[zhgutov]

Thanks for sharing @zhgutov. Am not so technically inclined. Is the RS05/V800 combo more superior in dynamic range and noise level ? I currently have the RS05 / V850 (resampling off) combo feeding into the V280. Thanks.

This pairing is not better in terms of SNR or DR (and this doesn't matter much), but it has slightly less distortion.
I don't like how RS05 pairs with RS06, but V850 my be different, since it is more similar to the V800 by design.
RS05 with V800 produce the best sound and measurements when RS05 is set to 88.2 kHz.
This may be different for V850. So, try it with your ears

 

[AudioPowerHead]

This pairing is not better in terms of SNR or DR (and this doesn't matter much), but it has slightly less distortion.
I don't like how RS05 pairs with RS06, but V850 my be different, since it is more similar to the V800 by design.
RS05 with V800 produce the best sound and measurements when RS05 is set to 88.2 kHz.
This may be different for V850. So, try it with your ears

I’ve tried V850/V280 with and without RS05 and I prefer the former. It simply provides a blacker background and more spartial dimensionality. For upsampling, I am using Audirvana’s SOX upsampling to 176.4 kHz and then max it to 192 kHz on the RS05. This seems to be the current sweet spot for me; before feeding it through to V850/V280.

 

[zhgutov]

This is something I cannot find anywhere, so here it is:

UPD. Frequency response vs level:

Test signal itself is multitone where each frequency is somewhere at -30 ... -50 dBFS.
Noise starts to dominate when it is attenuated by 100 dB.

 

[Lindholdt]

Does anyone know if it is possible to know, by looking at the exterior of the V800, if it had the old 24/96 USB input or the updated 24/192?
Found one for sale locally, and the seller does not know if it is the updated version or not, and I'm wondering if I can see it on pictures somehow?

 

[PoMarantz]

I can't help you with that…..I can tell you that I was the original purchaser of the 24/96 version (Audeze LCD-2 Originals) and my system still sounds fantastic "to me"!

 

[Lindholdt]

I can't help you with that…..I can tell you that I was the original purchaser of the 24/96 version (Audeze LCD-2 Originals) and my system still sounds fantastic "to me"!

Looks great
I'm sure both versions sound fantastic, and I'm not really interested in High-res audio anyway. But I believe they also updated the Xmos chip, which is interesting to me, as I would be using mine mostly with my PC.
You don't happen to have a picture of the backside of your V800? Maybe I can spot something that is different from the one I'm looking at buying

 

[project86]

I don't think there will be any way to tell from an external view. After all, a USB B port is a USB B port, and I don't recall there being any sort of labelling which said "24/192" or whatever.

The seller would be able to check using various methods though. If they are using a driver, that might tell you. Or if they are just using built-in Windows driver then it might show up in the properties as far as sample rate capabilities. Or, crazy as it sounds, they could just try to play a 24/192 track using Roon/Jriver/Foobar/etc and see how it reacts.

 

[Lindholdt]

I don't think there will be any way to tell from an external view. After all, a USB B port is a USB B port, and I don't recall there being any sort of labelling which said "24/192" or whatever.

The seller would be able to check using various methods though. If they are using a driver, that might tell you. Or if they are just using built-in Windows driver then it might show up in the properties as far as sample rate capabilities. Or, crazy as it sounds, they could just try to play a 24/192 track using Roon/Jriver/Foobar/etc and see how it reacts.

That's the thing, I've already asked the gentleman selling it, if he had the option to try playing high res via the USB input, but unfortunately he's does not. He is using the DAC in his speaker setup.

I'm aware that USB ports generally look the same, but since this is an add-on, I was hoping that there might be a small change if another brand of port was used, or something like that. Long shot, I know, but it's what I've got to work with

 

[project86]

I guess you could go back through this thread and scour the pics, see if anything stands out in terms of the physical USB B port and maybe what color it is or some other tiny detail. It does seem like a very long shot though - who says they didn't change part over the years, unrelated to the actual upgrade? But that's all I can think of to suggest, and maybe some pattern will present itself.

EDIT Even if the seller uses the DAC in his speaker system, there really should be nothing precluding him from grabbing a laptop and connecting via USB. I just assume everyone who has a decent hifi setup has access to a laptop but maybe I'm wrong there. Perhaps it's an old school audiophile type who doesn't know anything about computer audio?

 

[PoMarantz]

Looks great
I'm sure both versions sound fantastic, and I'm not really interested in High-res audio anyway. But I believe they also updated the Xmos chip, which is interesting to me, as I would be using mine mostly with my PC.
You don't happen to have a picture of the backside of your V800? Maybe I can spot something that is different from the one I'm looking at buying

I took that shot when I first bought The DAC and The Amp…right now it’s sitting under my secondary monitor and in-use…so a photo of the back would be a hassel…and from what Project86 is saying a photo of the back most likely would not buy you any thing…it is surprising that a company would not have any labeling for an upgraded model. Right?
Wasn't there an upgrade kit I could buy for my DAC? Hmmmmm….I have some time on my hands!

 

[Lindholdt]

Perhaps it's an old school audiophile type who doesn't know anything about computer audio?

Exactly, an elderly man, very nice but not very technical, unfortunately.
I'll go through at least some of this thread and see what I can find.
Thanks

 

[roskodan]

@Lindholdt if the price is right, it doesn't matter really... right? ... only USB input is affected... opto, coax and bal go up to 210kHz...

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/785694/Violectric-Dac-V800.html?page=22#manual

most PC software have down-sample feature if need USB output down sampled to 96kHz...

 

[Lindholdt]

@Lindholdt if the price is right, it doesn't matter really... right? ... only USB input is affected... opto, coax and bal go up to 210kHz...

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/785694/Violectric-Dac-V800.html?page=22#manual

most PC software have down-sample feature if need USB output down sampled to 96kHz...

No it's not super important, and I'm more interested in the updated Xmos chip, than the upped sample rate, as I will be using this mostly with my PC.

 

[project86]

Keep in mind Violectric initially made some 24/192 boards with a newer Tenor chip, so those do exist along with the older Tenos 24/96 and also the XMOS version.

I do think the XMOS is probably "better" than the Tenor solutions, just in terms of general compatibility or future proofing. But there are still drivers available for all three USB versions so it may not matter too much in the end. Or, you could always use an inexpensive USB to SPDIF converter if the integrated USB caused issues.

 

[Lindholdt]

Keep in mind Violectric initially made some 24/192 boards with a newer Tenor chip, so those do exist along with the older Tenos 24/96 and also the XMOS version.

I do think the XMOS is probably "better" than the Tenor solutions, just in terms of general compatibility or future proofing. But there are still drivers available for all three USB versions so it may not matter too much in the end. Or, you could always use an inexpensive USB to SPDIF converter if the integrated USB caused issues.

Great information, thank you
Might take the chance and give it a try. It's an old unit, but still costs quite a bit, so I just want to try and be sure it will work okay in my use case