Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
drobbins
4
Nov 25, 2019
This is an excellent DAC, and hits the mark being a true 'hi-fi' product rather than a wannabe. It is replacing my NAD Masters Series M51. Significantly better. Very natural sounding, 'analog-like', musical and tons of detail -- instruments and layers are very well separated and distinct from one another in space, to a remarkable degree, which I find unique to this DAC design compared to more typical DACs (and the NAD M51 is pretty special too.) I use it with DSD as well as PCM and it does a very, very good job with DSD. Used with a Music Reference RM-10 MK2 tube amp, Martin Logan Vista speakers, Schitt Sys passive pre, and MIT / Morrow audio cables. Using over USB, have tested coax as well as optical. Sad to see that maybe this was a grey market purchase through Drop (I hope not!) but the DAC is very worthy of being bought through authorized channels.
(Edited)
rastus
1391
Nov 26, 2019
drobbinsYou may want to also look at trying a Corning optical USB, going into a split USB, with an LPS supplying the 5V, you still need to power the USB transceiver side in the DAC, just so no noisy crap 5V comes from the PC... I got a used Gemini split USB, otherwise some on eBay and Pangaea's split USB looks fine. Or you can get an adapter. I got the Corning cable thinking if this optical USB is smoke, I could still use the split-USB/LPS scheme. Turned out the Corning Engineer telling me about it at that pizza joint in Corning NY,, was spot-on; I did really think at first that something was amiss, until I realized... damn it was simply --- clean ... my PC is about 15 feet from anything "audio" with no connection other than a couple of optical fibers... https://drop.com/talk/11275/best-solution-to-noisy-usb/2264476

https://www.pangeaaudio.com/Pangea-Audio-Premier-XL-Twin-Lead-USB-cable Sounds nice, this R-2R done right, doesn't it now?
verifonix
1181
Mar 31, 2020
rastus> You may want to also look at trying a Corning optical USB, going into a split USB, with an LPS supplying the 5V hahah that's some serious audiophile nervosa dude. just, no. the corning is rated terrible on amazon reviews, even
rastus
1391
Mar 31, 2020
verifonixSorry to disagree here, it does improve the quality. Most I believe experience trouble trying to power the usb node in the dac with the Corning usb, you can’t, not successfully. It only runs thin copper internally to power the second transceiver, not to power anything else. Why you need to use an adapter or a short split usb cable to power the dac node with clean power from an lps, an improvement itself... Try something first hand, I took a leap, or listen to those who have. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-qIiepw27lo
verifonix
1181
Mar 31, 2020
rastushttps://www.google.com/search?q=amazon+corning+usb look at the reviews. I'll have to pass leap of faith, no thank you it's not exactly a cheap usb cable this one
(Edited)
rastus
1391
Mar 31, 2020
verifonix
search
Most look to be experiencing node power issues... why I used the term leap, I read the reviews with it working, usually the more competent users... believe in your own ability to follow directions and not try to use the 5V at the other end of the cable to power the USB node in your DAC. It is very simple what Corning is doing, ultimate clean , looks digital-like even, analog square wave USB crap over long distances via optical fiber transference (actually then digital;). They made it to patch problems in server farms over extreme distances. So in essence; a double reclocker teleportation device as compared to metal wire USB. I got this from a Corning engineer at a pizza joint in Corning NY years back, where I got the gumption to “leap”;) Not a passing conversation, we were having dinner going over some flat panel related stuff and hit a tangent. https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/22816-corning-optical-usb-cable-experiences/

http://www.xtremeplace.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=176889.0

(Edited)
PRODUCTS YOU MAY LIKE
Trending Posts in Audiophile