A Quickie A-B comparison

[earwaxxer]

I havent started a thread here in quite a while because my Quickie was relegated to the shop bench, whilst I have been playing with my 'new gear'. Most of said gear has been non tube stuff like DAC's, SS amp, wire etc. The Quickie sat there collecting dust, half torn apart. I cant even remember what I was going to do with it when I hacked out the volume control (oh yea, more gain for my sub amp - I'm using my t-amp for that duty).

Anyway - I got the old friend back in the game. This time, I have a good opportunity to do a quick comparison due to the switches on my poweramp between balanced and unbalanced inputs - I can switch them on the fly.

Now using my laptop with JRiver player with its 64bit volume control as the preamp, I could use my poweramp switch to alternate between Quickie and Schiit Gungnir direct, to hear what the differences were.

The system path goes like this: Laptop with Sox upsampled redbook to 24/96 with min filters, dither added, played through JRiver Media Center ---- USB out over Audioquest Carbon cable ----- to Wyrd4sound uLink ----- JPS Labs BNC digital interconnect to ----BNC input on Schiit Gungnir ---- JPS Labs RCA out to Quickie and JPS lab balanced output to Emotiva power amp. Of course an extra set of JPS Labs RCA's from the Quickie to the power amp. I will add a couple of pics for illustration.

Sorry for the bloody details, I know its kind of like in a review when they take several paragraphs to go on and on about what music they used in the review. Its like, 'I really dont give a shit, just tell me how it sounds already!'.

Well, I think I have it crystallized. It has been several hours of listening, to different types of music, at various volumes etc. I am also reasonably sober and that also counts for something. There is a volume difference between the Quickie on the RCA and the DAC direct on the balanced, so I had to make some adjustments, and the volume control on the Quickie is removed for a more apples to apples comparo. 

First impressions - quite a LARGE 'difference' for sure. I was surprised by that. I was a bit shocked by how much manufactures 'voice' their kit. I knew that the Schiit and Emotiva were on the laid back side. I remember when I took the Quickie out of the system some 6 months ago, after switching to balanced interconnects throughout. I perceived a step up in coherence, ease, and high frequency purity going balanced direct vs having the Quickie in the chain. Since then I have ditched the Transporter as SPDIF transport, for the Wyrd4sound uLink. Big step up from the Transporter by the way (I do believe I was polishing a turd).

So, here is EXACTLY how the sound differed between the two. The mid-range vocals with the Quickie were out in front of the speakers. Released from the speaker completely, compared to the Schiit direct over balanced as clearly behind the speaker and much 'weaker' and less developed. The difference was so great it was as if I was playing with an equalizer or I had switched speakers. I started at low volume and put my ear close to the maggies moving my ear back and forth between the plannar bass panel and the ribbon tweeter. Switching to the Schiit direct was like switching on a loudness circuit. Mids toned down, highs and lows emphasized. Back to the Quickie, mids come to glorious life.

The next question of course was, is this difference 'good or bad' or something in between? With additional time for tube/system warm up, it became clear that the difference is, on whole, 'good'. Specifically because, it appears more apparent to me now, that the tube 'sound' provides for a more realistic and pleasing timber and complexity to the reproduced sound, especially the all important human voice.

One other thing I think I realized about the Quickie, not surprisingly. GIGO applies. The little devil can sound very different depending on its diet! (sorry Greg, cables too!).
cheers - Eric

[4krow]

 Eric you ignorant slut, this has gone on long enough. Don't you realize that some things just can't be beat? Why, in a world that has gone bat ass lizard guts digital, only the holy remain, and thats simplicity my friend. Pure analog, with needles and tubes, not the delerious domain that digital has to offer. Things SHOULD be made simple, but not simpler, as a good friend of mine once said. So get off the boat, jump into the waters, and swim for the shore, before the falls appear my friend. Time is short, and there are new notes raise. 'Thank you very much'

[earwaxxer]

Greg I love it when you wax poetic, with some philosophical mumbo jumbo shit thrown in. I dont understand it, but it makes me smile. The needles I gave up long ago. Digital is safe for me. 1's and 0's. Its like how my brain works.

[Zimmer64]

How could you take the Quickie out of your system in the first place! Thank you for the comparison. Made even my wife smile :-) The Quickie is a brilliant piece of kit and I it made me go off SS in my main system all together.

Best

Michael