Lee, your saying that the Ikemi went from being worse than your old digital setup to goosebumps with golfballs? I have the Genki and have settled on homemade rollerblocks. I used very thick measuring spoons from target with ball bearings sitting on electrical putty sitting on acrylic coasters. It's a pretty cheap solution with much less fuzzy sound. The black diamond racing cones do a little bit better in the bass region but not the mid to highs.
To Linn and Theta listeners...
I've recently upgraded my CD source from a Rotel 975 (as transport) and Theta Progeny (as D to A) to a Linn Ikemi. Rest of system is: Linn Majik, N805 biwired, PS Audio Power Plant, and Audio Quest Midnight Cables, room is heavily treated.
Now to the issue - I've lost some of the immediacy of my music. For example, female vocals have lost the goosebump factor (the breathyness, the crispness, the tension) in exchange for a greater smoothness. Also, some of the details of the insturments have been masked somewhat (the guitar plucking, etc). And while hardly unpleasent, the laid back nature of the Ikemi just doesn't pull me in the way the cheaper playback did.
So, to those of you who have heard both Linn and Theta, am I hearing the difference between two D/A approaches or could it be something else?
Thanks for your thoughts/time in advance.
Lee
Now to the issue - I've lost some of the immediacy of my music. For example, female vocals have lost the goosebump factor (the breathyness, the crispness, the tension) in exchange for a greater smoothness. Also, some of the details of the insturments have been masked somewhat (the guitar plucking, etc). And while hardly unpleasent, the laid back nature of the Ikemi just doesn't pull me in the way the cheaper playback did.
So, to those of you who have heard both Linn and Theta, am I hearing the difference between two D/A approaches or could it be something else?
Thanks for your thoughts/time in advance.
Lee