[bmichels]

... I have not been this enthusiastic about a new piece of equipment for a long time..

 
  I share the same excitement...
 
but... when you will start to evaluate it, try to fight to stay objective, and not to be attacked by the "new toy syndrome" that make everything sound uber-wonderfull 

 

[harmonix]

  Regarding the battery option, I have had a conversation with Philippe Chambon, the "brain" behind the HD DAC, and he wrote me "....what I've noticed with the MPS battery option is that the supply of the digital part, is more sensitive to the implementation of a battery power than the analog part." (translation from French).  
 
So... If you have the battery option, use it with the digital part.

Have you tried this yourself? 

 

[bmichels]

NO, I do not owe (yet) a HD DAC.  But I meet Philippe Chambon twice and we exchange mails (because I am considering building a 100% battery operated power supply to transport the HD DAC around away from the main)

 

[harmonix]

  NO, I do not owe (yet) a HD DAC.  But I meet Philippe Chambon twice and we exchange mails (because I am considering building a 100% battery operated power supply to transport the HD DAC around away from the main)

Someone has to experiment and let the rest know - unfortunately running a bit low on $$$ so anyone else please come to our rescue...

 

[bmichels]

Someone has to experiment and let the rest know - unfortunately running a bit low on $$$ so anyone else please come to our rescue...

Well Philippe cambon experiented... And since he is much more of a "geek" than a sales personn, I guests we can trust him

 

[isquirrel]

  Someone has to experiment and let the rest know - unfortunately running a bit low on $$$ so anyone else please come to our rescue...

I will try mine with and without the battery to sort out the best way to run it. I will be receiving mine this week just checked and it has landed.
 
I will post my findings here. I will also do a comparison of all 4 DAC's which will be interesting.

 

[Johnny Moondog]

  I ordered my Nagra kit, including the HD DAC, MPS and VFS plates for both. [...] Very exciting.

 
Visited the local Nagra dealer, but unfortunately they only had an evaluation unit for a couple of weeks, and had to return it. So now I'm faced with making a purchase decision without an audition.

 

[isquirrel]

  Visited the local Nagra dealer, but unfortunately they only had an evaluation unit for a couple of weeks, and had to return it. So now I'm faced with making a purchase decision without an audition.

Well hopefully you will be able to draw some safe conclusions from the results of my testing. The Nagra will be compared to the Gryphon Kalliope which betters every other DAC I have compared it to, including the 4 box dCS Vivaldi stack (there were 3 of us to witness it and we were all genuinely shocked), the Trinity DAC, MSB Analog DAC with base, Audionote DAC 5 Signature.
 
It will also be compared to the The Light Harmonic DaVinci and the Computer Audio Designs 1543 MK2 R2R DAC and I hope the Chord DAVE. Which will be on loan from my local dealer.
 
At this level I don't think it is mater of one DAC substantially bettering another, not really comes down to personal preferences. However there will be 3 of us testing and we will do as decent a job as possible using a mixture of high res and rebook all from the same music server. We will be only be using headphones initially before switching over to my speaker system.
 
I want to give the Nagra some time to burn in so although I can post initial impressions I will be waiting for the Nagra to be fully run in before doing serious comparisons. A couple of fellow Head-fiers are visiting for the week, so we will get some decent listening time in. This will be taking place over the 1st week of November.

 

[bmichels]

 
Well hopefully you will be able to draw some safe conclusions from the results of my testing. The Nagra will be compared to the Gryphon Kalliope which betters every other DAC I have compared it to, including the 4 box dCS Vivaldi stack (there were 3 of us to witness it and we were all genuinely shocked), the Trinity DAC, MSB Analog DAC with base, Audionote DAC 5 Signature.
 
It will also be compared to the The Light Harmonic DaVinci and the Computer Audio Designs 1543 MK2 R2R DAC and I hope the Chord DAVE. Which will be on loan from my local dealer.
 
At this level I don't think it is mater of one DAC substantially bettering another, not really comes down to personal preferences. However there will be 3 of us testing and we will do as decent a job as possible using a mixture of high res and rebook all from the same music server. We will be only be using headphones initially before switching over to my speaker system.
 
I want to give the Nagra some time to burn in so although I can post initial impressions I will be waiting for the Nagra to be fully run in before doing serious comparisons. A couple of fellow Head-fiers are visiting for the week, so we will get some decent listening time in. This will be taking place over the 1st week of November.

 
AHHH you also tested the Trinity DAC !  I never understood how they can justify it's pricing ! what did you think of it ? 

 

[isquirrel]

   
AHHH you also tested the Trinity DAC !  I never understood how they can justify it's pricing ! what did you think of it ? 

It is a very expensive DAC and I understand that they appeal to some people. I generally divide equipment and listeners into 2 camps, those that prefer neutrality and detail and to feel that they can hear everything and those that are naturally drawn to musicality and tonal warmth and don't mind sacrificing a bit of that in your face detail. I can generally tell by the way people have their 2 channel systems speakers setup. This is a very subjective matter and I am not for one moment suggesting that either camp is right or wrong and perhaps even generalising as I have is not fair. 
 
For me the Trinity DAC falls into the 1st camp, neutral, dry and plenty of detail, I found it fatiguing over a relatively short period of time and honestly couldn't hear what all the fuss was about. It was not a bad performance but it was some way off the mark of my personal preferences. The dCS and the Trinity have a similar sound. I think the Trinity is superior to the dCS. I was really shocked by the dCS performance, I was with a friend who was set on purchasing it so didn't want to say too much when asked what i thought but it was so obviously disappointing that I thought something was wrong with it, (there wasn't). 
 
It has occurred to me that through this past year I have heard and in some cases be lucky enough to own some very good DAC's it seems to me that there are only incremental differences between them. While DAC designers play around with power supplies and USB isolation devices and increasing the sample rate specifications none offer a radically different way of converting digital audio, what I am most interested in with he Nagra above all the others is that by using a genius like Andreas Koch that Nagra are getting at the fundamental issue of how best to decode the data. This approach has to offer the best possibility of a substantially different outcome. 
 
We shall see.

 

[romaz]

  The Nagra will be compared to the Gryphon Kalliope which betters every other DAC I have compared it to, including the 4 box dCS Vivaldi stack (there were 3 of us to witness it and we were all genuinely shocked), the Trinity DAC, MSB Analog DAC with base, Audionote DAC 5 Signature.
 
It will also be compared to the The Light Harmonic DaVinci and the Computer Audio Designs 1543 MK2 R2R DAC and I hope the Chord DAVE. Which will be on loan from my local dealer.

 
Hi, new to the thread and just read through all of it with great interest.  I wasn't expecting to dive into uber DAC territory since it seems insane to spend so much money for primarily headphone use (which would be the case for me) but I now find myself in it and there's no going back.  I have read Steve Guttenberg's review and I agree his reviews tend to be always too favorable and so I am more interested to hear about the Nagra from someone as experienced and discerning as you, @isquirrel.  I have personal knowledge of what the MSB Analog with base sounds like on headphones.  I have heard the dCS Vivaldi stack but only on speakers.  The others are foreign to me so I will have to figure out how to place it into proper context.  As we share the same headphone, that certainly makes it easier.
 
I have been evaluating the TotalDac d1-dual that @bmichels has been talking about.  I have heard it directly via the headphone out port as well as via the dual XLR ports (which is 2x more powerful) and I can say that via the dual XLR ports, it drives a current-hungry planar like the HE-1000 superbly and exquisitely.  The TotalDac d1-dual is an R2R NOS DAC without tubes and I would describe its strongest suit as having incredibly dense and rich tonality.  The sound is full, natural and fluid and some would suggest even "tube like" but without the limitations of tubes since direct-to-DAC provides unlimited bandwidth, speed and the blackest background.  I have compared it connected to my Eddie Current Balancing Act with PX4 tubes (1.25v at 32 ohms) and with the amp in the chain, there is no increase in dynamics but there is a noticeable increase and fluidity that is very much to my liking.  I, too, like the idea of an all-in-one and with the TotalDac d1-dual, unfortunately, I still prefer it with my tube amp in the chain.
 
I am told the TotalDac d1-monobloc ups the ante quite a bit and reliable sources suggest it is even more relaxed, more fluid and more 3D in its presentation.  With a very highly-regarded music server built into its reclocker, it may prove to be a true all-in-one.  I now have one on order but since it comes in at a price equivalent to the Nagra HD, MPS and battery, I feel it imperative to evaluate the Nagra as well.  I have requested an evaluation unit from a U.S. dealer in Washington although I have yet to hear back.  I am eager to hear your take on it with the HE-1000. 

 

[bmichels]

  ....I am told the TotalDac d1-monobloc ups the ante quite a bit and reliable sources suggest it is even more relaxed, more fluid and more 3D in its presentation.  With a very highly-regarded music server built into its reclocker, it may prove to be a true all-in-one.  I now have one on order but since it comes in at a price equivalent to the Nagra HD, MPS and battery, I feel it imperative to evaluate the Nagra as well.  I have requested an evaluation unit from a U.S. dealer in Washington although I have yet to hear back.  I am eager to hear your take on it with the HE-1000. 

 
An evaluation between the TotalDAC D1-Monobloc and the NAGRA HD DAC will be a super interesting !  Especially using for booth "headphone direct" !  
 
Will we "finally" find a viable DAC/Headphone solution WITHOUT the need for an external Headphone Amp ?? 

  
 
(Romaz, you tested your HE1000 Headphone directly connected to a Briscati DAC (with a dual 3-pin female XLRs adapter) and you told me that it was already very impressive. Was the TotalDac D1 Dual better than the Briscati to drive direct the Headphone ? )

 

[paulchiu]

   
An evaluation between the TotalDAC D1-Monobloc and the NAGRA HD DAC will be a super interesting !  Especially using for booth "headphone direct" !  
 
Will we "finally" find a viable DAC/Headphone solution WITHOUT the need for an external Headphone Amp ?? 

  
 
(Romaz, you tested your HE1000 Headphone directly connected to a Briscati DAC (with a dual 3-pin female XLRs adapter) and you told me that it was already very impressive. Was the TotalDac D1 Dual better than the Briscati to drive direct the Headphone ? )

 
Bricasti Design M1 is an A+ rated recommended component of Stereophile, reviewed by their editor John Atkinson back in 2012, then mentioned several times in recent years.  At under $9,000, it is a true value item in the high end.
I wish Atkinson would comment on his experience with the Nagra HD DAC.  He pretty much has reviewed all the uber DACs out there.

 

[nepherte]

   
I have been evaluating the TotalDac d1-dual that @bmichels has been talking about.  I have heard it directly via the headphone out port as well as via the dual XLR ports (which is 2x more powerful) [...]
 
I am told the TotalDac d1-monobloc ups the ante quite a bit and reliable sources suggest it is even more relaxed, more fluid and more 3D in its presentation.  With a very highly-regarded music server built into its reclocker, it may prove to be a true all-in-one.  I now have one on order but since it comes in at a price equivalent to the Nagra HD, MPS and battery, I feel it imperative to evaluate the Nagra as well.  I have requested an evaluation unit from a U.S. dealer in Washington although I have yet to hear back.  I am eager to hear your take on it with the HE-1000. 

Actually, it supplies 2x voltage and 4x power (that's just physics)
 

I am told the TotalDac d1-monobloc ups the ante quite a bit and reliable sources suggest it is even more relaxed, more fluid and more 3D in its presentation.  With a very highly-regarded music server built into its reclocker, it may prove to be a true all-in-one.

 
I own a Totaldac d1-dual and I believe monoblocs would be overkill for headphones. Using the Totaldac balanced already significantly limits the usable range of my amplifier's volume know (for the 300Ohm HD800). With the monoblocs you will likely have to lower the volume on the DAC itself. The music server would be the better investment I think (and actually considering it myself). I have been in talks with Vincent to see if I could run Roon on it once a linux built is available.

 

[romaz]

 
Will we "finally" find a viable DAC/Headphone solution WITHOUT the need for an external Headphone Amp ?? 

  
 

 
I am listening to the d1-dual via XLR outputs directly to my HD1000 again and comparing it against my Balancing Act.  I hadn't done it for a while since I thought I preferred my tube amp's fluidity better but now I am really actually preferring the presentation of the headphone directly connected to the DAC.  The added twist this time is I have just changed my front end for the better (much better).  Previously, I had everything connected to an Auralic Aries but now it is connected to an Aurender N10.  Obviously, since DAC-direct is much more revealing of the source, with a better and more musical source, I no longer feel I need a tube amp in the chain!  Quite a revelation!