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New Audio-Gd Reference 8 and Reference 9?!

post #1 of 93
3/23/10 at 2:19pm
Thread Starter 
Someone posted this over in the computer audio but i thought here was more appropriate.

Right now only the chinese site's updated, so we can only ogle at the internals. It's looking really good.

н¨ÍøÒ³ 1
н¨ÍøÒ³ 1

Man, Kingwa is on fire. Ref 9 is their new entry-level balanced dac, me thinks

edit: Hmm on closer examination, i think it isn't. Seems to be the successor to the DAC-3SE/DV/REF. Plus there's no USB on this, which he said there will be on the entry lvl balanced DAC. Wow, 3 new DACs? Exciting times
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post #2 of 93
3/23/10 at 3:47pm
Yeah, just noticed on the web site as well!
Both the new dacs have no CAST output, but the Ref.8 is balanced.
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post #3 of 93
3/23/10 at 4:01pm
I wonder how good the Reference 8 will be, if it would be better than the 7 if you don't have a need for current output.

Edit: Nevermind, it's not. I just looked at the specs: http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/dac/RE8/RE8-3.htm
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post #4 of 93
3/23/10 at 4:16pm
Don't think so, at least given the price (the ref 8 is cheaper than the 7)
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post #5 of 93
3/23/10 at 4:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by realmassy View Post
Don't think so, at least given the price (the ref 8 is cheaper than the 7)
Kingwa's product naming system makes no sense. It's so thoroughly jumbled and out of order.
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post #6 of 93
3/23/10 at 5:08pm
Is there some list that shows the order of these Audio GD dacs / amps in order of entry level > top of the range?
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post #7 of 93
3/23/10 at 5:27pm
Look at the price list.

Biggie.
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post #8 of 93
3/23/10 at 5:52pm
ref 9 isn't balanced

1200€ ref8

850€ ref9

if I got that right
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post #9 of 93
3/23/10 at 9:41pm
It looks as if the Ref 8 and 9 have a conventional voltage output stage, without ACSS, as there are no ACSS modules but what looks like a network of transistors instead. Cheaper versions of the Ref 7 and Dac3 Ref respectively?
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post #10 of 93
3/23/10 at 10:00pm
I finally take delivery of my DAC-19DSP tomorrow, and I have already got my shipping label to send it right back to Kingwa for a new balanced DAC.

He told me the approximate date for the release of his new DACs via email. I have not asked his permission to release the date to the general public but I will say we can expect it very very shortly.
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post #11 of 93
3/23/10 at 10:00pm
I'm curious how good the voltage output stage is, since I will be using a Beta22.

The Ref8 has a SNR of 116dB.

The Ref1 (Kingwa seems to have removed the specs, but they were slightly less than the Ref7) with 117 or 118dB for RCA, 120 with XLR, and 125dB with current outputs.

The Ref7 has an SNR of 118dB with RCA, 121 with XLR and 126dB with current outputs.

But I question these measurements. The max SNR according to Burr Brown for the PCM1704U-K is 120dB in mono. So how can Audio-gd measure the unit at 126dB? Even in dual differential configuration, the chips are still running in mono.
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post #12 of 93
3/23/10 at 11:01pm
It is possible the total SNR of the machine is lower than single chip SNR.

Remember the REF7 is using 8 x 1704UK, each channel is using 4 chips. By configuring them as balanced out and parallel two chips, the noise will cancel each out, therefore the result of lower SNR and distortion.
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post #13 of 93
3/23/10 at 11:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmychan View Post
It is possible the total SNR of the machine is lower than single chip SNR.

Remember the REF7 is using 8 x 1704UK, each channel is using 4 chips. By configuring them as balanced out and parallel two chips, the noise will cancel each out, therefore the result of lower SNR and distortion.
Yes, I know the configuration. But I figured Burr Brown/TI would post those specs if the SNR could get higher by stacking them, especially since most companies who make DACs with these chips use them in differential and dual differential configuration.
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post #14 of 93
3/24/10 at 5:20am
I might be wrong, but the Reference 9 appears identical to the DAC-3 REF, and the Reference 8 would be an upgrade to the Reference 9/Reference 7 without ACSS.
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post #15 of 93
3/24/10 at 5:21am
But where's the Roc DAC.....
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