exaSound e32

[rossb]

Based on this thread, I bought an Exasound e32.

 

Some background: in the last few years I have owned quite a number of very good DACs, including the Chord Hugo and QBD76HDSD, Metrum Pavane, Calyx Femto, Invicta Mirus, Meitner MA1, Naim DAC, Auralic Vega and others. All of them were slightly unsatisfactory in one way or another, and I ended up selling them and moving on to the next one. Currently I am using an EAR DAC 4, since I have a system based around an EAR 912 preamp and EAR 890 power amp.

 

I primarily listen to vinyl, mostly because I generally find digital audio unsatisfying. I have tried without success to move away from vinyl a number of times, but have always been disappointed by even the very expensive DACs I have owned. This is partly why I have been through so many DACs, looking for that elusive quality that would make digital truly satisfying.

 

I wasn’t convinced by the Chord DACs, although I have not yet heard the Dave. The Sabre based DACs are interesting, since they do seem to have a common sound signature compared with other types of DAC, and I have owned a few of them. DACs using the previous generation of Sabre chips (ie the 9018) have been frustrating, because they show the possibilities digital done properly, but unfortunately never quite reached their promise.

 

I am convinced (as appears to be Rob Watts of Chord and others), that timing issues (in a broad sense) are responsible for the strangely unnatural sound that many DACs have, and also explain why vinyl, for all its faults, can still sound superior, with its more natural sense of the stop/start and flow of notes and transients.  My previous Sabre DACs hinted at a resolution of this issue. They sounded fast, mercurial, liquid, with a sense of timing that was very natural. But they also traded this off against a sound which could be a little thin, grainy, and have some irritating artifacts. When I saw that Sabre had released a new series of chips and that DACs using them were getting good reviews, my interest was piqued.

 

The thread I linked to above comparing the Exasound e32 to the Yggdrasil and QX5-Twenty (amongst others) led me to order the e32. The price was reasonable (by high end standards) and particularly when bundled with a Teddy Pardo power supply, which I know to be excellent, since I have been using Teddy’s power supplies (and other products) for years.

 

I received the e32 a week ago and have been burning it in continuously since then. In my experience, Sabre DACs take at least 100 hours to sound acceptable, and go through the biggest transformation during the burn in process of any components I know. All of the Sabre DACs I have owned, even the Audioquest Dragonfly Red, have sounded absolutely dire straight out of the box - edgy, harsh and grainy. I am using the e32 with an SOTM SMS-200 with an MCRU power supply, and a Matrix X-SPDIF 2 usb converter. I also have an SOTM Ultra on order. As mentioned above, I am using EAR amplifiers, Cardas Clear Reflection Cables, and Harbeth M30.1 speakers.

 

After the e32 had the requisite 100 hours, and had become much smoother and fuller sounding, I began listening seriously. What I noticed initially was a rather warm sounding DAC, quite colourful but not quite as resolving of three dimensional space as my EAR DAC 4, which also had a more neutral tonal balance. But as I kept switching between the two, the sound of the e32  kept drawing me in, in a way that the EAR DAC (and one or two other lesser dacs that I had on hand) did not do. And as I kept listening and the DAC ran in further, this sense intensified. I was finding the e32 strangely satisfying and engaging, in a way that I have not yet experienced with digital. While there is clearly a lot of the Sabre sound in evidence – and it is a very distinctive sound – it does not have some of the downsides I have previously experienced with Sabre DAcs, such as a tendency to thinness and a slight treble glare. There is a natural warmth to the sound of the e32 and an engaging sense of flow. For example, I am not really a fan of oud music. But when listening to a track from oud player Anouar Brahem track on Tidal I found when listening to it on my EAR DAC, I was as uninterested as usual, and yet on the e32 I found myself compelled to keep listening to it.

 

Over the last weekend, I hardly touched my turntable (the excellent Kuzma Stabi Reference, with a 313 VTA arm and Lyra Etna SL cartridge). When I did so, the usual gap between vinyl and digital had seemed virtually to disappear, and the downsides of vinyl – surface noise, speed variations – were more noticeable. Has the latest generation of Sabre DACs finally fulfilled the promise of digital? Of course, it is not only the Sabre chip which is responsible for the sound I am hearing – the e32 is obviously an extremely well designed and built DAC, and I am sure a significant part of this sound is due to George Klissarov’s excellent engineering.

 

This has led me to think in a couple of directions. The first is whether I should compare it to the Ayre QX5-Twenty, which uses the ESS9038 chip and was said to produce a modest improvement over the e32 (at three times the price). The second is whether to replace my SOTM streamer with the Exasound Play Point, which may enhance its sound further. Because I am so impressed with the e32, I am leaning towards the latter and have already enquired about buying one. If so, I will update this thread with impressions of the Play Point, particularly against the SOTM Ultra.

[GUTB]

Wow, stunning -- Yggdrasil fans on suicide watch again. Your experiences with a $9K cartridge vs the e32 makes me feel like just sending back the MoFI StudioDeck bundle I bought last week and getting in on the e32 ASAP. I'm currently running a Gustard X20U which is a 9018 DAC and the treble glare plus general hardness is a huge turnoff.

[57gold]

Why do you use this: Matrix X-SPDIF 2 usb converter?

 

exasound guys tout their USB input and I believe suggest that all the "USB gadgets" are superfluous with their USB implimentation.  Converting USB to SPDIF seems like a step backwards with the exasound and SOTM?  

 

Used a Wavelength USB to SPDIF with my Wadia 861 like a decade ago, because it was the only way to hook a computer up with the DAC/CD player.

[rossb]

Previously I have found the usb output of my PC to be quite noisy, even when using a separate 5v power supply bypassing the USB bus power. For that reason, I moved to using an SOTM streamer and USB converter. You're right, though, I should try using my PC again, directly into the e32's usb input. I wonder how this would compare with the Play Point?

[d_elm]

4 hours ago, 57gold said:

Why do you use this: Matrix X-SPDIF 2 usb converter?

 

exasound guys tout their USB input and I believe suggest that all the "USB gadgets" are superfluous with their USB implimentation.  Converting USB to SPDIF seems like a step backwards with the exasound and SOTM?  

 

Used a Wavelength USB to SPDIF with my Wadia 861 like a decade ago, because it was the only way to hook a computer up with the DAC/CD player.

Same thing here. Exasound DAC requires a custom driver in the renderer.  The driver is not made available to the Linux community but is used in their Lunux based Play Point.  Other renderers are Linux based and so USB cannot be directly used.

[Robert van Diggele]

17 hours ago, rossb said:

Previously I have found the usb output of my PC to be quite noisy, even when using a separate 5v power supply bypassing the USB bus power. For that reason, I moved to using an SOTM streamer and USB converter. You're right, though, I should try using my PC again, directly into the e32's usb input. I wonder how this would compare with the Play Point?

Or connect the exa to the USB out in the sms-200 without any converter in between.

[rossb]

8 hours ago, Robert van Diggele said:

Or connect the exa to the USB out in the sms-200 without any converter in between.

 

That's not possible, since exasound do not release their drivers to third party product manufacturers.

 

However, I did try the e32 usb input directly from my PC using the exasound driver, and it does sound excellent. I haven't yet critically compared it with the SPDIF input from the SOTM, and will do so over the next week or so.

 

 

[Kal Rubinson]

28 minutes ago, rossb said:

That's not possible, since exasound do not release their drivers to third party product manufacturers.

That's not possible, since exaSound do not release their Linux drivers to third party product manufacturers.

[johndoe21ro]

Put an ISORegen between the PC and the e32 and you'll forget about vinyl for good! 

[Dr Tone]

5 minutes ago, johndoe21ro said:

Put an ISORegen between PC and the e32 and you'll forget about vinyl for good! 

 

I thought Exasound's USB implementation was considered one of the best in the game?  Now it needs to be fixed as well?

[rossb]

13 minutes ago, Dr Tone said:

 

I thought Exasound's USB implementation was considered one of the best in the game?  Now it needs to be fixed as well?

 

That was my understanding as well, which is why I haven't tried any usb isolation devices.

 

Some more observations on the e32: it continues to be as musical and engaging as I found it initially. It now seems to be fully run in, since its sound has not changed further. There remains a distinctive Sabre sound - a slight dryness, a very slight grain, and a lack of sharp outlines to instruments and voices, which appear as a kind of overlapping cloud of sound. But there is also an immediacy and directness, a natural sense of timing and saturated tonal colours, all of which combine to give the sense of presence that I have only previously had from vinyl. But, despite its faults, vinyl still remains the benchmark, combining all these benefits with a greater sense of focus, tangibility and (at its best) sharply  outlined instruments and voices. But the e32 is closing the gap significantly, and I find it hard to stop listening to it, it is just so damned musical. I can hear its faults (as I can with just about any device and any medium) but it just draws me in anyway.

 

I also spent a bit of time last night comparing the usb input from my PC to the spdif input from the SOTM, and honestly could not tell any difference. I will need to do some more testing, but it looks like I will be able to remove one more device - the SOTM -  from the rack (which is a good thing!). After emailing George Klissarov, it also appears that the Play Point should not offer any sonic improvement over a direct USB connection to my PC, so I will probably not get the Play Point, unless I decide to use the e32 in a different room.

 

 

[Dr Tone]

HQPlayer might be the final icing on the cake now?

[rossb]

HQPlayer seems to add a degree of complexity that I have been trying to avoid, particularly since I use both Roon and JRMC. But I will have to look into it to see if it is worth experimenting with.

[mgs]

4 hours ago, rossb said:

 

.... it also appears that the Play Point should not offer any sonic improvement over a direct USB connection to my PC, so I will probably not get the Play Point ....

 

My experience is that this is not so. I have both the e32 and the PlayPoint, and the sound from the PlayPoint directly into the e32 is noticeably improved compared to Mac Mini --> iFi iUSB 3.0  --> e32. I wasn't expecting that removing the computer from the chain would make such a difference, but it does! No need to use the iUSB either. 

 

[rossb]

Thanks, this is consistent with George's email comments. He said that the PlayPoint would be an improvement over a Mac, but that the "sonic fidelity would be identical" (his words) with a PC.

[johndoe21ro]

23 hours ago, Dr Tone said:

 

I thought Exasound's USB implementation was considered one of the best in the game?  Now it needs to be fixed as well?

 

It is one of the best and it doesn't need to be fixed! It's about the integrity of the signal that reaches the DAC! That's why we need galvanic isolation and reclocking before the PHY!

[trappy]

On 2017-11-28 at 11:51 PM, rossb said:

Thanks, this is consistent with George's email comments. He said that the PlayPoint would be an improvement over a Mac, but that the "sonic fidelity would be identical" (his words) with a PC.

Did George give any reason why a PC should sound better than a Mac?

[rossb]

No, but I know George has read this thread, so perhaps he can offer some comments.

[beerandmusic]

i want to know more about the proprietary drivers?

This is one item that "was" on my shortlist...shoud i cross it off?

I want something to possibly work with Nativ Vita...

 

[GUTB]

1 hour ago, beerandmusic said:

i want to know more about the proprietary drivers?

This is one item that "was" on my shortlist...shoud i cross it off?

I want something to possibly work with Nativ Vita...

 

 

Haha bro, nothing at this price point was ever on your short list <wink>

 

At least you’ve forgotten about the Oppo <grin>

 

 

[mav52]

1 hour ago, beerandmusic said:

i want to know more about the proprietary drivers?

This is one item that "was" on my shortlist...shoud i cross it off?

I want something to possibly work with Nativ Vita...

 

Why not write Exasound, and ask your question.

[watts]

On 2017-11-28 at 8:51 PM, rossb said:

Thanks, this is consistent with George's email comments. He said that the PlayPoint would be an improvement over a Mac, but that the "sonic fidelity would be identical" (his words) with a PC.

Doesn't this presume all windows based computer servers sound the same? Regardless of specs?  You are going to have to try and see; but if it is the same why not choose the matching play point? 

[rossb]

22 minutes ago, watts said:

Doesn't this presume all windows based computer servers sound the same? Regardless of specs?  You are going to have to try and see; but if it is the same why not choose the matching play point? 

 

Because I already have the PC and the PlayPoint is a little too expensive to buy just to satisfy my curiosity.

[watts]

30 day trial: would only cost shipping.

[rossb]

A further update. When I said earlier that after 100 hours the e32 had fully run in, I was mistaken. With another 100-200 hours it is now sounding even smoother and fuller.

 

I have also replaced the Teddy Pardo power supply with a Fidelizer Nikola. While I really like the Teddy Pardo power supplies and probably own half a dozen of them, I know that they can sound just slightly hazey, and this may not be a good combination with Sabre dacs, which already have tendencies in that direction. I had a suspicion that a different power supply may prove a better match, and I ordered the Fidelizer Nikola based on positive reviews. My suspicion proved to be correct, with the e32 now sounding a little more dynamic, and with a faint layer of haze now removed.

 

I have also been doing some more extensive comparisons of the the USB input against the SPDIF input from my SOTM 200 and Matrix S SPDIF 2. A The latter wins convincingly. In isolation, the USB input sounds very good, but against the SPDIF input, it sounds a little grayer, and a little more blurred. With the SOTM/Matrix in the SPDIF input, the e32 sounds more colourful, instrumental outlines are more fully delineated, and it also sounds smoother and more liquid. Obviously, this comparison relates to my specific equipment, and may not be true for other sources.