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Totaldac d1 range of products


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Hi Everyone,

Excited to join your community.

I might have missed threads, but I was surprised not to see major activity in this DAC section around the products of French manufacturer Totaldac http://www.totaldac.com.

It's range of products is gaining a very high level of appreciation from Home | AudioStream, having three of its products ranked among the 'Greatest Bits' Greatest Bits Digital to Analog Converters | AudioStream and still very few comments here.

Has anybody tried any of its products ?

Any comments ?

I have ordered a trial for a d1-six/server. I would be happy to read your thoughts while waiting for its shipment,

Thanks.

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Hi Everyone,

Excited to join your community.

I might have missed threads, but I was surprised not to see major activity in this DAC section around the products of French manufacturer Totaldac TOTALDAC DAC and digital crossover.

It's range of products is gaining a very high level of appreciation from Home | AudioStream, having three of its products ranked among the 'Greatest Bits' Greatest Bits Digital to Analog Converters | AudioStream and still very few comments here.

Has anybody tried any of its products ?

Any comments ?

I have ordered a trial for a d1-six/server. I would be happy to read your thoughts while waiting for its shipment,

Thanks.

 

I also have some interest in their product. I can think of a few reasons for the lack of interest here:

 

  • very high cost (most members don't have or plan on having DACs at that price level);
  • little ability to see or demo the units for many members (especially outside of the EU);
  • lack of a US distributor.

 

 

The latter makes it a very high risk, even more expensive product if you are paying shipping both directions France - USA.

 

I think if it was being sold, serviced, and shipped from within the US, there'd be more interest there. A product that has a similar niche - Lampizator - is catching on the US, but they have a US distributor who backs up the product.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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Vincent offers a 14 day trial period on all of his products, as well as a 2 year guaranty.

 

For those in the US, aside from international shipping charges and customs (which does add a layer of complexity), TotalDac is no different than others like Lampizator or Schiit audio. TotalDac, Lampizator, Schiit, etc- all must be mailed for service issues, with the caveat about international shipping for TotalDac.

Speaker Room: Lumin U1X | Lampizator Pacific 2 | Viva Linea | Constellation Inspiration Stereo 1.0 | FinkTeam Kim | Revel subs  

Office Headphone System: Lumin U1X | Lampizator Golden Gate 3 | Viva Egoista | Abyss AB1266 Phi TC 

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Vincent offers a 14 day trial period on all of his products, as well as a 2 year guaranty.

 

For those in the US, aside from international shipping charges and customs (which does add a layer of complexity), TotalDac is no different than others like Lampizator or Schiit audio. TotalDac, Lampizator, Schiit, etc- all must be mailed for service issues, with the caveat about international shipping for TotalDac.

 

Schiit - based in the US. Some service issues have modular solutions and don't require shipping back.

Lampizator - US distributor who sells and takes responsibility for service.

 

So not the same as TotalDac at all for US customers. The difference between having to ship abroad and ship domestically is huge - both in terms of cost and in terms of time for turnaround. Difference between being without your device for days, vs. weeks in case of service.

 

I also didn't mention in my previous post: TotalDac is a bit behind the times in terms of user interface. They recommend MPad for ethernet control, and are supposedly adding RoonSpeakers, which will help quite a bit. But till now they've been lagging in the GUI department vs. many cometitors.

 

Don't get me wrong - I've got nothing against TotalDac. There's an outside chance I'll buy one in a year or two. But the poster asked why it doesn't get much traction here. I gave a few reasons why I think it could be. It's not something to argue about. You don't think my explanations make sense? Then tell us some better ones for why TotalDac doesn't have much of a following here, unlike Lampizator and Schiit, and some additional fairly expensive brands. (Schiit is much less expensive, so it is in a different category).

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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I wasn't "arguing" with your points. I agree with the reasons you posted (I should have stated that).

 

I was simply pointing out that TotalDac is not that different than other direct-to-consumer companies other than the international shipping aspect. For me, shipping abroad versus within the US is not that big of a deal. For you it is.

Speaker Room: Lumin U1X | Lampizator Pacific 2 | Viva Linea | Constellation Inspiration Stereo 1.0 | FinkTeam Kim | Revel subs  

Office Headphone System: Lumin U1X | Lampizator Golden Gate 3 | Viva Egoista | Abyss AB1266 Phi TC 

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I have the same opinion as others. I have looked into the product and yes the reviews are amazing. The issue for me is getting service. Vincent is very good at responding to emails, but shipping over seas and going through customs is a headache. I do like the fact that they will upgrade products for a cost. I also agree he should develop a better gui with the server. Honestly I would only consider the six or dual.

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I wasn't "arguing" with your points. I agree with the reasons you posted (I should have stated that).

 

I was simply pointing out that TotalDac is not that different than other direct-to-consumer companies other than the international shipping aspect. For me, shipping abroad versus within the US is not that big of a deal. For you it is.

 

It's not an issue for me, as I'm not in the US. I'm assuming it is for others; as the previous poster just confirmed.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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I do agree that totaldac should look into developing a US product representative to help with any issues like lampizator does. Also have more demos at US events. Most of all the reviews I have read on forums are usually from people in Europe. I will admit that if you ever see a totaldac on sale on gon it's sold in a few days.

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I do agree that totaldac should look into developing a US product representative to help with any issues like lampizator does. Also have more demos at US events. [...]

 

Perhaps Totaldac doesn't have issues like Lampi? :) In any case, I believe paul79 at whatsbestforum is the US demo rep for Totaldac. If you watch this forum for a little while, there are actually a number of owners around. Don't seem to be a very fervent bunch though. And if I recall, in the Schiit Yggdrasil thread, somebody donated his Totaldac to Value Village after getting the Yggy. Can't be any good then... :)

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Hello.

I have a Totaldac D1 valve with NOS tubes since 2 years now. it is my second Totaldac converter, first was A1.

I bought it used from a guy who was so disappointed with it. No bass, no details, no xxxxx, no yyyy.

I had more or less the same impression when I connected it to my system. My former A1 was better. Something was wrong.

It took me almost 6 months to get all the potential of this DAC. LPSUs, cables, Mmk and SD card boot, fanless NAS.... Devil is in the details.

Now it is really delightful. Foot taping and analogical. I can ear music for hours without any fatigue. When I close my eyes, the band is here, with me, just for me. I could touch them.

I do not know how the Yggdrasil sounds, it can give more emotion than the Totaldac. But when you want to buy one of these high quality machines, the complete system (boxes and settings) must be considered. Otherwise you will surely be disappointed.

CloneAudio LPSU for QnapHS-251 fanless - UpTone JS2 for MacMini i7 (SD card only-CAD scripts-MMK fan kit-no disc inside- Audirvana2)- JS2 for REGEN - BelCantoRefLink-TotalDacD1tube(Mullard ECC82 NOS) //Halgorythme single end 300b EML //DiY Open Baffle & Leedh Elfe

Whee was the last time you did something for the first time?

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Hello.

I have a Totaldac D1 valve with NOS tubes since 2 years now. it is my second Totaldac converter, first was A1.

I bought it used from a guy who was so disappointed with it. No bass, no details, no xxxxx, no yyyy.

I had more or less the same impression when I connected it to my system. My former A1 was better. Something was wrong.

It took me almost 6 months to get all the potential of this DAC. LPSUs, cables, Mmk and SD card boot, fanless NAS.... Devil is in the details.

Now it is really delightful. Foot taping and analogical. I can ear music for hours without any fatigue. When I close my eyes, the band is here, with me, just for me. I could touch them.

 

Actually the d1-tube-Mk2 had been great out of the box. Not much work was needed to get it started. Presence is certainly a strong point for Totalcac. By the way, Totaldac seems to respond quite well to reclocking. TotalDac's own reclocker works, and so does Mutec. And they respond very well to grounding box as well. Mine is connected to an Entreq Silver Tellus via an Ocellia OCC Reference grounding cable. Exquisite...

 

I do not know how the Yggdrasil sounds, it can give more emotion than the Totaldac. But when you want to buy one of these high quality machines, the complete system (boxes and settings) must be considered. Otherwise you will surely be disappointed.

 

About the Yggy thing, I was just being a little sarcastic. Note the smiley :)

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..... And they respond very well to grounding box as well. Mine is connected to an Entreq Silver Tellus via an Ocellia OCC Reference grounding cable. Exquisite...

Hello

can you tell me more about the ENTREQ, I've seen several system with it and i'm becoming curious.

 

About the Yggy thing, I was just being a little sarcastic. Note the smiley :)

I did.

CloneAudio LPSU for QnapHS-251 fanless - UpTone JS2 for MacMini i7 (SD card only-CAD scripts-MMK fan kit-no disc inside- Audirvana2)- JS2 for REGEN - BelCantoRefLink-TotalDacD1tube(Mullard ECC82 NOS) //Halgorythme single end 300b EML //DiY Open Baffle & Leedh Elfe

Whee was the last time you did something for the first time?

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can you tell me more about the ENTREQ, I've seen several system with it and i'm becoming curious.

 

Different grounding box system has different way of connecting. With the Entreq, you make connections between your components' signal ground and the taps on the box. There are different models of the box with different number of taps. The easiest way to get at the signal ground is an unused input. Entreq and others have grounding cables with various connectors on the component side, RCA, XLR, grounding post etc. Just plug one of cables into an unused input of your component.

 

You usually start with the most central place in your system, i.e. the pre-amp. I have a power amp with volume control, no unused input available. So my grounding point is actually the unused XLR output of the Totaldac. After the first one, you can either go up or down the chain. Effect of grounding box is always rather system dependent. But the first connection is usually quite obvious. After that, you have to experiment. I don't have much time to play around. So it's just the DAC output for me. By the way, Totaldac disconnects unused inputs. So those can't be used for grounding.

 

Grounding cables also makes a difference. You can get Entreq cables obviously. Audio Sensibility sells Entreq compatible cables. Some companies, like Ocellia, make them on request. I have also heard people custom terminating Stiltech speaker cables for the purpose.

 

As for what kind of effect does grounding box have, it's very similar to reclocker actually. It focuses the presence, the PRAT and the image. Totaldac is very, very good in these areas already and you concentrate them. Just imagine that...

 

And if you want to do some serious reading about Entreq or Tripoint, each have a long running thread in the whatsbestforum.com General Forum.

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Can you please detail how you are using Mutec reclocker in connection with Totaldac d-tube-Mk2 ?

 

I'm mostly a physical CD person, so I have 2 CD transports connected to the Mutec MC-3+. For serious listening, I have a Krell DT-10 transport connected via AES. For more casual listening, the digital output of a Krell CD-DSP player is connected via RCA. And an Oppo 95 via Toslink for watching TV. Then it's AES from the Mutec to the Totaldac.

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Hi Everyone,

I have ordered a trial for a d1-six/server. I would be happy to read your thoughts while waiting for its shipment,

Thanks.

 

Hi SwissBear, AudioBear here ;-)

We are lucky to have both the TotalDAC d1-server & d1-tube-mk2 DAC, so I don't think you will be disappointed!

We had the DAC on demo, then visited Vincent (TotalDAC) in France last summer (we were there on business/holiday) and also bought the d1-server.

 

Many systems play music, some do it very well, but in my experience not many let you get into the very soul of the music.

The TotalDAC does just that, no barriers, no listener fatigue. Whilst it may not be as initially as impressing as some, it rewards with such subtlety and pleasure, it just keeps you coming back for more!

 

They have been playing music here pretty much every day since they arrived, 6hr+ a day, nuff said.

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  • 1 year later...
I also have some interest in their product. I can think of a few reasons for the lack of interest here:

 

  • very high cost (most members don't have or plan on having DACs at that price level);
  • little ability to see or demo the units for many members (especially outside of the EU);
  • lack of a US distributor.

 

 

The latter makes it a very high risk, even more expensive product if you are paying shipping both directions France - USA.

 

I think if it was being sold, serviced, and shipped from within the US, there'd be more interest there. A product that has a similar niche - Lampizator - is catching on the US, but they have a US distributor who backs up the product.

I am definitely interested, but at that price I would not purchase without listening to it in my system. This is pretty obvious. And yes, I can afford it.

NUC10i7 + Roon ROCK > dCS Rossini APEX DAC + dCS Rossini Master Clock 

SME 20/3 + SME V + Dynavector XV-1s or ANUK IO Gold > vdH The Grail or Kondo KSL-SFz + ANK L3 Phono 

Audio Note Kondo Ongaku > Avantgarde Duo Mezzo

Signal cables: Kondo Silver, Crystal Cable phono

Power cables: Kondo, Shunyata, van den Hul

system pics

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I wasn't "arguing" with your points. I agree with the reasons you posted (I should have stated that).

 

I was simply pointing out that TotalDac is not that different than other direct-to-consumer companies other than the international shipping aspect. For me, shipping abroad versus within the US is not that big of a deal. For you it is.

International shipping is a big frigging stinking PITA. Seriously. A US distributor to which they have ironed out all customs/international shipping responsibilities is a must. This is pretty basic.

NUC10i7 + Roon ROCK > dCS Rossini APEX DAC + dCS Rossini Master Clock 

SME 20/3 + SME V + Dynavector XV-1s or ANUK IO Gold > vdH The Grail or Kondo KSL-SFz + ANK L3 Phono 

Audio Note Kondo Ongaku > Avantgarde Duo Mezzo

Signal cables: Kondo Silver, Crystal Cable phono

Power cables: Kondo, Shunyata, van den Hul

system pics

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totaldac does not have a model that can do 384/DSD128 as far as I know.

Correct.

NUC10i7 + Roon ROCK > dCS Rossini APEX DAC + dCS Rossini Master Clock 

SME 20/3 + SME V + Dynavector XV-1s or ANUK IO Gold > vdH The Grail or Kondo KSL-SFz + ANK L3 Phono 

Audio Note Kondo Ongaku > Avantgarde Duo Mezzo

Signal cables: Kondo Silver, Crystal Cable phono

Power cables: Kondo, Shunyata, van den Hul

system pics

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This thread is surprisingly quiet considering the high quality and excellent sound Totaldac is known for. It took me three years to find such a communicative tool. It´s user interface is excellent for everyday use and with Roon there´s little to complain. I understand the frustrated comments from US-based hobbyists-listening is a must.

 

Honestly I´ve yet to hear a better alternative for the price of my Totaldac d1 integral.

Jussi Arvio

Contributing Editor

Hifimaailma Magazine

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