exaSound e18 - e20 - e28 - Info and Experiences Post All Here

[christopher3393]

Thought it might be helpful to offer links to older threads: http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/exasound-e20-dsd256-update-15221/

 

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/exasound-e20-mk-iii-my-experience-16956/

[christopher3393]

I thought it would be good for people that own or are interested in the exaSound DACs to have central place to post info and their experiences of the exaSound DACs.

 

 

To start things off here is an update from exaSound.

 

exaSound is offering an upgraded clock on the e20 MK III as a "Custom order". The clock upgrade is from .13ps rms to .082ps rms and is a $100 price increase over the e20 MK III ($2,899 to $2,999 CAD). The clock must be ordered at time of purchase of the DAC.

The price of the upgraded clock might increase in the near future so anyone who has an interest should not wait. It is likely to go up.

 

The clocks from MSB are as follows, .14 and .077 while the exaSound clocks are .13 and .082 and the difference between the two best is just .005. I think this says a lot about the e20 MK III.

 

I should have a MkIII with clock upgrade in hand sometime next week. Might have something to report by end of month. Exasound customer service was very helpful...and patient.

[christopher3393]

My e20 MKIII with clock upgrade should arrived sometime next week.

Maybe I will borrow my friend's Chord QuteHD and Benchmark DAC2 to compare it again.

When I did comparison last time with e20 MKII, me and my friends all thought, sound signature wise

e20 falls somewhere between DAC2(fast attack, immediate, upfront & can sound bright in my system) and

QuteHD (relaxed, slightly laid back and slightly flatter presentation).

I am getting Teddy Pardo PS as well so I will chime in on how after market power supply

further improves already great sounding DAC.

 

I think a number of people would like to see a comparison with the Chord QuteHD. I wonder if the Teddy Pardo for the e20 would also work with the Chord?

[christopher3393]

I am using e20 mk ii for 3 months now and this for sure is a keep. I ordered too Paul hynes sr3 psu for exa and multirail for caps zuma, coming this september.

 

Has anyone tried here a separate pre amp for exae20? I remember ted_b used a separate pre amp when he review exa but its worth more than 10k usd alone. Currently i am auditioning at home a new Audio Research LS27 tube preamp for 3 days only. What i am hearing now is a very tight and punchy base after a day of playing different flac files. One album i tried is Bob Marley.

 

I learned that this preamp needs more than 200 hrs to break in and i will not reach that to hear its potential. I hope maybe some guys here has any experience with a separate pre amp and can share it.

Thanks a lot.

 

Hi jhameeh, Very interested in your experience with the ARC LS27 as I'm considering the same.

[christopher3393]

I am getting Teddy Pardo PS as well so I will chime in on how after market power supply

further improves already great sounding DAC.

 

Hi tgx8. Which TP model did you order? Thanks.

[christopher3393]

Thanks. I did not realize the inner connector size had changed with the e20 MkIII, which I do have and am also burning in. I don't think it would be fair for me to give initial impressions yet. I'm hoping burn-in will help, as it often does in my experience.

[christopher3393]

Christopher, if possible can you try the e20 with and without your iFi USB Power and report any difference? It is my understanding that the e20 should not benefit from something like this. Its USB power is isolated.

 

Will do. I'd like to wait until after burn-in. I've read varying estimates on that. Didn't notice any official recommendation from exa. I read 50 hrs. in the TAS review.

 

Moreover, I'm recovering from embarrassment that I didn't realize that the drivers do not allow me to get sound on my pc except through JRMC or its equivalent. No Spotify, no MOG, no Skype, nothing but rips and downloads through JRMC. Didn't realize that this dac, because of its particular usb driver implementation, is really best suited for use with dedicated music servers. Holy palmface.

[christopher3393]

I own the iFi USB Power and dual conduit USB cable. I feel (to my ears) there is no benefit, doesn't needed. I'm using the WireWorld Starlight USB cable (1 meter), but with the Mini B connector, I don't like adapters that I also tried.

 

Regarding LPSU, I own the KingRex Mark II and I feel it improves the SQ, but not for a big margin. I'm still waiting for the Paul Hynes (since April...!)

 

Roch

 

Thanks Roch. I recall you posted this before. My guess is I'll have the same result.

[christopher3393]

I thought there was an option on Win to run Mog, Spotify, etc through Jriver?

 

Here's a quote from Matt at JRMC on the forum, 7/7/13: " I'm not aware of any way to directly access MOG content from another client like MC. I don't think MOG allows it." There is evidently a workaround if you use WASAPI loopback, but you need a default audio device that is different from the one JRMC is using.

 

The workarounds I've read about on the JRMC forum all involve using loopback and connecting to computer's onboard sound.

[christopher3393]

The e20 does not benefit from the iFi iUSB, IMO.

[christopher3393]

Hi. After paying a hefty $105.00 shipping fee for Fedex Int'l Economy, I got hit with another $103.00 bill from Fedex for Customs Duty and Tax. Fedex said that even if I return the dac, I'm stuck with the bill. George at Exasound said this has never happened before but so far has been unable to resolve this. It is on the U.S. end so I have to resolve it myself. Fedex says the fee is basically because the value is over $2K. The reason was determined by a code that I believe Homeland Security generates for customs. That code is 8543.70.9650. I asked Fedex to double check the explanation's match with the code and they verified it.

[christopher3393]

Thanks to George from ExaSound for 1) reimbursing me the cost of the extra fee and 2) pursuing the problem of changes in codes so that this considerable additional cost will not be incurred by US customers.

 

Also, it is very important for me to mention that I chose the more expensive option for shipping because of my own hesitancy to use USPS for sensitive electronic equipment. The exa dacs are very well packaged in protective foam and there have been no dacs damaged through shipping to date. The 3-5 day express Canada/USPS service is half the cost of the equivalent/slightly faster Fedex service.

 

I think the bottom line here is that Exasound took care of its customer. Not only that, the customer service overall has been excellent. I have returned my dac with no problem whatsoever. It was not right for me and my system, but that is a different issue.

 

My hope is that my concern with customs and shipping costs should in no way undermine any potential customer's confidence that any problems that come up will be dealt with more than fairly.

 

--Christopher