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Ayre QB-9 Twenty


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Great idea perhaps a sub-forum here... Richard might even pop in with some of his knowledge. I no longer get to simulate circuits and verify them something I miss dearly. I don't know much about audio circuitry it would be fun to expand my knowledge. Honestly, though with all the things on my plate I would have little time to build anything no matter how rewarding it would be 😞

 

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  • 10 months later...

A great DAC for sure, the “ listen and measure “ switch for the filters is a great clue for sure. Best wishes on the search. Randy at Optimal in Santa Monica might also know., if Johnny R can’t find one….

I know you didn’t ask but IMO the Lampizator entry level dacs have tube magic.

Best to you

Jim

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37 minutes ago, nrenter said:

I just closed the deal for one just north of Austin. Should have it this week. I'll play with it for a few months before sending it back for the Twenty upgrade.

As they say in Au… “Owmuchizzzit?

And are they the bee’s knees for DACs?
I have been considering a DAC, but most of the CD players seemed to be the smash for me… 🤐

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I got the Nyquist and love it. It sounds as analog and relaxing as any DAC I’ve heard under 50k. Some of the Vandy dealers sell them. There are some great ones , but from mom and pop companies.  I get scared as they may need fixing down the line and will it be supported?  

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I e heard each individually,but that’s no way to tell. That 20 circuit that Charlie drew up in a college class and finally implemented was a game changer for them. It takes a great design to much higher standards. The. Adding better components as you go up in the line makes a 5 series a ref series (along with better mechanics like case etc. 

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On 1/31/2022 at 3:31 PM, GdnrBob said:

@nrenter,

Actually I have a recently converted QB9 Twenty lying idle as I just bought a Nyquist (Thanks @ctsooner).

I was thinking of holding onto it for a back up, but considering how you want one, I would let it go. 

Bob

Bob, thanks for the offer. Unfortunately I’ve already pulled the trigger on the QB-9 DSD. It’s In the house, along with an AudioQuest Diamond USB cable.  Waiting on a set of AudioQuest Water XLR interconnects to arrive. The slow roll is ok…I’ve been buried at work of late. 

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16 hours ago, nrenter said:

Ok…I’ve got things (initially) set up. Any advice for optimizing Roon / Tidal on a Mac Mini?

 

I just use Roon without any changes with my Innuos.  I guess I could try making some changes, but worry I will be setting myself up for a major PITA effort.

 I have no experience with Mac products, though I doubt it would make any difference in playback.

B

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  • 3 weeks later...

So…I just sent my QB-9 DSD off for the Twenty upgrade. Well, repair / upgrade. I noticed an output discrepancy between the channels (about 3 dB, according to my Nakamichi Dragon VU meter). I figure that’s my excuse to upgrade sooner rather than later. 

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Hey Bob. I am possibly looking for a used DAC as an upgrade to the Chord MOJO portable DAC I've been using for the last 5 yrs or so. How much do you think you would want to part with it? I was going to buy an Auralic  Altair G1 unit from Johnny R, but after meeting with him this weekend I think I need to save up for either  RH or WT  AQ bi-wire speaker cables which are quite costly. So, I'm thinking of just getting a used DAC and continue using my MacBook as a server. I don't know if this would sound as good as the Altair G1 with my computer but it is just a thought. If anyone has any advice I would appreciate it. Thanks

Bruce

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20 minutes ago, Bruskie said:

Hey Bob. I am possibly looking for a used DAC as an upgrade to the Chord MOJO portable DAC I've been using for the last 5 yrs or so. How much do you think you would want to part with it? I was going to buy an Auralic  Altair G1 unit from Johnny R, but after meeting with him this weekend I think I need to save up for either  RH or WT  AQ bi-wire speaker cables which are quite costly. So, I'm thinking of just getting a used DAC and continue using my MacBook as a server. I don't know if this would sound as good as the Altair G1 with my computer but it is just a thought. If anyone has any advice I would appreciate it. Thanks

Bruce


How do those 72 biased systems work? Do they have big blocking caps in the system?
(And why don’t they do that on the interconnects?)

Even I got a DAC en route, so I guess it is a thing.
(It is sort of third world to plug the earphone 1/8” wire into an RCA adapter, but it works surprisingly well.)

Are you using Roon? Or what are you using as the media server software?

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@Holmz

I don't know much about the 72dB biassing but it has to do with aligning the polar molecules within the dielectric insulation with an electric field provided by the battery pack. The constant field maintains alignment and reduces the tendency of the molecules to relax back into a random orientation. Thats about all I can figure out from the reading.

No I don't use ROON or know how to use it. I'm simply using CDs ripped to AIFF files in  iTunes on my MacBook Pro, with a USB C to Micro USB cord into the MOJO.  If I get a better DAC I will probably expand into streaming and ROON.

Bruce

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