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ZHAOLU Central - No Fluff, pure info thread - Page 7

post #91 of 104
7/24/06 at 11:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KevC
I wish i wish...

he would make something that is SMALL and SWEET. takes optical in and RCA outs, NOTHING else... no headamp, no XLR balanced outputs to raise the price.

and small. like the size of the spitfire. maybe i'll just get the spitfire....

//edit: There's also the LITE DAC-AH modded... looks pretty small and simple.
Have you seen the new Dac in the box ? http://www.diykits.com.hk/dac.html
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post #92 of 104
7/25/06 at 8:14am

some opamp impressions...

Just 'tweaked' the DAC section's opamps around a bit in my ZL 2.0.

I ordered the amp with the DY2000 - eddie swapped it in, but left 2 other LT1057s inside. I got myself a couple of OPA2107s, and began mixing-and-matching:

1x DY2000 2x LT1507 - nice, but the bass could be a little better.
3x OP2107 - nice, but something is missing. i can't place my finger on it - maybe 'life'?.
1x DY2000 2x OPA2107 - subtle. there seems to be this rougher silvery sparkle and edge to the highs with the DY2000 swapped in in the 'single' opamp position. much better. currently my fav combo by far.


FWIW, I'm currently using the stock headamp on the ZL (2x OPA2604) for the time being as my interconnects are on short-loan to a friend. Source is a HagUSB feeding the ZL FLACs via a custom made Belden 1694A terminated in true 75ohm canare connectors.
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post #93 of 104
7/25/06 at 4:30pm

Coax for 2.0? +Letter from Eddie Wu

I got my DAC from Wu last Thursday> It's been running ever since. I know it's been said many times, but with THIS product the burn in period cannot be overstated. Huge swings. I haven't noticed much change in the last 24hrs and I'm at about 144 hours. I'll do a more professional type review if anyone wants yet another one.

Here's my question: I'm using the Wu supplied coax. I emailed him about upgrading. Here's what he said:

Hi!
Different digital cable will offer different sound .
You can try even make up by your self but must be 75 ohm.
we can distinguish even the size of image comes out also.
Wu.
-----Original message-----
From: JimAXP@aol.com
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 00:14:27 +0800
To: info@diykits.com.hk
Subject: Re: Wu!

> dac 2 is great! Burn in is crazy though. So many changes. Question: I'm
> using supplied coax cable. Will better cable make sound better? If yes, can you recommend?
>


He probably didn't translate "recommend" well, so he gave none. Have you guys tried any different coaxs? I want good "Image come out"...lol.

I found this one on the net. Anyone tried it?? Sounds too good to be true...


http://www.tweekgeek.com/product.asp?pf_id=CTSilverAV
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post #94 of 104
7/25/06 at 9:17pm
I just received my OPA2107AP's and look forward to swapping them out as soon as my modded PCB arrives. Right now it's Inbound Out of Customs.
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post #95 of 104
7/26/06 at 12:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimaxp
I got my DAC from Wu last Thursday> It's been running ever since. I know it's been said many times, but with THIS product the burn in period cannot be overstated. Huge swings. I haven't noticed much change in the last 24hrs and I'm at about 144 hours. I'll do a more professional type review if anyone wants yet another one.

Here's my question: I'm using the Wu supplied coax. I emailed him about upgrading. Here's what he said:

Hi!
Different digital cable will offer different sound .
You can try even make up by your self but must be 75 ohm.
we can distinguish even the size of image comes out also.
Wu.
-----Original message-----
From: JimAXP@aol.com
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 00:14:27 +0800
To: info@diykits.com.hk
Subject: Re: Wu!

> dac 2 is great! Burn in is crazy though. So many changes. Question: I'm
> using supplied coax cable. Will better cable make sound better? If yes, can you recommend?
>


He probably didn't translate "recommend" well, so he gave none. Have you guys tried any different coaxs? I want good "Image come out"...lol.

I found this one on the net. Anyone tried it?? Sounds too good to be true...


http://www.tweekgeek.com/product.asp?pf_id=CTSilverAV
I would'nt go crazy with the coax. I have a set of these http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/d...ables.html#pro the ones with the orange boots also a set of interconnects from the same company good for the money and for my budget at the moment. You can look into these also for a higher end cable http://www.signalcable.com/digital_cables.html I hear good things about them (pun intended)
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post #96 of 104
9/15/06 at 7:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimaxp
I got my DAC from Wu last Thursday> It's been running ever since. I know it's been said many times, but with THIS product the burn in period cannot be overstated. Huge swings. I haven't noticed much change in the last 24hrs and I'm at about 144 hours. I'll do a more professional type review if anyone wants yet another one.

Here's my question: I'm using the Wu supplied coax. I emailed him about upgrading. Here's what he said:

Hi!
Different digital cable will offer different sound .
You can try even make up by your self but must be 75 ohm.
we can distinguish even the size of image comes out also.
Wu.
-----Original message-----
From: JimAXP@aol.com
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 00:14:27 +0800
To: info@diykits.com.hk
Subject: Re: Wu!

> dac 2 is great! Burn in is crazy though. So many changes. Question: I'm
> using supplied coax cable. Will better cable make sound better? If yes, can you recommend?
>


He probably didn't translate "recommend" well, so he gave none. Have you guys tried any different coaxs? I want good "Image come out"...lol.

I found this one on the net. Anyone tried it?? Sounds too good to be true...


http://www.tweekgeek.com/product.asp?pf_id=CTSilverAV
The CTSilverAV cable is not "too good to be true" - it is outstanding! I've got 6 of them, and they are great - much more clear and detailed, and brighter, while still retaining great tone body/weight.

However, I found the Radio Shack Gold CoAx digital cable to be a bit better link from my transport to my DAC - a bit more weight and warmth, while still very detailed and clear - a better complement to the CTSilverAV interconnects.

Just get them... you'll be very pleased... especially at that price.

GF2
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post #97 of 104
9/15/06 at 7:47pm

Zhaolu Reviews???

So... where are the gd Zhaolu reviews?

All this other stuff is just so much BS... and should be in the DIY forum, not the Digital Source forum.

I really don't care about how to connect a Zap Filter - I just want a concise appraisal of how the dam'n thing sounds compared to E5, Meridian, Esoteric, etc.
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post #98 of 104
9/15/06 at 8:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gradofan2
So... where are the gd Zhaolu reviews?

All this other stuff is just so much BS... and should be in the DIY forum, not the Digital Source forum.

I really don't care about how to connect a Zap Filter - I just want a concise appraisal of how the dam'n thing sounds compared to E5, Meridian, Esoteric, etc.
No offense, but I doubt you're going to find a comparison between Meridian and Esoteric sources, unless it's at a meet. I know there will be a heavily modded Zhaolu at the Austin, TX meet, and I'm sure some pretty nice CD-based sources will be there as well. If things go my way I'll have my Storm Digital D02A as well.
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post #99 of 104
9/17/06 at 12:51pm
Does anybody know about the status of the PCM17xx DAC for the Zhaolu D2.0?
And if this DAC chip would be an interesting upgrade from the CS DAC chip?
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post #100 of 104
9/17/06 at 2:47pm

So What's It Sound Like???

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thaddy
No offense, but I doubt you're going to find a comparison between Meridian and Esoteric sources, unless it's at a meet. I know there will be a heavily modded Zhaolu at the Austin, TX meet, and I'm sure some pretty nice CD-based sources will be there as well. If things go my way I'll have my Storm Digital D02A as well.
None taken... I just want to cut through all the BS... to understand whether this DAC is as good as all the early reports... or, if so many issues have been discovered that it really isn't... especially when compared to even mid-priced units?

From what I've been able to "glean from all the BS" it really isn't, and that most folks now have moved on to try others... but, that nothing really stands out as the E5 and Apollo have... at least, as far as the opinions of those experienced folks who who would know, would say.
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post #101 of 104
9/17/06 at 3:21pm
What it is, IMO is a good DAC for the pricepoint. If you're looking for a great sounding DAC stock, look further. I've been reading nice things about the Citypulse DA7.2X. But if you're willing to put an extra few hundred into mods, this DAC transforms into a giant killer IMO, and still at less than $500.00 total cost. You'll need to be fairly good at DIY or know someone who is.
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post #102 of 104
9/17/06 at 5:50pm
Question is though how does the praised heavily modded Zhaolu compared to the DA7.2x.. This is what I'd really like to know anyway . According to Eddie the stock Zhaulo 2.5 with the better CS-4398 DA Chip including psu upgrade and the opamp upgrade (LT-1057), doesn't hold a candle to the DA7.2x DAC. Which made me oooh so excited and now I'm just about to get one as soon as I get word from Eddie .
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post #103 of 104
9/17/06 at 6:19pm
If someone will bring one to the Austin meet, I'll let you know the answer.
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post #104 of 104
9/25/06 at 2:18pm
I noticed my D2.0 (with upgarded headamp) distorts over the line out on certain transients,
Could this be due to heat? (it gets quite warm)
What else?
What could I do about this?
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