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Fixed the typo. Thanks for the heads-up, Charlie.
Another tweaky USB DAC you say? Yes, but this one takes serious technical aim at the jitter problem inherent in most of these products. Ayre is licensing Wavelength Audio's new asynchronous USB approach called "Streamlength" which essentially clocks the stream from the DAC instead of waiting for the computer to parse out the data. The result is a tighter jitter spec and all the sonic benefits that implies. The QB-9 also includes an implementation of the company's new MP filter that minimizes ringing.
Though CES rooms are not a great way to judge these kinds of things, the demo ran iTunes via a Mac Mini through the QB-9 directly into the KX-R preamp and held its own against the other disc transports in the rack. Retail will be less than $2,500 and the product should hit the streets by March.
We've had a couple of inquiries about the Streamlength software from Wavelength Audio. This *is* the "asyncrhonous" mode (sometimes called "ASYNC". The "isochronous" mode mentioned in the Stereophile write up is one of four transfer modes in the USB spec and is *always* used for audio.All other USB D/A converters use the "adaptive" mode, whereby the clock in the DAC has to "adapt" to the rate at which the computer sends audio data. "Adaptive" mode will always have higher jitter than (properly implemnted) "asynchronous" mode.And unfortunately, I have to stay off my bike. My only means of transportation is a wheelchair.
Cultivate an attitude of discovery and curiosity. Pretend you don't know anything (you really don't), and try to learn as much as possible about your opponent/partner and his point of view. Pretend you're entertaining a visitor from another planet, and find out how things look on that planet, how certain events affect the other person, and what the values and priorities are there.
If your partner really was from another planet, you'd be watching his body language and listening for unspoken energy as well. Do that here. What does he really want? What is he not saying?
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LP - Don't worry, I'm not easily offended. But if you have any extra money at the end of the year, you can make a tax deductible contribution to a researcher who, no kidding, can cure spinal cord injuries. Right now it's just in rats and he needs to get FDA approval for the drugs before he can start human trials. Cost to get the approval will be about $5 million. Go to www.cuneurosurgery.com and click on "Donations" on the left side. Then click on the top radio button that says "Neuro Repair - Spine Gift Fund". 100% of all donations go directly to his lab. You can do it online with a credit card and the University will even pay the surcharge.As far as source components for the "R" series, we have some ideas, but no definite plans yet. Perhaps a phono stage, and perhaps some sort of digital source.
Is it possible to have a basic software included in the DAC itself such that it reads data directly from an external drive (USB and/or FireWire) thereby eliminating the need for a computer during playback?Also, does QB-9 read DSD format?
The MP filter and this DAC are great developments. Silver disks are easy, but the future is media servers. If a media PC can do the surround decoding, then this would be the audio purist's translation to analog. I'd also like to see a volume control and multichannel channel versions at 2 price points: QB-9 level and more affordable. Will Arye ever license MP filtering to HT receiver manufacturers?
I totally agree with this comment!