Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

I think they should start to breathe more after a few days....

Matt, I have never used Antipodes with ITunes, so I wouldn't know. Please, download the user reference guide from the Antipodes site: http://www.antipodesaudio.com/ref_guide.pdf
Page 10 shall explain how to do it.

DAC update - i tried the Allnic D5000 today and it needs to be re-tubed. The bias was off and the bass in the right speaker flubbled and broke up badly. I can hear it has potential, but it didn't sound right from the moment I started using it and then the sound broke up badly, and i pulled it. I have contacted the dealer, who is a very good guy, and he will be coming over to re-tube it later this week (hopefully).

I am waiting on tech support for the DX to learn how to access my music collection on my Mac from the DX. I do not want to copy my entire collection onto the DX since thats not where it will live… I can't compare the Mac and the DX until i know how to do this.

The Isis is settling in nicely. It is showing me a massive soundstage that is deep, wide, tall and all around amazing; one of the best I have heard. Instruments within the soundstage are properly placed with the correct presence, size and scale. There is definitely a recognizable sound to the Isis, or lack of a sound as the case may be. I see thats its not really rolled off but it doesn't highlight the highs the same way my CU do. The distributor suggested that my listening position may be low which is accentuating the mids and lows while time delaying the highs enough to make them sound slightly laid back in comparison. I'm going to play with rake angle a bit to see what it can do.

I still think it sounds like the SET of the speaker world, an 845 SET speaker. LOL. It has luscious mids and gentle, non obtrusive but accurate highs with complex, dynamic lows that hit hard and fast. My neighbor may actually buy the demo pair when he comes over later this week, which will save me return freight costs. hehe...

09-21-15: Mattnshilp

The Isis is settling in nicely. It is showing me a massive soundstage that is deep, wide, tall and all around amazing; one of the best I have heard. Instruments within the soundstage are properly placed with the correct presence, size and scale. There is definitely a recognizable sound to the Isis, or lack of a sound as the case may be. I see thats its not really rolled off but it doesn't highlight the highs the same way my CU do. The distributor suggested that my listening position may be low which is accentuating the mids and lows while time delaying the highs enough to make them sound slightly laid back in comparison. I'm going to play with rake angle a bit to see what it can do.

I still think it sounds like the SET of the speaker world, an 845 SET speaker. LOL. It has luscious mids and gentle, non obtrusive but accurate highs with complex, dynamic lows that hit hard and fast. My neighbor may actually buy the demo pair when he comes over later this week, which will save me return freight costs. hehe...

What is not to like there? Give them a few more days and they should sound spectacular. May not want to pawn them off on the neighbor....

No more Shout. The shout is out.

Just after I put the Isis in I pulled some of my newer diffusers out because I thought they were over-diffusing (I don't think thats a real term) and I didn't like what they were doing. I just left one diffuser each at the four side wall first reflection points (each is 24" wide by 48" tall) - 2 on each side basically. . I had 2 more on each side wall basically covering the entire side wall from next to the speakers back to the opposite speaker 1st reflection point.I thought it was too much… The room sounded better with the extra ones out. I dialed in the Isis a bit more based on the distributor's suggestion and had to push my mono blocks together a bit more to get the speakers a little closer together. It was starting to sound really good so I figured it would be a good time to bring the Consequence Ultimates back in and compare them briefly before letting the Isis cook for another day or so.

When I put the CU back in, I placed them in the new location of the Isis (4" closer on each side (8' closer together overall) and 1-2" closer to my listening position. I'm not sure if it was the position adjustment or the removal of the extra diffusers (which is what I think did it), but I found that the CU were playing much louder at the same volume setting so I needed to turn the volume on the pre-amp down to achieve a comfortable listening level. The combination of a lower volume magnitude (and subsequently less gain from the pre-amp) and the position change has all but eliminated the CU shout. Its still there a bit, but it's clearly a room interaction and not a speaker byproduct. I had a 45 minute wonderful listening session with the CU and then put the Isis back in to finish cooking.

But with the shout gone, I can actually compare apples to oranges without one of the fruits having bugs in it….