Eric Dolphy / Out to Lunch (1964) -- Hat and Beard

Once again, Absolutely Stunning Sound this morning! Today may be my "Out of Body Experience."

Here's a picture of the spikes I'm installing on the T Refs
The picture with 3 spikes is from the top: GE (came with Refs) middle 1.50 fronts > bottom 2.10 rears (gives nice elevation in the rear) if interested spikes can be purchased from Oregondv.com

Pbgalvin: do try the analog outs and let us know what you think.

Yes, Pbgalvin,
Right on, your analog outs from the 205, rather than the HDMI, SHOULD be an improvement in sound. Pls let us know if it is or not?
Excited to hear what you find out, audible difference or not?
As you said, keeping on the thread, currently playing, well NOTHING and loving it!!!! Had to drive an hour each way to visit a guy in the hospital, the girlie playing her "music" and singing along, loudly, then going shopping with the MUZAK playing crap throughout the mall. Enjoying the sounds of silence for a while.
God Bless,
Wayne

Hah Wayne sounds like you need a detox! Especially if it was holiday MUZAK

Funny story, I have a buddy who does A/B testing with me (so it's blind, while I change stuff around).

I'm now using Roon for playback and it can both send signal to the Oppo and the Marantz.
So I A/B tested it with Kurt and neither of us could hear a difference.
I was surprised because I figured the Oppo had a better DAC than the Marantz.
But it did sound great, so not too worried.
Just today I figured out that I'm using the HDMI, so in both tests I was using the Marantz DAC.
Nice to occasionally prove that I'm not too biased when doing A/B testing and both our ears are accurate - gives me comfort when finding things like hires sounding better than CD in my setup that it probably DOES sound better and it's not just me assuming!

BTW PBS is rerunning a wonderful series called "Soundbreaking" which goes through all aspects of music creation / recording / and some reproduction, with lots of interesting interviews with musicians and producers. Also available on DVD / Bluray. They don't typically play full songs so not worth it for the SQ but I find it fascinating anyway...


--Peter

Peter you are so totally right about the MUZAK detox!!!!! How can people listen for hours and hours to that stuff playing in a store? IF I worked at one of those places I would go postal!!!!!
Funny story about your A/B testing with the same thing playing, ha ha. But you have a great point and conclusion!!!!
So let us know when you guys do it right.
I honestly cannot hear much difference between playing my Oppo 95 out by HDMI which lets the DAC in my Emotiva XMC-1 do the decoding, and playing straight with my analog outs, especially with multi channel music. When I play Balanced direct out from my Oppo it does sound really great, but that is only two channel. But I THINK the SABRE DAC is a little brisk and brittle on the top end, a little analytical compared to the Burr Brown in the XMC-1, which I think is pretty musical.
In other words, I am pretty darn happy with the sound by HDMI with my Emotiva pre-processor doing the honors, especially because I like the DIRAC room correction that it applies. Like it, don't love it, wish I did not have to use room correction. But I do for bass.
All that to say this is why I am not rushing out and buying a 205 just yet. That and the all region disc thing.
TMI, I know.
God Bless,
Wayne

Jeff Lorber / Heard That (2008) -- Gamma Rays

Nice track with some Great Bass.

Jeremy Pelt Sextet / Insight (2002) -- Madness

After 22 hours and 20 cds, I'm having the time of my life. Can't wait for tomorrow!