Kal Rubinson Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 6 hours ago, hopkins said: Vinyl and digital do not have to be mutually exclusive. I never said otherwise. quanghuy147 1 Kal Rubinson Senior Contributing Editor, Stereophile Link to comment
Mechnutt Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 I would look at the Aqua La Scala MKII DAC. It is very analog sounding as are all the Aqua DAC's. quanghuy147 1 My Gear- Pass Labs X250, BAT VK-51se, Magnepan 1.6's, Dual Martin Logan subs, Luxman DA-06 DAC with Regen, Music Hall 25.2 CDP as a transport, Thorens TD-145 TT, Cardas Parsec and AQ Colombia 72v DBS XLR's Link to comment
Popular Post peter73 Posted October 20, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted October 20, 2020 On 10/9/2020 at 2:30 AM, quanghuy147 said: ... I compared the sound by some familiar songs and found that the turntable combo sound 90% detailed as the DAC combo but it is more emotional, involving and better soundstage. .. I have a friend, he is a fan of turntables and recently switched to Reel to reel. He also has a Wavelength DAC cost $3000 but he said there was a big gap between his digital and his analog sources.... Do yourself a favour and don't get into this peer presure nonsense. Riding a horse is also more emotional and involving than driving ... for a while. Dietmar Gsell and quanghuy147 1 1 Link to comment
quanghuy147 Posted October 20, 2020 Author Share Posted October 20, 2020 Thank you everyone for your very informative input. I will change the DAC later. But for now I will try to reduce the noise in my system as some suggested here. Link to comment
sandyk Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 1 hour ago, quanghuy147 said: Thank you everyone for your very informative input. I will change the DAC later. But for now I will try to reduce the noise in my system as some suggested here. You will find further information here https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/60381-hdd-to-case-bonding-uptick-in-sq/?tab=comments#comment-1084599 You shouldn't need to go quite as far as Gary did unless your PC has poor internal integrity. To do this properly you will need to use a DVM as Gary recommended. It can be done with the PC operational but not doing any work . Further improvements to the PSU itself are the next step if needed. quanghuy147 1 How a Digital Audio file sounds, or a Digital Video file looks, is governed to a large extent by the Power Supply area. All that Identical Checksums gives is the possibility of REGENERATING the file to close to that of the original file. PROFILE UPDATED 13-11-2020 Link to comment
quanghuy147 Posted October 20, 2020 Author Share Posted October 20, 2020 13 minutes ago, sandyk said: You will find further information here https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/60381-hdd-to-case-bonding-uptick-in-sq/?tab=comments#comment-1084599 You shouldn't need to go quite as far as Gary did unless your PC has poor internal integrity. To do this properly you will need to use a DVM as Gary recommended. It can be done with the PC operational but not doing any work . Further improvements to the PSU itself are the next step if needed. Thank you for the link. I am currently not using a PC. I use laptop (Audio Nirvana software - Tidal)-->Ethernet cable->Allo Digione Signature --> DAC. I don't know if I can benefit from Gary's method. Link to comment
sandyk Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 27 minutes ago, quanghuy147 said: Thank you for the link. I am currently not using a PC. I use laptop (Audio Nirvana software - Tidal)-->Ethernet cable->Allo Digione Signature --> DAC. I don't know if I can benefit from Gary's method. It's hard to improve most laptops unless you power them from a Linear PSU. Does it sound any better when playing music from it's battery? quanghuy147 1 How a Digital Audio file sounds, or a Digital Video file looks, is governed to a large extent by the Power Supply area. All that Identical Checksums gives is the possibility of REGENERATING the file to close to that of the original file. PROFILE UPDATED 13-11-2020 Link to comment
Popular Post k27R Posted October 20, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted October 20, 2020 Good advice from everyone. In my experience, you get more for the money with a good analog setup vs digital. The quality of transport feeding the dac is just as important as the dac itself. Putting all your money into a dac could be disappointing if your transport is not on the same level. Like you, it was a real eye opener when I put a vintage turntable in my system just to try it out. My analog and digital setups are on the same level now, but I have way more $$ invested on the digital side of things. I use my analog setup as reference for any changes I make to the digital side of things. Analog just ticks all of the right boxes for me. One and a half, 4est and quanghuy147 3 Link to comment
quanghuy147 Posted October 20, 2020 Author Share Posted October 20, 2020 38 minutes ago, sandyk said: It's hard to improve most laptops unless you power them from a Linear PSU. Does it sound any better when playing music from it's battery? Yes, playing from laptop battery produce noticeably darker background. Link to comment
sandyk Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 8 minutes ago, quanghuy147 said: Yes, playing from laptop battery produce noticeably darker background. In that case a good Linear PSU should result in an improvement with normal use. What voltage is it's external SMPS PSU, 19V (?) or around that area, and what is it's rated current ? How a Digital Audio file sounds, or a Digital Video file looks, is governed to a large extent by the Power Supply area. All that Identical Checksums gives is the possibility of REGENERATING the file to close to that of the original file. PROFILE UPDATED 13-11-2020 Link to comment
quanghuy147 Posted October 20, 2020 Author Share Posted October 20, 2020 19 minutes ago, k27R said: Good advice from everyone. In my experience, you get more for the money with a good analog setup vs digital. The quality of transport feeding the dac is just as important as the dac itself. Putting all your money into a dac could be disappointing if your transport is not on the same level. Like you, it was a real eye opener when I put a vintage turntable in my system just to try it out. My analog and digital setups are on the same level now, but I have way more $$ invested on the digital side of things. I use my analog setup as reference for any changes I make to the digital side of things. Analog just ticks all of the right boxes for me. May I know which transport you use? Right now I connect laptop directly to Allo Digione by Baaske Medical Ethenet isolater and Ethernet without using any Switch between. Do you think I can benefit from replacing Baaske with EtherREGen ? Link to comment
k27R Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 I'm using Pink Faun 2.16 and EtherRegen. Took some tweaks to get it where I like it but its working beautifully quanghuy147 1 Link to comment
Rexp Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 1 hour ago, k27R said: I'm using Pink Faun 2.16 and EtherRegen. Took some tweaks to get it where I like it but its working beautifully Could you list your hardware/software chain please? Keen to know if you found its best to invest more in the server/player than the DAC. quanghuy147 1 Link to comment
One and a half Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 2 hours ago, k27R said: Good advice from everyone. In my experience, you get more for the money with a good analog setup vs digital. The quality of transport feeding the dac is just as important as the dac itself. Putting all your money into a dac could be disappointing if your transport is not on the same level. Like you, it was a real eye opener when I put a vintage turntable in my system just to try it out. My analog and digital setups are on the same level now, but I have way more $$ invested on the digital side of things. I use my analog setup as reference for any changes I make to the digital side of things. Analog just ticks all of the right boxes for me. The other issue is that some music is only available on either vinyl or digital. For instance, this month Sade released remastered, with some vision for a change, the original six studio discs on vinyl only. It is then more important to have vinyl or digital played ‘at the same level’ so there’s no compromise on playback, makes the choice of media easier, although vinyl is close to triple the price for the equivalent CD for new releases. quanghuy147 1 AS Profile Equipment List Say NO to MQA Link to comment
quanghuy147 Posted October 22, 2020 Author Share Posted October 22, 2020 On 10/20/2020 at 3:21 PM, sandyk said: n that case a good Linear PSU should result in an improvement with normal use. What voltage is it's external SMPS PSU, 19V (?) or around that area, and what is it's rated current ? I read in the back of the adapter: 19.5V 11.8A It's a gaming laptop so maybe that's why it demands more power than a regular one. I tried 2 other laptops on battery mode but it only this gaming laptop (when on battery) produces a lower noise (than when plugged in). Link to comment
sandyk Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 22 minutes ago, quanghuy147 said: I read in the back of the adapter: 19.5V 11.8A It's a gaming laptop so maybe that's why it demands more power than a regular one. I tried 2 other laptops on battery mode but it only this gaming laptop (when on battery) produces a lower noise (than when plugged in). Given the very high current rating of the adaptor , it wouldn't be economical to use a lower noise Linear PSU instead , unfortunately. The internal batteries would also have a very short time between charges compared with most other laptops. How a Digital Audio file sounds, or a Digital Video file looks, is governed to a large extent by the Power Supply area. All that Identical Checksums gives is the possibility of REGENERATING the file to close to that of the original file. PROFILE UPDATED 13-11-2020 Link to comment
quanghuy147 Posted October 22, 2020 Author Share Posted October 22, 2020 2 hours ago, sandyk said: Given the very high current rating of the adaptor , it wouldn't be economical to use a lower noise Linear PSU instead , unfortunately. The internal batteries would also have a very short time between charges compared with most other laptops. If I am going to build a PC as music streamer to feed my DAC, do you think this is a good option to follow? Thank you. Link to comment
Popular Post sandyk Posted October 22, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted October 22, 2020 19 minutes ago, quanghuy147 said: If I am going to build a PC as music streamer to feed my DAC, do you think this is a good option to follow? Thank you. The best place to ask for advice like that is in this thread. https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/58164-building-a-diy-music-server/page/38/?tab=comments#comment-1085570 You would need to give some idea of your budget though. quanghuy147 and One and a half 2 How a Digital Audio file sounds, or a Digital Video file looks, is governed to a large extent by the Power Supply area. All that Identical Checksums gives is the possibility of REGENERATING the file to close to that of the original file. PROFILE UPDATED 13-11-2020 Link to comment
One and a half Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 2 hours ago, quanghuy147 said: If I am going to build a PC as music streamer to feed my DAC, do you think this is a good option to follow? Thank you. The presenter's music server is entry level. The components are one thing, the other is technique of the construction. As @sandyk points out, have a good look at the thread for the DIY solution. The idea is to build a Taiko Extreme Server as a DIY approach, and like the manufacturer of the Taiko, the development went so far down the rabbit hole, it took a lot of time and effort to rule out what sounds bad. Results are pretty good if there's somewhere in between a Taiko and what you're happy with. My own server is not perfect by any means, but with mods here and there, I'm happy with what I hear. quanghuy147 1 AS Profile Equipment List Say NO to MQA Link to comment
genvirt Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 I’ve had a similar question, but from “part” of finding “like CD sounding” DAC. And at last found it in Rockna Wavedream DAC - more analog sounding DAC I’ve never met before (IMHO yes:)). I even call it Lampizator (it’s sound I love much but can’t enter it in my home by some restrictions) on transistors. One more option is La Rosita. If it possible to some how try it - I think You will not disappointed. quanghuy147 1 Link to comment
thangvc Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 Hi Quanghuy147, You are Vietnamese like me? So your questions is the same as me. My hifi system is complete, the my question is which way I will be select? It’s mean LP or Digital. I went to many my friend audio system for research my questio. So finally I choose Digital. Now very difficult to say LP or Digital better, but I decided digital. So now I have a plan for that. Of course including music server: apple mini with uptone audio linear power kit or complete music server like Innuos Statement - I will pay for Innous. now back to DAC $10k. Actually I want to hear natural, rustic and clear => just kind of R2-R DAC technology! That’s mean no oversampling => Just MSB DAC, TotalDAC, Holo DAC,... The DCS DAC is good, but it’s very digital sound! With $10k you can select MSB Discrete DAC or DCS Bartók DAC. I don’t know how about for future upgrade, but you need more 5k to upgrade for some module like usb, rj45 optical fiber converter,... In the digital zone, you need more money for more extra equipment like linear power supply for NAS, Music Server, Switch; Switch have SFP port for audio,...will be pay more $ :) Any my recommendation just for my knowledge, may be wrong or right! You need to asking more some guy this forum, and you need to hear before pay! Hope this help thangvc Link to comment
panhead Posted November 4, 2020 Share Posted November 4, 2020 Based on my quick impressions at several Axponas, I dont see a clear winner. I have always enjoyed the Kronos turntable and MSB dacs. (my fav) Both are well beyond my means. If I had $10,000 to spend and interested in both formats, I would spend $5k on each one and CAREFULLY choose components. There are many fantastic choices. Even this amount of money can go a long way if you take you time. Good luck on your journey! quanghuy147 1 Link to comment
quanghuy147 Posted November 4, 2020 Author Share Posted November 4, 2020 On 11/2/2020 at 10:48 PM, thangvc said: Hi Quanghuy147, You are Vietnamese like me? So your questions is the same as me. My hifi system is complete, the my question is which way I will be select? It’s mean LP or Digital. I went to many my friend audio system for research my questio. So finally I choose Digital. Now very difficult to say LP or Digital better, but I decided digital. So now I have a plan for that. Of course including music server: apple mini with uptone audio linear power kit or complete music server like Innuos Statement - I will pay for Innous. now back to DAC $10k. Actually I want to hear natural, rustic and clear => just kind of R2-R DAC technology! That’s mean no oversampling => Just MSB DAC, TotalDAC, Holo DAC,... The DCS DAC is good, but it’s very digital sound! With $10k you can select MSB Discrete DAC or DCS Bartók DAC. I don’t know how about for future upgrade, but you need more 5k to upgrade for some module like usb, rj45 optical fiber converter,... In the digital zone, you need more money for more extra equipment like linear power supply for NAS, Music Server, Switch; Switch have SFP port for audio,...will be pay more $ :) Any my recommendation just for my knowledge, may be wrong or right! You need to asking more some guy this forum, and you need to hear before pay! Hope this help thangvc Hi Thang, Much appreciate to your sharing experience. It looks for the same level of sound quality, digital gears are more expensive than LP. However, we won't have to invest in LP, just need to subscribe to Tidal. There are many songs and albums the I like but couldn't find in LP. If I understand you correctly, DCS Bartók DAC is digital and not as natural as r2r DAC technology? Thank you. Link to comment
thangvc Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 Hi Huy, It's just my personal feeling, and you are right with my feeling. The DCS is best but when I listen the Vocal, Acoustic, It doesn't feel natural compare to MSB R2-R technique. If you want to hear Tidal, you need to invest better in other Digital system (Such as: Music server, Modem, Switch, Lan cable, optical fiber,....) not just a DAC. Hehe You will have a headache! My plan is $10k just for single DAC, may be $10k extra more for some more audio accessories => Get a little bit Digital sound quality! Hope this help, quanghuy147 1 Link to comment
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