ECdesigns

[Perri]

4 minutes ago, kelvinwsy said:

To each his own I guess

Possibly but it seems you have not heard a well sorted RPi3 so there might some bias there 😉

[Perri]

31 minutes ago, M_audio said:

PowerDAC BX is finally available, just in for Christmass :D

But i just bought PowerDAC B 2nd hand since i could wait anymore since summer when i sold my DAC. 

Should come in these days. I plan to use it direct via 3m TOSLINK from Macbook Pro, this is how EC Designs also develops or tests their DACs. Eventually step up to Singxer SU-6 / USB->TOSLINK.

Just use a rPi3/4 with linear PSU and a decent chine Toslink top hat and maybe also buy a cheap Chinese media convertor , as Singxer is nothing special .

[Perri]

With my PowerDAC the bass is not light at all it is

more about getting a synergy with your setup which I

believe is very difficult when getting to such a high degree of

sound quality .

 

 

[Perri]

Just now, yogibear said:

Quite curious how would DAC BX with a nice amp compare to SX….

I think the PowerDAC sounds better with a pre/power setup more dynamic .

[Perri]

1 hour ago, bodiebill said:

Still very happy with the PD-SX. Brief update:

 

I replaced the T2A fuse by a Synergestic Research Purple T2.5A fuse. Not sure whether I could hear the difference, but I did not try very hard.

 

Also, I non-invasively added two spades to the SX's rear feet that function as ground box connectors. I think that, with two 4kg boxes attached, I now hear a slightly blacker background.

 

The SX prompted me to change my convolution filters. The filters still address timing issues but are now only applied up to 200 Hz to mitigate room modes. The rest of the frequency spectrum is left alone. Also I managed to increase the volume of the resulting files without clipping, so all material can now be played at an attenuation setting between 14 and 23.

 

I called John to congratulate him on the SX. He is always very friendly and candid about his designs, although my technical knowledge is insufficient to understand everything he says. He did say that the SX's magic for the most part has to do with the omission of conventional amplification, so that it achieves more in that respect than the BX or RX.

 

When I told him of my results with different streamers and clocking, he admitted that sources can still make some difference, saying that "where there is data, there is noise" even applies to optical cables. He mentioned something about frequency bands, but I did not fully understand.

 

When I asked him about the UT192, het said that it could be wortwhile for me to try it, so I ordered one. If it makes no positive difference SQ wise, I can return it.

Any pictures ? and what streamers and clocking are you using ? and with which streamers and clocking did you notice differences ?

[Perri]

15 hours ago, bodiebill said:

 

 

The rack got emptier :-) However I am now using my other DAC (Leaf Audio CMD27) and power amp (Reimyo KAP-777) as an oversized headphone rig to provide enough juice for my power greedy TakeT headphones.

 

For streamers/clocking see my previous post of Feb 3.

 

And forgot to say: I use 3 Ungnoi anti-vibration feet.

 

 

Yes I noticed similar sound improvement in regards to streamer and source . It definitely is not immune and is source dependant . I am also using Ian Canada products and will most likely upgrade to UC Pure clocks .

[Perri]

17 hours ago, bodiebill said:

Still very happy with the PD-SX. Brief update:

 

I replaced the T2A fuse by a Synergestic Research Purple T2.5A fuse. Not sure whether I could hear the difference, but I did not try very hard.

 

Also, I non-invasively added two spades to the SX's rear feet that function as ground box connectors. I think that, with two 4kg boxes attached, I now hear a slightly blacker background.

 

The SX prompted me to change my convolution filters. The filters still address timing issues but are now only applied up to 200 Hz to mitigate room modes. The rest of the frequency spectrum is left alone. Also I managed to increase the volume of the resulting files without clipping, so all material can now be played at an attenuation setting between 14 and 23.

 

I called John to congratulate him on the SX. He is always very friendly and candid about his designs, although my technical knowledge is insufficient to understand everything he says. He did say that the SX's magic for the most part has to do with the omission of conventional amplification, so that it achieves more in that respect than the BX or RX.

 

When I told him of my results with different streamers and clocking, he admitted that sources can still make some difference, saying that "where there is data, there is noise" even applies to optical cables. He mentioned something about frequency bands, but I did not fully understand.

 

When I asked him about the UT192, het said that it could be wortwhile for me to try it, so I ordered one. If it makes no positive difference SQ wise, I can return it.

I think your Ian Canada product will most likely be better . I had an older version of the UT192 and the Ian Canada gear sounds better .

[Perri]

Using a basic cheap shit Chinese peramp with the Power DAC and it's the best I have ever heard it .

 

As driven by itself in my opinion the Power DAC just does not sound as good as open and dynamic .

 

There is a tiny bit of hum but either this is a great pedence match or pure ass luck that they got this to sound so good for $240 AUD .

 

 

 

 

[Perri]

22 hours ago, bodiebill said:

 

Nice! Which PowerDAC are you using?

DAC BX

[Perri]

22 hours ago, yogibear said:

Tube Preamp surely helps with B or BX. I  crafted my own, based on a single 6SN7GT. 

 

Nice .

 

Ever tried the magical mystical  Directly Heated Triode that people say sounds amazing ?

[Perri]

On 3/11/2024 at 12:46 AM, yogibear said:

 

Handcrafted four tube preamps till date. From left: First is Output transformer coupled 6SN7 tube preamp, Second is Capacitor coupled 6SN7 tube preamp, both are Jack Elliano, Electra Print Audio designs, often used in recording studios.

 

Third is Re084 DHT Preamp, Fourth is 6GF7 SRPP tube preamp, both are tube rectified and my own designs. 
 

All four play with B and BX and mate well with tube and SS amps. 
 

Pretty hard to chose one over the other. It’s all about the execution and not just the tubes.

I do like tube rectified a lot for some reason .

 

So no DHT preamps .

 

Do the Electra Print Audio designs come in kits ? 

[Perri]

52 minutes ago, yogibear said:

Third from the left is DHT and is tube rectified. Uses Re084 Zenith DHT tubes.

 

Jacks preamps do not come as kits but fully built. 

Ah yes just reread you reply lol

[Perri]

On 4/20/2024 at 4:24 AM, Marijn said:

Should be a great match!

I am amazed that Johan would connect the power in such a careless fashion .