Empirical Audio Synchro-Mesh
pearsall001
Posts: 5,068
I've had the SM up & running for a few days now. Usually I'd give a new addition a little more time to settle in before doing a review but now is a good time for the SM review. My front end is the Sonos feeding an outdated DAC (outdated in age only...not the end result!!!). The CAL Alpha DAC is well known for its smooth, lush warm sound. I can attest to that first hand. That's the musical sound that best describes my listening pleasure & the Alpha delivers that in spades.
I didn't know what to expect because I was extremely pleased with my system as it was. The soundstage was wide & deep & imaging was spot on with the instruments being properly placed within the stage. Voices were very warm & inviting & never showed any signs of harshness. However as we all know there's always room for improvements in one's system. I hadn't planned on adding the SM but after reading so many glowing reviews & Steve's 30 day in home trial I figured why not.
So after setting it up in my system I nestled in my favorite chair & gave it a whirl...not expecting too much I was pleasantly surprised. Now I wouldn't go as far as expressing that the SM gave me one of those "WOW" or "OMG" moments but the results were more than subtle. Every aspect of what I enjoyed about my system was still there but more of it. The soundstage grew a little (nothing huge but noticeable), imaging was as before except with a tad bit more air around the instruments that was easy to hear & pinpoint. Voices both male & female remained warm & lush with just a bit more sparkle & refinement.
As you can tell from my review the SM is not returning to Steve but has found a home in my system. There was definitely enough positive refinements that make the SM a keeper & I can most certainly recommend it. Cheers & happy listening!
I didn't know what to expect because I was extremely pleased with my system as it was. The soundstage was wide & deep & imaging was spot on with the instruments being properly placed within the stage. Voices were very warm & inviting & never showed any signs of harshness. However as we all know there's always room for improvements in one's system. I hadn't planned on adding the SM but after reading so many glowing reviews & Steve's 30 day in home trial I figured why not.
So after setting it up in my system I nestled in my favorite chair & gave it a whirl...not expecting too much I was pleasantly surprised. Now I wouldn't go as far as expressing that the SM gave me one of those "WOW" or "OMG" moments but the results were more than subtle. Every aspect of what I enjoyed about my system was still there but more of it. The soundstage grew a little (nothing huge but noticeable), imaging was as before except with a tad bit more air around the instruments that was easy to hear & pinpoint. Voices both male & female remained warm & lush with just a bit more sparkle & refinement.
As you can tell from my review the SM is not returning to Steve but has found a home in my system. There was definitely enough positive refinements that make the SM a keeper & I can most certainly recommend it. Cheers & happy listening!
"2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
Post edited by pearsall001 on
Comments
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Glad you could hear a bit of a difference. Looking forward to how it stacks up against the Monarchy DIP. Based on your review, IMO, $600 for the incremental improvements seems rather steep on the bang for the buck meter.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
Glad you could hear a bit of a difference. Looking forward to how it stacks up against the Monarchy DIP. Based on your review, IMO, $600 for the incremental improvements seems rather steep on the bang for the buck meter.
H9
Brock, I think my bang for the buck meter needle is well oiled & working fine. When's the last time you oiled yours? LOL!! I didn't want to go overboard with my review but the refinements were much more than incremental. Not quite the "WOW" factor but still a remarkable overall step up in overall musicality. This is well beyond the tweak factor that I had envisioned. Hell, I've spent more on cables that came highly recommended but left me totally disappointed & were either sent back or sold to recoup my money. Trust me, if the SM didn't impress me this much it too would have been sent back. It's a keeper according to my bang for the buck meter."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
Phil,
Thanks for the review. I've been curious about your impressions. I can't say I'm surprised by your findings, sounds similar to my experience with the Off ramp.
That's what this hobby is all about, trying out new things and having fun finding out what you like and don't like. -
Nice Phil, do you have the SM between the Sonos and Dac ? I know what the Cal Dac brings to the table but would you say the SM tames down that "digital" sound a tad ? A more analog sound ? Or is it just sharpening up whats already there ?
6 Bones on the bang for your buck meter is reasonable. Speaker cables can run you more and not offer up what was described. Being a sonos user myself, I'm always looking for ways to make it better. Their software is just too damn good to toss aside.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Phil,
Thanks for the review. I've been curious about your impressions. I can't say I'm surprised by your findings, sounds similar to my experience with the Off ramp.
That's what this hobby is all about, trying out new things and having fun finding out what you like and don't like.
Amen to that Ern. One will never know until you give things a listen to see if they're keepers or need to be sent back. In my case with the SM it's a definite keeper. A very nice addition that will be around for quite some time. Even if I decide to move on to another DAC (not for any time soon) Steve said it's a simple change to the SM to match the new DAC. Pretty much future proof.Nice Phil, do you have the SM between the Sonos and Dac ? I know what the Cal Dac brings to the table but would you say the SM tames down that "digital" sound a tad ? A more analog sound ? Or is it just sharpening up whats already there ?
6 Bones on the bang for your buck meter is reasonable. Speaker cables can run you more and not offer up what was described. Being a sonos user myself, I'm always looking for ways to make it better. Their software is just too damn good to toss aside.
Tony, the SM is between the Sonos & the DAC. As good as the CAL DAC is with a nice warm analog sound the SM has taken it even further up the ladder of musicality. It's a very nice addition that really took me by surprise. I know what I read review wise but have learned not to read too much into them. But this case was different...the reviews were all pretty much dead on & surpassed my expectations. The Sonos server is now a different player altogether. And this is with Blue Jeans digital cables!!! Not bad at all but of course I'll be looking to go with another digital cable. I've been looking at DH Labs, Black Cat (a newer version that replaces the Veloce) LAT International & a few others without breaking the bank. Steve says that it's not too critical coming from the Sonos to the SM but the better the digital cable from the SM to the DAC is where it's at. Any suggestions."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
Well, as you may know I have had the Blackcat digital cable hooked up to my Sonos. But it couldn't trump the Audio Metallurgy GA-0 digital cable I had been using. If you can find one sometimes on auction at Audiogon, pick one up. Think I paid 80 bucks for mine. Their website lists retail at 300+ bones. I also think we both dig that analog sound from our digital so that's why I think you'd like it.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
What do you know...here's a 3 footer right now.
http://app.audiogon.com/listings/digital-audio-metallurgy-ga-0-interconnect-2013-12-08-cables-90260-lawndale-caHT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Well, as you may know I have had the Blackcat digital cable hooked up to my Sonos. But it couldn't trump the Audio Metallurgy GA-0 digital cable I had been using. If you can find one sometimes on auction at Audiogon, pick one up. Think I paid 80 bucks for mine. Their website lists retail at 300+ bones. I also think we both dig that analog sound from our digital so that's why I think you'd like it.
Tony, I didn't know that you gave the Veloce a try...that was one hell of a cable. I'll take your word about the GA-0 cable besting it, that says a lot about the GA-0. Although the Veloce has now been replaced with the new & improved version called the Silverstar. I checked out the Audio Metallurgy website & I like their design philosophy. I'm game with trying one of the GA-0 digital cables.
The auction site you posted has expired, I'll keep my eyes out for another auction. I even looked at The Cable Co. for them but they don't even have Audio Metallurgy listed as one of their vendors. And yes indeed out listening tastes mirror each other with the lush analog sound. The SM paired with the Sonos & the CAL DAC has drawn me in even more."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
My next digital cable to try is Steve N.'s latest creation for $250. Check here for more info about it: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=116570.0
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My next digital cable to try is Steve N.'s latest creation for $250. Check here for more info about it: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=116570.0
I read about his cable. It's on my radar along with others. I haven't seen Steve's digital cable up for sale on the used market though...that's usually a good sign of a great product."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
