|
Post by gazjam on Mar 21, 2015 10:47:45 GMT
Spot on Martin. That's what I've found so good about local hifi get togethers.
Hear lots of different kit, different approaches and sometimes your system can take different directions based on a "flavour" you like. In my case it was being bitten by the glass bottles.
|
|
|
Post by AlanS on Mar 21, 2015 14:26:59 GMT
I have a £35 USB DAC and a £2k+ example. They are different, especially when seeking to identify/notice a difference but once one gets into the music there really isn't much to be fussed about (unless you are selling/promoting DACs). My experience too. There is nothing special about a DAC. There is a lot of talk about the SQ and this and that. I have two Sabre DAC's side by side. One costing in excess of 1k $ and another no more than 100$. Honestly, the difference between the two is marginal and not at all proportional to the difference in cost. Disclaimer: I am not deaf, my stereo is resolving enough to hear an eventual difference. PS an annoying thing about the DAC debate is that some people vehemently try to debunk them as shiiit, etc. Mostly people who are illiterate in anything digital. You know. Most reassuring to find someone of a similar perspective. I find more differences between sources (what is fed into the DAC and by which port type (Optical, Coax or USB as the normal)) than the DAC itself. If the DAC is revealing those differences then there isn't much that needs improving, tweaking.
|
|
|
Post by chukka on Mar 21, 2015 14:33:28 GMT
I find more differences between sources (what is fed into the DAC and by which port type (Optical, Coax or USB as the normal)) than the DAC itself. If the DAC is revealing those differences then there isn't much that needs improving, tweaking. Thank you. Indeed it is reassuring to know that I am not the only one with this experience. The source material is just as important if not more than the hardware. IMHO the best hardware interface i have found so far is is I2S which incidentally is the one used on most Raspberry compatible DAC's.
|
|
|
Post by stanleyb on Mar 21, 2015 20:50:33 GMT
I deliberately avoided doing that directly because I didn't want to compromise Stan or the forum. I wasn't exactly sure when or where the line is drawn in terms of manufacturers talking about their own products. I mention my own products or pieces of equipment that I own or have owned as my source of reference since they are the ones I can talk about from personal experience. But in general I try to avoid taking part or only make a limited contribution in general discussions when it covers product types that I also supply. I do my best to only contribute in the Beresford DAC thread as far as audio related discussions are concerned. Otherwise you'll mainly find me posting in the General Chat area. I did make a few posts in the Pi thread about programming the thing. But I don't get involved in discussing the product itself since it can also be fitted with a DAC PCB, and any mention of that in a reply from me might come across as advertising. So questions on Pi hardware are also avoided by me in order to avoid any conflict of interest. But some of you might be interested in an old review at www.adventuresinhifiaudio.com/15/09/2010/twenty-years-of-ones-and-zeros-compared-to-the-beresford-tc-7510-dac/ as part of the thread.
|
|
|
Post by MartinT on Mar 21, 2015 21:04:35 GMT
I have locked this thread while the admins/mods discuss its content.
For the sake of clarity, I will make the following statements: - We have forum rules and we will ensure that everyone complies with them - Our desire is for friendly debate. We acknowledge that this is not always possible and we sometimes let things ride, however... - We will not allow constant hijacking for personal agendas - We are becoming tired of input from other forums where goading and vendettas are being reflected here
When we're ready, we will re-open this thread.
|
|
|
Post by MartinT on Mar 22, 2015 15:16:42 GMT
See our announcement here.
This thread is now unlocked. There will be NO discussion of our decision here.
EDIT: the thread has also been considerably cleaned up.
|
|
|
Post by pre65 on Mar 22, 2015 18:13:44 GMT
I would say don't always take what others say as gospel.
I got my Bushmaster 2 DAC with a battery secondhand from Martin.
The battery went "tits up" after a while, so I tried a 13.8v Maplin PSU and in my opinion, the sound was slightly better.
Does the Bushmaster 2 have firmware ? (scuse the ignorance)
|
|
|
Post by MartinT on Mar 22, 2015 18:46:15 GMT
Sorry about that, Philip. These mass produced Chinese batteries are not always reliable. My Ankaka also failed while the XTPower is still going strong. Yes, the BM2 has firmware.
|
|
|
Post by pre65 on Mar 22, 2015 19:02:04 GMT
Sorry about that, Philip. These mass produced Chinese batteries are not always reliable. My Ankaka also failed while the XTPower is still going strong. Yes, the BM2 has firmware. How does one update the firmware ?
|
|
|
Post by John on Mar 22, 2015 19:06:14 GMT
Speak to Stan I am not sure if Martin did the mods to the DAC but also worth doing too
|
|
|
Post by MartinT on Mar 22, 2015 19:06:33 GMT
One asks Stan nicely and he will respond. I cannot remember what firmware level the BM2 was on, but there may be a later one. However, I don't think it'll have the sophistication of the new V6 firmware for the Caiman-II.
|
|
|
Post by MartinT on Mar 22, 2015 19:07:29 GMT
I am not sure if Martin did the mods to the DAC but also worth doing too I did the diode reversal, I think that was it as far as I can remember.
|
|
|
Post by Greg on Mar 22, 2015 20:10:52 GMT
I got my Bushmaster 2 DAC with a battery secondhand from Martin.
The battery went "tits up" after a while, so I tried a 13.8v Maplin PSU and in my opinion, the sound was slightly better.
Yes, a good observation Philip which I also share. I prefer the power coming from a mains supplied source. To my ears, battery sounds fine on full charge, but as soon as that charge starts to drop off, even with the latest lithium iron type which maintain output voltage, the sound looses dynamics and starts to soften and dull. I read in another place written by a competent engineer that 'batteries have MUCH higher source impedance than mains power with a half way decent PSU (i.e. not a wallmart), but they have lower power source noise.' Now the last bit may not be so accurate if you consider the battery noise findings published recently on, I think the Caiman II thread. www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/regulators_noise1_e.html A combination of these facts may be the reason why we on listening, prefer a mains supplied power supply. The referred to engineer also said, 'if the battery is not kept on constant full charge that source impedance goes up exponentially to being doubled when the battery is on half charge by which time it will sound shite!' When Slinger suggested that would mean a battery system where the battery is constantly maintained at maximum charge through a continuous trickle charge system, the engineer agreed but concluded, what is the point when suitable mains supplies are available? I have to say I am inclined to agree which is why I have invested in a Longdog supply for my two Beresford units and intend to build a PSU kit for my Mini-1's.
|
|
|
Post by alan47 on Mar 22, 2015 20:28:15 GMT
I am coming to this a bit late,but i have never found a dac to improve any CDP i have tried one with.I use an e-dac with the pc,which is an improvement ,and a Bushmaster with my SB touch,as it only has a digital out now.We old folk are a bit broke(tight).Thank the gov for my winter fuel allowance which i spent on gin,who needs an expensive DAC!!!I very much doubt if there has been one made with more than £60 worth of parts.
|
|
|
Post by pre65 on Mar 22, 2015 21:00:47 GMT
The beauty of a DAC with multiple inputs (like my Bushmaster 2) is the flexibility it gives.
I have CDP and Squeezebox on the normal digital inputs and TV and Sky box on the two optical inputs.
I will contact Stanley tomorrow regarding firmware and other possible updates.
|
|
|
Post by chukka on Mar 22, 2015 21:07:53 GMT
I...who needs an expensive DAC!!!I very much doubt if there has been one made with more than £60 worth of parts. except maybe one with a good power supply and / or a fancy chassis the parts are not expensive.. what is however imho is the programming and tuning of a good DAC.. although even then the very expensive ones are not proportionally better than the cheaper ones... at least from my limited experience.
|
|
|
Post by MikeMusic on Mar 22, 2015 21:22:51 GMT
Sorry about that, Philip. These mass produced Chinese batteries are not always reliable. My Ankaka also failed while the XTPower is still going strong. Yes, the BM2 has firmware. Oh bum My Ankaka is holding less charge than it used to First sign of failure ? Edit Link to find an XTPower jobbie please
|
|
|
Post by MartinT on Mar 22, 2015 21:33:01 GMT
|
|
|
Post by stanleyb on Mar 22, 2015 21:57:39 GMT
I very much doubt if there has been one made with more than £60 worth of parts. I get really uptight when people start mentioning the cost of the parts. Designing a DAC takes a lot of man hours. Making the case, cost of approvals, packaging, etc. quickly adds to the cost. To give an idea, the Caiman MKII took me about 4 years and 7 prototypes to get it right. I am not wrong when I say that if anyone thinks that the cost of the parts should justify an end product costing not much more than the parts is seriously deluded.
|
|
|
Post by pre65 on Mar 22, 2015 21:59:54 GMT
I very much doubt if there has been one made with more than £60 worth of parts. I get really uptight when people start mentioning the cost of the parts. Designing a DAC takes a lot of man hours. Making the case, cost of approvals, packaging, etc. quickly adds to the cost. To give an idea, the Caiman MKII took me about 4 years and 7 prototypes to get it right. I am not wrong when I say that if anyone thinks that the cost of the parts should justify an end product costing not much more than the parts is seriously deluded. Well said Stan.
|
|