Oppo Sonica DAC coming Fall 2016

[Papidon]

On 01/05/2017 at 5:19 AM, MemoryPlayer said:

I own a dCS Elgar $18,000 in the past, that doesn't sounds so good as my Oppo HA-1 when upsampling to DSD256!

By the press, DSD512 up is a big step forward, so I will try this option asap...

 

 

Hi MemoryPlayer !

I am new here and very interrested by your comparative listening with dCS Elgar.

 

I live permanently in far countryside of northern Thailand with a Verdi Encore transport + DCS Elgar (last software version) .Impossible here to compare anything properly at home before buying it in Bangkok. 

 

I was ready to buy the new dCS network Bridge . It is expensive but this device adds USB/internet/ wifi interface giving a second life to Elgar DAC and stays safely 100% dCS compatible with clocking and I suppose a top notch electrical immunity.  

 

But at around 4000 euros in UE it seems not to be a good plan at all  if any recent DSD 256/512 capable DAC in the 800 - 4000 $ range bury the Elgar.

 

Please could you share your thoughts and experience. I am a french retired guy... so you understrand that I cannot make any mistake with this kind of money.      

 

I have a very good resolving hifi system  and it appears today the weakest link in it is the DAC. I did not expect that because when I compared the playbacks  my Oppo 95 was not at all in the same league ...

 

Thanks in advance  for your help!

 

[Papidon]

On 08/05/2017 at 4:34 PM, MemoryPlayer said:

With Elgar you will get only DSD64 and DAC chips are changing always!

I was using a firewire Weiss INT202 for convert from my Mac to PCM to the Elgar.

dCS for 192kHz needs double digital RCA or XLR cables.

4XDSD sounds much better than 2XDSD, so 8XDSD is another animal and when dCS will have DSD512?

With $4,000 for an interface, you can try T+A 8 DAC that plays DSD512 and sounds better than Oppo Sonica.

I am listening more with headphones, so a simpler and cheap option sounds as smarter!

Sell your dCS stuff while you can, I'm trying here in Brasil  and is hard...

Thanks for your answer , I am well aware of that .

2 reviews of the Elgar from uptone audio in june 2016 and hifi advice in december 2016 state that this DAC remains a great value with a great sound  despite DSD limitations.

Michael Lavorgna from Audiostream when he compares T+A DSD DAC playing DSD 512 and the dCS Rossini DAC limited to DSD128 prefers the ROSSINI musically .... it is why I have doubts to base everything on the DSD format capability of the DAC only. And the reviewer from uptone audio stating the straight filiation between Elgar and Rossini DACS notes that the effective value of Elgar today can be increased with Puccini U clock adding  USB input or even Rossini clock if you want to go further in sound quality.      

Anyway I will not resell my dCS stuff for only very few thousand dollars now ( especially in Thailand where  the second hand market is insane)  because it is out of fashion. I will keep it especially because I have 2 others systems in my home !