DAC recommendation...decision made: Oritek OMZ...OMG!

[HighLife]

Originally Posted by Golden Monkey

Where can I find info on Eddie's Zhaolu? Is there a website?

I dunno of a web site for his work, however you can search around the forums here and see some stuff he has done. Lots of zhaolu upgrades, i saw some D2s, a few others also.

He does really clean work too.

[CyberTheo]

Had you consider a D3? Seems not much more money.

[Golden Monkey]

If I was going to use a PC as source, I'd definitely consider the D3, but I'm trying to avoid that...this will be a headphone-only-CD-as-source setup. So far, I've got a Denon SACD/DVD-A player > Little Dot MkV amp > Senn HD650, and want to use an external DAC that will give me the best possible resolution and detail without any extraneous circuitry (hence the Oritek Zhaolu 2.5A NOS DAC). I'll probably end up at some point redoing my PC, with something like the DA 151 or D3 DAC, but until that time, I'll be working on this little setup.

[upstateguy]

Originally Posted by Golden Monkey

Where can I find info on Eddie's Zhaolu? Is there a website?

Eddie's site

[Golden Monkey]

Thanks!

[Golden Monkey]

Took the plunge, and Ori is building me one of the last OMZ's he's (potentially) planning on making. SO excited. It might be done this Saturday, in which case I'll drive down and pick it up. Ori's been great via email, and very quick to reply to my myriad of questions. I can't wait!

[HighLife]

Awesome man, let us know how it goes. Lots of people listened to the my Zhaolu this weekend. ASR and I both were amazed with his HP1000s and my DV336i. Of course i now have more in tubes then i do in the amp itself haha.

I have a Lavry DA10...but just now noticing its balanced out only. =(

[Golden Monkey]

Originally Posted by HighLife

Awesome man, let us know how it goes. Lots of people listened to the my Zhaolu this weekend. ASR and I both were amazed with his HP1000s and my DV336i. Of course i now have more in tubes then i do in the amp itself haha.

I have a Lavry DA10...but just now noticing its balanced out only. =(

I will, to be sure! Although I don't know if my system will do it justice

It'll be chillin' between my Denon DVD-1920 and my Little Dot MKV, driving HD650's.

That sucks about the DA10! It says right there on the home page:
"Lavry Engineering introduces DA10, a new stand alone stereo digital to analog converter. The half rack unit can receive AES or SPDIF digital audio on XLR, RCA and optical link.

The DA provides three Clock modes. The preferred modes are Crystal Mode and Narrow Lock Mode, but the unit also offers a Wide Lock mode based on an internal Sample rate conversion for listening at non standard sampling rates.

The level of the analog outputs (balanced or unbalanced) is controlled by an up–down switch and a 2 digit display. The “potentiometer free” discrete analog attenuator provides up to 56dB very high precision volume control in 1 dB steps.

A state of the art discrete headphone driver is capable of accommodating at ease even the lowest impedance headphones. The unit includes a polarity switch, and a Stereo-Mono switch, a feature aimed at mastering studios."
Of course, the pic of the back shows that it only has XLR's...wtf? Is there such a thing as unbalanced XLR?

[HighLife]

I just got done asking about this. You can get a balanced female to RCA cable at guitar center.

I didnt know it was a amp itself actually. I didnt notice the headphone input till i was told it was there. So im going to get at least test the dac...kinda unfair since it will not be going through the same amp =(

[Golden Monkey]

So they consider the single-ended headphone jack to be the "unbalanced analog output"? I guess that makes sense in a strict sense, but it is almost misleading, lol...