Musical Fidelity V-DAC Owners? - Page 57

Hi.  First post.  I've had my v-dac for a couple of months now, hooked up to my old dvd/cd player and apple tv.  I'm using both digital inputs only (dvd player via coax and atv via toslink).  I just realized that whenever I first turn on the cd player, no sound comes out of the speakers until I remove the toslink cable.  Once the sound comes on I can put it back.  Is this a known problem.  Btw, when I turn the dvd player, the apple tv is off.  So, both inputs work, but I just don't get why I need to remove the other cable in order to get sound from the cd player.  Also, this doesn't happen when I turn on apple tv, sound comes out with no problem.  Please help.

Just got off the phone with audioadvisor, I didn't realize that the digital inputs are meant for just one source.  So technically I'm supposed to only connect either the apple tv or the cd player in the digital input.  But since it's only a minor inconvenience, then I'll leave my connections as is.

if you just turn off the dvdplayer -instead of removing cables- then the apletv will be on and sound will come out from it and vice versa . dont pull out cables

 

 

Yes, that's right. "Don't believe in everything, what you read". V-DAC is Hype. Test multiple dacs before buy in anything.

I don't like v-dac, when listening rock, hard rock ....

Examples the firestone dac doing every bass line and bass drum better. Jazz with the Vdac sound good.

 

And I don't like V-DAC, when listening my headphones (beyerdynamics dt990, grado sr-80). Firestone dacs sound better with headphones , I think.

(Firestone -> Cmoy/headphone amp -> headphones).

 

:) Markku

 

The V-DAC is definitely not hype. While it's not the end all, be all when it comes to pace, rhythm and timing, it is most certainly amazing with other things musical. I reiterate that it does natural timbre and texture amazingly. The tone of acoustic instruments is spot on and it's rendition of orchestral complexity is without question. If your music is classical, jazz, bluegrass, or anything unplugged or without electronic manipulation, you'll love the VDAC. Definitely not hype.

I was hoping for some more weight in my sound when I got the V-dac II. Just used the built in dac in my M1 HPA amp before and now I run it with the v-dac II and guess what, I lost some weight in the sound instead... But I did get a more airy sound and a bit softer in the high freq. But its not what I really wanted, just wanted a bit more weight and thump. 

Not a keeper for me. 

 

As a V-II owner,I do not miss the low end.

 

I got really thundering deep notes out of my V-II, that is, with another PSU.

 

The bass from my JBL L7 really shakes the floorboards, and it is my first bitstream DAC, that I have not removed the output capacitors from the DAC.

 

On some good records I can feel the thumping bass notes in the whole house, actually better than in the listening room..

 

/SWIN

Well this is wierd. I now tried the USB connection instead of optical and the sound got smoother and more thick. Can this be a cause of the 10$ optical cable i used ?

 

This may be a keeper after all.

Trying an optical cable from bluejeanscable.com, and really like the soundquality compared with coaxial.

 

The V-II is really sensitive to all kind of electrical noice, and it sounds like the BJC optical cable cleans up the sound a bit.

 

Just charged up an old car battery, optical + battery power must be the optimal configuration.

 

And, please note, that the V-II takes about two hours from cold, or about 25 min from "on but not working" to sound optimal.

It sounds cold and clinical at first, but warm and fat after proper warm up.

Edited by SWIN - 5/9/12 at 10:18am

DAC's yeah I confirm I have personally tested many DAC's. I found that they seem to more suited to enhance PC music. I have found the best way that really works. I send a pair of anologs (Components used as RCA'a) out from my main dedicated CD player into a Pioneer PDR-609 (a dam fine respectable CD player & recorder too! only the richness is week.) recorders DAC, then a coaxial link (Component used as a coaxial) to my Sony MDS-JB930 QS. Then another pair of anolog leads out to my big Nad C370. Note I find IXOS XHS 756 bi wire speaker cable has full clear power and no drawbacks, at all. (IXOS 806 cable on rears/ mulit channel not surround sound!)I use CMC silver banana plugs, mains condioners 9.5% silver solder. AS gel pads on main font speakers and those brilliant tweeter upgrades a pair SUPER titanium dome tweeter, KO XT25. Plus a Niles amp switch, made in the US.

What you get is everything and it goes up to 11. Full depth & detailed Midrange like I have never heard in anything bar the very highest 5.1 SACD format. Infinite depth & body & full bass & vocal perfection in a nutshell. Latest brilliant must get into rock Cd's I listen to go with this are = Don’t Explain by Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa and Within Temptation - The Unforgiving. Plus that not so new Fleetwood Mac DVD-Audio (in 2 channels pls 4 DVD-A formats) disc Say you will, played on probably the best music multi disc player ever built (less the built in CD player/lack of space for It.) a Pioneer Dv 868 Avi. I also use silver plated RCA spurs to send my turntable ect.. Through this set up. = contact cleaner, copper lines, silver plated mains wall socket, silver plated IEC kettles, adhesive heat shrink tubing, Silver conducting PCB paint on any visible nickel contacts internally.

I confirm this set up is not a random list of Kit. I suspected the 609 would be better than the 930 as a DAC, so I got both! The 930 has the upper hand as its detail & full body but has poor treble & clarity without the 609. The 930 is an excellent recording machine. What a team these two make. I'm no electronics engineer so I can only guess this combo sounds so good because of the bit staging and volt to current conversions. I don’t know how you see Hi-fi as Status or getting the most out for the least but, if this combination can be bettered you'd need to be a chief electronics engineer or a millionaire or to even to take a PhD for a work out, well these people do exist. I've even listened to the latest £800 cd players as well as 3K ones.

It's out of my budget but I'd love a very rare HI mini disc player as the DAC instead of the 930, but I understand they are serious second hand money and may only be available from Japan, if at all.

But for now, my audio quest is finally complete, I have surpassed what I thought was remotely possible.

(remember if one has not heard, then one cant credibly compare.)

Mission completed.