Oh boy...
To me this whole thing is hobby&business at the same time. It's all about SQ in the first place for me.
I've been boggling at my laptop as I was tuning this thing with software and inside hardware over the last weeks and wondered what else has influence on the SQ of Windows/laptop and the like. I was sure that I've never heard a better digital source than this thing and I threw hours of time in it...I bet some of you know!
...and there comes AIR again. I had already given up on this. BUT damn...this 3.0.1 beta works...and it sounds veerry nice.
I'm puzzled here because there sits this time-intensive modified laptop with all this software and configuration on it connected by a nice/expensive 1m USB-cable to the D (everything short and effective as can be)...and then I just wanted to put more effort in it and thought "ok let's give AIR a try while the laptop is on the operating table".
New ETH-Config onto the D, a klick on Win and up we go...and...waiting for the first crackles, but...not one hickup. Instead the D shows a very silky, homogeneous, stage, smooth performance (analog if you want) but also quiet believable 3D of instruments/singer, timings are precise, foot jives ...and all with the insert of a SD-Config and a klick on an EXE-file...effortless...damn. If it lacks in one thing, it might be dynamics but I've to hear more into that.
And what's even worse (or better...depends) the source I'm streaming from is a standard Win7 with no tuning/no AO, jPlay or else running foobar. Foobar is getting its food from HTPC 3 floors downstairs in the basement. Conected via the cheapest ETH-Cabel installation, sending it back to the rooter 2 floors downstairs, throwing it 2floors up again to a netgear switch and on to the D...man, that's way below high end and short/effective.
So Devialet is doing something quiet right with this little AIRthing. Seems to me they managed to wrapp the 0/1s so tight together
, that nothing else seems to bother the signal...even under worst conditions.
So let's everyone start to compare this Beta-AIR to your best other digital source. It might be surprising.
I'm not done yet. Will do an intensive comparison when everything is set up again...but in the meantime I enjoy my D with AIR.
gui
edit:
Wow, what a stage. AIR 3 seems to give more stage-depth/width. Adele sings at Royal Albert Hall and...goosebumps...it's big, from wall to wall in my listening room and the depth on "Hometown Glory" is spectacular...first the front rows go off, then it's like a screaming wave up to the back rows and up the ranks. I wouldn't have expected that. For sure.
To me this whole thing is hobby&business at the same time. It's all about SQ in the first place for me.
I've been boggling at my laptop as I was tuning this thing with software and inside hardware over the last weeks and wondered what else has influence on the SQ of Windows/laptop and the like. I was sure that I've never heard a better digital source than this thing and I threw hours of time in it...I bet some of you know!
...and there comes AIR again. I had already given up on this. BUT damn...this 3.0.1 beta works...and it sounds veerry nice.
I'm puzzled here because there sits this time-intensive modified laptop with all this software and configuration on it connected by a nice/expensive 1m USB-cable to the D (everything short and effective as can be)...and then I just wanted to put more effort in it and thought "ok let's give AIR a try while the laptop is on the operating table".
New ETH-Config onto the D, a klick on Win and up we go...and...waiting for the first crackles, but...not one hickup. Instead the D shows a very silky, homogeneous, stage, smooth performance (analog if you want) but also quiet believable 3D of instruments/singer, timings are precise, foot jives ...and all with the insert of a SD-Config and a klick on an EXE-file...effortless...damn. If it lacks in one thing, it might be dynamics but I've to hear more into that.
And what's even worse (or better...depends) the source I'm streaming from is a standard Win7 with no tuning/no AO, jPlay or else running foobar. Foobar is getting its food from HTPC 3 floors downstairs in the basement. Conected via the cheapest ETH-Cabel installation, sending it back to the rooter 2 floors downstairs, throwing it 2floors up again to a netgear switch and on to the D...man, that's way below high end and short/effective.
So Devialet is doing something quiet right with this little AIRthing. Seems to me they managed to wrapp the 0/1s so tight together
, that nothing else seems to bother the signal...even under worst conditions.So let's everyone start to compare this Beta-AIR to your best other digital source. It might be surprising.
I'm not done yet. Will do an intensive comparison when everything is set up again...but in the meantime I enjoy my D with AIR.
gui
edit:
Wow, what a stage. AIR 3 seems to give more stage-depth/width. Adele sings at Royal Albert Hall and...goosebumps...it's big, from wall to wall in my listening room and the depth on "Hometown Glory" is spectacular...first the front rows go off, then it's like a screaming wave up to the back rows and up the ranks. I wouldn't have expected that. For sure.
"Oh, you can buy the other. But then it is a cost intensive learning process"
berlin
