The Real Lightspeed vs Eva - no monkey bottoms!
Right. For those interested in attenuators, this is the place. Otherwise, for apes' arses, please try elsewhere.
In one line: the Lightspeed built by the man himself in Oz wins out over my sick Eva 2.
But does that mean anything? Maybe the channel waning on the Eva is having more than just an effect on sound level. I don't think so. I'm pretty sure the Lightspeed makes a better fist of dumping a chunk of acoustic in my room than the Eva ever did - it certainly trounces it now. The overall effect is just that bit more 'organic' than the Eva.
I thought to begin with that the Lightspeed was doing the unforgivable and taming the NVA/Royd combination, but it isn't. Transients are still as sharp and shapely (forgive me, I used to be a reviewer :-) ) as they ever were. They're just coming at me from within a more believable space.
So far, I like the Lightspeed a lot.
Anyway, I've ordered my assembled Lightspeed boards from Paul Hynes (I realise I also need to order the matched LDRs from Uriah(?)), and in a few weeks should have a remote controlled Lightspeed. Looking forward to it!
Comments
I will see what Col comes up with and whether it can be remote controlled before deciding what to do. Either way, EVA is on borrowed time....
I will be interested in a home comparison. I need some organic percussive events in my life!
:-D
Dave -maybe a friendly Jim could find a way to 'adjust' the King-Rex.
Lightspeed doesn't sound as good as an active pre. I suspect the impedance matching is more to blame than the interconnect lengths.....although I'm not in the least bit technical and could be completely wrong!
Watch out, here comes another one.....RCA to XLR adaptors! Another topic for another day.
Did Col put balanced inputs on the back of his amps? My NVAs don't have them.
Well, I feel I am coming to something of a cross-roads with the pre situation. The NVA P90 tonight was like putting a sheet over the speakers with the lost detail - I also lost a good deal of the '3d' in my imaging. I went back to EVA after an hour & a half and was much happier. The music seemed to ebb & flow better, to have a sweetness about it again, an effortless presentation of tiny details. Maybe it's because I am listening to female vocalists and pianos this evening, but the LDR seems to let the emotion flow from the music again.
So I feel like I am done with a conventional pre. But why not be done with a pre altogether?
:-)
TBH, it's always done it & it's getting no worse.
Good question Alan. I suppose this is where the distinction between pre's and attenuators needs to be made. It sounds like your preference is to simply attenuate the signal.
On paper I agree with this approach, but my Audio Note pre seems to inject more life into my music than any kind of Attenuator or digital volume control that I've tried. Perhaps I've just not tried a properly implemented digital volume control ala MDAC.
I only have one source so I've no need for anything more sophisticated than these LDR's in terms of inputs, yet each time I try an alternative to the Audio Note I find
myself with it back in my system within an hour.
Well, as I have now fallen more deeply in love with the TFS' sound using ASIO (as opposed to WASAPI event style) I need the attentuation for the "ASIO" TFS. ASIO bi-passes all the software that controls the TFS volume (perhaps one of the reason that it sounds better to me...?), so attenuating volume digitally is impossible when I use the TFS with ASIO (as I now always do).
I suppose I should compare the sound of:
1. The "ASIO" TFS + NVA P90SA attenuation with;
2. The "WASAPI event style" TFS + no pre-amp with;
3. Standinding well back, the "ASIO" TFS + no preamp ;-).
But, as I need the preamp for the other sources anyway, any setup that does not include a preampin not a long term option.
James, I hear you - I suppose it is all system dependant as well as personal taste.
Also a good sign - the rig seems 'quieter' - more in control. You know, when you can talk more easily over music without raising your voice and be easily heard. Perhaps this is the root of Dave's early (and quickly revised) impression that the lightspeed calmed things down a bit?
I'm just aching to sit down and enjoy some quality music time now, but due to a cold I'm just aching full stop. I hope I'll get to properly know the lightspeed shortly, but the first listen is nice and positive.
I have a hunch that what it is doing is dovetailing very nicely with my new TQ speaker cable, which I haven't yet properly evaluated either.
You just need a Jim who wears his pants outside his trousers now!
Can't wait!
Those yawning gaps aren't so stimulating!
Thanks for the offer, but I hope to have the Lightspeed put together in the near future.
There's another story about that unfolding ATM. I'm trying to source a Remote case - ie an empty remote that I can put PH's transmitter board in.
Has anyone any ideas where I can get such a thing? Paul? Col?
The reason I'm going DIY is that I want the remote, and it's the only way to do it AFAICS.
Otherwise, there isn a forum called DIYAudio. I would recommend the search button...
I didnt know you were ill? I hope nothing serious? (and that you feel better now, of course)
I also wonder if a 'universal' remote might do the trick. Question also with PH.
I got manflu about 10 days before Christmas, and it still hasn't quite gone. Feeling much better though, thanks for asking.
Once I've got the wrinkles out of this build, you might want to consider the remote version.
I am very interested to see what Col comes up with, I think that will be in kit form. Of course, I struggle with putting a jigsaw puzzle together!