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HOLO Audio MAY DAC


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1.536m distorts on linux (euphony OS). intel mobo USB output. guessing its a driver thing since it worked fine on windows ASIO.

wonder if a jcat usb card would work instead. probably a long shot but has anyone tried a jcat usb on a euphony server, into May 1.536?

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Welp, I just bit the bullet and ordered a Serene. I just didn’t have quite enough gain for DSD playback with my RC filters inline. As the May has been simply superb, I figured the Serene was going to be equally great and the prices are going up tomorrow. Time to commit. I’m so impressed with Jeff’s designs. He’s definitely one of the brightest audio designers of the day. 

 

image.thumb.jpeg.a4a84e289e35c7e49a6d3042fc9b2a99.jpeg

 

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On 7/16/2021 at 6:44 AM, mrkoven said:

1.536m distorts on linux (euphony OS). intel mobo USB output. guessing its a driver thing since it worked fine on windows ASIO.

wonder if a jcat usb card would work instead. probably a long shot but has anyone tried a jcat usb on a euphony server, into May 1.536?

Linux 1.536mhz will not work stock.
You need @Miska's modified kernel

https://www.sonarnerd.net/src/

https://youtube.com/goldensound

Roon -> HQPlayer -> SMS200 Ultra/SPS500 -> Holo Audio May (Wildism Edition) -> Holo Audio Serene (Wildism Edition) -> Benchmark AHB2 -> Hifiman Susvara

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Time for me to decide on which direction (or both) to send music to my May KTE.

 

What has worked well is using my Sigao server running HQP and Roon endpoint. EtherRegan through Microrendu USB into May. 
 

Using motherboard USB out of the server with HDPlex didn’t sound as well in my system. 
 

HDPlex 300 watt PS is gone. I just moved and the “almost audio room” is ready for setup. 🙁

 

I ran 3 different cables from the home network utility room to where my stereo will reside. OM1 fiber, Cat6 UTP, Cat 8 and a generic contractor installed Cat6. 

 

One scenario would be to purchase the JCAT duo PS and USB card taking USB straight out of my server. I might use a Farad3 PS for the server coupled with powering the JCAT USB and the SATA storage drive with the duo.

 

The other option involves the fiber, Sonore Optical Rendu setup, good PS running through EtherRegen to USB May.

 

Anyone here have compared these 2 approaches?
 

 

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Finally got my Innuos Zenith to run embedded HQPlayer OS and streaming sweet 1536kHz (Sinc-Mx, LNS15) to the May.

I had expected to run the Zenith as a NAA but after having had huge problems with running the NAA image I ended up trying the OS image instead. To my huge surprise the Zenith upsamples to 1536kHz without any problems and I don't have to use my Windows PC to run the Desktop app - big win!

I have made a post in the Music Servers section if anybody else is interested in how to do this.

 

I have a HQPlayer - May dac question: I see that people like @GoldenOne configures HQPlayer to only send 20 bit sound to the May. I thought the May was capable of running 24 and 32 bit. Why not use the full bit resolution?

Roon ROCK server (NUC10i7FNH) -> Etherregen (Powered by a Teddy Pardo PSU) -> Innuos Zenith Mk3 running HQPlayer -> Tellurium Ultra Silver -> Holo Audio KTE May DAC -> Tellurium Ultra Black XLR -> KGSSHV Carbon -> STAX SR-009.

Audio components all connected to a PS Audio PowerPlant 3 via Tellurium Black.

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11 minutes ago, dkdali said:

Finally got my Innuos Zenith to run embedded HQPlayer OS and streaming sweet 1536kHz (Sinc-Mx, LNS15) to the May.

I had expected to run the Zenith as a NAA but after having had huge problems with running the NAA image I ended up trying the OS image instead. To my huge surprise the Zenith upsamples to 1536kHz without any problems and I don't have to use my Windows PC to run the Desktop app - big win!

I have made a post in the Music Servers section if anybody else is interested in how to do this.

 

I have a HQPlayer - May dac question: I see that people like @GoldenOne configures HQPlayer to only send 20 bit sound to the May. I thought the May was capable of running 24 and 32 bit. Why not use the full bit resolution?

May is 23/24 bit dac chip.  The spring is 21.

Most delta sigma are 20.

 

Don't confuse audio bit rate with dac chipset bit rate 

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10 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

Where are you pulling these figures?

 

There's no DAC chip in May or Spring. Both are discrete. Plus a separate DSD mode.

 

Delta-sigma DAC chips are 1 - 6 bits, with 24- or 32-bit inputs to their DSP. Plus various such have direct path for DSD, bypassing the DSP.

 

 

If you send one bit too many with May, your linearity is screwed up and distortion is back. But you can safely go down to 16 bit without losing dynamic range or adding any distortion. So rather send too few bits than too many, with correct kind of noise shaper.

 

 

 

Because it is not physically possible to create R2R ladder that is accurate to such resolutions especially at sampling rates suitable for audio. For this reason you get more accuracy by using less bits, but higher sampling rate.

 

(note, Spring takes in 32-bit samples, but reports it's resolution to be 24-bit)

 

I just covered the topic once again here:

 

Thank you for the help (again) and Sorry for making you repeat already answered questions!

i must say that my system has really come alive after the change from pure Roon upsampling to HQPlayer upsampling/filtering. It is a bigger upgrade in sound quality than most hw upgrades i have made!

Roon ROCK server (NUC10i7FNH) -> Etherregen (Powered by a Teddy Pardo PSU) -> Innuos Zenith Mk3 running HQPlayer -> Tellurium Ultra Silver -> Holo Audio KTE May DAC -> Tellurium Ultra Black XLR -> KGSSHV Carbon -> STAX SR-009.

Audio components all connected to a PS Audio PowerPlant 3 via Tellurium Black.

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21 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

Where are you pulling these figures?

 

There's no DAC chip in May or Spring. Both are discrete. Plus a separate DSD mode.

 

Delta-sigma DAC chips are 1 - 6 bits, with 24- or 32-bit inputs to their DSP. Plus various such have direct path for DSD, bypassing the DSP.

 

 

If you send one bit too many with May, your linearity is screwed up and distortion is back. But you can safely go down to 16 bit without losing dynamic range or adding any distortion. So rather send too few bits than too many, with correct kind of noise shaper.

 

 

 

Because it is not physically possible to create R2R ladder that is accurate to such resolutions especially at sampling rates suitable for audio. For this reason you get more accuracy by using less bits, but higher sampling rate.

 

(note, Spring takes in 32-bit samples, but reports it's resolution to be 24-bit)

 

I just covered the topic once again here:

 

Tim_20142__Medium_.jpg

Tim Connor (Kitsunehifi)

Jul 13, 2021, 7:10 PM PDT

Spring3 and May are both 24bit dacs. Effective resolution is more like 22 bit for spring3 and 23bit for May.
Far better than most chip dacs that are 32bit etc and few of those surpass 20bit effective resolution
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5 minutes ago, dkdali said:

Thank you for the help (again) and Sorry for making you repeat already answered questions!

i must say that my system has really come alive after the change from pure Roon upsampling to HQPlayer upsampling/filtering. It is a bigger upgrade in sound quality than most hw upgrades i have made!

The difference HQPlayer can make is honestly stunning.
I'd agree fully, a proper HQPlayer config makes a bigger improvement than quite a lot of hardware changes!

https://youtube.com/goldensound

Roon -> HQPlayer -> SMS200 Ultra/SPS500 -> Holo Audio May (Wildism Edition) -> Holo Audio Serene (Wildism Edition) -> Benchmark AHB2 -> Hifiman Susvara

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7 minutes ago, KenMoreira said:
Tim_20142__Medium_.jpg

Tim Connor (Kitsunehifi)

Jul 13, 2021, 7:10 PM PDT

Spring3 and May are both 24bit dacs. Effective resolution is more like 22 bit for spring3 and 23bit for May.
Far better than most chip dacs that are 32bit etc and few of those surpass 20bit effective resolution

 

Here is for example Stereophile's linearity measurement of May:

820HoMayfig11.jpg

You can see it begins to go off at -120 dB which equals to 20 bit.

 

But using 20 or less bits correctly, you can take it way beyond that point.

 

Signalyst - Developer of HQPlayer

Pulse & Fidelity - Software Defined Amplifiers

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Now if only I could limit audirvana to 20 bit 

6 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

Here is for example Stereophile's linearity measurement of May:

820HoMayfig11.jpg

You can see it begins to go off at -120 dB which equals to 20 bit.

 

But using 20 or less bits correctly, you can take it way beyond that point.

 

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18 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

Here is for example Stereophile's linearity measurement of May:

820HoMayfig11.jpg

You can see it begins to go off at -120 dB which equals to 20 bit.

 

But using 20 or less bits correctly, you can take it way beyond that point.

 

Fwiw I got much better results when linearity testing my may (and the spring 3) in nos

 

Will post here in the morning

https://youtube.com/goldensound

Roon -> HQPlayer -> SMS200 Ultra/SPS500 -> Holo Audio May (Wildism Edition) -> Holo Audio Serene (Wildism Edition) -> Benchmark AHB2 -> Hifiman Susvara

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9 hours ago, KenMoreira said:

Does all this mean I should be limiting my playback to 24bit in tidal / audirvana?  Or just to 20bit in hqplayer only? 

 

Tidal is 24-bit at most anyway.

 

You can improve performance over standard 24-bit output by using suitable upsampling and noise shaping with output bits limited to 20.

 

 

Signalyst - Developer of HQPlayer

Pulse & Fidelity - Software Defined Amplifiers

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Looking at pictures of inside of May (and Spring 3) I see a large film cap at the output of each channel. How are these used? If used for DC coupling at the output, shouldn't there be two for each channel with a fully balanced design?

CJH

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56 minutes ago, CJH said:

Looking at pictures of inside of May (and Spring 3) I see a large film cap at the output of each channel. How are these used? If used for DC coupling at the output, shouldn't there be two for each channel with a fully balanced design?

CJH

It is for power filtering only. The DAC output stage is direct coupled

https://youtube.com/goldensound

Roon -> HQPlayer -> SMS200 Ultra/SPS500 -> Holo Audio May (Wildism Edition) -> Holo Audio Serene (Wildism Edition) -> Benchmark AHB2 -> Hifiman Susvara

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