HOLO Audio MAY DAC

[Quadman]

23 minutes ago, ted_b said:

These DSD2048 and ethernet vs USB discussions are somewhat interesting BUT have nothing to do with this May thread

other than the fact that the May is theoretically capable of DSD2048.  Since several of us greatly enjoy DSD1024 the next logical step is 2048, thus the conversation began about the Dac's various inputs and ability to handle very high rate signals.  And now Clock's as 2048 should be around 91Mhz I believe.  Yes it does stray strictly from the May, but relevant in that the May may be able to do 2048 per the specs.

[Quadman]

Per Tim from Kitsune, the May is not capable of DSD2048 or any PCM above 1.536MHz.  He is talking below about either USB module.

"Neither have the ability as the coding had not been implemented. The time involved to do so is extensive when there is too small of market for the need. We already have support for dsd1024 and pcm1.536M which most products on the market do not."

 

21 hours ago, Miska said:

USB Audio Class is pretty much limited to DSD512 and 705.6/768k PCM

Like Ted says about PCM, DSD1024 (2 channel, no convolution) sounds glorious as well and HQP and the Dac seem to handle it fine.

[Quadman]

11 hours ago, NellyWhads said:

 When you up-sample to DSD 1024 (and require your 3080 + 12900ks to do so), is this with PCM 1x sources (44.1k/48k)? Or is this from DSD 1x sources (DSD 64)?

I run a 11900K PC with a 3060GPU and 16GB 3000MHz ram.  My sources are all PCM from 16/44.1 to 24/192 via Tidal, Qobuz and my HDD.  I don't have any DSD files in my library.  I can play Sinc Lm, Sinc Ls, Gauss XLA and EXT 3 although I don't play it often (ext3).  Most HQP filters can be played but sinc L, Sinc Mx, XTR I cannot do.  I live mostly with sinc Lm.  I run Ubuntu 22.04 with Jussi's kernel.

[Quadman]

42 minutes ago, ted_b said:

DSD1024 from DSD-source files...since filters aren't used?  Thx

Ted, I think both filters and modulators can be offloaded to the gpu. 

[Quadman]

1 minute ago, Miska said:

 

What is your suggested way to play?

From his previous postings over a year ago he is a strictly NOS guy.  Takes what ever stream is and no upsampling.  I admit the may at NOS does sound pretty darn good.  JA from stereophile still calls it one of if not the best measuring Dac's he has ever measured. 

 

Me, of course, is a huge proponent of DSD1024, magic happens there.  I warm up my system with DSD256 just to save some power drawn from the PC.  I listen to this for a bit when I come down to my room and then in the middle of a well known song go back to my preferred 1024 up sampled rate.  I just shake my head and wonder how people listen to DSD256 and think it's the best.  One concrete thing I have learned is that "You don't know what you don't know until you do"  Listen to 1024 then you'll know.

[Quadman]

2 minutes ago, barrows said:

Not if you feed it 44.1 data and run it as NOS though...  there will be obvious issues in its output in that case

With the measurements JA performs with the big AP analyzers, he only measures up to 100Khz, but his final words are as below. He measures as NOS with 44.1 and 48 K data.  That said I strongly stand by my love for 1024.

 

"In almost every way, the HoloAudio May (Level 3) is the best-measuring D/A processor I have encountered, rivaled only by the Weiss DAC502 and MBL N31.—John Atkinson"

https://www.stereophile.com/content/holoaudio-may-level-3-da-processor-measurement

 

[Quadman]

Here's a couple of interesting graphs which may help show the Holo Mays high frequency issues at NOS a bit better then Jussi's 5Mhz graphs above.  Below are two measurements from John Atkinson of Stereophile.  The first is the DCS Vivaldi Apex system which is in the current March 23 issue.  The second is the Holo May KTE.  Explanation of each measurement (they are both measuring the same thing is below each picture.

 

 

Look how clean and tidy the DCS is, the signal drops sharply at the Nyquist frequency of 22.05Khz and stays very low (around -130 dB up through 100Khz).  The holo OTOH has two null points at 44.1 and 88.2 Khz the rest of the measurement band it's -40 to -75 dB.  Much more noisy than the DCS which obviously is using very good filters to clean up this high frequency mess.  Impressive.

 

Sure NOS (with the May) may sound good on certain systems, but as clearly shown above it is not the optimal way to listen to the Holo May.  Me, I am firmly in the 1024DSD w AMSDMEC7  +512fs camp, last night mostly with Sinc S.  The Holo May is absolutely incredible at these rates.  I warm up my system at DSD256 with same filter and when I switch to 1024 I cannot believe how different they are, 1024 is another level or three above 256.

[Quadman]

13 hours ago, sledwards said:

I like the sinc-S and the sinc-M sounds great too.

Yes I like Sinc M as well, Sinc Lm and Ls are also very nice but both are non-apodizing so I tend to use them less.  I cannot do Sinc Mx at 1024 so no experience there.  When I run 512 with EC7v2, I enjoy the sound but then jumping back up to 1024 (ec5v2 or amsdm7EC) I just feel the music is more "real" spatial cues, air and tonality are closer to highest analog sources.

 

My speakers are called flex speakers and I can run various "heads" on my bass cabinets.  I have 2; the Audio Technology D'appolito and open baffle Lowther PM2A's.  I have to run different filters for each for maximum enjoyment.  For the Lowther's I like PS gauss hires-ip and PS gauss XLA.

[Quadman]

1 hour ago, sdolezalek said:

Actually, at the moment I'm really more interested in how we test whether those that LOVE the May at DSD1024 are doing so due to euphonic distortions or whether there is actually some higher truth to be found beyond DSD512

As I have quoted many times in these forums "you don't know what you don't know until you do know"  You need to hear DSD1024 and make the decision yourself.  I own Audiomatica's Clio system and have REW but neither of those systems is capable of measuring what you seek.  The top of the line AP stuff may be able to measure it, I don't know.  What I do know is nothing brings me anywhere near as much musical enjoyment as DSD1024 and I play with 512 and all the EC filters and DSD256 warms my system up and when I go back up to 1024 I wonder how anyone can really enjoy this (256).  But they probably don't know what they don't know yet.

 

My listening time per month has doubled since I got up to 1024 That's one of the most important measures to me.  I never want to turn the music off even at 4AM.  The Holo May is a truly amazing dac and at its best being sent high rate up sampled DSD content in NOS mode via HQPlayer or possibly some other very good upsampling software, I only know HQP.

 

You'll probably have to wait years and years to hear it with multichannel that your system has.  Stereo, it is available now with the right server setup. I live in Knoxville you get here you can see.