Hello Fellow Audiophiles!
I'll be perfectly honest upfront, for me posting the following few questions here, I'm outside my range of knowledge or experience with the current world of 120/240V audiophile systems & technology. I reside is in the world of high-end SQ on the 12/18V side of things. I know this site has nothing to do with car audio! Fortunately, our 2 worlds can coexist as I believe 99% of us share the common intrest of music/sound and hearing it reproduced in its purest & most realistic form. With that being said, I have a few questions that I'd like to get your opinion on as they relate to your world, but can be used to reshape and enhance mine. Appreciate any feedback in advance!
So, I'm not to sure how many follow or will know about the latest in the aftermarket automotive audio & competition scenes but let me tell you a little about my side of things so you understand why I've come to you. I currently have 2 trucks, one being purely SQ and the other being SQ+/PL, that I show & compete with. The SQ truck is at the top and I compete at a Pro 1 level. The system is a full Audiotec Fischer BRAX Matrix Series build which all their pieces are hand built to spec, in-house at the AF headquarters in Germany. The primary BRAX components of the system consists of (18) speakers from 1.1" to 10", (5) Amps & (1) DSP. I take my equipment, the music reproduction and competitions seriously as this build cost me just shy of $150K and I want it to be the very best it can be. This is where this community comes into play as I want to explore totally different opinions & options that are completely outside of strictly car audio platforms.
Question #1 & #2 go hand in hand...
#1 - Reference/SQ Tracks
In order to tune my system across all 5 amps & within the DSP, myself or 3rd party tuners have to listen to several typically used tracks in an isolated/noise barrier room first to then try and duplicate the horizontal & vertical stagging, impact, phase as well as bringing CDT in as close as possible. I have enough noise and R2L & U&D stagging tracks, useful but boring. I would love to try different and (I've) never heard of tracks to expand the tune out. What are some of your favorite or known best tracks that display all/most of these factors? Lyrical & Non-Lyrical?
Question #2 - Reference System
To listen to the recomended tracks above, what components would you suggest to create an above average reference sound system. I need/want to create my own reference room but have no idea where I should begin or look. ** I'm not looking to drop another 100K as I'm sure you could easily do, but I figure around 5K to 7K?? Honestly, I don't know.
Question #3 - Streaming Services
I currently use Tidal (with their top-tier plan for the Masters) for competitions and everyday listening. Is there something better/newer out there than the typical advertised ones we all see everyday?
Question #4 - DAPs
All of my competition tracks are coming from my Astell & Norma MKII and out directly to my BRAX DSP. The Norma does what it's supposed to but I also know it's out dated to today's DAPs. I've been looking at the latest ones from A&K, FiiO, Sony, etc. but what are some of your recommendations??
That's it, for now... I hope this received well and I can get some honest opinions & answers. Again, I appreciate any Audiophile, be it 120/240V or 12/18v! Thank you for you time - Peace!
A few snapshots of my BRAX competition build...
