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In the Forum: Didital Things
In the Thread: Pacific Microsonics Model 2
Post Subject: The Pacific two is not a virgin anymore.Posted by Romy the Cat on: 6/15/2009
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Mani, Pacific is freaky and it detects HDCD code only at the resolution that it was encoded.  If it was coded at 16 bit then it will not read the HDCD at 20 Bit. There is an option in there that set the HDCD detection death… I did not play a lot with HDCD. What I got my Model One I experimented with playing and recoding in 16Bit and HDCD. It was exceptionally good for 16Bit. However going for 20Bit and 2X I recognized no benefits of HDCD at all and I never used it, or cared about it. I do not particularly buy in Sound Mirror’s idea of running HDCD at 24/88…

I think the reason why I do not read the HDCD code because I do not use any of Pacific DD modes. When I reset Pacific in DD operation then sure it recognizes the HDCD but to let it to run properly I need ether to disconnect the digital output cables from my Lynx card or to remap the Lynx mixer. In my scenario Lynx’s has two active recording channels (Pacific and Lavry 122) and two active output channels (Pacific and Lavry 924), both of the outputs run from the same Playback channel. So, what I use Pacific in DD mode then Pacific and Lynx run digital circular reference and this mode does not make any sense to me, unless I do specific DD task, that I practically never do. 

So, my standard operation mode is Romy88 that is basically AD2X at 24 bit. In the mode I can AD my source to 88/24 and monitor it live with ether Pacific or with my externals Lavry as my second playback channel on the Lynx mapped to the first playback channel. An additional benefit is that if I have no analog signal and I would like to run Pacific as a pure DA then I flip the meter (second button) from Output to Digital-IN (it set to follow meter) and then I read my digital stream. I stays with this mode as it allows me do not change anything when I wish to use Pacific ether as standalone DAC, or as a standalone ADC, or as a combined ADC + DAC. What is unfortunate is that in AD2X mode Pacific apparently does not read HDCD when I source the Digital-IN. it kind of make senses…

Anyhow, I detected today another very interesting discovery: the Model Two runs substantially cooler then Model One. I ran today Model Two all day long. Yearly morning I was interested to record the live play of Elgar’s Piano Quintet from Rockport Chamber Music Festival and Perahia’s live play of Mozart’s Concerto No. 21 with Bavarian Radio from Munich. The mid of the day it was. Both were very good. At the mod of the day the Chicago Symphony with Alan Gilbert, David Robertson and Paavo Jarvi where trying to play American music. It was live-to tape, I was recording but I did not listen it yet. I very am interested about the Bernsteins’ First Symphony with David Robertson. It was the same guy who played Orff tow year back with SF and it was stunning! At evening it was Lyric Opera of Chicago live-to-tape Massenet’s “Manon”. So, the Pasic run from 7AM to midnight, I just did not care to shut it down. There were two things that I observe.

First: the Model Two was just slightly warm after so many hours – the Model One would be hotter. Second, the Model Two looks like outputs less noise into the line and impacts less my tuners with digital noise. Both are very good signs…

The Cat

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