Squeezebox 3 Digital Music Box
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- Patron of SPCR
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- Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2006 10:23 am
- Location: Pacific Northwest
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- Patron of SPCR
- Posts: 445
- Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2006 10:23 am
- Location: Pacific Northwest
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- Site Admin
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- Joined: Sun Aug 11, 2002 3:26 pm
- Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Two years after I became addicted to the sample Squeezebox3 reviewed here, Edward Ng generously shipped over an old MSB Link DAC III outboard D/A processor he said had seen no use for several years; I might as well get some benefit from it.
Thank you Ed.
At first, the change the Link DAC III made seemed trivial. Yes, the music generally seemed a bit less congested... was there more?
It took several days for the differences to sink in fully, and today I can say without a doubt that the improvement in my system, which seemed subtle intially, is almost a revelation. Instruments stand out more prominently against a "quieter" background, definition of all the voices in complex passages remain more individuated, the attack and transparency of high frequency sounds such as brushed cymbals is improved, and the depth and weight of low bass instruments is marked. In short, the music is coming across much more realistically than before.
It makes me ask.... If this 7 year old "high value" (according to Stereophile) DAC sounds this good with the Squeezebox3, how much better does it get with a more uptodate DAC like the Benchmark DAC1? I may just have to find out.
Thank you Ed.
At first, the change the Link DAC III made seemed trivial. Yes, the music generally seemed a bit less congested... was there more?
It took several days for the differences to sink in fully, and today I can say without a doubt that the improvement in my system, which seemed subtle intially, is almost a revelation. Instruments stand out more prominently against a "quieter" background, definition of all the voices in complex passages remain more individuated, the attack and transparency of high frequency sounds such as brushed cymbals is improved, and the depth and weight of low bass instruments is marked. In short, the music is coming across much more realistically than before.
It makes me ask.... If this 7 year old "high value" (according to Stereophile) DAC sounds this good with the Squeezebox3, how much better does it get with a more uptodate DAC like the Benchmark DAC1? I may just have to find out.