John, any updates on the sound of the IDA-16?
Thanks
Hi Sonny,
OK, I hardly know where to begin.
Yes, I now have around 100+ hours on the IDA-16 and it is difficult to express all of the nice changes from what was a rather truncated listening session before break-in.
First my system:
Source:
OPPO BDP-103d using a 1tb USB hard drive with both standard 16/44 CD files and many "Hi-REZ" files up to 192.
Digital Cable:
AudioQuest EagleEye 75ohm Coax digital cable
Integrated Amp:
NuPRIME IDA-16Speaker Cables:
WyWires Silver Speaker Cables and JumpersSpeakers:
VMPS RM40 speakers running full range
Subs: 4 stacked Dipole arranged
VMPS LARGER subs powered by 2 VMPS Powered Bass System Amplifiers
OK, I ran through a rather good selection of my
REFERENCE CUTS with which I am VERY FAMILIAR.
Here are a few:
Preamble/Amazing Grace - Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Acoustic Live
Woman in Chains - Tears for Fears
Stop this World - Diana Krall
Piano Lesson - Porcupine Dream (96)
All Along the WatchTower - Jimi Hendrix
Duende - Black Light Syndrome
I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You - Alan Parsons (192)
Stairway to Heaven - Led Zepplin
Spanish Harlem - Rebecca Pigeon (192)
Get Lucky - Daft Punk (192)
Seeds of Love - Tears for Fears
The Heart Will Go On - Celine Dione
That's Just the Way it Is - Bruce Hornsby
Mercedes Benz - Janis Joplin
Great Gate of Kiev - Mussorgsky
Keith Don't Go -Nils Lofgren
and many more that escape my short term memory.
Did the
IDA-16 get better? Oh Yeeeeeeah.
The four primary differences:
1) Bass is now fuller, clearer and deeper
2) Overall TONAL realism is on a par I have not heard before.
3) The "wall of sound" if it is engineered into the recording is absolutely incredible
4) Each and every instrument, performer and detail is EASILY heard
For example, on Woman in Chains which is an OLD cd the
Wall of Sound was incredible. It filled every square inch of the soundstage in front of me, while allowing me to CLEARLY HEAR each and every instrument and singer in their exact space in space.
This resolving quality has always been a NuFORCE strength, where other amps would turn to "steaming sonic mush" (especially at higher volumes, this
IDA-16 was just spectacular, at providing a MASSIVE 3-D, super deep and wide soundstage with clearcut sonic charachters occuring in their own space, but making a WHOLE that was the proverbial
"Wall of SOUND".
As I listened to each cut, I could also CLEARLY hear the bass foundation, the array of instruments individually playing so you could hear all the subtle sounds of each, and the singer or singers each tonally, and geographically in a position on the soundstage in space.
It was absolutely mesmerizing. My intention was to just run through 5-6 cuts and hit the highlights of each. 2 hours later, I found myself listening to EACH CUT all the way through.
I would assume, the quality again comes from the
NuPRIME design team integrating an incredible parts list, including the
Cross Matrix Array Caps, the
ESS SABRE 32 9018 Dac Chipset, the
thin-film switched-resistor Volume Control, and many others, as well as how these are integrated into the product.
Have never heard (or more accurately NOT HEARD) an amp, DAC, or Preamp this quiet before.
It was SO QUIET, that on most of the older recordings I could easily hear the tape hiss from the production/engineering process.
If you have a good source, and speakers, you are going to be in Heaven.
I can also say, this is the first time, I was able to compare a couple 16/44 cuts to 24/192 and heard a difference.
I have yet to try the USB DSD capability and am looking forward to it.
That's the latest. . . .