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Post by tony on Mar 6, 2015 17:21:58 GMT
My nose was bothering me....fired up the 700s!
Very noticeable difference sonically-Gregory Porter liquid spirit-an awful lot going on with the mix. Just more of a window into what artists are doing.
This is not a subtle upgrade its palpable....
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Post by stanleyb on Mar 6, 2015 17:26:24 GMT
Once you hit on the right CD album, you really get to appreciate the listening experience. Bella Fleck and the Flecktones have done a couple of good ones that form the basic of a good starting point.
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Post by tony on Mar 6, 2015 17:35:12 GMT
Stevie Wonder-Jesus children of america....thought I knew the track backwards,restarted it three times- much chin scratching going on!!!!
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Post by stanleyb on Mar 6, 2015 17:48:39 GMT
Only after you get to know the stock Caiman and then try the overclocked Caiman is it possible to really appreciate the level of depth and information in well recorded musical pieces.
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Post by MartinT on Mar 6, 2015 17:50:25 GMT
For want of a better expression the new chip sounds "organic" just very natural letting you listen to music Spot on - I agree with that entirely, Tony. |
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Post by tony on Mar 6, 2015 18:12:57 GMT
On the cans the changes are very apparent.
My main rig was exhibiting a noticeably different sound stage - head phones are likewise different.
The most noticeable thing is the shift in sound stage in both formats....
Sound engineers have done an awful lot of work that I haven't given them credit for
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Post by stanleyb on Mar 6, 2015 19:14:28 GMT
Sound engineers have done an awful lot of work that I haven't given them credit for Too many DAC designers have been taking liberties with what they want us to hear with their sound signature. They should spend more time extracting and playing back every bit of information as accurately as possible. Only then can we the listener get a clearer picture of the recording. All that talk of DSD and even higher bit rates doesn't mean that the DAC is going to extract and playback more info more accurate. The humble 16 bit CD still has a lot of info to kick up in its present form. |
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Post by krzysztof on Mar 11, 2015 8:19:18 GMT
Here is what I have tested with the V6 firmware, all of which have shown a significant lift in sound quality: - Raspberry Pi B+ / Digi+ via both optical and co-ax: both work, optical sounds slightly better. The Pi is ethernet cable connected, no guarantees with wi-fi, which can glitch a lot. Using files, internet radio and Spotify as sources
- Sky HD+ satellite box (Samsung) via optical
- Pioneer BDP-LX55 Blu-ray player via optical
Optical cables are Stan's own excellent ones and an older Kimber.
Does it mean that in your case, you perceive optical as superior to USB input? Just asking, because I feel the same in my setup as well with Caiman II powered by Anker battery and optical out from Macbook. I've posted some thoughts about it here: theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?36811-Caiman-II-USB-vs-Spdif&p=625717#post625717Overall and additionally to some caveats about which of them Stan posted in his V6 firmware things, CMII is a very good DAC for the money. |
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Post by MartinT on Mar 11, 2015 8:32:07 GMT
My findings with the Bushmaster 2 and Caiman-II, in order of preference, are:
S/PDIF optical -> S/PDIF co-ax -> USB
I really haven't found any circumstance where USB gives more than acceptable sound. As for S/PDIF, they are much closer but using a good optical cable like Beresford's own, I prefer optical over them all. It's not all to do with isolation since I can compare both with my Raspberry Pi using a Digi+ with the co-ax transformer, so both are isolated but optical still sounds better. I think the bandwidth of Stan's optical receiver is what pushes it ahead.
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Post by krzysztof on Mar 11, 2015 8:37:28 GMT
My findings with the Bushmaster 2 and Caiman-II, in order of preference, are: S/PDIF optical -> S/PDIF co-ax -> USB I really haven't found any circumstance where USB gives more than acceptable sound. As for S/PDIF, they are much closer but using a good optical cable like Beresford's own, I prefer optical over them all. It's not all to do with isolation since I can compare both with my Raspberry Pi using a Digi+ with the co-ax transformer, so both are isolated but optical still sounds better. I think the bandwidth of Stan's optical receiver is what pushes it ahead. Exactly. I also don't know if the isolation is the most important thing here, but so called smoothness of the natural sound as well as its natural timbre is better on optical than on USB. I tried USB on CMII because on my previous CMI SEG, USB was limited to redbook quality and since it's not a case for CMII (24/96) I gave it a try - in my set up it has failed. Now, the tough question is why, I don't know from the technical point of view. |
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 11, 2015 9:30:49 GMT
Yes Tony, a simple chip swap which is mounted in a socket. Case off, swap chip, case on. 10 minute job at most. Simple enough for moi then ! |
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Post by MartinT on Mar 11, 2015 10:27:34 GMT
Mind you don't bend the pins!
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Post by rallye666 on Mar 11, 2015 13:11:25 GMT
A couple of the V6 firmware are now in the post to the persons who put their name on the list. Can newbies add their name to the list?! Would really like to try this upgrade as I would love to know how my caiman mk2 can be improved! |
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 11, 2015 13:13:57 GMT
Mind you don't bend the pins! I'm already paranoid enough about this sort of stuff Is there a YouTube yet for the terminally challenged ? |
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Post by stanleyb on Mar 11, 2015 13:42:54 GMT
A couple of the V6 firmware are now in the post to the persons who put their name on the list. Can newbies add their name to the list?! Would really like to try this upgrade as I would love to know how my caiman mk2 can be improved! As long as you are in the UK, PM or email me and we can go from there. |
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Post by Tweaker on Mar 11, 2015 15:52:30 GMT
I tend to prefer optical too. Stans optical cable is very good indeed.
A chip is on it`s way from Stan. Looking forward to it.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2015 16:44:42 GMT
Will new DACs ship with this chip soon? I am hoping the Euro recovers soon, as at the moment the Caiman is getting more expensive for me every day!  |
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Post by stanleyb on Mar 11, 2015 17:04:43 GMT
Will new DACs ship with this chip soon? I am hoping the Euro recovers soon, as at the moment the Caiman is getting more expensive for me every day! The Caiman will continue to ship with the standard firmware. The Super Firmware is a separate upgrade. |
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Post by tony on Mar 11, 2015 18:52:43 GMT
The chip is dead easy to swap,well worth doing IMHO.
The caiman works really well on optical, MG used to sell a glass optical-it what I use to good effect.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2015 20:27:20 GMT
Will new DACs ship with this chip soon? I am hoping the Euro recovers soon, as at the moment the Caiman is getting more expensive for me every day! The Caiman will continue to ship with the standard firmware. The Super Firmware is a separate upgrade. Thanks for the clarification. I understand it's an upgrade, but I thought it could be a "factory option" at an additional cost? |
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