ECdesigns

[tapatrick]

4 hours ago, Norton said:

...already seems preferable to my Resonessence Mirus on detail, naturalness of tone for individual instruments and overall listenability, if perhaps not quite as good  at conveying orchestral scale.

Thanks! interesting feedback up against a $5000 DAC. How do you find playing from the Mirus SD card?

[Norton]

32 minutes ago, tapatrick said:

Thanks! interesting feedback up against a $5000 DAC. How do you find playing from the Mirus SD card?

Actually it was listed as a $7k DAC....(mine’s the signature pro variant). The SD card is just that bit  better than USB in to my ears, probably  because it has such a well implemented USB input.  But a handy reference point for comparing sources, on the assumption you can’t get better than an SD card transport integrated with the DAC.

[Norton]

5 hours ago, Norton said:

Haven’t compared yet with the (AFAIK) also revised UPL which is the real test.

I have now and the combo with the UPL is sounding fabulous, still betters the U192  to my ears.

[Huubster]

5 minutes ago, Norton said:

I have now and the combo with the UPL is sounding fabulous, still betters the U192  to my ears.

 

Now that's interesting, I thought John did not yet try modifying the UPL, did you sent in your UPL as well?

[Norton]

16 minutes ago, Huubster said:

 

Now that's interesting, I thought John did not yet try modifying the UPL, did you sent in your UPL as well?

Yes I sent the UPL in as well, but I’m not 100% sure as to whether it has actually been modified, John hasn’t confirmed.  There’s a sticker now underneath, so maybe that does signify an update.
 

Updated or not, it still bests the U192 to my ears.

[bodiebill]

33 minutes ago, Norton said:

Updated or not, it still bests the U192 to my ears.

 

Same here. Source may be relevant: in my case NUC8i3BEK powered by PH SR4.

@Huubster confirmed this but also thinks that the gap between U and UPL is smaller with his Innuos Zen as source.

I will compare again when I am able to power the U with cleaner power (a SR4T is on its way).

 

[Huubster]

34 minutes ago, bodiebill said:

 

Same here. Source may be relevant: in my case NUC8i3BEK powered by PH SR4.

@Huubster confirmed this but also thinks that the gap between U and UPL is smaller with his Innuos Zen as source.

 

Agree @bodiebill. But first let me say I really enjoyed yesterday's  listening session at your place and getting to know you a bit! 😀  Our sets are more equal than different, I really appreciate your system.

 

Coming back to my impressions, indeed, the gap in your set is still significant between the U192 and the UPL, with the UPL as clear winner. The same for the SDtransport on the Denafrips Terminator by the way, I think it plays in the same league as the UPL.

 

But mind you, for the ones never heard the U192, the special thing about the U192 in your set is that, though it's less dynamic and open than the UPL, it does still has the virtues of the ECDesigns sound, natural and with a good flow to it, effortless and non-fatuiging.

 

So yesterday's music session confirmed my own experience again, the source is really relevant for the U192. With my Innuos Zen Mini the gap is barely existent, it's a slightly different sound and plays in the same league as the UPL and the SDtransport.

 

Now I'm curious what will happen with your newly planned audio endeavour, a seperate  LPS on the U192, will it close the gap? Keep us posted! 

[bodiebill]

The evening also once more showed that SQ is an evasive thing and that it is almost impossible -- however much we would like to -- to attribute it to discrete components. It is all about holistic synergy, and this not only between the devices and connectors we invested in, but also with external influences such as the quality of the power, which fluctuates throughout the day.

 

Yesterday was a fine example: when we started out, after listening to the ECD combo (UPL+DA), the SDTrans384 + Terminator sounded decidedly less musical than the ECD combo, and also significantly worse than what I was used to. Something appeared to be wrong. However, towards the end of the evening this was reversed: the ECD combo suddenly sounded strident (solo violin was unlistenable) and the SDTrans+Terminator shined again. Both @Huubster and I were at a loss what it could be, unless it was because the UPL was disconnected for some time before the problem started. But that would hardly explain the volatile performance of the SDTr+Termi.

 

Anyway, I am happy to say that today the ECD combo sounded great again! And at their best, I could not say that either combo was better than the other, in spite of their different sound signatures.

 

If I get past the awkward process of preparing a usb stick and get my music recognized by the upl_remote software, I may well buy a UPL for myself before I have to return the one that @Huubster so kindly lend to me 🙂 

[Qhwoeprktiyns]

16 minutes ago, bodiebill said:

The evening also once more showed that SQ is an evasive thing and that it is almost impossible -- however much we would like to -- to attribute it to discrete components. It is all about holistic synergy, and this not only between the devices and connectors we invested in, but also with external influences such as the quality of the power, which fluctuates throughout the day.

 

Agreed. I have been disappointed at times (as may have been obvious from my previous posts, and the listening session at my friend's).

This week, however, I have been getting consistently good results.  The sound I am getting now is extremely pleasing, and I have been just enjoying my music collection rather than spending time in "testing frenzy". However, I will compare tomorrow again the U192 with the UPL - something I have not done all week. Even if there is still a difference, the convenience of streaming is an important aspect. 

 

 

[nattflax]

@bodiebill Would you mind sharing how you got the upl remote software to work?  I tried to install the appimage on Linux and it required a ton of dependencies to be downloaded and it still did not work. This is really odd because an appimage should work out of the box as it is its own iso-image with all dependencies (should be) included.

 

Thanks in advance!

[bodiebill]

9 minutes ago, nattflax said:

@bodiebill Would you mind sharing how you got the upl remote software to work?  I tried to install the appimage on Linux and it required a ton of dependencies to be downloaded and it still did not work. This is really odd because an appimage should work out of the box as it is its own iso-image with all dependencies (should be) included.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

I am afraid I also had problems with Linux (probably due my own impatience) and have now switched to Windows.

I think Gordon Brown of ECdesigns will be able to help you.

[nattflax]

@bodiebill Thanks for your swift reply.  Switching (back) to Windows or OS X is not an option for me because of privacy reasons and pure meh. I will give it a go again and try to install the software, and contact ECD if I don't manage to get the software up and running.  Linux users are used to be left to their own devices (pun intended).

 

On a completely different note, someone in this thread recommended the Gentooplayer as audio distro for a RaspberryPi. I can't remember who it was. Nevertheless, Gentooplayer is a fantastic piece of software that does many things better than the big ones out there (Trying not to look at you Volumio). Thank you very much for the recommendation!

 

[Qhwoeprktiyns]

My system has improved, and the U192 nows plays consistently well, but I have to admit the UPL is still a little notch above. Oh well, I can't complain! Streaming is very satisfying, better than it has ever been for me, and if there are a few favorite albums I want to play on the UPL, that's all good as well. 

 

I enjoyed listening to this one this morning: http://mycloudplayer.herokuapp.com/album#1567009768041. Read the comments by Jan Evensmo on this album. He's got some really good recommendations if you are into vintage jazz:http://www.jazzarcheology.com/

 

These 1950  recordings sound really good on either the UPL or the  U192 😁

Its a blessing! 

 

But LOL, I did try a 3.7v battery supply on the DAC and its a little added bonus if you want to tweak... 

[bodiebill]

Had some problems making a usb stick for the UPL. Now it appears that the wav files (24/96 at most and below) I created with Xrecode3 cannot be read by the upl_remote app. When using EZ CD Audio Converter or dBPoweramp, it goes well. If anyone has an idea what I could be doing wrong with Xrecode3, I would be obliged as this is now my preferred conversion app.

[Ben75]

3 hours ago, hopkins said:

My system has improved, and the U192 nows plays consistently well, but I have to admit the UPL is still a little notch above. Oh well, I can't complain! Streaming is very satisfying, better than it has ever been for me, and if there are a few favorite albums I want to play on the UPL, that's all good as well. 

 

I enjoyed listening to this one this morning: http://mycloudplayer.herokuapp.com/album#1567009768041. Read the comments by Jan Evensmo on this album. He's got some really good recommendations if you are into vintage jazz:http://www.jazzarcheology.com/

 

These 1950  recordings sound really good on either the UPL or the  U192 😁

Its a blessing! 

 

But LOL, I did try a 3.7v battery supply on the DAC and its a little added bonus if you want to tweak... 

Hello Stephane,

 

How great it is to see you happy with the U192 and the Fractal DAC! It means a lot as you have tweaked a lot around those months and that you have tried really high end components (Kaces P8 etc.).

 

Can you describe more on the improvement of the Fractal DAC powered through the battery pack? Did it allow you to shorten the burn-in delay relative to each beginning of listening session or was it the same?

 

How does sound the ECD combo(s) with your DT990 headphone? Better than with previous EC DAC? 🙂

[Ben75]

2 hours ago, bodiebill said:

Had some problems making a usb stick for the UPL. Now it appears that the wav files (24/96 at most and below) I created with Xrecode3 cannot be read by the upl_remote app. When using EZ CD Audio Converter or dBPoweramp, it goes well. If anyone has an idea what I could be doing wrong with Xrecode3, I would be obliged as this is now my preferred conversion app.

You should try this software - quoted on the UPL website page of ECD :

 

 

« Creating your first USB stick with ID3v2.3.0 wav files

---

Before you start converting music to be used with the UPL96ETL and UPL_remote software it is advisable to first try to create a single USB test stick with one or two test CDs.

For this we will use kid3 Audio Tagger software: https://kid3.kde.org/

This software will run on Linux/Windows/OSX.

It allows you to create and check ID3v2.3.0 tagged wav files, you will probably use other software like XLD (OSX) or dbpoweramp (Windows) to batch convert tagged lossless audio files to wav + ID3v2.3.0 but kid3 can be a valuable tool to check if other batch conversion software does the job correctly. »

 

Good luck with that! 🙂

[Qhwoeprktiyns]

1 hour ago, Ben75 said:

Hello Stephane,

 

How great it is to see you happy with the U192 and the Fractal DAC! It means a lot as you have tweaked a lot around those months and that you have tried really high end components (Kaces P8 etc.).

 

Can you describe more on the improvement of the Fractal DAC powered through the battery pack? Did it allow you to shorten the burn-in delay relative to each beginning of listening session or was it the same?

 

How does sound the ECD combo(s) with your DT990 headphone? Better than with previous EC DAC? 🙂

 

I briefly listened to the DAC on 3.7v batteries. I doubt it changes anything with respect to "warm up". The difference in sounf is not big, just "more better". 

 

As is, the UPL sounds great. Batteries to the DAC add connections, recharging, etc... I think it is more significant for the power coming from the source to the U192, but that will depend on the source. 

 

@Huubster has the Midas touch (with the Innuous and some good care on power) but my source is still a little below the UPL. I can live with that 😉

[Qhwoeprktiyns]

Vis a vis the DAC's PS i tried again with headphones (and then speakers) and it is actually probably identical to batteries - really not worth using batteries there. Could have been a "warm up" issue or just my mind playing tricks. 

 

Listening with the UPL on headphones connected to their passive preamp (you need a Y-cable) is pretty impressive in terms of detail and accuracy. You really hear everything that is going on in the studio! Once you stop being surprised and actually listen to the instruments you hear all the nuances in the tones. 

 

 

 

[Qhwoeprktiyns]

In fact if you have high impedance headphones like the DT990, which are 250 ohm, you can plug them in directly to the Fractal DAC's output. You cannot adjust the volume, obviously, but the volume is ok for me (a tad loud). The sound is very good. This is probably a good way to test preamps and cables...

[bodiebill]

6 hours ago, Ben75 said:

You should try this software - quoted on the UPL website page of ECD :

 

 

« Creating your first USB stick with ID3v2.3.0 wav files

---

Before you start converting music to be used with the UPL96ETL and UPL_remote software it is advisable to first try to create a single USB test stick with one or two test CDs.

For this we will use kid3 Audio Tagger software: https://kid3.kde.org/

This software will run on Linux/Windows/OSX.

It allows you to create and check ID3v2.3.0 tagged wav files, you will probably use other software like XLD (OSX) or dbpoweramp (Windows) to batch convert tagged lossless audio files to wav + ID3v2.3.0 but kid3 can be a valuable tool to check if other batch conversion software does the job correctly. »

 

Good luck with that! 🙂

 

Thanks. Kid3 shows that the wav files are properly tagged. I think the problem was with the wav encoding. Until I get Xrecode3 to work I will work with dBPoweramp.

[Rexp]

15 hours ago, hopkins said:

My system has improved, and the U192 nows plays consistently well, but I have to admit the UPL is still a little notch above. Oh well, I can't complain! Streaming is very satisfying, better than it has ever been for me, and if there are a few favorite albums I want to play on the UPL, that's all good as well. 

 

I enjoyed listening to this one this morning: http://mycloudplayer.herokuapp.com/album#1567009768041. Read the comments by Jan Evensmo on this album. He's got some really good recommendations if you are into vintage jazz:http://www.jazzarcheology.com/

 

These 1950  recordings sound really good on either the UPL or the  U192 😁

Its a blessing! 

 

But LOL, I did try a 3.7v battery supply on the DAC and its a little added bonus if you want to tweak... 

Thanks for the tip, did you listen to a CD rip, download or streaming using which player/resolution? Thanks! 

[Qhwoeprktiyns]

2 hours ago, Rexp said:

Thanks for the tip, did you listen to a CD rip, download or streaming using which player/resolution? Thanks! 

 

Its a CD rip, so 16/44. That recording is not that good - just that it sounds better on the UPL or U192 ! This is the Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/album/44oGFX0F5QBXitVzuxmFxg?si=vCw0qdWETM2LgT92SBjtRg

 

Here is another good one I listened to last night (also 16/44) : https://open.spotify.com/album/3m5OKEz38aOVS7ymJcRcQ0?si=Bx3HsmmZT2O1xYjS4ImpyA. Some comments here: http://mycloudplayer.herokuapp.com/album#1590317020481

 

 

 

[tims]

9 hours ago, hopkins said:

In fact if you have high impedance headphones like the DT990, which are 250 ohm, you can plug them in directly to the Fractal DAC's output. You cannot adjust the volume, obviously, but the volume is ok for me (a tad loud). The sound is very good. This is probably a good way to test preamps and cables...

From the website about headphones and adjusting volume.

'In order to get an impression of what the DA96ETF is really capable of one can directly connect high Ohmic studio headphones like the Beyerdynamic DT 990 pro to the DA96ETF outputs, if these play too loud one can add a shunt resistor of 33 ... 100 Ohms or use our SVC24 shunt volume control.'

[Qhwoeprktiyns]

8 minutes ago, tims said:

From the website about headphones and adjusting volume.

'In order to get an impression of what the DA96ETF is really capable of one can directly connect high Ohmic studio headphones like the Beyerdynamic DT 990 pro to the DA96ETF outputs, if these play too loud one can add a shunt resistor of 33 ... 100 Ohms or use our SVC24 shunt volume control.'

 

Yes, I use this cable  to connect my headphones to either the DA96ETF or the SVC: https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B079L2VL1S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I am sure there are "audiophile" versions

[tims]

Thanks - question about the DA96ETF external PS.  Is the cable from the PS to the DAC hard-wired (into the PS) or do they supply one of these (or similar)?

 uc250