XXHighEnd

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/xxhighend/1.html

Yea, what to say eh ?
It's up for some 2,5 hours now and I was curious who would be the first. Joachim, the honours go to you.

Champagne is open early here. :yes:
Happy New Year everybody !

Congratu-bloody-lations Peter! Think I'll have a couple of glasses of champagne myself to celebrate.

Happy New Year everyone!

Mani.

Congratulations Peter, you deserve such a good review but hey! there is also a little homage to all of us  :):

"It's only with the help of an active online forum that many of the hidden options and features derive full meaning. Only humans can assess that quality albeit just on an individual basis. Bringing together numerous interpretations in one forum help us understand music reproduction step by step."

Interesting the part that talks about the non-earthed connections.

I like the final conclusion: "...to us XXHighEnd is currently the by far best software player extant. In combination with the Phasure NOS1 DAC the sound quality sits lonely at the very top".
YES WE ALL AGREE WITH IT!!

As a plus the review unveils the "Peters Mystery Feet"...or maybe not totally....mmmm.

Btw, I liked to see Concha Buika in the review, she is an amazing Spanish singer with a very personal voice.

Yes, Happy New Year to all of you!

Juan

Hey hey hey  !!! Congratulations to your wife and yourself Peter !!!

Happy New Year to All !! :)

Alain

Congratulations Peter and Family!!!! A very nice way to begin the new year.

My review of the review: My favorite part was the "downside:" cd's rendered unlistenable. I do wish though they had more thoroughly discussed the sonic attributes of the NOS1, and what their impressions were of the best digital sound ever compared to a high end analogue set up. Guess we'll have to wait for that review. Last April I joined The Philadelphia Area Audio Group and have had the pleasure of hearing some of the best turn tables/amps/speakers made (If one was to judge by price alone.) Let me just say that I always felt they needed to hear an NOS1 in their respective systems!

Congratutalions, Peter,
and let this be the start of beeing taken 'seriously' by the rest of the (computer)hifi addicts on the globe!
Ed

S U P E R !!!!!!!

Congratulations and happy new year!

Cheers
Eric

Congrats Peter, you deserve it xo much:-)
Happy new year to you and all :drinks:

Peter - brilliant start to the New Year congratulations.

Paul

Congratulation to you Peter!

I wish every one on the forum a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Best regards,
Praphan

Hi Peter,

Great review, congratulations & all the very best to you & your family for 2013.

Best regards,

Arvind

Congratulations Peter! This is going to be a turning point for (Pha)sure. :)

Happy New Year everyone!

Maxi

Hi there Brian,

Do you realize that there has been exactly ONE attempt to write down the sonic qualities of the NOS1-USB ? It was Praphan's. But still more or less half-way because it was a comparison with the Alpha DAC.

Maybe you have an attempt ? hahaha

I have said it before, I myself am unable to give this description. This was not so with the USB predecessor; I could describe it, everybody could and everybody did (easy to check).

It seems a strange (and new) phenomenon that we are able to shout how good it is, but are not able to describe where and how. I think I once used the analogy that we wouldn't be able to describe how a violin sounds just the same. Not the playing of it, not the brand, but just how it sounds. What we have at hand here seems to be similar;

The review talks about "closest to live" and I think that you, others and me indeed are able to describe it like that or even did. But there it stops.
It should be something about our brains being able to think/talk about relativeness to inherent anomalies. Something like "bass is firm" while skipping that it colors. "Highs are not harsh" while skipping that they are hardly there. "Voice sounds so real" while skipping it's too much upfront. But personally I can't have such descriptions. Today it is only about (say new XXHighEnd versions) and "more real voice" or "less digital AGAIN" or "like I am just there". This is what we *do* describe and actually without exception. At reading the review myself I was very curious what would come of this, but I could see the end coming close and already knew : nothing much again.

Without exception people rave by email with the "undescriptive description" coming along with a promise to post on the forum with a best "review" ever. Well, nobody did. Not with the USB version. It has to have some meaning ...

But Brian, you can always open a new topic for it and try to give it a go. Maybe it challenges others and me to add to it.
I will apologize in advance when those "better descriptions" were there already, outside of Praphan's. But I'm always waiting for it and don't recall any.

Do notice that we sure are capable of one other thing :
Going back to some old-age and describe what is wrong with that. And not the least wrong. Well, wasn't that in the review as well ? it was. And not that I prescribed a word of that review ...

What will hopefully be recognizable for you (all) is that I personally have quite some problems with listening to TV - understanding / hearing all the words. Here, TV almost always goes on right after listening to music, and I won't say it's a pain listening to a lesser source, but it is so noticable that while the words/lyriscs have become unavoidable in music with that other source it bothers that it is not. So this is one of those vague descritpions I have myself : I can hear all the words now !

Yea, fine Peter. :scratching:

Peter

Peter!
Congrats!!
One thing I might add is the ability of XXHE/NOS1 to upgrade ones entire Hi-Fi chain to another level.
Thanks to Peter for developing a reference level product, and all the forums participants for the input and support.
Happy New Year!
Kind regards,
VJ Rao

Congratulations with the splendid review in 6moons. Finally some weighty acknowledgment from “the outside”.

But we - the owners and users of XX/NOS1 - didn’t have to wait for such a review to appear. We knew already for a long time that your technology is State Of The Art.

-The early years of Phasure parallels the faith of Led Zeppelin’s early career: Their tours outsold The Rolling Stones by 3:1. They broke the attendance records of The Beatles and all of their 5 albums where in the charts simultaneously selling in millions. The music was groundbreaking and the concerts were legendary. The fans knew it and showed their appreciation. But the music press and the mainstream media didn’t have a clue, both ignoring and failing to understand the greatness of LZ. Not until 1975 did LZ receive the universal praise they deserved.

Anyway, kudos to 6moons for their “discovery”. For sure it will help spreading the Phasure gospel across the audiophile world!

Hey Peter,

Well isn't that a nice way to end 2012! As said well deserved for you both!

:goodjob:  :drinks:

All the best for next year!

And again thanxxxxxxx!!!  :)

Congratulations Peter!

As has been said before; We always knew it was the best but now it is more or less "official".  ;)

Looking forward to receiving my NOS1 USB tomorrow! Perhaps the first one to take delivery in 2013?

Keep up the good work and can't wait to see what you come up with this year....

Mike

Mike,

I think 2013 is a vintage year for NOS's haha.

Enjoy,

Nick.

Did we expect any other result? :)

Anyway, congratulations!

Well, this review got me thinking about my earthing setup. Though playing wo (noticable) problems some aspects of the sound have bothered me for some time. Actually i remebered since I put a new grounded powercord to my pc (the old diy one had no ground -earth- connection).

Replacing it with the old power cable one again loosened up the sound considerably, but not to my total satifaction. Then I remembered my settings that have been a compromise quite different from others with an nos1 on this forum. Setting them more in line with Peters and others did give me a much better balanced sound. The final tweak was to flip the plug in the powerstrip and here we are again with the glorious and musical nos1 sound.

I have to get this sorted out one time with a proper nos1 approved system grounding plan. The sound is very sensitive to any change you apply.

Regards, Coen

Haha, yes Mike. Although we planned it would be the last one for 2012.
It must have flipped with the review which was planned for January. :)

Regards - and now make those speakers sound !
Peter