Article: My Quest for a New DAC Part 1 - The Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ with Uptone JS-2 Power Supply

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17 minutes ago, bobflood said:

austinpop,

 

Great job out of the box. I look forward to the rest of the series.

 

Quick question, when you had the Ayre QX-9 did you ever try the direct Ethernet input to see how it compared to your pre-DAC chain?

 

Yes I did, and wrote about it here on CA. It's in 2 threads, so start with this post: https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/27754-ayre-acoustics-qx-5-twenty-–-the-digital-hub/?do=findComment&comment=725929 and look at the links in that post, along with some dialog with Charley in the first thread.

 

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19 minutes ago, bobflood said:

austinpop,

 

Suggestion, Please include some other musical genres like Jazz and others for those of us who are not fond of Classical. It will help if we have heard the music you use for evaluation purposes.

 

Duly noted!

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30 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

 

You could reformat to include a Methods section.  I noted that you used both short intervals & longer passages, but you didn't say if you used any blind or double blind listening - (so I assume not).

 

Enjoyed reading about your impressions.

 

I'm happy to clarify. While most of the "holistic" listening - by me, solo - was necessarily sighted, I did do some blind listening too, especially when doing comparisons. This happened whenever I got together with my buddy Eric, both on my setup or his. However, the blind tests were primarily a sanity check for us, and that's about as much as I can say about it.

 

So yes, think of these findings as primarily subjective listening impressions.

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8 minutes ago, luisma said:

Any chance of daring comparing to the Holo Spring which is in the same range? If you are familiar with it 

Thanks 

 

This post may explain the rationale.

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1 hour ago, Norton said:

Great start to the series and enjoyable writing, however the question hanging in the air here is the  Liberty.  Given the features you do and don’t need, plus existing reports of comparative SQ, might not the Liberty be a better buy, even if falling outside  your budget parameters?

 

A fair point, and it is certainly possible that the Liberty/JS2 combo is very close or equal to the Brooklyn DAC+/JS2. I had to start somewhere, and in light of my budget, decided to start with the Brooklyn DAC+.

 

Too many DACs, too little time.

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49 minutes ago, barrows said:

@austinpop,

 

Hi, I would suggest, if you are going to be doing reviews, that level matching should;d be done by measuring voltage with a steady state test signal.  Stereopile (and many other) Test CDs will have a test signal for this, then you can be absolutely sure that you are getting equal levels.  As you note, even a fraction of dB difference makes it hard to compare DACs at similar price/performance levels, being 100 % sure your levels are matched will add validity to your comparisons.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. Getting the test tracks is easy.

 

What measurement gear do I need to do what you suggest?

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2 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

just a multimeter, aka DVM - some are only $10 - dunno if those are adequate but but all you need is it not to drift from one measurement to another, not to be accurate (in the technical sense)

 

 

 

Ah OK - I have a DMM already. I'll have to check with frequency range it can measure.

 

So what's the process for measuring the balance output? Connect a cable to it, and then measure on the pins at the other end of the cable?

 

I assume one wants to play a single tone rather than pink noise. What frequency? The canonical 1kHz?

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I knew there was a reason to save my physical CDs! Found the storage boxes, rummaged around and - voilá:

 

 

Last I set eyes on this thing, my hair was a lot thicker.  Ripping now...

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1 hour ago, PeterG said:

Wow!  Great review--thoughtful, helpful, and BS-free throughout.

 

Thanks!

 

1 hour ago, PeterG said:

You could do this for a living.

 

LOL - no way! Not even if I wrote a review every single day of the year.

 

Nope - I did it because I enjoy giving writing and giving something back to the community.

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4 minutes ago, d_elm said:

I am comparing a Meitner MA-1 V2 to an Ayre Codex so relative levels are an issue for me also.  My preamp, Ayre KX-5 Twenty, has 1.5 db volume increments and in listening I decided the MA-1 was 1.5 or 3.0 db louder but I found the best volume setting was one increment down, or 1.5 db down.

 

I then setup PCM and DSD tracks for 250 Hz and 400 Hz and played through the Codex and MA-1 and recorded the level with a sound pressure meter, a Checkmate CM-140.  I found the MA-1 3.6 db louder at 250, both PCM and DSD, and 3.4 db louder at 400 Hz.

 

 I wonder why I prefer 1.5 db down for the MA-1 rather than 3.0 db down.  Tracks do not sound too loud.  Perhaps it is because the MA-1 sounds more dynamic.

 

Do you have an SPL meter? I have one that I bought from Radio Shack - back when such places existed.

 

In a pinch you can also use an app on your phone. I use the free Decibel X iOS app when I don't have the Shack meter.

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7 minutes ago, mansr said:

If it's a cheap one, probably best to not exceed 1 kHz or so. The AC functions on these are only intended for 50/60 Hz mains derived quantities, but they work with somewhat higher frequencies as well (because it would take effort not to). If it's a Fluke or other proper brand, it can handle anything in the audio range.

 

Yes, just a cheapo one.

 

7 minutes ago, mansr said:

Measure between the + and - pins. At the DAC or with a cable between doesn't matter, just measure each contender in the same way.

 

Will do.

 

7 minutes ago, mansr said:

That depends. If you're looking to equalise perceived loudness (which is a must if picking a preference), you should be using a A-weighted noise. If your goal is to identify differences, use a 1 kHz tone. Bear in mind that a cheap meter might only give a good reading with sine wave inputs.

 

Given the cheapness of the device, probably best I stick with the 1kHz tone.

 

In any case, we can use the voltage measurement alongside the SPL meter readings to cross-correlate.

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2 minutes ago, d_elm said:

My SPL meter is the Checkmate CM-140.  The RS meter would probably be OK to use at fixed frequencies, better than a phone app.  I chose 250 and 400 because I do not like to listen to 1k, I could put in ear plugs but there are dogs in the house right now, when I want to test.

 

Why not just use pink noise, if you have the SPL meter?

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14 minutes ago, natemact said:

I'll keep my eye on this as it's a very ambitious overtaking and sounds like a winner won't be crowned until until TT 2 and Q-8 are auditioned - it's gonna be a while before they hit the market...well TT 2 for sure. QX-8 was unveiled at Munich 2017 but Charlie's sad passing in Nov seems to be the reason for the postponing?  @austinpop Can you tell me which Generation of USB and analog board does that Yggy use? Honestly, it's hard to beat when fully upgraded and considering your need for MQA is withering this should be your top DAC to beat IMHO. Not saying Terminator, QX-8 or TT 2 can't, but they are all at twice the price or higher.

 

The Yggy I heard does not have the USB Gen 5 nor the Analog 2 upgrades. I am sure they serve to make it an even more outstanding DAC. If the Yggy had the format support I need, it would be a serious contender for me. However, as i've stated quite clearly, I have a large collection of DSD music, and a growing collection of DXD. Neither format is handled natively in the Yggy. So yes - it is a great DAC. Just not for me.

 

14 minutes ago, natemact said:

Other thing I'll mention, and it's not something you'll want to hear, all of these DACs - even the Myteks and Chords (save for Mojo) - out resolve your HD800. I say this from experience, as my last two headphones were SDR modded HD800 w/Cardas Clear and Utopias w/stock cable driven by CMA800R and I didn't believe for one second all the comparisons stating that the Utopias make the HD800 sound veiled. Well unfortunately it's true. HD800 are great but the Utopias are in another league altogether. Too peaky in the 5-7kHz range and smaller soundstage with stock cable (realize you like classical so SS is important) but imaging is so precise they make HD800 sound even more diffuse and vague than was already noticeable, let alone how much more resolve they offer. It really was an eye-opener and wallet emptier but well worth it. If Utopias aren't for you look at Abyss Phi.

 

This has not been my experience. I'll make 2 points here:

1. You're right, soundstage and imaging is really important to me. So far, I have yet to find a headphone that I like better than the HD800. Not for lack of looking, believe me! I've had the Utopia in my system for an extended loan, and while there are aspects of this headphone I love, it just doesn't do classical as well as I'd like. Ditto for the Abyss Phi, sadly. The only one I truly lust after is the Sennheiser HE-1. Yup, the $60k one.  
2. I strongly disagree with you when you say: "all of these DACs - even the Myteks and Chords (save for Mojo) - out resolve your HD800." I'm sorry, that has not been my experience at all. Remember - I've had far better DACs in my system like the Ayre QX-5, and the HD800 allowed their quality to shine through. Trust me, the with the right amplification (and the Cavalli LAu is truly end-game), the HD800 scales up very well with sources.

 

14 minutes ago, natemact said:

I just know that pairing the DACs you're looking at with HD800 is, for lack of better a word, wasteful. Timbre and tone will be easy to discern but technicalities like layering, separation, imaging precision, etc will be very difficult indeed. Sorry : )

 

I beg to disagree. That's OK - different systems, different ears - different opinions.

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On 6/13/2018 at 7:11 PM, Geoff1954 said:

Apologies if others have mentioned this. I understand Mytek now sells the Liberty at 40% of the price of the Brooklyn. Do you plan to try it?

https://mytekdigital.com/hifi/products/liberty-dac/

 

 

No current plans. I might circle back and try it at some point.

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5 hours ago, David Young said:

Excellent review! Regarding your PS ranking, were you using the stock DC cable that came with each when making the comparisons? I've been shocked at how much the DC cable can have on the musical impact of a PS. Thank you!

 

Indeed! I too have found DC cables to matter.

 

The DC cables I used were already optimized for the PSU's. After much experimentation in the past with starquad, JSSG, etc, I have found silver UPOCC cables to sound best in general. So here are the cables that were used with the various PSUs:

• SR-4: Paul Hynes's DC3FSXLR silver cable
• LPS-1.2: Audio Sensibility Silver Signature 7N UPOCC silver cable
• sPS-500: SOtM Stranded 7N UPOCC silver cable
• JS-2: both the stock Uptone Belden starquad cable, and the Audio Sensibility cable.

I am aware of all the recent DIY experiments going on with POE injectors, JSSG 360 etc, and will certainly experiment with these once the dust settles a bit.