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From much-loved Bitzie to —?

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Farmer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Feb 2018 at 1:41pm
Originally posted by gbr2004uk gbr2004uk wrote:

Maybe when you get to the "high end" stuff the differences are much more subjective, as you suggest.  And then perhaps one is into the area of diminishing returns?  (Or so I like to convince myself when ruefully contemplating the limits of my budget, hmm...)

It links up with something that always irritates me (and not just in the field of aesthetics):  when someone says "So-and-so is the greatest [X] in the world today ..." or "This was the worst crime against humanity ever perpetrated ..."  Why not simply, "One of the worst", "One of the best" etc?

But I'll shut up and stop rambling now.   Back to the music.
Cheers
Brian

Probably in danger of violent agreement here!!
I only bought my T1's (a big step) because the box (carrying case) was damaged and so they arrived new and perfect (apart from their case which I repaired) - at under £500.  At the time when they were selling at £1400, I thought I'd done well..
I can't see me ever heading above £800-900 for anything to do with high fi, but then I'm not awash in cash... If I won the lottery - now that's a different question!! Embarrassed
I think above a certain level these are (inverse?) logarithmic steps, meaning you are spending more and more for smaller and smaller improvements... 
My own ears are not THAT good!

Cheers
David
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gbr2004uk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Feb 2018 at 12:46am
Thanks David.  Actually it occurred to me (not sure if this is a good analogy) thinking about people or machines who or which get to the highest levels of creativity or performance ...   There was a result from one of the current races in something or other where an athlete won by 0.11 of a second.  Blink when they got to the finishing line and you missed it ... LOL  

That's only one reason why I hate competitions!

Brian
Voyager 2009, Bitzie+Lautus cable 2013, Sennheiser HD700 & 650, Yamaha Clavinova
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gbr2004uk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Feb 2018 at 1:47pm
Originally posted by Ash Ash wrote:

The Bitzie receives both power and signal through the same single USB plug. However, using a product like Graham's "Powerwire" splits the plug into a power plug and signal plug. The power plug can be connected to anything that offers 5V to USB spec whilst the signal plug connects to your audio source. This allows a higher quality and lower noise power supply to be used with the Bitzie. It allows you to keep the Bitzie powered on all the time whilst not connected to a signal source, allowing the electronic circuit to reach and remain in its optimum state for music reproduction. ... 

Hi Ash, I've looked in the Shop area of the forum and can't see anything that looks like the 'Powerwire' you describe.  Where can I find out more about it, please?  Thanks again for all the help!
Best
Brian
Voyager 2009, Bitzie+Lautus cable 2013, Sennheiser HD700 & 650, Yamaha Clavinova
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gwebster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Feb 2018 at 5:17pm
Originally posted by gbr2004uk gbr2004uk wrote:

Originally posted by Ash Ash wrote:

The Bitzie receives both power and signal through the same single USB plug. However, using a product like Graham's "Powerwire" splits the plug into a power plug and signal plug. The power plug can be connected to anything that offers 5V to USB spec whilst the signal plug connects to your audio source. This allows a higher quality and lower noise power supply to be used with the Bitzie. It allows you to keep the Bitzie powered on all the time whilst not connected to a signal source, allowing the electronic circuit to reach and remain in its optimum state for music reproduction. ... 


Hi Ash, I've looked in the Shop area of the forum and can't see anything that looks like the 'Powerwire' you describe.  Where can I find out more about it, please?  Thanks again for all the help!
Best
Brian


Try here on the Lautus interconnect page
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gbr2004uk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Feb 2018 at 5:44pm
Thanks GW!   Progress report:

Just playing through the new set of Bernstein recordings (the complete Naxos Recordings, with Marin Alsop) and I've found the first really clear and unambiguous difference in sound with Bitzie/Lautus alone, and with added Solo DLE.

On the first disc, Symphony 1, just 4 minutes in to the end, there are very high pitch wind and then high strings, followed by a powerfully built up crescendo of the full orchestral forces, with lots of percussion including fortissimo bass drum.   Without the Solo, the Bitzie does a great job but the high pitch on the Sennheiser HD700 sounds quite shrill.  Plugging the Solo in quickly, reveals noticeable increase in detail and a moderation of the shrill sound (it no longer sounds shrill), together with an increase in soundstage width and depth, but above all, it's just that bit warmer.

Maybe I should mention (have I already? not sure) that I do have a mild age-appropriate(!) hearing loss, and after a brief stint in a steel factory job in my younger days with very inadequate hearing protection, I get a mercifully-livable-with tinnitus, so any moderation of higher frequencies is a bonus.

This Bernstein track certainly will put any headphone and amp configuration through their paces.  Still testing ...
All best
Brian
Voyager 2009, Bitzie+Lautus cable 2013, Sennheiser HD700 & 650, Yamaha Clavinova
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Feb 2018 at 9:47pm
I'm glad adding the Solo has improved the abilities of your headphones. At least you can hear the difference for yourself now rather than just reading the words of someone who hasn't tried your exact scenario. The difference must be highly headphone dependent then. For my HD540 Reference II, I couldn't easily discern Bitzie from Bitzie+Solo. I quite often used to plug the HD540II into just my laptop headphone socket and still enjoy a really good clear sound because it had a very neutral and transparent sound characteristic with no shrill/harsh treble. Although adding a Bitzie and Lautus USB cable improved all of its abilities dramatically. The first time I played Nujabes-Gone Are The Days into LautusUSB-Bitzie-HD540II, I remember being absolutely blown away at how incredible the sound was. The rhythm was liquid smooth and the bass was tight and powerful, especially after the Bitzie had been powered on for at least several hours. It is a bit "cold" sounding when you first plug it in but rapidly improves over time.
We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.
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