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Post by jandl100 on Jan 4, 2019 10:13:13 GMT
Fluxed in Time : The Vega is a bit on the thin and whispy side to say the leastIndeed. But there is ne'er a mention of this in the several totally ecstatic reviews I saw of the DAC.  Ah well, live and learn  Jerry, for the outlay is it fine, like a £600 cdp in the day, there are far worse out there genuinely Bugger that! - it's a £3k machine! I could give a long list of DACs that sound a lot better and cost a LOT less.  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2019 10:19:14 GMT
Bugger that! - it's a £3k machine! I could give a long list of DACs that sound a lot better and cost a LOT less. Really  I thought it was around £1400 humm I can see why you are not best pleased! |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 4, 2019 10:25:57 GMT
Interesting that a few of the headphone guys here in the UK that had them have progressed onto the Chord Dave?  mind boggles one extreme to the other. The Dave is seriously up front and ballsy wonder why they went down that route??? ...and some have moved to the LKS from the Chord Hugo. Interesting! |
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Post by jandl100 on Jan 4, 2019 10:30:29 GMT
The Chord Hugo2 is another of those soul-less unmusic makers.
I had one on dem with the full expectation of buying, based on (once again) reviews.
Gosh, it is horrid!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2019 11:00:41 GMT
The Chord Hugo2 is another of those soul-less unmusic makers. I had one on dem with the full expectation of buying, based on (once again) reviews. Gosh, it is horrid! Oddly enough lately we are agreeing on many things, have to be careful or people will talk  Turdgid is a word that is used too little to describe a lot of modern day audio |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 4, 2019 21:14:41 GMT
This shows how my streamed listening has increased dramatically over the last two years. Just representative as it hasn't captured it all.  |
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Post by speedysteve on Jan 4, 2019 23:40:57 GMT
Based on what I'm hearing right now RPi / Kali reclocker I2S -> DAC is definitely the thing!
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Post by Firebottle on Jan 5, 2019 9:47:46 GMT
The Chord Hugo2 is another of those soul-less unmusic makers. I had one on dem with the full expectation of buying, based on (once again) reviews. Gosh, it is horrid! Oddly enough lately we are agreeing on many things, have to be careful or people will talk Turdgid is a word that is used too little to describe a lot of modern day audio We are already talking  Love the word Turdgid with the added d, such connotations. Breaking news - I have joined the world of streaming  , using a Chromecast and Spotify atm. Forgot to say, using a linear psu as well. Just waiting for the optical cable, should be today, then can enjoy the splendors of the Bel Canto DAC3. Maybe a Bel Canto could be a contender Martin? |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 5, 2019 11:19:29 GMT
Don't know much about Bel Canto, will look at what they have.
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Post by John on Jan 5, 2019 18:56:51 GMT
A fascinating visit to hear Martin's system
The system has had the following changes two earth grounding boxes and some coding to the pi
The first thing I noticed is that it usually takes me about 15mins to get used to the system, this mainly due to the difference in speaker approach, but not so this time. I was hoked from the first moment Martin played some jazz, the system really lets you know just how good the band is
It a system that big on impact scale and soundstage. Bass has that articulation most systems struggle with. I later through some Dream Theater I wanted to see how well it would handle a complex track that took no prisoner's. In the Prescience of Enemies part 2 starts of with some doomy keyboards and bass playing I think I never heard the bass so well
It is hard to believe a system with a modified £200 DAC and a simple pi based system is capable of producing effortless music.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 5, 2019 19:09:59 GMT
Thanks, John. Always appreciate your comments and ears, too.
More than anything, we enjoyed a lot of different genres of music. That was always my goal and I feel closer to it than ever before.
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Post by John on Jan 5, 2019 19:44:19 GMT
What I love is discovering music and following my muse
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Post by gazjam on Jan 6, 2019 8:20:18 GMT
Actually, PS Audio appears to use the Wolfson 8742 DAC. I'm looking more towards a GOOD implementation of the ES9038Pro DAC, but without the frequently heard Sabre brightness in older DACs. There are good reasons for looking at a dual mono 9038 implementation, one of them being integrated volume control. PS Audio did invent the I 2S over HDMI standard, which is what I want to use for maximum performance now and some degree of future-proofing. My migration plan would therefore be in two phases: 1) Allo DigiOne streamer > S/PDIF > DAC2) Allo Kali streamer > I2S > DAC Ultimately, if it works as well as is reported by some users, I could eliminate the preamp... 3) Allo Kali streamer > I 2S > DAC > Preamp > Power amp Hi Martin, Been reading your system journey, quite a ride! Thought I’d pitch in with some Dac thoughts and my experience of running a dac as a preamp. Which PS Audio dac have you been looking at? I’ve not heard any of their DACs other than my Directstream, but I don’t think you’d go wrong with any of them. (Though Directstream is a different species from the others with its FPGA/ DSD design and, well, Ted Smith.) He’s not PS Audio’s Dac guy for any of their other models, so that’s worth considering. When moving up from my M2Tech Young dac, I listened to a few before going PS Audio. It taught me you really need to hear the things before you buy, especially as you buy more expensive kit. An illustration: I had set myself on the Naim dac, as on paper it was what I was looking for. Shared same characteristics as my Young, at least from what I’d read) so seemed a natural progression. Took my young + linear psu to a dealer to compare. The dealer was embarrassed to admit that he, like me, preferred the Young. I thanked him for his time, but ‘no thanks’ when he said I needed the separate power supply to get the best out of it. SURE.... Anyway, Depending on budget, if not the Directstream a Dac I’d recommend is the Audiobyte Black Dragon. audiobyte.net/products/black-dragonFPGA driven, fully balanced and has i2s. It sounds terrific. Dac as a Preamp? Initially ran my Dac directly into my power amp which took my pre out the picture completely. Less boxes, more direct connection must mean better...right? Not so much. Didn’t work out that way for me in my setup. Different kit might be different, and we all have different ears...but to me the direct to power amp the sound was very clean and very precise but there was always that feeling something was missing? The Directstreams got a very good digital volume, maybe as good as they come, but It just didn’t make me want to listen to music more when fed directly to the power amp. Hooked my Densen pre back into the chain and the music was back. Not just that, but it had more heft, boogied a lot better and music had its ‘soul’ again. My belief is that an active preamp is vital in getting the sound ‘right’, particularly in a digital setup. I’ve tried passive pre’s and (to me) they fell foul of the same shortcomings a dac direct to power amp had. Recently been proven to me again that it’s worth paying attention to your preamp. swapped out my Densen pre for a BHK Signature, and the jump in quality just by changing an already very good active pre is staggering. These things make a difference Martin, keep yer Pre! |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 6, 2019 12:03:07 GMT
Thanks, Gaz.
I think it's the Directstream that I heard. Good sounding DAC.
Point well taken about listening first and not pulling any equipment out until I'm very sure. I will not be letting go of my preamp without trying the new DAC both ways and being certain of my choice. I have always advocated active preamps and that's not going to change.
The only two things I am certain about are selling the Ayre and going with I2S transport.
One issue raised by someone was why not go with an all-in-one streamer DAC solution? Because I want flexibility into the future and continued support for new streaming formats. This way will give me choices and not limit me. Important since streaming is my primary source now.
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Post by gazjam on Jan 6, 2019 12:09:54 GMT
With the add on Bridge II network card the Directstream acts as a Dac/Streamer. Its how I use mine Martin, works and sounds great with Roon, Spotify and Tidal. Teh (free) firmware upgrades noticably improve the dac and introduce new features, like the recent Spotify connect, Qobuz etc. Futureproof!
If it was the Directstream you heard Martin, there won’t be any half priced Chinese versions, the circuit topology and how it does it’s thing is quite unique. Apart from anything else, It works off a programmed FPGA chip, so wouldn’t think there would be a Chinese dac that sounds like either the Directstream Snr or the Jnr. The other PS Audio DACs are more conventional, using standard dac chips etc. |
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Post by julesd68 on Jan 6, 2019 16:46:15 GMT
Until recently I would have held exactly the same views about passive Vs active pre's. But my new digital system has taught me differently. I bought my Digione and DAC fully expecting to run it with my tube pre that sounds so outstanding with vinyl. But when I fired it up it took me seconds to realise that this combination sounded completely 'broken' with nothing to recommend it. Fast forward a while to the arrival of the very modestly priced Chinese RVC that Jerry had discovered and it's a completely different story; I am utterly sold on this combination. So my conclusion from all of this is that the success of a passive or pre is totally system dependant, and neither can be dismissed outright.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 6, 2019 17:22:12 GMT
I'd agree with the general principle that everything is system dependent, Jules.
I should have said that my experiences so far have pointed me to active preamps. I've dabbled with passives, too. Never say never, and I'll happily try all methods. Might get you to bring your RVC over when the time is right.
I've had three Pass preamps spanning 20 years so I'm rather attached to Nelson's designs.
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Post by julesd68 on Jan 6, 2019 19:34:04 GMT
Yep I’m up for that, especially if there’s a ride in the Scooby!  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2019 5:50:26 GMT
I'd agree with the general principle that everything is system dependent, Jules. I should have said that my experiences so far have pointed me to active preamps. I've dabbled with passives, too. Never say never, and I'll happily try all methods. Might get you to bring your RVC over when the time is right. I've had three Pass preamps spanning 20 years so I'm rather attached to Nelson's designs. I only discovered recently Nelson doesn’t design his brands preamps, he’s got another guy in for that task. Martin, was it the i2s article on 6moons that got you interested in this format? |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 7, 2019 6:20:25 GMT
No, it's the number of people starting to write about and use I2S as a data transport between player and DAC, and PS Audio's invention of the HDMI cable to carry I2S data externally (it was originally designed as an internal connection only).
Wayne Colbourn (I think that's how it's spelled) does the Pass design work, but all the circuit principles and building blocks are Nelson's except the volume control which is Wayne's.
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I thought it was around £1400 humm I can see why you are not best pleased!
mind boggles one extreme to the other. The Dave is seriously up front and ballsy wonder why they went down that route???
Turdgid is a word that is used too little to describe a lot of modern day audio 
