A superoir SQ of the NOS1 with 8x AP only!

[christoffe]

Hi,

I made several  tests  in conjunction with 24bit/96KHz HD and 16bit/44,1KHz recordings.

My impression is that the SQ of 16bit/44,1KHz recordings is smoother with a finer note/less overall harshness  (of the cymbals)  and a bass/kick drum  with more resonances/reverberations. The soundstage has more width.

Peter, please listen to the CD, track 2 again and you hear now the clicks of the sticks on the cymbals very clear.

http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Garden-Stanley-Clarke/dp/B001VFM0QU/ref=sr_1_8?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1391768160&sr=1-8&keywords=stanley+clarke

Joachim

[PeterSt]

Hey Joachim, nice !

If you are as far as that, you can also try to set Switch#5 Up, deactivate Is NOS1 in Settings, and choose Stereo Reduced in the NOS1 driver control panel.
Now you can not use 16x any more, but all is electrically different now. Should theoretically be more spatious which is NOT better (technicaly).

Best regards and thanks !
Peter

[boleary]

My impression is that the SQ of 16bit/44,1KHz recordings is smoother with a finer note/less overall harshness  (of the cymbals)  and a bass/kick drum  with more resonances/reverberations. The soundstage has more width.

Interesting. I've spent the last 3-4 weeks listening with 8x upsampling but didn't want to post about it until i was "sure" about my impressions. What prompted me to experiment with the upsampling was a listening session where my Phasure NOS 1 was compared to a Meitner MA-1. I've had this opportunity twice now in two different rooms and the first time the NOS-1 sounded better by a mile. The second time was with runs of 25ft interconnects, and the sound of the NOS-1 compared to the Meitner was a bit too polite and soft sounding, Though the NOS-1 sounded excellent the Meitner had a bit more pzazz or energy, bass was a bit tighter and louder. The meitner used a pre-amp and we tried the NOS-1 with and without the pre-amp. Though the NOS-1 sounded better without the pre, in both cases the Meitner had a bit more energy or sparkle. When i got home, I played around with settings trying to replicate the sound of the Meitner and found that the 8x oversampling instead of 16x added that bit of sparkle (similar to the Meitner) that provides, as Jochim described, more resonances/reverberations with a kick drum. Unlike Joachim, though, I'd say that 16x sounds a bit too smooth compared to 8x, vocals and solo violin  have slightly less body and presence than 8x. In this regard when I first tried 4x oversampling I thought it sounded best but over time it sounds a bit fatiguing. 8x seems a good compromise. Anyway, the guy with the Meitner is coming back in mid-may and we are going to give them one more listen in my room where the NOS-1 was clearly better the first time we compared them. So, for now, it seems that 8x sounds more pleasing than 16x. Would be interested in others impressions.

Brian 

[christoffe]

Ron Carter and his “Golden Striker Trio” was in Helsinki a couple of weeks ago. It was an impressive performance and what I was wondering about was, that his acoustic bass was “singing” (with the typical reverberations).

A test CD straight from the beginning is.

http://www.amazon.com/Wood-Brian-Bromberg/dp/B000FQJPBO/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1398493659&sr=1-5&keywords=brian+bromberg

The sound characteristic of the acoustic bass I heard live is not reproducible at my home, until I switch to 8xAP and the bass is “singing” now. (Brians remark “ ….. 16xAP  have slightly less body and presence than 8x” hits the nail ……….. .)

Joachim

[PeterSt]

Unlike Joachim, though, I'd say that 16x sounds a bit too smooth compared to 8x

Brian, I don't think Joachim said that ? Anyway it is clear what you think.

Regards,
Peter

[PeterSt]

So I too tried it, but actually for different reasons. And (warning) I used the Switch#5 Up (see previous post) because at this moment I can't do it otherwise.

Maybe it is too difficult to compare the real apples with the real apples (because I have more changes going on), but I think it was obvious that a way warm sound comes from this.
A.o. I tried The Friends or Mr Cario (Jon & Vangelis) which I know as waytoo super lean, but no single leannes came from it any more. Here too I must be careful because a few months back I reported similarly about this album but I don't think so extreme.

What I also recognize (I think) is the better kick drums. More umpf. But, this is not so difficult when things go towads the far more warm side. However ...

I also played Abdullah Ibrahim's Senzo and now I don't know ...
In my view this is one of the best natural piano (wing) reproductions, and I can't say I still think it is in this setup. Some piano keys zoom, and it is all a fuzzy warm bath now. Sparkle (overtones) is still there as earlier, but it's all so heavy that it now looks like the recording space could have needed a 100 bass traps.

Overall I sure liked it and maybe it is more pleasurable to listen to (palpable), but I don't think it is more real.
I wasn't bugged by less accurracy, but the warmth overrules the freshness and real sparkle.
Anyway I feel no need to switch back for the next session but that only tells I now listen subjectively (which I actually don't want to do).

Remember, Switch#5 Up and this can make a large difference.

Peter

[christoffe]

Unlike Joachim, though, I'd say that 16x sounds a bit too smooth compared to 8x

Brian, I don't think Joachim said that ? Anyway it is clear what you think.

Regards,
Peter

Hi Peter,

Brians OS is W7 and mine W8.

At present the SQ wit 8xAP is quite pleasing and I'm comparing "apples".

When switching #5 at the DAC XXH setting remains at 16xAP or reduce it to 8xAP too? = Edit = Stupid question!!!

Joachim

[PeterSt]

Joachim,

I actually want to know to what degree my apples are apples. So I saw you asking that question (yes, just set to 8x) so let me know when you have some results on this.
Again, I just can't do it with Switch#5 down, and with Up it is electrically all different.

Thanks ...
Peter

[boleary]

I'll give switch 5 up (with other settings described in Peter's post above) a try this afternoon. Had yesterday afternoon off and spent the time so pleasantly lost in the sound of music!

[christoffe]

Hi,

made a very short test run (due to item 2) with Swicht#5 up and changes within XXH/driver panel necessary.

My impressions:

1 - with the same volume setting the SPL is much louder.
2 - the acoustic bass (of the a.m. Brian Bromberg CD) is much bigger than his natural size.
3 - bass is fuzzy at very deep frequencies.
4 -  the soundstage got lost by a certain margin and the positions of the instruments are not accurate. (see item 2)

So, back to my previuos settings and everything fell into place again.

My wife is out of home and the "seagull" flew higher than before.  The cymbals and bells were hit in different depths of the room. Amazing to listen.

On my computer system with the settings noted in "profile" this seems my best choice of the AP.

Joachim

[PeterSt]

Ha ! Then at least I am happy about my own findings with Switch#5 Up !

Thank you Joachim !
Peter

[pedal]

Brian/Joachim,

Gentlemen, this is an interesting discovery! 

By default, I always used the "max upsampling" feature in XX, meaning that the system works at sampling frequency 705,6 (or 768kHz if multiple of 48kHz).

But trying some test tracks today in x8 times "only", I hear a slightly more "fresh" sound. There is slightly more sparkle in the treble, which increases the "snap and drive" even for bass instruments.

This occurs also with 24/192 material:
Miles Davis/Kind Of Blue/Flamenco Sketches
Ray Brown Trio/Soular Energy/Sweet Georgia Brown
Marvin Gay/Whats Going On/Whats Going On

I am gonna run the system like this for a while and see if it stands the test of long term testing.

The big question: What is the cause of different SQ?
-Is it the presence of added HF sampling noise when running on lesser sampling frequency, or is the system more "comfortable" when not pushed to work with max sampling frequency?

Whatever the explanation, the difference is noticeable, and in the magnitude of, let's say, what we hear when fiddling with different Q1 values.

[boleary]

Hey Pedal glad you've given it a try too! It's been several weeks  since I changed to 8x and I've not felt like I wanted to go back to 16x. We will see. Regarding 24/192, are you saying that you generally upsample? For me HiRes always sounds best at its original sample rate of 96 or 192.

[pedal]

Yes, with "fx" activated in XX, I always get maximum upsampling for the different formats I have. I thought it to be the best, without further testing.

But now I will re-consider. :-)

[AlainGr]

I don't have a conclusion about these differences... Could this be caused by a "lesser" demand on USB ?

But there is an added value with 8x: no more "cuts" with very low SFS

Alain