New D/D Converters from Denafrips

[Abyss Man]

Blake,

U are in for treat. I just got a demo unit from Alvin and it’s running in. The OCXO has not really started to cook yet and already the music is bloody awesome. Detail retrieval, stereo imaging, instrument placement, soundstage, oh and did I mention the holographics? That one is going to blow ur head. It’s so 3-D, and I’m a headphone user.

 

i could go on and on but I will it for later when the ocxo stabilises. Good call on getting it. 

[Abyss Man]

I bought the unit guys, I’m weak.LOL. 

[Abyss Man]

Using the Gaia with the Termy.

[Abyss Man]

I took a listen to the Gaia, liked it so much that I bought it. It was that simple for me. 

[Abyss Man]

Is 45.1548Mhz and 49.152Mhz "purer" in terms of audio timing? Maybe someone more tech savy can enlighten us. 

 

But the OCXO clocks are already doing such a wonderful job I don't think we will require external clock inputs, but of course we will never know till we hear it in action with external clock input.

 

I've been trying to find out what OCXO clocks are being used. Just curious. Anyone?

[Abyss Man]

A Friend of mine who has mine on loan reported that it made the presentation more coherent, soundstage was larger and details were improved. He is running  a Audio Note DAC.

Personally, I love the 3D imaging and holographic improvements. 

[Abyss Man]

He was using a souped up Singxer SU1.

[Abyss Man]

12 hours ago, Albrecht said:

Hi

 

did you own the Audio-gd DI-20he before your Gaia??

 

in my opinion, the SU-1 was better than the Berkeley, & the Gustard U16 is better than that..,

 

cheers

Hi,

Nope, I did not I'm afraid. I agree with you that the Gustard U-16 was better than the Su-1 as I had previously owned a SU-1 before getting the Gustard. The Gaia though is a toatally different beast compared to either one of them, if fact there is no comparison. The Gaia is miles ahead.

[Abyss Man]

Hi Ben-M,

I would think so. If you look at the Terminator Plus it has its own  45 and 49Mhz frequency out to be synced with the Gaia, as for users without the TP but would like to have the Gaia in their system, I guess a dedicated external word clock should be in the works.

 

In all honesty, the double OCXO in the Gaia is already very good on its own. I guess the reason for their modus operandi is for Denafrips to have it own "ecological system". I am assuming here and you know what they say about assumptions being the mother of all F@#K ups. LOL.

[Abyss Man]

Guys, I can tell you that just the Termy with a Gaia in tow is already bloody good. In fact, just the Termy with a upgraded DSP board sounds very good if it is fed with a very clean signal thru USB. 

 

So ya, you feed the DAC well, you get excellent sonic reproduction. As they say, Rubbish In, Rubbish out. 

 

 

[Abyss Man]

Hi R1200CL,

Before going to the impressions, please allow me to share my Termy and DDC journey. These are from my memory of course, so please use your discretion and don't flame me ok?

1. Termy was bought and loved it, Alvin recommended that I go with a i2S connection cause the Termy loves it, hence a Su-1 was bought and I was using a AQ Coffee HDMI cable with it. Nice improvement overall. What struck me most was the quietness.

2. The Gustard U16 appeared on the market and I bought it, although there were numerous issues with the FW it worked fine for me cause I never upsample my music. (It was better than the SU-1 for sure).

3. The new DSP V2 board for Termy was released. Out went the Gustard cause the board was slightly better sounding/equal in status and as such rendered the Gustard useless and anyways I was getting pissed off with the FW issues with the Gustard.

 

Fast forward to present day,

1. Termy was mated with the Gaia and it was a OMG moment. 3-D and Holographics went ballistic. I was convinced that this will be end game for a while at least.

2.  TP came in for an audit, and it was very good and I enjoyed it as much as the Termy/Gaia combo, but was not still not convinced that I should get the TP.

3. Enter Alvin, he told me to listen to the TP again and give it some time to settle down, and boy was he right. The TP was performing at a better level than the Termy/Gaia combo but in all honesty, a lot of us could live with the combo of Termy/Gaia. But me being me, I got the TP.

4. TP came in and was enjoying my new found improvements in SQ.

5. Enter the Iris, and immediately I could sense even the entry level DDC was a nice addition especially if clocked by the TP. The 3-D and Holographic presentation was.......well scary. I'm a headphone user and so many times I could swear that the audience was outside my field of hearing. A friend came over to listen and when asked what he thought, he said he does'nt know cause he has never heard headphones present music in such a manner. (There was no base to refer to). I'm using the Abyss Phi CC btw. It was like strapping speakers to your ears.LOL

6. Currently, I'm back to just the TP as the Iris is back on tour. I have lost some of that Holographic presentation but it still is one mighty DAC on its own.

* For the Iris and Gaia I was using just basic power cables and an el cheapo HDMI cable and yet it was as reported above.

7. Currently awaiting for my Gaia to arrive, after which I will get some decent power cords from Tellurium and a HDMI cable probably from Argentus, unless something better gets reported or recommended. Please also take a step back and look at the cables which are in your sytem. They make a huge difference as well.

 

To summarise:

I have not yet heard the TP/Gaia combo, but putting A+B together, I think it would be one bloody freaking good combo, not forgetting the TP loves I2S connection and is also recommended by Alvin. As we know USB implemenatation is never easy and thus the need for DDC or USB regenerators like the Phoneix from Innuos, Tx-usb ultra from soTm, Intona and so on. There is a market for these equpiments for a reason and manufacturer's spend a lot on R&D to achieve the ulimate or at least try and get us as close as possible to music nirvana.

 

Hope this helps and do forgive me if I don't make sense cause I'm not a professional reviewer nor do I have bat's ears. As long as my toes are tapping, I'm a happy bunny. I do not like to discredit any one or any gear or branding cause, end of the day, the choice is ours to make. It's a free world. God bless.

[Abyss Man]

1 minute ago, R1200CL said:

Thanks Abyss

You only used Iris with I2S out ? Did you have it for a long time ?

So Alvin accepts returns ?

 

I didn’t follow your whole story if it was in sequence, cause you had Gaia, and then Iris.

But I think you’re saying Iris is much better than SU-1 and Gustard U16.
 

I think the only difference between Iris and Gaia, is the clock. Gaia is using XCXO.
 

Hi,

I had the Iris for 3 days and yes, I used only I2S as this is the recommended connection by Alvin. As I said, I’m working with memory here when it comes to comparisons with the Singxer and Gustard, but, having said that, if I have moved on, it could be that I found a bump in SQ with the new gear in order for me to do that.

 

Iris uses Femto and Gaia uses OCXO, but, if the clocking duty is taken over by the TP then it would render the clocks in the DDC redundant I suppose. Then again, it’s not only about the clocks, the psu, the oscillators, the interface boards and stuff play a huge part as well. I can only report back on the difference when I hear the TP/Gaia combo, I’m not one to speculate. Cheers.

[Abyss Man]

6 hours ago, seeteeyou said:

 

0.5m CAT8 Ethernet cable (Full Metal Case option for $33.45) could be a good choice as well

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000575872860.html

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/old-king-of-r2r-dac-is-dead-denafrips-terminator-plus-terminator-arrives.936310/page-6#post-15767608

 

Hi,

The Gaia i2S output is restricted to 1x RJ45 that runs on LVCMOS and the HDMI output that runs on LVDS. Personally I have not tried comparing both of these formats. Maybe I should. I do have a spare Supra Cat 8 lying arnd somewhere. Thanks for the heads up. But TBH, the LVDS is a better connection/preferred connection cause it’s got higher immunity to noise. But no harm trying since it’s just a simple plug in/out. Cheers.

[Abyss Man]

A very good USB implementation is very hard to do with the given real estate in a DAC, and anyways, if it can be done the cost of that DAC would be very expensive, Innous Statement, Taiko Extreme comes to mind. I Guess a 2-box solution is a cost effective solution for those who want to go closer to the pinnacle and have a choice of adding a box to achieve that, and for those who are happy with just the TP, which btw is seriously good can just stay put and enjoy it. Well, that’s my take. Cheers.

[Abyss Man]

2 hours ago, matthias said:

 

First, Innuous Statement and Taiko Extreme are servers not DACs.

Second, please explain the reason of an additional I2S device when you have USB out from the server and USB in to the DAC.

Thanks

 

Matt

Hi Matt,

I’m well aware of the difference between a DAC and a server, having said that, the theory behind the implementation of the USB is the same isn’t it? You can either invest in a TOTL server to clean up the USB or you can do it via the DDC, end of the day it’s about getting the cleanest signal possible. U are free to choose your poison of choice. 

[Abyss Man]

Hi Matt,

I forgot to mention that you can also use a USB regenerator like the Phoenix, txusb  ultra and so on to clean the signal as well. I do have a Txusb ultra which is also master clocked and yet got myself a Gaia. As I said, everyone is free to choose their own poison and if it makes a difference or gives a bump in SQ, fine and well. I listen to a piece of gear and if I find it gives me sonic satisfaction, then I buy it. It’s that easy for me. My ears, and only mine matter. I am of course very thankful to all the seniors and gurus here who have been very patient with my PMs with regards to queries or doubts that I have. Thank you.

[Abyss Man]

I never had the TP/Gaia combo. Dev probably read wrong or you understood wrongly. Oh ya, one more thing, I am a vegan and teetotal and as such am not able to do the various tests as requested and don’t intend to as well. Please enjoy and I’m off to a vegan lunch with lemonade. Have fun.

[Abyss Man]

2 hours ago, Dev said:

@Abyss Man nice review on the T+ and Gaia. I might have missed it but can you clarify what is your source ? I have a Terminator and pondering on the upgrade path 🤔

Thanks Dev, they were reviewed independently but never as a combo, although I did mate the Termy and Gaia. The Termy/Gaia combo is really good and I loved.

 

My source is a bit of a spaghetti, my server is Innous Zenith Mk2 which is in turn connected to the soTm trifecta. The trifecta is master clocked by soTm.

[Abyss Man]

Hi sig,

its a pin out issue. (Binary) Play with it till u get clean sound. Just in case do a left right channel check after configuration. The channels can be reversed but still sound clean, if that’s the case, you need to configure till it’s ok. 

 

 

[Abyss Man]

46 minutes ago, sig8 said:

Please explain how to fix this, sorry have no clue about this. I have few other HDMI cables if that helps. Thanks.

Sig,

This is the setup when you are using the TP, but since yours is a Holo DAC, please refer to the DAC manual and configure accordingly. Hope this helps.

[Abyss Man]

9 hours ago, sig8 said:

I have never used clocks or clock cables for that matter. Any suggestions on which cable to get for connecting T+ and Gaia clocks.

https://audiobacon.net/2018/08/11/the-audiophiles-short-list-the-best-digital-coaxial-cables/

 

Hi Sig,

This might help I hope. Happy reading.

 

U will need 2 x 75ohms cables. Try to keep them short. If you don't mind adapters then you can buy RCA terminated cables, get some good adapters. I personally don't use RCA to BNC adapters.

 

Sig, u might want to have a look see here as well. There is post by @Blake regarding BNC cable and he pretty much sums it up well. 

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/denafrips-product-owners-please-fall-in.30981/

 

Have a great day ahead and do let us know how the Holo and Gaia team up even though they are not mated as best as they should be. Thank you sir.

[Abyss Man]

8 hours ago, Koso said:

One technical question. Iris and Gaia has no on/off (or standby) button? If it is so, why?
Just waiting for my Gaia (should arrive in few days) and noticed this from the photos.:-)

Not required as they use relays to detect incoming voltage. In fact be happy there is one less fuse to worry about or an on/off switch to worry about. No fuse is the best fuse.

 

 

[Abyss Man]

5 hours ago, Koso said:

OK, sounds reasonable. I was just little bit confused by photos online, where there is on/off symbol on some, while “setup” label on others under the same Gaias button. So there must have been some reason Denafrips changed this button.

 

Hi Koso,

Sorry but I never quiet paid attention to this difference. Drop Alvin a mail, he will help you clear your doubts, and congratulations on your new toy. Have fun.

 

[Abyss Man]

I leave the LED on in my TP. I tried on and off, in all honesty couldn’t tell any difference. Lol. I just leave it on which is in phase. 

[Abyss Man]

Iris if used with a TP excels well cause you can clock it with the dual OCXO clocks in the TP. Hermes uses TCXO clocks to reclock and the Gaia uses dual OCXO clocks for clocking.

 

If money is not an issue I’d go with the Gaia. Hermes with its TCXO clocks should sound very good too, though I’ve not heard it yet. The Iris as an entry level DDC is a serious piece of gear and when used with the TP outperforms most DDC imho. 

 

As as for me, I went with the Gaia to team it with the TP, but that’s just me. I don’t like sleepless nights, having said this do enjoy your journey and happy listening.