New DAC sorts out SB3

[KeithL]

Streaming as such is not part of any problem. On the contrary, it solves problems. SPDIF is severely flawed, in contrast. Please note that the wall wart supplied with the SB3 seems to pollute many hifi systems with HF noise.

I'm using a regulated linear power supply.

Keith

[KeithL]

Am I using the best quality rips? I use Itunes to rip uncompressed aiff with error correction tuned on. It amazes me that an average album takes about 2 minutes to rip. Can my resulting rip be of the highest quality when at times during the rip the data is being read at more than 30 times real time? The internal drive is a Pioneer DVD writer. Is there better software available for Apple Macs?
Keith

[jeffmeh]

Am I using the best quality rips? I use Itunes to rip uncompressed aiff with error correction tuned on. It amazes me that an average album takes about 2 minutes to rip. Can my resulting rip be of the highest quality when at times during the rip the data is being read at more than 30 times real time? The internal drive is a Pioneer DVD writer. Is there better software available for Apple Macs?
Keith

I am not an Itunes user, but does "error correction" mean that it will do some type of interpolation/extrapolation when it finds an error? Conversely, EAC will slow down and reread many times until it either gets a good read or gives up. In the latter case, it tells you that it encountered errors.

[P Floding]

Am I using the best quality rips? I use Itunes to rip uncompressed aiff with error correction tuned on. It amazes me that an average album takes about 2 minutes to rip. Can my resulting rip be of the highest quality when at times during the rip the data is being read at more than 30 times real time? The internal drive is a Pioneer DVD writer. Is there better software available for Apple Macs?
Keith

I guess you might simply be used to superior systems. I don't know much about Naim, but aren't the ones you use pretty expensive?

And, BTW, what type of interconnect does the Naim setup use? Same question for SB3/Transporter.

[anicca]

Am I using the best quality rips? I use Itunes to rip uncompressed aiff with error correction tuned on. It amazes me that an average album takes about 2 minutes to rip. Can my resulting rip be of the highest quality when at times during the rip the data is being read at more than 30 times real time? The internal drive is a Pioneer DVD writer. Is there better software available for Apple Macs?
Keith

Keith,
For the Mac, check out Max. Very very nice. Free open source encoder. http://sbooth.org/Max/. For me, a godsend for us Mac users.

[KeithL]

Max for Macs is for Tiger and above. I'm using Panther.
Keith

[KeithL]

I guess you might simply be used to superior systems. I don't know much about Naim, but aren't the ones you use pretty expensive?

And, BTW, what type of interconnect does the Naim setup use? Same question for SB3/Transporter.

Naim is expensive new, much more affordable second hand. The Transporter I tried at £1300 is not cheap. I'm sure I could find a £1300 CD Player that would better the performance of the TP.

I'm using a good quality Chord Chysalis interconnect, which although not expensive, is up there with the best.

Keith

[opaqueice]

I would try a different DAC, for example the Benchmark DAC1 is popular. With one of those connected to your SB the sound will be uncolored (almost completely free of distortion). If you like it, great, if not my guess is your CDP is introducing some distortion and you've become used to it, in which case you might try to find a DAC which is as close to the one in the Naim as you can.

[P Floding]

Naim is expensive new, much more affordable second hand. The Transporter I tried at £1300 is not cheap. I'm sure I could find a £1300 CD Player that would better the performance of the TP.

I'm using a good quality Chord Chysalis interconnect, which although not expensive, is up there with the best.

Keith

I wasn't clear. I'm not after the "pedigree" of the interconnect, but the type. Did you use DIN with the Naim, and RCAs with the SB/Transporter, or same for all?

[P Floding]

I would try a different DAC, for example the Benchmark DAC1 is popular. With one of those connected to your SB the sound will be uncolored (almost completely free of distortion). If you like it, great, if not my guess is your CDP is introducing some distortion and you've become used to it, in which case you might try to find a DAC which is as close to the one in the Naim as you can.

I do find it surprising that you can accept that different DACs sound different, but say that amplification is a solved problem... Surely DACs measure very much the same?