Thanks for the replies. I used the term FR since I don’t know how to describe the changes yet in a better coherent way. I’m definitely not in the camp that thinks measurements are everything and everything will sound the same.
And I actually don’t mind it that much, that’s one of the reasons I have multiple headphones and soon maybe multiple amps.
Not saying you are hearing the exact same experience I had, but just in case:
This reminds me of the last time I upgraded my subwoofer. I got a new sub that was clearly better. Better technicalities on paper, better in person, but it sounded like I lost a ton of bass, what gives? It was, in fact, a much quicker bass. My only sub was very flabby and just lingered there. The new one was quick, punchy, and had a ton of texture, but maybe similarly, I thought I lost a lot of bass, when I didn’t.
Interesting way to think about it. Will require more listening though to fully put my finger on what it is.
If the first few days with the Rockna and Enleum made me think I might keep only the Susvara and VC and sell the 1266 TC, yesterday night it became clear there’s a marvelous spot for it in my collection. Which also bring the WA33 hunting back.
I am enjoying the G1 a lot though, works smoothly and sounds good. Definitely different than the Node. I’m curious what a DDC will do to it or perhaps move from USB to a different connection but waiting with that a bit.
Do you find it kind of flat sounding? That’s my main gripe with it so far sound-wise.
That was ultimately mine as well, it’s a more cut and dry streamer, good technical performance, but felt too spatially and dynamically flat for my tastes, otherwise I liked it
Glad it’s not just me. Lol
It was weird because when I went back to the laptop, it oddly had more depth. I was maybe thinking it was because I didn’t let it warm up enough. Hopefully the psu that’ll be arriving will somehow “fix” some of that.
I personally think the price new isn’t worth (sound wise) it (after the price increase). Around 2k new sounds right to me.
What did you end up preferring? Not a lot of options in the price range I bought it for…
I should note that I’m mainly speaking from my experiences with a g2.1, so I preferred other streamers in that price range, can’t comment too much on other price ranges
Just to contribute with my own listening experiences:
I first got into it with a ddc, Denefrips Iris and then Gaia. These really cleaned up the music, but I did find that it cleaned up the bass too much, so that there was more bass notes heard spread out, which made me realize that without the ddc, bass notes seemed to run and blend together more, rather than evenly spaced and articulated, if that makes sense. Could be something you may be experiencing since i did end up prefering the FTA Calisto usb over the Gaia and Iris, despite the Gaia and Iris presenting more detail, they somewhat took the fun out of the music which what the Calisto was doing well at, despite the loss of clarity.
So without ddc, bass note range was more closed in but had lot more moments of deep wub wub
With ddc, bass note range was wider, but less times of deep wub wub and more chances of a wider range of lesser and lesser wub wubs
lol, hope this somewhat makes sense
Seems like I need to connect my Node back and A/B it a bit. I can see a world where I keep both. The $350 I paid for the Node won’t break the bank and maybe it can be a secondary source for some moods and type of music…
I didn’t think of getting a cable over a DDC, interesting idea…
Id say listen to the g1 for a few days, listen to the tracks you know well then go to the node. I found that with ddc and streamers it takes a bit to fully hear what they do differently. I’ve realized that things became more dynamic after some brain burn in, and once i switched back to a lesser source it was like my brain was missing things and i couldn’t stand it. Same with cables. Its just enough to notice that when you go back there is more meh moments, but i have also experienced going back and staying there for awhile so long that my brain forgets those improvements and i “settle” (with future regret lol) I guess my point is that everything matters in your chain, and despite the g1 being an improvement , it may just not be the right one.
The callisto was much more preferred over the iris, but with the gaia it was pretty close. But i ultimately sold the gaia and got an antipodes s30
When I mean A/B in my audio world it means exactly that - a few hours or days and with my critical listening tracks.
I agree, technical improvement doesn’t necessarily mean it synergyzes with the chain and fits what one is looking for. I changed so much in my gear lately that I’m still figuring out what I want to settle with. I also jumped a few tiers higher which helps and makes it harder since I have less comparison points.
hoer-wege psu finally arrived. Installation wasn’t a problem though it did take longer than I’d expected (because of the damn stripped screws).
before:
after:
w/o psu:
no impressions yet, system is still “cold”
It’s been a few days and the psu upgrade was much needed imo. The result being a more compelling streamer both sound-wise and functionality-wise.
With the stock psu, sound is basically as m0n describes it. It’s what I hear from the g1 as well (m0n has g2.1)…
With the psu mod, you get a smoother and more organic sound overall. It’s more dynamically alive (hallelujah!) and spatially aware. It also sounds a bit more weighty and meaty. Basically, it solves the complaints I have with the stock sound.
I’m not sure how much of an improvement (sound-wise) the jump from a g1 to a g2.1 is, but if they are very similar, I’d rather get a g1 used and do the psu mod over getting a g2.1 (unless you’re going full on auralic). Those are just my assumptions though. I’d rather save up for something more hi-end when the time comes.
Anyway, the psu mod was a success in my book (unsurprisingly).
What’s the cost of the PSU?
I paid around $512usd… Normally it’s around $560 but because of some parts shortage they had to use a different transformer for one of them so he’ll give you a slight discount for the inconvenience.
Btw, only compatible with the g1 and g2.1 for anyone interested.
Might be looking at this upgrade myself if those are the improvements!
Well I ordered one now while waiting for a connecting flight in Munich, felt right lol
It ships tomorrow and we’ll probably both get back to the US the same time
