Well, I would also have reservations about comparing Chord with Holo.
They both go different ways, that’s really all.
With Chord I just have a stomach ache because they are exhortbitantly expensive and you can go a step or two higher for the price.
If I had a free choice, I would take the Rockna and also prefer it to the May.
Unfortunately, you have to dig deep into your pockets for an R2R and Holo has somehow managed to bring something good and affordable onto the market.
Which, logically, also comes from the hype train.
It’s just the question of Spring 3 Lv 2 or event Lv 3 but still think about the May in the standard version.
But then the limit would be quite exhausted for me.
Tbh you shouldnt completely trust any reviewer. Golden isnt beholden to anyone money wise but has clear biases (as we all do). I would trust him not to lie about how he feels but in terms of chains its just too personal to trust any guven reviewer you dont have a lot of overlap with gear wise to truly understand prefeences and how they explain things.
Just for full disclosure, he is a friend of mine but i seriously dont agree with a lot of his subjective prefrences (not a huge holo fan, sus took a lot of work to make me enjoy it, and he was aeriously not a fan of x9000 and i liked them enough i bought after one listneing session)
Yah, while you wont get the chord sound outside of chord I personaly feel both the dave amd tt2 are outcpmpeted on technical levels for cheaper (and i dont realy like the chord house sond on top of that tbh)
Just fwiw, wave ligts are often ~3500 used which is a solid way to get into the lineup. Also, imo, holo has just as distinct of a sound as chord does sounding quite different to a number of other true NOS r2r dacs such of sokeris and sonnet
Fwiw I’ve enjoyed the spring since I’ve had it. I like it but at no point did I ever fall in love with it. It is very easy to enjoy though, meaning you don’t have to put much effort into the digital source side of things because the USB input is pretty solid.
Overhyped? Yes.
Bad? Nah I don’t think so.
Being quite fresh to the hi-end world, there’s not really much to complain about or criticize unless you’ve compared it with other hi-end DACs. I don’t regret the purchase but if I had a chance to redo I’d most definitely go the used route (or could have waited longer for a certain DAC article to be published lol).
Anyways, it’s an easy DAC to like but, at the same time, it’s also quite easy to leave behind (which I will be doing).
Has anyone tried it with I2S as it is ?
The other question would be if it is compatible with the Singxer Su 2?
I’m actually covered on the source side.
I have a Matrix Audio Element H card in the PC with a separate power supply and I don’t plan to do anything else.
Otherwise, your arguments sound very good, @HifiDJ.
Also those of the others, thank you very much .
I will hardly find it second-hand in Europe.
I heard something about burn in of 500h is that true?
Would be bitter if so.
quite frankly, I dont even think its all that over hyped. I have yet to hear anything like sub 5k or so thats better than it outright, and it handily beats everything ive heard ~3k (though I admittedly havent heard amber 3 of Voce S3). Its just a lot more colored than people seem to like to mention.
Just get the KTE and dont worry about I2S. Holo has some real funky sauce going on with the KTE USb module (same used in the may and the lower level springs dont get it) that makes it pretty damned source agnostic. I wasnt able to reliably tell SU-2 KTE → I2S vs normal USB apart on it.
Not sure about it needing that much but it does take quite a long time to warm up so I just leave it on all the time. It did sound pretty harsh the first few days.
Was mainly referring to the common hype on other forums and what not. But I see where you’re coming from as well (though I haven’t heard what you heard so I’ll take your word for it sprinkled with a healthy dose of doubt lol).
Well I got the amber on the way so I’m looking forward to comparing them!
It’s price competitive, the overhyped part to me is just what’s causing the somewhat insane used pricing.
Where I start to have issues was some of the hype on head-fi for the May where it was being touted as a giant killer better than 10k+ DAC’s and for the most part it just isn’t.
The Lampizator and LaVoce, aren’t clearly better, just competitive, and a different take without the used price hike.
I like the Spring3 KTE - mine does not have the pre-amp. Sometimes I wish I did others Im glad it doesn’t.
I do not use a DDC with it because of the USB. I was using a DDC via i2s and AES/EBU - I heard no discernable differences while not using a DDC and just working via USB, so that helped me eliminate clutters on the desk and electrically in the chain.
Edit:
I forgot to mention that regarding break in time that it indeed took a while for it to run in but I’d say the most notable differences where within the first 200-250 hours and then just a continued gradual refinement for another 150-200hr It sounded fantastic out of the box for a couple days and then it got grainy and leaned out but after another day or so was back to wonderful. It flip flopped dramatically like that a couple times the first 7-10 days and then was pretty much back to itself, but continued to settle in with mids filling in more richly, gaining additional punch and snap to the bass, and overall improvement with timbre and texture.
Also, I’m happy that the used market is holding the price high - I may decide to sell it one day. I’m not married to it, even though it is my favorite for now.
I think level 2 would really be enough for me in terms of equipment.
The KTE version has silver wiring instead of copper.
And other gimmicks.
And the Euforia amp also has silver wiring out of the box plus a Vcap TFTF+ Odam mod that came from me.
That could probably look a bit clinical with the KTE if I had to guess.
Au h when the Ak4497 is on the warm side,it is not 100% warm yet.
Or am I barking up the wrong tree?
If the usb port is as good as on the Lv2 I can probably save myself the Singxer su 2.
Which wouldn’t be a bad thing.
The matrix audio card will probably also eliminate most of the interference before it gets to the dac where the rest is done.
I mean, the S3 and amber 3 are both enough more expensive than spring 3 that their used pricing is comprable to springs new pricing. I dont think holo is the second comming but after spending some time with it tbh i feel like it gets a bit too much hate here.
I’d agree but I’m an owner, so biased. This also may just be me being defensive but it irks me when comparisons are made when the commentor has only heard a Spring 1 or 2 and then dismissing the Spring3 and especially the KTE as being the “same”.
I think if you are going to use an SU2 then yeah no need to spend for the KTE. But, besides the silver wire and other “gimicks” the KTE is the only Spring3 that has the Titnanis 2.0 USB, as comes also in the May level 2 and KTE.
I don’t feel it gets hated at all. Just that not a lot of spring owners jump in to talk about it on here, either because only 4 of us here have (that I know of) heard it or those who have heard it weren’t compelled enough to make a post about it.
I know I didn’t do any in-depth sound impressions of it but that’s mainly because I have nothing else to compare it to.
I love how a rather simple question turned into this lovely discussion. I own the Spring 3 KTE and like it a lot, bought it used saved about 15% and felt the improvement over my Denafrips Pontus II and Iris system it replaced. It did come already burned in. I wouldn’t say it’s my end game DAC but it’s definitely more than enough for now that I can focus on other parts of my system.
Only reason I asked was since I had an opportunity to “upgrade” it to another used spring with the preamp but I decided not to. Partially because of the discussion here.
Thanks again everyone, love the vibe of discussions here!
Well for me it would definitely be a big leap forward to possible finals.
And it would play the Singxer against the wall.
With the Cyan it would be an upgrade as well but not obviously more of an improvement in that respect.
For me, the opinions of the people here are more important than any rating on Youtube.
Because here open questions can be answered, and openly ask for your opinion what you think of it.
Of course, you then have to come to terms with the open opinion.
Since it’s not exactly a $200-500 dac, I think it’s even more important to ask open questions before you buy it.
Buying second-hand seems to be stable in terms of price on the US market, compared to the Eu market where you can hardly find one.
I looked for the differences between Lv 2 and Lv 3 here and found it very well described.
Personally I have to say.
The Kte version seems to be a bit thick for my purposes.
The preamp module doesn’t really make sense to me.
If I buy the full Kte version I’ll have to think about the Rockna Wavelight for the price tag.
Lv2 got the Best Ear seal apart from that, which was probably bought.
Level2″
(With HoloAudio caps for ultimate power filtration and improved sound quality - Sound quality is refined and more relaxed, transparent and details are more refined and clear while remaining neutral. ) It has standard Red label 5N Copper Otype Transformer, round wire type copper wiring. This is a popular option for those looking to get a little more out of their DAC with improved sound from the caps as well as this version will include the CNC machined aluminium remote control.
“KTE”
The highest grade components are used in our very popular KTE version products. This Spring3 KTE version will include an upgraded ultra premium transformer that is 100VA O-Type flat wire type. The sound improvement is not subtle, it’s a night and day improvement in our opinion and many of our customers agree. Kitsune has tuned this Spring 3 DAC for no compromise performance and targeted at the enthusiast audio lover. This transformer is our finest available model and makes the Spring’s sound quite elegant and improved detail. more features mentioned below.
The following is added to KTE Spring3:
100VA O-type (NOT toroid) Flat wire type as found in the flagship May Dac L2 and KTE.
All copper wire is replaced with 1.5mm pure occ silver wire.
Hand Selected Dac module to have best measurements compared to averages.
KTE Spring3 is ONLY level to have the enhanced USB module as found in our L2 and KTE May dac. Has titanis 2.0 circuit.
Replaced IEC inlet connectors with pure silver/rhodium plated faston connectors at the IEC inlet.
HoloAudio Red Nano fuse
Holo Audio Caps(we have done extensive testing and these prove to provide the very best sound quality)
Special Kitsune Tuned Edition branding inside and out (pure copper Kitsune fox emblem on top panel)
"OPTIONAL upgrade - Preamp Module - Fully discrete and balanced relay controlled volume control. Controls all the digital inputs volume with precision. This has trickle down technology from our popular flagship preamp the Serene. Using 4 amp modules and hundreds of transistors.
.