded a lot in in front of my ears, the separation and dimension of the presentation was up a few points, this type of upgrades on an audio system are the ones that we feel the investment justifies as the change is very perceptible, there are upgrades sometimes made that makes little diference, the sense of transparency detail, focus and added resolution is nothing I want to live without anymore, these Audioquest products deserve a serious listening to any user interested in reducing noise from mains power entering your sound, believe me you will notice the effect.
The third Audioquest Thunder was connected to the Mac Pro, the effect on the Mac Pro is also very noticeable but not on pair to the dramatic changes that the focal presented me, but elevates the same aspects of the sound to a higher level giving more of the juice, global integration of the same aspects but at a lesser scale, maybe is too much of a good thing, but for me it justified the purchase of the four items.
I am really amazed also with the ifi iDSD micro Black, the quantity of information and detail this little baby can extract from hi-res audio is really impressive, today you can archive great performances in digital audio with moderate investment that 10 to 15 years ago would cost a little fortune.
I want to thank Esotérico and special Mr. Alberto for giving me the opportunity to listen before buying.
www.audioquest.com/ac-power/ac-power-conditioners/niagara...
www.audioquest.com/ac-power/ac-power-cables/storm-series/...
Love birds on a wire...
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*This picture was taken and edited with the Iphone for the Iphone365 project and for the CDW group. Week 241 Assignment: Lines
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IPhone App used:
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Thick aluminium high-voltage power cables. Workers were installing connectors to those cables that will be attached to a 11,000 Volts street transformer.
Spotted in Delhi (India).
If you like this photo, follow me on instagram (tristan_sf) and don't hesitate to leave a comment or email me.
The system evolves and some thing really change with cables, I needed a power cable for my new das and the tornado results perfectly with the ifi iDSD Pro.
Also brought a new audioquest diamond usb cable, it impressive the quantity of information this cable can extract from any recording, some cables can offer a lot of detail but not so perceptible as the diamond, it separates all the sounds with clarity, the diamond shows every single detail and texture on the music in a way the is not intrusive, after installing the audio quest diamond and put some tracks in Roon and Audirvana I was really admired but the clarity of the information of some track I liked and listened many times.
The bigger downside for me is that does not have a powerful bass, bas instead has a beautiful controlled one, the soundstage is another point where the Damond shines, it’s big very defined and tonal.
For example playing an old album of Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells 3 the first track of the album The Source of Secrets, the diamond shows in a perfect way the bass moving from one side to another in the beginning of the track.
The Audioquest Tornado and Diamond are very expensive cables, at this prices you begin to question the price benefit of the investment very seriously, but for me they justified the benefits for the price, If you have the money and looking for something similar these two should be on your list.
I thank Esotérico esoterico.pt to let be listen before I buy in my system.
Edinburgh tram works on Princes St, 2009.
If you look closely you can see jets of compressed air coming out of the vents at the tip of the mechanism. Skol.
This new X line of iFi product range is something to beautiful to look at and feel in the hand, the xCan is really small like the amazing xDSD that received the EISA award last year, the xCan looks as good as the sounds, is a magical combination of hardware and passion.
That passion is present when you send music from your phone to the xDSD you understand how weak your phone amplifier is, this small wonder has power to drive some difficult headphones without showing signs of weakness, in a small package like this, and for me is really impressive.
The xCan is a portable amplifier that can be connected to your phone by bluetooth and use any set of wired headphones, even very demanding ones, and stream your music from your phone.
And this is a most needed add-on in a present where phone manufacturers are removing the headphone Jack, migrating users to a new wave of wireless headphones. Wireless headphones are practical but with that practicability we pay premium for a not so good sound, and for the same price there are a lot of superior wired headphones the we can buy and have a more rewarding sound experience.
In the end the best of the best earphones that I know are wired, so the xCan can be the the perfect add-on you can buy to your phone to listen music on the go.
Also at home you can connect this little marvel to a set of amplified speakers or even your living room system and transform tour speakers in wireless bluetooth speakers, streaming music by bluetooth in ACC or aptX from your tablet or phone.
You can also use the xBass and 3D effect if you wish, on some tracks it’s really good effect, the xCan implementation of xBass is an addictive effect to have on the go.
You can not go wrong with the xDSD, it plays very well, has a lot of functionality, it’s beautiful, very portable, the iFi X line really has the X Factor.
If you are looking to a good portable bluetooth preamp the xCan should be on your list of hardware to try.
Photo © Tristan Savatier - All Rights Reserved - License this photo on www.loupiote.com/11639558195
Share this photo on: facebook • twitter • more...
Workers holding thick aluminium high-voltage power cables. They were installing new connectors for those cables that will be attached to a 11,000 Volts street transformer.
Spetted in Delhi (India).
If you like this photo, follow me on instagram (tristan_sf) and don't hesitate to leave a comment or email me.
Controle, door de rangeerder, of de machinist van DB E-loc 141 446-5 de pantograaf ook heeft gestreken alvorens de hoogspanningskabel tussen locomotief en rijtuig los te nemen.
Check, by the chap between the tracks, if the driver from DB E-loc 141 446-5 has lowerd the panto before deconnecting the high voltage powercable between the locomotive and the first coach.
How to start, the ifi iUSB made a clear diference in the sound of the micro iDSD, then it came the ifi Gemini USB and made an improvement that is noticeable, USB cables make diference in sound, they are not cheap but they make diferences in the sound presentation, bass extension, soundstage.
The focal are very sensitive to changes in the audio chain, and they are getting better and better with each change my computer system receives.
I started plugging some power cables, I had some NRG3, and NRG5 from Audioquest, also Acoustic Arts Ferrite I and Ferrite II, Vovox Textura Power Cables and some other brands from old systems, power cables made amazing diferences on the focal and Mac Pro, the diferences are not subtile as changing a DAC, they where huge and why not trying something better in this regard.
So I called Esotérico and asked the possibility to have a listen to the new Thunder Power Cable from Audioquest, you can buy a top of the line phone or an entry computer for the price of one of this cables, but I wanted to listen what the benefits they could give to my system.
Kindly Mr. Alberto from Esotérico sent me 3 Audioquest Thunder Cables and a Audioquest Niagara 1000 and after listening to the changes I will try to describe I have purchased all the items that was sent to me.
First I connected 2 thunder cables to the Focal Speakers, I was using one pair of Vovox textura on the speakers and comparing to the Vovox textura, the first thing it came to my mind was “the textura is no match for this”.
The textura are detailed cables in the highs and with interesting presentation of all frequencies in this spectrum, but sometimes if not correctly matched they are a little too much in the highs and low on bass, with the Audioquest Thunder the sound was upgraded in all aspects of the Vovox textura but… The imagem grows a lot, buss is very present and articulatd, focus, detail, presence of voices are amazing, the texture of the sounds are incredible, it’s an amazing change and easy perceptible in this context of my computer audio system, I couldn’t believe the changes in the sound, so I listened to music 6 days only with this change of the speaker cables in the Focal Solo 6BE.
Then the Audioquest Niagara and third Audioquest Thunder Cable entered in the system, the sound my computer was more than I expected with the change in the speakers, for some years and I was using a Supra Power strip MD06 to connect my small ifi audio devices, computer and speakers, when the Audioquest Niagara was connected and started playing the first music in audirvana it made one incredible thing that is very easy to notice, with the Niagara in place of the supra power strip it cleaned the sound in a to an extreme that when compared to the supra is like very dense curtain was removed from the front of my speakers, the texture and layering of the music was upgraded a lot in in front of my ears, the separation and dimension of the presentation was up a few points, this type of upgrades on an audio system are the ones that we feel the investment justifies as the change is very perceptible, there are upgrades sometimes made that makes little diference, the sense of transparency detail, focus and added resolution is nothing I want to live without anymore, these Audioquest products deserve a serious listening to any user interested in reducing noise from mains power entering your sound, believe me you will notice the effect.
The third Audioquest Thunder was connected to the Mac Pro, the effect on the Mac Pro is also very noticeable but not on pair to the dramatic changes that the focal presented me, but elevates the same aspects of the sound to a higher level giving more of the juice, global integration of the same aspects but at a lesser scale, maybe is too much of a good thing, but for me it justified the purchase of the four items.
I am really amazed also with the ifi iDSD micro Black, the quantity of information and detail this little baby can extract from hi-res audio is really impressive, today you can archive great performances in digital audio with moderate investment that 10 to 15 years ago would cost a little fortune.
I want to thank Esotérico and special Mr. Alberto for giving me the opportunity to listen before buying.
www.audioquest.com/ac-power/ac-power-conditioners/niagara...
www.audioquest.com/ac-power/ac-power-cables/storm-series/...
A close up of the power line being detached from floats and entering the mouth of the Horizontal Directional Drilling pipe to be brought ashore the other side of the A259 .
The EISA award is perfectly understandable, the product in the hand e a remarkable piece of jewellery for audio on the go, the sound is almost on par with the micro iDSD Black Label in a quarter of the size simply amazing.
I can't remember another brand but Sony to have in the past this level of pleasure of owning one great quality product on my hand like their top of the line walkman hardware in the 80’s.
iFi with the xDSD made me feel today the same desire and satisfaction. It a wow! product since the initial unpacking to the pleasure of having it on the hand, is beautiful crafted and on the dark side a fingerprint revelation, I am simply in love by it.
The sound, I never used my micro iDSD away from the desktop, it was portable but not that portable, and very awkward to me to use something like the micro iDSD BL on the go, even if the micro sounds a little better the small advantage that the micro can have on sound does not justify the space and lack of usability on the size of the unit, no way I was using it on the go, anyway the micro Black is more complete and better sounding hardware that deserve is place on the best of the best.
The xDSD is something I will gladly use on the go with pride like an Hugo Boss suit, or an Breitling watch, it simply feels premium and sounds so good, it's not awkward it's beautiful, makes heads turn and look at it with curiosity, it's great sound with stylish looks.
The xbass makes magic on music, the 3D makes everything float around, the effects are not Audiophile correct, but who cares, on the go they are magical, and with all the noise around you on the streets you get more pleasure with them, the xBass and 3D are simple like honey, it produces lot's of detail in a musical way. All other portable Dac's now seem ugly as hell comparing the hardware alone side by side, but not only the portable DAC's, there is a lot of hardware that design and build is not on par with their sound, some have the design and sound horrible, other have the sound and are bad looking. The xDSD is the synergy of sound and looks well made.
EISA Award is very deserved for sound, size, battery duration, beauty, portability, even the price.
There are things we sell to be able to upgrade, and then many years after we regret to have sold that hardware that marked our memories. The iFi xDSD is one product that you will never forget if for some motive I sell it, in 10 or 20 years I will regret have done it, this one is special.
This was my computeraudiophile forum post about the xDSD www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/38723-ifi-audio-x...
Congratulations iFi.
Visit to IJmuiden locks, IJmond outer harbor and beach works at Wijk aan Zee for the pull-in and laying of power cables for offshore wind farms Hollandse Kust.
After you start controlling the noise that the power line products and hear the benefits that gives to the audio on your system, a product like the ifi AC iPurifier is a bargain.
The Itaipu Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. The name "Itaipu" was taken from an isle that existed near the construction site. In the Guaraní language, Itaipu means "the sounding stone".
Taken on todays early morning walk.
A composition used in Week 15 - One colour - set by the Compositionally Challenged Group.
This is the monochrome version. But the brooding clouds meant that it was virtually monochrome, even in colour, which was why I took it in the first place. However - I wasn't entirely happy that the colour version was sufficiently monochromatic, so I converted this second shot to b&w.
The EISA award is perfectly understandable, the product in the hand e a remarkable piece of jewellery for audio on the go, the sound is almost on par with the micro iDSD Black Label in a quarter of the size simply amazing.
I can't remember another brand but Sony to have in the past this level of pleasure of owning one great quality product on my hand like their top of the line walkman hardware in the 80’s.
iFi with the xDSD made me feel today the same desire and satisfaction. It a wow! product since the initial unpacking to the pleasure of having it on the hand, is beautiful crafted and on the dark side a fingerprint revelation, I am simply in love by it.
The sound, I never used my micro iDSD away from the desktop, it was portable but not that portable, and very awkward to me to use something like the micro iDSD BL on the go, even if the micro sounds a little better the small advantage that the micro can have on sound does not justify the space and lack of usability on the size of the unit, no way I was using it on the go, anyway the micro Black is more complete and better sounding hardware that deserve is place on the best of the best.
The xDSD is something I will gladly use on the go with pride like an Hugo Boss suit, or an Breitling watch, it simply feels premium and sounds so good, it's not awkward it's beautiful, makes heads turn and look at it with curiosity, it's great sound with stylish looks.
The xbass makes magic on music, the 3D makes everything float around, the effects are not Audiophile correct, but who cares, on the go they are magical, and with all the noise around you on the streets you get more pleasure with them, the xBass and 3D are simple like honey, it produces lot's of detail in a musical way. All other portable Dac's now seem ugly as hell comparing the hardware alone side by side, but not only the portable DAC's, there is a lot of hardware that design and build is not on par with their sound, some have the design and sound horrible, other have the sound and are bad looking. The xDSD is the synergy of sound and looks well made.
EISA Award is very deserved for sound, size, battery duration, beauty, portability, even the price.
There are things we sell to be able to upgrade, and then many years after we regret to have sold that hardware that marked our memories. The iFi xDSD is one product that you will never forget if for some motive I sell it, in 10 or 20 years I will regret have done it, this one is special.
This was my computeraudiophile forum post about the xDSD www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/38723-ifi-audio-x...
Congratulations iFi.
In the search for a better musical experience extracting better sound from my recent iFi DAC upgrade and get more pleasure in the sound presentation I discovered SOTM products, I searched for information of network streamers and similar user opinions about them, saw videos and all that I can find about on the web, and after reading lots of average consensus of users in their with their experience, and after some weeks acquired an SOTM sMS-200 Ultra without listening.
I have to admit that acquiring without listening is risky decision, and sometimes you could end with a unit that do not give any positive enhancement to your system. The intent was to remove my noisy Mac Pro from degrading the sound of the DAC, is this case an iFi iDSD Pro that has galvanic isolation but is very sensible to all cables and accessories before it, as any other DAC the quality of the USB connection is primordial to a better sound experience.
You can clean your computer USB, but you will pay the same or more than buy a optimised and clean dedicated computer exclusively for audio.
It’s that quality USB connection I was searching and found it on the SOTM sMS-200 Ultra, it impressive how a single device for giving you a great USB link affects the final sound.
Computers are terribly noisy devices, electricity in an apartment is full of noise, that contaminates the computer, processor, motherboard, fan, hard drive, external devices with bad power supply’s, even software resource needs generate noise, and that noise affects the link that is made from the computer to the DAC.
Any user like me trying to get better audio will start a journey of cleaning that USB transmission with galvanic isolated solutions, USB regenerators and re-clockers, and many other solutions that exist on the market and stores that clean the USB signal. Some of devices at every step give you an extra more, or a different presentation, or change the total presentation, sometimes in a good way, other times not accomplishing what they promote or I expect for the price
What did SOtM do, they produced a small audio optimised network computer to connect to your DAC by USB, it has an optimised and excellent internal clock board, but they build it with high quality audiophile components, for me they have made something very special that results very well on my system.
The SOtM SMS-200 Ultra is a simple audiophile network streamer for the only propose to pass the bits to your DAC in the cleanest way possible.
The sMS-200 Ultra supports various audio standard protocols like the Roon RAAT, HQPlayer, LibreSpot, Minim Server, Airplay, Bubble UPnP, DLNA, Squeezelite, and runs a light linux optimised version for audio called Eunhasu that can be upgraded with more functionality and add support for future DAC hardware.
Their service and support has been very receptive to beginner questions, with fast reply and helpful responses, thats a thumbs up for support. For me, product support is one of the most important features of any product.
The sOTM sMS-200 Ultra is an awesome product it made a big change for the better to my music enjoyment… The final result is based on my personal system, room, cables, and could be different on your system, but one thing I have certain, If anyone tries one of this units the change will be noticed for the better.
When I dedicate some of my time to write about it, it’s because I the product quality and benefit it gave me. Is common that the new upgraded unit is better than the last used solution, and the big motive I upgraded an stayed in the system. But regarding the presence I feel now when I listen to a good album, the SOtM sMS-200 Ultra is one of the best upgrades I have done in the last few years, and the upgrades where a lot.
Apart from some rock concerts, small jazz groups and some classical music concerts, my live music experience is not that active, I will not compare the real presentation that I can achieve, but instead the enjoyment the SOtM offered to me from my system, and with it came a new musical experience. The difference of hearing a real orchestra in plain euforia is something that I never heard any system being capable of, the real thing is a more powerful experience that any system or my small one can reproduce, I herd systems close to that reality with prices impossible to archive by a normal person, but with my hardware limitation, the emulation of the artist presence was upgraded to a new level.
All of this to explain that is difficult to quantify how better in my case the SOtM is compared to reality, but I can quantify listen experience before and after the SOtM, and here it goes.
The SOtM is all about music, after changing the in the box power supply for an SBooster it really shines, the music presentation grows a lot, and the speakers grow the sound to a huge presentation, the sound is so big that the room feels larger, a friend of mine when showing the music, started to look behind searching for surround speakers on the back wall, the SOtM sMS 200 Ultra really made the presentation of some albums impressive. One example of this is the Pink Floyd track On The Run from the Dark Side of the Moon album, or tracks from the album Blood from This Mortal Coil.
The SOtM sMS-200 Ultra is musical and not aggressive in any way, and has this 3D way of presenting the sound a sensation of magical sweetness without loss of information, I am loving it and ordered an SPS-500 Power supply with silver cable, it deserves the best friend to complement and shine even more.
The sound from my Mac Pro was somehow a little bi dimensional when compared to the SOtM, the highs sometimes where to much, and lacked the dimension that the SOtM has, it sounded ok but was not holographic like the sound I have now, and lacked some musicality, some albums where too harsh and very aggressive to be played, this doesn’t mean a bad recording will sound good, the bad will sound always bad, but good recording elevate your experience in a way with the SOtM that the computer did not acomplished.
When used with a good DAC and a quality usb cable, in my case the iFi iDSD Pro DAC and the Audioquest Diamond USB, it gave me impressive results connected to my Focal Solo 6be.
I find the SOtM sMS-200 Ultra very sensitive to power cables, I used Audioquest tornado cables on the iFI and SOtM, and they proved to result very well in my setup.
So I think audiophiles will love it, for me is not an option to revert back to my Mac Pro as a USB source.
If you are using a DAC connected to your computer, you have to try an SOtM streamer and see what you have been loosing in sound with your computer, and pair the SOtM with a good and decent power supply and it will really shine.
Long wheelbase Man six wheel generator truck doing the business ay Grays annual fair at Long Melford
The EISA award is perfectly understandable, the product in the hand e a remarkable piece of jewellery for audio on the go, the sound is almost on par with the micro iDSD Black Label in a quarter of the size simply amazing.
I can't remember another brand but Sony to have in the past this level of pleasure of owning one great quality product on my hand like their top of the line walkman hardware in the 80’s.
iFi with the xDSD made me feel today the same desire and satisfaction. It a wow! product since the initial unpacking to the pleasure of having it on the hand, is beautiful crafted and on the dark side a fingerprint revelation, I am simply in love by it.
The sound, I never used my micro iDSD away from the desktop, it was portable but not that portable, and very awkward to me to use something like the micro iDSD BL on the go, even if the micro sounds a little better the small advantage that the micro can have on sound does not justify the space and lack of usability on the size of the unit, no way I was using it on the go, anyway the micro Black is more complete and better sounding hardware that deserve is place on the best of the best.
The xDSD is something I will gladly use on the go with pride like an Hugo Boss suit, or an Breitling watch, it simply feels premium and sounds so good, it's not awkward it's beautiful, makes heads turn and look at it with curiosity, it's great sound with stylish looks.
The xbass makes magic on music, the 3D makes everything float around, the effects are not Audiophile correct, but who cares, on the go they are magical, and with all the noise around you on the streets you get more pleasure with them, the xBass and 3D are simple like honey, it produces lot's of detail in a musical way. All other portable Dac's now seem ugly as hell comparing the hardware alone side by side, but not only the portable DAC's, there is a lot of hardware that design and build is not on par with their sound, some have the design and sound horrible, other have the sound and are bad looking. The xDSD is the synergy of sound and looks well made.
EISA Award is very deserved for sound, size, battery duration, beauty, portability, even the price.
There are things we sell to be able to upgrade, and then many years after we regret to have sold that hardware that marked our memories. The iFi xDSD is one product that you will never forget if for some motive I sell it, in 10 or 20 years I will regret have done it, this one is special.
This was my computeraudiophile forum post about the xDSD www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/38723-ifi-audio-x...
Congratulations iFi.
In the search for a better musical experience extracting better sound from my recent iFi DAC upgrade and get more pleasure in the sound presentation I discovered SOTM products, I searched for information of network streamers and similar user opinions about them, saw videos and all that I can find about on the web, and after reading lots of average consensus of users in their with their experience, and after some weeks acquired an SOTM sMS-200 Ultra without listening.
I have to admit that acquiring without listening is risky decision, and sometimes you could end with a unit that do not give any positive enhancement to your system. The intent was to remove my noisy Mac Pro from degrading the sound of the DAC, is this case an iFi iDSD Pro that has galvanic isolation but is very sensible to all cables and accessories before it, as any other DAC the quality of the USB connection is primordial to a better sound experience.
You can clean your computer USB, but you will pay the same or more than buy a optimised and clean dedicated computer exclusively for audio.
It’s that quality USB connection I was searching and found it on the SOTM sMS-200 Ultra, it impressive how a single device for giving you a great USB link affects the final sound.
Computers are terribly noisy devices, electricity in an apartment is full of noise, that contaminates the computer, processor, motherboard, fan, hard drive, external devices with bad power supply’s, even software resource needs generate noise, and that noise affects the link that is made from the computer to the DAC.
Any user like me trying to get better audio will start a journey of cleaning that USB transmission with galvanic isolated solutions, USB regenerators and re-clockers, and many other solutions that exist on the market and stores that clean the USB signal. Some of devices at every step give you an extra more, or a different presentation, or change the total presentation, sometimes in a good way, other times not accomplishing what they promote or I expect for the price
What did SOtM do, they produced a small audio optimised network computer to connect to your DAC by USB, it has an optimised and excellent internal clock board, but they build it with high quality audiophile components, for me they have made something very special that results very well on my system.
The SOtM SMS-200 Ultra is a simple audiophile network streamer for the only propose to pass the bits to your DAC in the cleanest way possible.
The sMS-200 Ultra supports various audio standard protocols like the Roon RAAT, HQPlayer, LibreSpot, Minim Server, Airplay, Bubble UPnP, DLNA, Squeezelite, and runs a light linux optimised version for audio called Eunhasu that can be upgraded with more functionality and add support for future DAC hardware.
Their service and support has been very receptive to beginner questions, with fast reply and helpful responses, thats a thumbs up for support. For me, product support is one of the most important features of any product.
The sOTM sMS-200 Ultra is an awesome product it made a big change for the better to my music enjoyment… The final result is based on my personal system, room, cables, and could be different on your system, but one thing I have certain, If anyone tries one of this units the change will be noticed for the better.
When I dedicate some of my time to write about it, it’s because I the product quality and benefit it gave me. Is common that the new upgraded unit is better than the last used solution, and the big motive I upgraded an stayed in the system. But regarding the presence I feel now when I listen to a good album, the SOtM sMS-200 Ultra is one of the best upgrades I have done in the last few years, and the upgrades where a lot.
Apart from some rock concerts, small jazz groups and some classical music concerts, my live music experience is not that active, I will not compare the real presentation that I can achieve, but instead the enjoyment the SOtM offered to me from my system, and with it came a new musical experience. The difference of hearing a real orchestra in plain euforia is something that I never heard any system being capable of, the real thing is a more powerful experience that any system or my small one can reproduce, I herd systems close to that reality with prices impossible to archive by a normal person, but with my hardware limitation, the emulation of the artist presence was upgraded to a new level.
All of this to explain that is difficult to quantify how better in my case the SOtM is compared to reality, but I can quantify listen experience before and after the SOtM, and here it goes.
The SOtM is all about music, after changing the in the box power supply for an SBooster it really shines, the music presentation grows a lot, and the speakers grow the sound to a huge presentation, the sound is so big that the room feels larger, a friend of mine when showing the music, started to look behind searching for surround speakers on the back wall, the SOtM sMS 200 Ultra really made the presentation of some albums impressive. One example of this is the Pink Floyd track On The Run from the Dark Side of the Moon album, or tracks from the album Blood from This Mortal Coil.
The SOtM sMS-200 Ultra is musical and not aggressive in any way, and has this 3D way of presenting the sound a sensation of magical sweetness without loss of information, I am loving it and ordered an SPS-500 Power supply with silver cable, it deserves the best friend to complement and shine even more.
The sound from my Mac Pro was somehow a little bi dimensional when compared to the SOtM, the highs sometimes where to much, and lacked the dimension that the SOtM has, it sounded ok but was not holographic like the sound I have now, and lacked some musicality, some albums where too harsh and very aggressive to be played, this doesn’t mean a bad recording will sound good, the bad will sound always bad, but good recording elevate your experience in a way with the SOtM that the computer did not acomplished.
When used with a good DAC and a quality usb cable, in my case the iFi iDSD Pro DAC and the Audioquest Diamond USB, it gave me impressive results connected to my Focal Solo 6be.
I find the SOtM sMS-200 Ultra very sensitive to power cables, I used Audioquest tornado cables on the iFI and SOtM, and they proved to result very well in my setup.
So I think audiophiles will love it, for me is not an option to revert back to my Mac Pro as a USB source.
If you are using a DAC connected to your computer, you have to try an SOtM streamer and see what you have been loosing in sound with your computer, and pair the SOtM with a good and decent power supply and it will really shine.
Visit to IJmuiden locks, IJmond outer harbor and beach works at Wijk aan Zee for the pull-in and laying of power cables for offshore wind farms Hollandse Kust.
The EISA award is perfectly understandable, the product in the hand e a remarkable piece of jewellery for audio on the go, the sound is almost on par with the micro iDSD Black Label in a quarter of the size simply amazing.
I can't remember another brand but Sony to have in the past this level of pleasure of owning one great quality product on my hand like their top of the line walkman hardware in the 80’s.
iFi with the xDSD made me feel today the same desire and satisfaction. It a wow! product since the initial unpacking to the pleasure of having it on the hand, is beautiful crafted and on the dark side a fingerprint revelation, I am simply in love by it.
The sound, I never used my micro iDSD away from the desktop, it was portable but not that portable, and very awkward to me to use something like the micro iDSD BL on the go, even if the micro sounds a little better the small advantage that the micro can have on sound does not justify the space and lack of usability on the size of the unit, no way I was using it on the go, anyway the micro Black is more complete and better sounding hardware that deserve is place on the best of the best.
The xDSD is something I will gladly use on the go with pride like an Hugo Boss suit, or an Breitling watch, it simply feels premium and sounds so good, it's not awkward it's beautiful, makes heads turn and look at it with curiosity, it's great sound with stylish looks.
The xbass makes magic on music, the 3D makes everything float around, the effects are not Audiophile correct, but who cares, on the go they are magical, and with all the noise around you on the streets you get more pleasure with them, the xBass and 3D are simple like honey, it produces lot's of detail in a musical way. All other portable Dac's now seem ugly as hell comparing the hardware alone side by side, but not only the portable DAC's, there is a lot of hardware that design and build is not on par with their sound, some have the design and sound horrible, other have the sound and are bad looking. The xDSD is the synergy of sound and looks well made.
EISA Award is very deserved for sound, size, battery duration, beauty, portability, even the price.
There are things we sell to be able to upgrade, and then many years after we regret to have sold that hardware that marked our memories. The iFi xDSD is one product that you will never forget if for some motive I sell it, in 10 or 20 years I will regret have done it, this one is special.
This was my computeraudiophile forum post about the xDSD www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/38723-ifi-audio-x...
Congratulations iFi.
Okay, this is the last photo in my minimalism project so far.
If you liked this project, please hop on over to JPG magazine and give it a vote.
This photo was taken from Shifting Pixel (Permalink, additional comments)