I plan to, but I don’t want to have my initial write up public anymore (which is why I soft removed it from hfg, if someone really wanted to read it they could just use wayback or another archive) but I will likely make this more brief and readable and more fit for something like an article. It’s also fun bait to join if you can only see pt2 and not pt1 lol
7 Likes
I should also mention that I’ll try to write something over a period of weeks instead of what I did previously (the initial dac article was decided on and 2/3 written overnight on the same day lol), I’ll try and make it a bit less personal focused and disjointed and go into the mindset of writing it for someone else rather than myself since different motivation this time
3 Likes
Some of this equipment is pretty common and I would say definitely a setup for someone that is in the market for this tier of DAC. They usually shop for a DAC like this and then upgrade their source/server later.
Point is, I wouldn’t want you to buy something new. Even with the K50, yes, it will elevate it, but I think you just need to keep it constant enough to make comparisons on the DAC. Best of luck on your observations and looking forward to the read.
4 Likes
@M0N , your technical and subjective opinions are “gold”, or at least highly valued and respected by individuals reading your breakdowns.
Please keep the music source relatively simple, clean and within reason as far as cost is concerned. Those that really care about your musings understand and accept the ability of equipment to scale upwards with “better” equipment, power, and cables. A solid grasp of what a DAC can do in a chain that would not break some of our bank accounts would be VERY worthwhile for folks like us who look to grow into the hobby and find best synergy at a cost relative to what we can pinch and save. Thank you for the expense and efforts, I know I speak for many here when I say we so very much appreciate this and you!
5 Likes
I feel like I’m only missing a budget spdif/aes source so I might try and grab a pi2aes or su-2 before I publish it just to test and tack that on
Thx thx, I think the hardest part will just be getting myself motivated to actually listen more considering the other dacs I have in the house now lol. But I’ve already done 1/2 of the listening with some of the dacs so I don’t have too much longer to do. But I don’t want to rush things either
Will do
1 Like
That would be particularly valuable, I think. Considering the enthusiasm around that device.
3 Likes
Damn, gonna be like those news articles you read for 3 seconds before the login required popup fades in. I just wanted to know about the new food truck the next town over.
1 Like
To be more clear here, this is only for the first one not the one currently writing, and also it’s unlisted so it’s not visible either, so it’s not going to be something you can find without the link anyways, just wanted to both convert that to an article form but also keep it restricted to the group here. Don’t plan on doing that with any other articles. That article has caused me a bit of trouble so I just don’t want it public anymore (I still get the whole dac don’t matter people sending me stuff, angry aqua fans lol, and a few other things that I won’t mention but were offputting), is easier just to remove it and restrict it here. Also while I still stand by it, I do think my experience with those dacs was tainted enough to want to redo it due to now feeling like I had inadequate digital front ends and also experienced what was solidly above
And the stupid joke of making pt1 restricted but pt2 aval lol
5 Likes
Yeah but it would be fun watching their heads blow off when that login to read more screen fades in…
3 Likes
It would honestly be even funnier if a login popped up when you just visited the site at all after a few sec, people wouldn’t expect that
2 Likes
DACs don’t matter but I still must read this! lol
2 Likes
I don’t get it either, if you aren’t interested, don’t read it, not like I’m pushing it in anyone’s face or trying to promote it in any way (at least I don’t think I am). I also don’t think I was being preachy or trying to tell someone what I thought about the dacs was fact either (if I came off that way let me know so I can change that), so I really don’t understand why I still occasionally get messages about that from those types of people. I think the best thing is when there have been a few that asked if I double blind tested the dacs, which I did, but they can’t seem to accept that (just didn’t switch every 30 or so sec, don’t know how that invalidates a blind ab to them)
I guess if you have been conned into thinking all the stuff that compels people to think like that in the first place, they likely don’t see anything wrong with trying to “inform” people of their “errors”
4 Likes
I guess some people just don’t like hearing opinions that diverge from theirs.
2 Likes
Probably just really comes down to pride and lack of humility…
2 Likes
I think it would be fine leaving the server and reclocker in the chain. My thought is that for the comparison it would be best to adjust as little as your chain as possible (just the dac) so it’s easier to do the comparison. If you change more of your setup then perhaps it would be more difficult to determine what change the dac is having on the sound.
However as long as the chain is constant around the dacs that you are testing, that’s the most important part imo.
3 Likes
A few updates, I think I will just do the M3 from memory since I’ve tried to get one multiple times (literally been waiting months for one) and none can come in time before I have to return some of these loaners, I’ve heard the dac enough times to feel confident, and also can extrapolate from the M21 to some extent
Also, after compiling my notes on listening with the may today, I’m sorry to holo fans in advance lol
12 Likes
I finished a lot quicker than I thought I would? Already had the listening done but was waiting on the bricasti, but now that I didn’t have to, I just banged it out in the past 2 days lol
If there’s errors please let me know, I likely missed a fair bit, as it was rushed just like the first one lol
23 Likes
Looks good, you tried real hard no to turn it into a review and I think you did that. Actually VERY valuable info in the various amp pairings and since you had a nice price point spread, I think it’s a good reference point for people should they move into or up the ladder of the amps you’ve referenced. How well they reacted to an improved digital signal is invaluable info that can serve as good reference for a long time to come.
Good work and I’m glad you decided to blow your weekend off on the endeavor. It was a worth while read, even the bright DACs at the end!
2 Likes
I feel like I should elaborate further on that, but for now it’s really just more a brief suggestion than anything else
Also should have noted synergy between different digital solutions but just felt instead to generalize it all
It’s weird, I really do like brighter leaning dacs on the higher end, but at this price point, I just don’t think there were many brighter leaning dacs that I actually enjoyed somewhat outside of the tt2 and term ii (sorta)
2 Likes
Enjoyed the read quite a bit. Really helps confirm my suspicions that perhaps the La Voce is a little more relaxed/smooth than my preference…at least when paired with the Crayon. Your description read almost exactly like what I’ve been feeling about my chain lately, especially on the Susvara. So, something a little more forward with stronger macro and immediacy might push things just enough.
1 Like