dCS Bartok DAC review on YouTube - GoldenSound

[cromodora]

The first thing that struck me is I don’t think he cited a single recording that didn’t sound like it had been cobbled-up in ProTools or Logic and then brickwalled at the mastering stage. I heard nothing that I’d personally use to assess timbre or dynamic capabilities (e.g. jazz, classical etc).

Nail on the head Tony L.
Goldensound reviews with music I cannot relate to and that is why, as they say in Shark Tank, I’m out.

 

[Cereal Killer]

So not only do the people in this middle-class hobby argue over their toys, now they argue over what was said about them......... life must be so difficult. This thread say more about the people than the product being discussed.

 

[tuga]

Just watched this video as I was curious as to why it had resulted in an eight page thread. The first thing that struck me is I don’t think he cited a single recording that didn’t sound like it had been cobbled-up in ProTools or Logic and then brickwalled at the mastering stage. I heard nothing that I’d personally use to assess timbre or dynamic capabilities (e.g. jazz, classical etc). The second was it looked like the top of the ‘r’ of the word ‘Power’ on the dCS faceplate had rubbed off, which is absolutely inexcusable, let alone on a piece of kit costing as much as a decent car!

I partly agree with you in regard to his music choice, and I don't listen to that kind of music at all. But hi-fi systems deal with sound and in my view a review should only address sound (not the listening experience), although music recordings can be used/referenced to illustrate how sonic issues reveal themselves. My reasoning for this is that the listening experience is personal and non-transmissible.

In other words I don't care what type of music he listens to as long as it's fit-for-purpose, the purpose here being to highlight audible issues in the reproduction – the critical/observational listening assessment which complements the measurements.

I am more interested in finding out if the audible issue he points out is audible to me than whether he prefers Chord, Denafrips or Topping...

 

[Cereal Killer]

Lights blue touch paper and leaves https://hifiplus.com/articles/english-electric-8switch-streaming-audio-network-switch/#:~:text=I like the finish and,to give it a go.

Initial listening was without the C-Stream and direct from the switch to an AURALiC ARIES G1. Going from a Cisco Catalyst 2960 S1 to the 8Switch resulted in a considerable increase in high-frequency detail and better timing, the former undoubtedly begetting the latter thanks to better resolution of leading edges. Cymbals and treble harmonics clearly benefited, and the sound became more vibrant and fresher. The degree to which the upper end of the spectrum was cleaned up was quite a revelation, making the tone of voices and instruments far more appealing. It also opened up the soundstage really nicely, increasing its scale and depth.

Taking the signal back to its normal route via the Innuos server, where the only data that (should be) passing through the network switch are commands from the control app, I didn’t expect much of a change, but I was wrong. Here the change wasn’t as great as the direct connection but it was no less palpable in its own way, this time it was timing precision that was markedly improved, so much so that the air guitar came out, a first for the track I was playing and a classic Chord Company effect. Things were more enjoyable than expected presumably because the switch was sending less noise to the server and thus signal to noise had improved. Next up I used Qobuz to see what benefit the 8Switch would have with a music signal that had travelled through many miles of glass fibre and copper wire prior to getting to the system.

 

[Tony L]

I partly agree with you in regard to his music choice, and I don't listen to that kind of music at all. But hi-fi systems deal with sound and in my view a review should only address sound (not the listening experience), although music recordings can be used/referenced to illustrate how sonic issues reveal themselves. My reasoning for this is that the listening experience is personal and non-transmissible.

In other words I don't care what type of music he listens to as long as it's fit-for-purpose, the purpose here being to highlight audible issues in the reproduction – the critical/observational listening assessment which complements the measurements.

I certainly see a space for subjective reviews and find the reviews that are the most interesting to me are from those I clearly have much in common with both musically and in a shared taste of equipment. I certainly placed far more emphasis on a review from say Art Dudley or Sam Tellig than I would from a whole world of ASR lines on charts and random internet interpretations thereof.

I have nothing whatsoever against the Golden Ear guy’s music choices, nor for that matter say John Darko (who is almost exclusively electronica techno), but I can tell way, way more about dynamics, timbre and acoustic space with a good Art Blakey Blue Note, ECM or whatever. We each choose our own tools.

PS I do realise I’ve ended up arguing against my own point to a degree. There are absolutes here and I don’t care what anyone thinks they see on a screen to contradict that! We are in the entertainment industry here.