Bansaku
1000+ Head-Fier
How do you know that whatever that you're hearing is not a sign of added distortions and/or noise? Like I said, these arguments lead nowhere.
How do you know that gravity exists? It's invisible, can't be quantified (according to science) and out of the "laws of attraction" remains a merely a theory yet is accepted to be true because we experience it every day, without question. Do you accept gravity? Like you said these arguments lead nowhere. It's called faith. Believe it or not, and move on eh?
Why not get an iPurifier3 sent to you? iFi is awesome with letting you try before you buy. Stop overthinking and start listening!
My final rant on the matter:
I would NEVER recommend any product if I did not whole heartedly believe in it's functionality, and what I am about to say is fact: When Lawrence at iFi contacted me in reviewing the newly released micro iTube2 (AMAZING pre-amp that will never be unchained from my system) there was a snag. Because of the overwhelming popularity of the original iTube, the successor literally flew off the shelves at a rate faster than iFi anticipated, so I was asked if there was something else I'd like to try/review while I wait; Isn't that awesome?! Anyway, I decided on the iPurifier2 solely for the reason that I was sceptical of iFi's claims (don't make me search through the archived messages and post a screen shot of the conversation, because I will). I am not a numbers guy, nor do I believe any advertising jargon I read on web pages or boxes. The proof is in the pudding, and if I have not tasted it, in my mind it is simply hearsay. In life I am a sceptic/critic, and will argue with logic and critical thought until I am blue in the face. The only thing that will shut me up is when I experience something first hand. And just to note, I never post without having (at the very least some) hands on experience. That's not cool. Nor would I staunchly defend a product without having extensive experience (like owning something and using it daily for almost 2 years). Call it subjective, but I don't do subjective. It's all black and white to me because the grey in the middle is nothing more than opinions, and we all know what they say about people's opinions... anyway...
My computer's motherboard model is 2nd from the top model, my PSU has been benchmarked and shown to provide very clean power with little ripple, my iDAC is on it's own USB bus and has a split cable with ferrite chokes on every lead while providing USB power from a power strip that has EMI/RFI protection and active noice cancelling up to -45dB. How could the iPurifier provide ANY significant improvement over my own methods? Well, it does. Period. Read my review (if you haven't already) and take it as fact. The iPurifier works, as advertised, no BS or snake oil! I hear the improvements to transparency whether it is a $2 Sharkoon DAC, my own micro iDAC, or the Sennheiser HDV820.
It's called invisible grain; You don't hear it until you don't hear it!
A-a-a-n-n-n-d... there it is.
Is that snark? What @technobear said is absolutely factual and a valid statement to make. I know people who can't hear the difference between a 128kbs MP3 and a lossless AIFF. I know people who can't hear any difference between my 6th gen iPod touch and my iPod (5th gen non Classic model with a Wolfson DAC). I also know people who will either purchase or rate a product highly based on mere numbers and not actual real world use (s/n r is a good example of such). I have a piece of tinfoil up against my WiFi cable internet hub because the 5 Ghz dual band signal can be heard through both my headphones and speakers; I am the only one that hears it. Even at work I heard one of the LCD monitors capacitors dying (amongst a dozen people working/talking and multiple radios) yet the IT department, when unmounted and brought into their quiet work area, could not hear what I was describing, even when I put my finger up to the spot where the sound is most prevalent and their ears right up against the back panel! (for the record, the beige 15 year old NEC LCD died less than 2 weeks later).
People both hear and process sound differently.