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Digital Drive Upsamplers, DACs, jitter, shakes and analogue withdrawals, this is it. |
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Digital Drive Upsamplers, DACs, jitter, shakes and analogue withdrawals, this is it. |
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In Reply to: You make it sound like there's no bass in the G08 posted by Mau'dib on May 13, 2005 at 17:44:02:
Tonal balance and rhythmic integrity are two different facets.When you talk about tonal balance, you have to ask yourself if said component acts like an equalizer, always fiddling with the quantities at various frequencies.
Rhythmic integrity has to do with how well the component preserves the music's pulse, timing, energy, and beat.
If a song is plodding, even a fully-loaded Naim system can't do anything magical to imbue the song with rhythm. A prime example is Led Zeppelin's clunky "Kashmir." A system that has rhythmic integrity will reveal this song for what it is. It will not artificially speed it up, nor will it further foul its clumsiness.
Tonally, the G08 is quite honest. Assuming your room and system are full range, the G08 will reproduce the tonal spectrum that really is on the CD. The G08 lacks a little bit of the music's punch, force, and physical power. Whether it's the organ at SF's St. Mary's Cathedral, Lars Ulrich's Pearl drums, Steve Vai's Eventide harmonizer, Dolores O'Riordan's animal growls and angelic highs, Nikki Sixx's Hamer bass guitars, Erasure's various keyboards, or Nicko McBrain's Paiste cymbals, the G08 reproduces music with a touch less oomph than it should. Does the G08 sound slow? No. Does the G08 sound choppy or constipated? No. Does the G08 sound neutered and polite? No.
Motley Crue's "Dr. Feelgood" should chewy. I think the Naim CDX2 captures this feel better than the G08. Through the G08, Aerosmith don't sound as greasy as they should; they've been cleaned up. Rush's "Tom Sawyer" sounds a bit too pristine. The drums on L.A. Guns' "Rip And Tear" should have amazing pop. Through the G08, the drums are placed back in the stage, where they sound more intellectual, less raw and primal than they should. The flat, 2-dimensional recording of Overkill's "Coma," via the G08, sounds less like a thrash band, and more like running veggies through the Cuisinart.
But are the above rhythmically screwed up? Hell no. It just doesn't kick as much ass as it should. And no, turning the volume up doesn't make it any more chunky or forceful.
I've listened to many digital pieces. Throughout the audible frequency range, the G08 is as honest as anything else out there. That's what I like about it; it doesn't play equalizer games with the frequency response.
I would like to add that playing around with quality sources really heightens your knowledge of the music. 'Cuz basically, if the source can't produce the music, nothing I do downstream can. Fiddling with cables, tubes, and speakers ain't gonna get me anywhere but audiophile hell. And once you become intimately familiar with your music, evaluating hi-fi becomes easier. We won't always be able to describe (put in words) what works, but you'll know it when you hear it.
Each of us has different listening preferences. That is why some of my guests would pick the CDX2 over the G08, most would pick the G08, some would be thrilled with either, and others hate 'em both.
Me? I'm at home right now. I have both of the CD players hooked up to the system. I have to admit, if I don't think about "which is better," and I want to hear how good a CD can be, I 2 times out of 3 put the disc into the G08.
But what if I'm at my parents' place, lying in my old bed? Then I slap on the AKG K1000s, grab the Creek CD53's remote [it's a Philips RC5, which also controls the Naim], and use the CDX2. Killer.
-Lummy The Seahorse
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- Kuma Understands Perfectly - Luminator 23:14:17 05/13/05 (0)
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