Empirical Off-Ramp Turbo

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NMac

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Empirical Off-Ramp Turbo
« on: 19 Mar 2005, 04:51 pm »
This is a quick review of Empirical Audio’s Off-Ramp USB converter, with “Turbo” upgrade.
The Off-Ramp is used to get a superior digital audio stream from PC hard drive storage.  In my configuration, the Off-Ramp Turbo sits between a PC used as a media server and a Benchmark 1 DAC.  The DAC in turn goes to a Sonic Frontiers Line 3 preamp, Manley Snapper monoblocks and Joseph Audio RM25si speakers.
I have tried various ways of retrieving digital audio.  Started with a simple Chaintek PCI audio card, then an RME Digi96/PAD audio card, then the Emprical Audio Off-Ramp after hearing it in Vegas in January at either CES or THE Show.  Each of these changes was an “order of magnitude” improvement.
If the RME got me to the equivalent of a good transport, the USB Off-Ramp is actually better.
I have compared:
CD Player audio out (Marantz SA-14)
CD Transport to Benchmark DAC1 (coax) (using the Marantz as transport)
PC to Empirical Audio Off-Ramp (TurboMod) to DAC1
The Off-Ramp is the “clear” winner.  Soundstage is wider, there is more separation and air between instruments, vocals are more present, detail is almost scary.  Truly the best CD based sound I’ve ever heard.
I will continue to play around with the storage and playback options, but for now I’m quite happy using EAC to rip, WMA lossless to store (may as well save some space) and JRiver Media Center for playback/file management (using ASIO).
To me this is all terrific.  Digital storage and playback adds great convenience and pleasure.  You can sort and playback any way you want.  Playlists, etc.  And, you can export to portable devices and your car.  The greatest challenge at this point is to silence the PC.
Kudos to Steve for an excellent product and pioneering work in realizing the potential of PC audio.