April Music Eximus DP-1 - Page 19

Quote:

Originally Posted by zenpunk 

How did you level matched the different equipments and how close before making your evaluation?

Simply by ear. I don't have/need measuring equipment and I'm not into charts either.

What is easy with the DP1 is that both outputs (XLR and RCA) have the same level, same with the DA-200.

The PWD's XLR output was about twice as loud as the RCA output as I can remember.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarknightDK 

Thanks for your impressions. Glad to hear that you're enjoying the DP1!

Thanks, it's a great piece of kit indeed and seves me well.
 

Loooooong time lurker here. I read through this entire thread last night and now feel that I must de-lurk long enough to express my appreciation to the posters for the trove of valuable information, opinion, and insight it contains. This thread in particular attracted my attention because ...

I've had the DP1 and pair of S1s for a month or so and continue to be astounded every time I sit down to listen. I'm not much of a headphone listener but, as can be seen in the above image, I do have a Stax SRM-T1 connected to the DP-1's single-ended outputs.  The Lambda Pro Signature Earspeakers sound quite remarkable with the DP-1 DAC up front and I may now start using them more.

I think I need to spend more time on this forum :-)

Dave F.

Welcome Dave!

Pretty nice setup you have there. I'm interested in the S1 myself but wasn't aware it's already available.

How are the S1s performing in your system? Can you compare them to any other amps you heard before?

Just to get an idea on what to expect.

Great review Appleheadmay, thanks!

I'm about to take the plunge on this myself but was wondering if anyone compared this with a Bryston, or Berkeley Alpha series 1?

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleheadMay 

Welcome Dave!

Pretty nice setup you have there. I'm interested in the S1 myself but wasn't aware it's already available.

How are the S1s performing in your system? Can you compare them to any other amps you heard before?

Just to get an idea on what to expect.

Thanks much for the welcome, AM. At this point, I'm hesitant to offer even a capsule review of the amps.  The temptation is to just say the system (DP1 + S1 amps) sounds astonishingly good. However, since it definitely sounds astonishingly different from the system it replaced, I do want to make certain I'm not reacting purely to this difference.  

The prior system included a BAT VK-50SE preamp and Bel Canto SET40 power amp.  All those tubes sounded quite good but very unlike the the Eximus chain. Also, the 845-based SET40 really wasn't the ideal amp to use with the Silverline Boleros.  Alan Yun (Mr. Silverline) has told me on more than one occasion the Boleros really do their best with solid state amplification.  He was certainly right about that. Digital sources in the pre-DP1 era were routed through a not-very-good DAC. So, other than the Basis Ovation turntable, this has been a wholesale system change for me.

I'm still in the Eximus honeymoon period so my opinion may change in time. However, for now, I am positively ecstatic over the transformation the DP1 and S1s hath wrought. It's as if 20 years of grime has been washed from the listening window. The Boleros have finally sprung to life with the S1s powering them. The DP1 is a game-changer (for me). The sound now has that "you are there" quality to it. I put "Muddy Waters Folksinger" on the TT and he was in the room with me. Digital files fed to the DP1 over USB are providing the best digitally sourced sound I've yet heard in my home. Backgrounds are dead quiet, bass performance is impressive. I was very hesitant to take a chance on class D amps since I've always found them to be dry and lifeless. That's certainly not the case with the S1s. Technology clearly marches on.

It will take some time for me to decide whether all this new-found clarity and transparency might not be too much of a good thing for my tube-friendly ears. There isn't a hint of harshness from the Eximus components but there is a degree of, for lack of a better word, brightness that I'm not accustomed to.  I suspect what I'm hearing is the information that never made it through the Bel Canto. One downside to this transparency is that sibilance is now more apparent to me and I've always been sensitive to excessive sibilance. I wonder how the DP1 would pair up with the new Rogue Audio Medusa or Hydra amps. A DP1 + Class D + tubes might make magic.

Anyway, I am thoroughly delighted with what I'm now getting from my system. The Eximus components have rekindled my interest in audio and, more importantly, music.  I'm spending more time listening and less time computing and for that alone I owe Simon Lee a very big "thank you".

Dave F.

Good to hear you don't find the S1 dry sounding. 

I have used to Rotel amps on several occasions and didn't like the sound of the Class D amps they seemed to want to move to for a few years.

Their Class A/B amps sounded better to me at least, but I wasn't much of a fan of those as well. Everytime I went for an audition between them and the Marantz amps I strongly preferred the latter. But getting the kind of power one can get out of a pair of DP-1 would cost quite a bit with a Class A/B amp. 

I read soemwehere that the S1 had "Class D done right" and I'm eager to know if that is indeed the case. I might just get me one, I don't need two for my speakers or the speakers I want to get in the future.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleheadMay 

Good to hear you don't find the S1 dry sounding. 

I have used to Rotel amps on several occasions and didn't like the sound of the Class D amps they seemed to want to move to for a few years.

Their Class A/B amps sounded better to me at least, but I wasn't much of a fan of those as well. Everytime I went for an audition between them and the Marantz amps I strongly preferred the latter. But getting the kind of power one can get out of a pair of DP-1 would cost quite a bit with a Class A/B amp. 

I read soemwehere that the S1 had "Class D done right" and I'm eager to know if that is indeed the case. I might just get me one, I don't need two for my speakers or the speakers I want to get in the future.

If you haven't already done so, you might want to read the updated 6moons review of the S1s:

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/eximus/1.html

Srajan eventually gets to the point :-)

No I haven't checked 6Moons since the preview, thanks for the link, reading material for in bed tonight!   

I remember the DP1 was his favorite gear of the year or something like that. Let's see what he thinks of the S1 then.  :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleheadMay 

Good to hear you don't find the S1 dry sounding. 

I have used to Rotel amps on several occasions and didn't like the sound of the Class D amps they seemed to want to move to for a few years.

Their Class A/B amps sounded better to me at least, but I wasn't much of a fan of those as well. Everytime I went for an audition between them and the Marantz amps I strongly preferred the latter. But getting the kind of power one can get out of a pair of DP-1 would cost quite a bit with a Class A/B amp. 

I read soemwehere that the S1 had "Class D done right" and I'm eager to know if that is indeed the case. I might just get me one, I don't need two for my speakers or the speakers I want to get in the future.

I haven't heard the S1, but I 100% agree with you re Marantz amps over Rotel. I would add that, in my experience, their product line (SR6003 PM6003 and several of their receivers) sound better than anything I've heard from CA or NAD. The latter might have excellent detail and PRaT, but the Marantz warmth and sheer musicality won me over every time. Marantz gear is often considerably more expensive than the other 'entry-level' electronics brands here in Oz, but anyone who gets the opportunity to audition them side by side will soon realise what I'm on about. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleheadMay 

No I haven't checked 6Moons since the preview, thanks for the link, reading material for in bed tonight!   

I remember the DP1 was his favorite gear of the year or something like that. Let's see what he thinks of the S1 then.  :)

You might want to read the last page first.  Srajan's first four pages might put you to sleep before you reach the exciting conclusion.

Dave F.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tetrode 

If you haven't already done so, you might want to read the updated 6moons review of the S1s:

 

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/eximus/1.html

 

Srajan eventually gets to the point :-)

 

I see, eventually.  ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by tetrode 

You might want to read the last page first.  Srajan's first four pages might put you to sleep before you reach the exciting conclusion.

 

Dave F.

I'm a bit of an insomniac, but indeed it nearly worked. Gotta read more of his writings at night!  :)

That said, are there any discounts for getting a pair?  *cough*

Trying to keep this thread alive.  Just came back from my vacation and havent listened the DP-1 for 2 weeks.  I left it on playing with a mp3 player the whole time for two weeks.  My take is that the sound has lost some of the heaviness it had with the sound.  What I mean is before, the instrument and vocals had a weight to it.  Now that weight have been getting slimmer.  More refine I think.  Soundstage have improved but just a tad more.  I was expecting more but its on par with my old EE Minimax dac in that department.  Another thing that change is the decay of the sound is just a bit longer than before.  It really show with classical like Yo-Yo Ma.  Saved the best change for last, this thing just get better and better in the detail dept.  In live performances like Led Zep and jazz at the pawn shop, I can notice those little voices better define and better placed.  I think this is what this little dac has all to offer and im very impress with it.  Definately a keeper. 

Just ordered a Little Dot MK6+ to play around with balanced output and getting back to a full tube amp. 

Everyone's too busy enjoying his DP-1 to still post in here I guess? 

Anyone's got good bang-for-bucks isolation feet to recommend maybe? 

I'm still scratching my head as to what tweaks to apply, it's kinda boring when everything sounds so good OOTB and that you have nothing left to modify/roll

Quote:

Originally Posted by leeperry 

Everyone too busy enjoying his DP-1 to still post in here I guess?

Been listening non-stop and buying loads of new music and headphones.  I guess the DP-1 must be doing something right