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Clash of the titans: Benchmark DAC-1 vs. LeVry DA-10 vs. upgraded Zhalou DAC - Page 57

post #841 of 845
4/17/06 at 11:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JiggaD369
What about the DAC section on the 1.3 compared to the 2.0? is it suppose to be better than 1.3? Will it almost implement all of the upgrades and mods available for the 1.3?
Well, we don't know for sure. By all accounts it looks like it could be a really nice improvement. It appears to be a fairly substantial redesign so it could be better or who knows may take on a flavor that will not be as highly praised as the 1.3. You would think they would only improve it and keep the sonics within the same realm as the 1.3. If you haven't check the following thread out:

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=169177

Yes, the headphone amp upgrade is very good sounding with my Grado HF-1's. But as I always reiterate Grado's are easier to drive than a lot of headphones so you have to take that into account. I've compared using the Zhaolu as a headphone amp/DAC combo and using it as a DAC with my Mapletree and, yes, I do tend to favor the Zhaolu combo driving my HF-1's most of the time. It's fairly close. The Zhaolu combo just possesses such a live and airy feeling. It's a fet, fully discerete design and has a virtual direct connection to the DAC (no RCA and interconnect interface the signal has to go through) and so it sounds quite good.
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post #842 of 845
5/14/06 at 12:32am
Quote:
I still think you are incorrect here. The original suggestion by Lawrence was to replace the middle opamp with a DY-2000, and that is what I believe most of us head-fiers have done.
I guess I need a little bit of verification here. Does the middle opamp have the most affect, and does it control output to the RCA's? I've got the Zhaolu plugged in through my speakers, and I'm looking to replace the center 2604 with a pair of OPA627BP's I just picked up.
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post #843 of 845
5/14/06 at 1:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by johan851
I guess I need a little bit of verification here. Does the middle opamp have the most affect, and does it control output to the RCA's? I've got the Zhaolu plugged in through my speakers, and I'm looking to replace the center 2604 with a pair of OPA627BP's I just picked up.
The outer ones dictate 100% of the sound of the balanced output and about 1/3 towards the unbalanced RCAs. The other 2/3s of the sound of the RCAs is the centre opamp. These proportions are simply a rough estimate based on my listening tests, not through any understanding on the circuit. Also give the opamps about 2 weeks usage before they burn-in.
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post #844 of 845
9/13/06 at 6:17pm

Specific modifications

Hi all. I am new here so I hope that I am posting this correctly. During this DAC comparison, it was mentioned that the Zhalou DAC was modified. I realize that this was almost a year ago but can anyone be more specific regarding what specific modifications were done to this unit that yielded these results? I.e. What DAC chip was in the unit? etc The reason that I am requesting this is that there appears to be a choice of different modifications and I am confused on which ones to order. Also, were any comparisons done withOUT an active preamp? I mean with the DACs plugged direct into the power Amp And in the case of the Zhalou thru a passive preamp? The reason I ask this is that it has been concluded in other reviews that the benchmark sounds significantly better plugged direct and as it so happens this is the configuration of my audio system. I am curious if the Zhalou unit has the balls to drive an audio system plugged directly into passive preamp? thanks........ davi
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post #845 of 845
9/15/06 at 8:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by johan851
I guess I need a little bit of verification here. Does the middle opamp have the most affect, and does it control output to the RCA's? I've got the Zhaolu plugged in through my speakers, and I'm looking to replace the center 2604 with a pair of OPA627BP's I just picked up.
hey..let us kno wat u think of d opaa627s swap. im gonna do all 3 wit opa2107s myself
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