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Stello DAC comparison: Stello DA100 vs DA220 vs DA220MKII - Page 2

post #16 of 85
10/15/06 at 12:32pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
I love the spaciousness and airiness of DA100. It really opens up the soundstage.
That they all have. On the 701 & RPX-33, the soundstage isn't exactly small so I noticed this only today with the speakers. Could have sweared there was an orchestra hiding in the room when running "War of the worlds - Eve of the war". Really very strange: an orchestra can't fit in a normal room, let alone in mine, but somehow it does sound very convincing.

Quote:
I don't think that it's as bassy as described
Perhaps the difference isn't as noticable with a 650, because that's already pretty good in the bass department. But if you take the 701 & DA100, you'll start & think "is this track supposed have this amount of bass?". But after a few minutes, it just sounds so good you have the feeling it was missing all along. It really complements the 701 very well in that respect.

BTW.
- I wouldn't describe the DA100 as bassy. That would suggest it's bloated and/or out of control. I would rather describe the DA220 as "thin" when compared to the other 2 DACs, and the DA100 as "lacking detail" when compared to the other 2.
- A HD650 might make the original DA220 sound a lot "fuller" than it did now. The other parts in the chain can reveal problems, but never forget they can also be used to fix or hide them.
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post #17 of 85
10/15/06 at 1:10pm
Thanks for elaborating. Sounds that K701 would match well with this combo. I must give them a try again some day.
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post #18 of 85
10/15/06 at 1:37pm
Quick Review on HP100 & DA100 combo by The Absolute Sound

HP100 & DA100 Review
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post #19 of 85
10/16/06 at 4:01pm
Hello

Just wanted to let people know that April Music will be at this years

Denver Audiofest'06 in room 557.Please come buy and check out the

New 100 series line.HP-100,DA-100,S-100

Thanks
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post #20 of 85
10/16/06 at 8:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by krusty09
Hello
Please come buy

Thanks
LOL.


Sorry about that... I'm searching for a DAC to upgrade from my Ack! 2.0. I'm not sure how to quantify the observations in this thread.

Would the 100 be a formidable upgrade on its own, or should I really just wait until a used 220 MkII comes up on Audiogon (one is pending @ $1100)? I know there is no clear cut answer here, but just as a general feeling having a PPX3 Slam into an L3000?
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post #21 of 85
10/17/06 at 2:23pm
Thread Starter 
Yes, and yes.

Sorry about your wallet, but though the DA100 would likely be a considerable upgrade for you, I recommend buying the DA220 or MKII. You could also look for a used DA220, as even that is considerably better than the DA100 but perhaps only at a slight price increase.
The steps in audio quality are really, really BIG. I tested the Xindac cables against my own cables that same day, and the percentage improvement (perhaps 1-3%) was WAY below that of each and every one of the DAC improvements. I must say I was quite disappointed by the difference the cables made: music was a tiny bit brighter, and had a bit more impact but IMO not enough to justify the price (put mildly).
In any case, I strongly recommend you test things first before you buy. It is highly likely your preferences differ strongly from mine (f.i. your setup is really totally different), and as a result you might look at the increases in performance from a completely different perspective.
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post #22 of 85
10/17/06 at 3:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobeau
I know there is no clear cut answer here, but just as a general feeling having a PPX3 Slam into an L3000?
The L3000 and SLAM are not exactly thin or dry. By most accounts they are well slamming, similar in tonal character to the Senn 650. I'd think the less bassy DA220 would be a better choice than the MKII. Otherwise you might cross that line into syropy or muddy.
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post #23 of 85
10/17/06 at 4:36pm
If DA220 (unbalanced) and DA100 share the same design then what makes that huge difference? Did you use EXACTLY same equipment for both DACs? Same interconnects, power cords and so on?

I hope I get a chance to audition DA220 myself some day.

And post some pictures of your setup LeonvB!
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post #24 of 85
10/17/06 at 9:54pm
Interesting. Further research (and a direct comparison) have led me to now think about the PV modded Lite DAC 60, or perhaps 62. Just really want to avoid going over $1k, at least for now.
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post #25 of 85
10/17/06 at 10:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patu
If DA220 (unbalanced) and DA100 share the same design then what makes that huge difference? Did you use EXACTLY same equipment for both DACs? Same interconnects, power cords and so on?

I hope I get a chance to audition DA220 myself some day.

And post some pictures of your setup LeonvB!
Most of the time, 2 seperate powersuplies are better; better sound, detail and much better background...better control.

The expensive audio note dacs for instance have more seperate powersuplies like 4 or even 6 in a unit. Total control over the sound.
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post #26 of 85
10/19/06 at 3:15pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Did you use EXACTLY same equipment for both DACs? Same interconnects, power cords and so on?
Again yes, yes and yes. All tested equipment is noted in the first post. One note: all DACs were powered by a Xindax powercord. There were plenty of those, so we didn't swap those around. But I must say the sound signature of the MKII is pretty consistent: my unit shows exactly the same behaviour as the one in the showroom. Then again, Arian said the DACs are very sensative on the powercord, so I took along a Xindac powercord (P03) also.

Quote:
And post some pictures of your setup LeonvB!
Ok, I know this sounds stupid: how?

Quote:
Just really want to avoid going over $1k, at least for now.
DA220 is 1095 euro including 19% VAT. Can't see how a used unit could cost more than 1K in $. Just curious: against what Stello did you compare the DAC 60 & 62, and what were the differences you noticed?
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post #27 of 85
10/19/06 at 4:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LeonvB
Then again, Arian said the DACs are very sensative on the powercord, so I took along a Xindac powercord (P03) also.
I've heard this also. I use DIY power cords which are made of Supra Lorad for both HP100 and DA100.


Quote:
Ok, I know this sounds stupid: how?
Use some image hosting service like http://imageshack.us/ .
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post #28 of 85
10/19/06 at 6:21pm
Thread Starter 

Not too great a picture, but there's not enough light to work without a flash.
Top top bottom it's the SCD-CE595, Rudistor RPX-33, Stello DA220MKII and Korsun V6i. Next to it is one of the Temparence III speakers. Rack and speakers where built by me.
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post #29 of 85
10/20/06 at 6:36am
Very nice rig LeonvB. I've had RPX33 for loan and I liked it very much. Quite similar sound than the RP5.1 has (which I owned).

So DA220MkII is a good match for RPX33?
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post #30 of 85
10/20/06 at 2:42pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
So DA220MkII is a good match for RPX33?
I think the MKII is an almost perfect DAC. Almost, as there likely will never be perfection in music reproduction. But I think you'll have to search real hard to find substantial improvements, esp. at this pricepoint.
I found the RPX33 to be very fast, offer good detail, with very clean signals and it offers a HUGE soundstage. It doesn't have any real problems, so it's kinda strange you don't see them more often (price will kill most of the curiosity I guess).
With a combo like that, what could go wrong? Well, to be honest: I like my speakers even better than the K701 So the RPX33 and K701 get little use these days.
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