Merging HAPI as ASIO output device

[matthias]

I am very curious how the upcoming Anubis compares to Hapi.

 

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/remote-possibilities-in-acoustic-music-and-location-recording/1252514-merging-anubis.html

 

Matt

[matthias]

1 hour ago, Em2016 said:

 

I thought Zman fizzled out since the hype in 2017.......

 

Interesting that @dbrulhart said in May 2017 that there is a good number of manufacturers who intend to implement ZMan into their DACs.

Where are these ZMan-DACs two years later?

 

Matt

[matthias]

2 hours ago, bmoura said:

and a look at the guts of the Anubis.......

 

Someone on Gearslutz mentioned that it is an evaluation board. The Anubis seems to be much smaller.

 

BTW, Ravenna is made for professional recording,

I am wondering if it sounds better than the existing solutions for "audiophiles".

We will see or better hear.

 

Matt

 

[matthias]

30 minutes ago, bmoura said:

 

You can test that out now with the NADAC converters (Merging+NADAC, Merging+Player) from Merging.

They are audiophile DACs that use Ravenna and Ethernet.  (The original NADAC uses Ethernet only, no USB option at all!)

https://nadac.merging.com/product/merging-nadac

 

A comparison with optimised USB for example seems not to be possible with NADAC. The complete NADAC system is now really expensive and in the price range of the best servers with USB output.

So I am curious what Anubis brings to the party.

 

Matt

[matthias]

12 minutes ago, bmoura said:

 

As the newer high-end Stereo USB DACs have increased in price ($20k - $150k), the Stereo and 8 Channel editions of the NADAC and NADAC Player ($10k - $14k) are no longer among the most expensive DACs in the home market.

 

When Merging releases future editions of the NADAC, we will see if Merging plans to catch up in that department.  

 

I am talking about combos with server plus DAC. Interesting that Merging use in their professional products better DAC chips than in their audiophile products.

 

Matt

[matthias]

5 minutes ago, bmoura said:

 

When you combine a server with one of these more expensive high end DACs, the total price really jumps past the NADAC.

 

As for the DAC chips, Merging (and other DAC makers like Bricasti) will tell you that the real question is what follows the DAC chip vs. the chip itself. Especially true when some of the "on-chip" features are not used in the DAC design among the higher end converters.

 

In the video, Claude C. notes that there are a limited number of DAC chips & parts that support all of the formats and bit rates used by Merging.  So they are likely to use newer DAC chips in the future Merging home and pro products since the earlier parts are likely to become scarce as time goes on.

 

Merging praised the performance of the ES9028PRO in the DA8P. They would not do if it does not sound better. 

I did not talk about your mentioned super expensive HE DACs. The performance to price ratio is often much better for professional equipment.

 

Matt

[matthias]

2 minutes ago, bmoura said:

 

When I have talked with Merging, they make the point that a large portion of the design in their converters bypass the DAC chip features.  And they tell me that is why the ESS chip used in their designs is not the determining factor in their sound. 

 

Everything matters, the chip too and we are OT.

 

Matt