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Alright. I bought one. Should be arriving in a few days.
Violectric / Lake People DAC RS 06
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novicez1
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I have the RS06 for almost a week and here is my review for it
my first one soooo)
Features:
Adjustable Digital Gain
The primary feature this DAC offered that struck me the most is that you can adjust digital gain. What this mean is that you can "adapt" your DAC to pretty much any amplifier in existence, which makes this DAC more ODAC than the ODAC. This is useful for low power amplifiers and amplifiers that changes sound signature depending on the gain setting.(G109A comes into mind) Using the XLR out of the DAC would give you an additional +6db to work with. I tried max output on the DAC and Max gain on Violectric V181 Demo Unit and Lake People G109A and wasn't able to pick up any thermal noise.
Resampling
According to Lake People/Violectric, DACs perform best at the rate of 96khz. What the resampling does is it recombines the digital input word and forwards it to the D/A converter at a sample rate of 96 kHz. I tested the resample setting and noted there was a difference, albeit very very subtle.
Sound Quality
VS D14
I'm not really sure if my definition of transparency is spot on as my auditioned DACs are pretty limited. (iBasso D14, Chord Mojo and Chord QBD76), but I can confidently say that this DAC is Transparent. It does not accentuate any frequency in the audible spectrum. I knew this as I know how the D14 sounded like since it's the only DAC that in my possession for more than a month(HD600 unbalanced to G109A), and against the mojo through direct comparison using the same headphone setup(HD800 and HD800S Balanced to V181).
When compared against the Sabre DAC, the RS06 sounded more natural as it lost the "Sabre Glare"(hotspots treble). That being said, one may conclude that the RS06 is darker compared the D14, but the ironic thing is that the RS06 treble response extends further. Harmonics had more air to breathe in and details didn't sound muddy. The RS06 still sparkles if the music calls for it, and does so with finesse and elegance.
Soundstage improvemenst was the most obvious feature I noted. On the D14, it sounds as if you are surrounded by the band/ensemble playing in a heavily neutered room. The RS06 sounds natural, as if you are one of the audience of a performance seated at the "sweet-spot" of a room. At first, it sounded unnatural to me as I'm too used to the D14's no-reverb like approach. Was it just a weird EQ set by Lake People/Violectric to fool its consumers? After running my test tracks for orchestra and classical tracks, I then ran my Electronic/Metal/Kill your ears test tracks. And that room illusion disappeared. Energetic arrangements still retain their energy but added depth. You can pinpoint their vertical distances from each other.
There was also a perceived Bass response improvement. All of my bassy tracks gained more oomph in the low end. It could be due to the loss of the Sabre's treble hotspot, but I feel it isn't either as the treble extention on the RS06 is much better.
Vs Mojo(WARNING: IF YOU OWN THE MOJO AND IS SENSITIVE FROM STRONG OPINION, DO NOT READ THIS SECTION)
Then comes the Mojo..... oh the mojo..... Lots of people are smitten by that thing for months..... and I think I figured out why.... It's a DAC that hides things from you... it's purpose is to please, not to be honest.... It's.....a dishonest DAC....
I still remember that day when I deposited my down-payment at my local hi-fi store and was A/B-ing the HD800 and HD800S while using the Mojo as source and V181 as the amp. The HD800 sounded fine, in fact, there was no trace of the infamous treble spike nor the unbearable sibilance (there was some, but tolerable) people seem to make a big deal of. Then it was the HD800S' turn, at first I was like...."Is there something wrong with the drivers?" Bass was bloated, mids are a little bit rough, treble and detail retrieval was horrible. It was so horrible that after 5 mins of listening I just put it off and concluded it was a defective unit.
Fast forward to the day I was to pick up the RS06, I did another round of A/Bing, using the same V181 and HD800/HD800S. I naturally picked the HD800 first as it was one of my planned TOTL cans. Soon as I set everything up(Audioquest Gold Plated XLR interconnects on the RS06 and V181) and hit play with the HD800 on my head....... Pins and needles is what I can describe this cans.... the treble hotspots everyone was making a fuss about was finally audible.... snare and cymbal splash are very painful, tom strikes sounded offensive as if the mic recording the drums are pressed against the surface, and the sibilance....... the dreaded SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS..... needless to say, the HD800 is now ruled out as a potential purchase from me as its SQ is too offensive for my preference. Switched to the HD800S, the treble spike is still there, but less abrasive and more controlled, bass response was also better, detail retrieval is almost, if not on par with the HD800. It reminded me of the HD600 with D14 combo, except improved in every aspect. It was at this point that I concluded that the Mojo is not neutral and should not be anyone's first DAC/AMP.
......but all of these comparisons are against portable DAC/AMPs! Well...... I did say I have a limited selection of DACs to shoot off against and the QBD76 I demoed has its own tracks that I'm not familiar so I cannot give a sound opinion vs the QBD76.... but there's someone in some facebook group who, in the past owned the Hugo and 2Qute... and stated that the RS06 is superior than the 2qute(also no longer has the Hugo, if the Hugo was good, it would be still in his hands....), which also echoes opinions of other people(V850, but again, the DAC tech is the same) around the world.
Conclusion
For what its worth, the DAC RS06 is a fully featured DAC that can adapt to, pretty much any setup. It's an honest DAC that is not afraid to piss its owner, especially if that owner made the mistake of having an unmatched setup. Matched with a harmonious rig(Headphone and Amplifier is compatible), this DAC offers end game source quality for less than end game price.
my first one soooo)Features:
Adjustable Digital Gain
The primary feature this DAC offered that struck me the most is that you can adjust digital gain. What this mean is that you can "adapt" your DAC to pretty much any amplifier in existence, which makes this DAC more ODAC than the ODAC. This is useful for low power amplifiers and amplifiers that changes sound signature depending on the gain setting.(G109A comes into mind) Using the XLR out of the DAC would give you an additional +6db to work with. I tried max output on the DAC and Max gain on Violectric V181 Demo Unit and Lake People G109A and wasn't able to pick up any thermal noise.
Resampling
According to Lake People/Violectric, DACs perform best at the rate of 96khz. What the resampling does is it recombines the digital input word and forwards it to the D/A converter at a sample rate of 96 kHz. I tested the resample setting and noted there was a difference, albeit very very subtle.
Sound Quality
VS D14
I'm not really sure if my definition of transparency is spot on as my auditioned DACs are pretty limited. (iBasso D14, Chord Mojo and Chord QBD76), but I can confidently say that this DAC is Transparent. It does not accentuate any frequency in the audible spectrum. I knew this as I know how the D14 sounded like since it's the only DAC that in my possession for more than a month(HD600 unbalanced to G109A), and against the mojo through direct comparison using the same headphone setup(HD800 and HD800S Balanced to V181).
When compared against the Sabre DAC, the RS06 sounded more natural as it lost the "Sabre Glare"(hotspots treble). That being said, one may conclude that the RS06 is darker compared the D14, but the ironic thing is that the RS06 treble response extends further. Harmonics had more air to breathe in and details didn't sound muddy. The RS06 still sparkles if the music calls for it, and does so with finesse and elegance.
Soundstage improvemenst was the most obvious feature I noted. On the D14, it sounds as if you are surrounded by the band/ensemble playing in a heavily neutered room. The RS06 sounds natural, as if you are one of the audience of a performance seated at the "sweet-spot" of a room. At first, it sounded unnatural to me as I'm too used to the D14's no-reverb like approach. Was it just a weird EQ set by Lake People/Violectric to fool its consumers? After running my test tracks for orchestra and classical tracks, I then ran my Electronic/Metal/Kill your ears test tracks. And that room illusion disappeared. Energetic arrangements still retain their energy but added depth. You can pinpoint their vertical distances from each other.
There was also a perceived Bass response improvement. All of my bassy tracks gained more oomph in the low end. It could be due to the loss of the Sabre's treble hotspot, but I feel it isn't either as the treble extention on the RS06 is much better.
Vs Mojo(WARNING: IF YOU OWN THE MOJO AND IS SENSITIVE FROM STRONG OPINION, DO NOT READ THIS SECTION)
Then comes the Mojo..... oh the mojo..... Lots of people are smitten by that thing for months..... and I think I figured out why.... It's a DAC that hides things from you... it's purpose is to please, not to be honest.... It's.....a dishonest DAC....
I still remember that day when I deposited my down-payment at my local hi-fi store and was A/B-ing the HD800 and HD800S while using the Mojo as source and V181 as the amp. The HD800 sounded fine, in fact, there was no trace of the infamous treble spike nor the unbearable sibilance (there was some, but tolerable) people seem to make a big deal of. Then it was the HD800S' turn, at first I was like...."Is there something wrong with the drivers?" Bass was bloated, mids are a little bit rough, treble and detail retrieval was horrible. It was so horrible that after 5 mins of listening I just put it off and concluded it was a defective unit.
Fast forward to the day I was to pick up the RS06, I did another round of A/Bing, using the same V181 and HD800/HD800S. I naturally picked the HD800 first as it was one of my planned TOTL cans. Soon as I set everything up(Audioquest Gold Plated XLR interconnects on the RS06 and V181) and hit play with the HD800 on my head....... Pins and needles is what I can describe this cans.... the treble hotspots everyone was making a fuss about was finally audible.... snare and cymbal splash are very painful, tom strikes sounded offensive as if the mic recording the drums are pressed against the surface, and the sibilance....... the dreaded SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS..... needless to say, the HD800 is now ruled out as a potential purchase from me as its SQ is too offensive for my preference. Switched to the HD800S, the treble spike is still there, but less abrasive and more controlled, bass response was also better, detail retrieval is almost, if not on par with the HD800. It reminded me of the HD600 with D14 combo, except improved in every aspect. It was at this point that I concluded that the Mojo is not neutral and should not be anyone's first DAC/AMP.
......but all of these comparisons are against portable DAC/AMPs! Well...... I did say I have a limited selection of DACs to shoot off against and the QBD76 I demoed has its own tracks that I'm not familiar so I cannot give a sound opinion vs the QBD76.... but there's someone in some facebook group who, in the past owned the Hugo and 2Qute... and stated that the RS06 is superior than the 2qute(also no longer has the Hugo, if the Hugo was good, it would be still in his hands....), which also echoes opinions of other people(V850, but again, the DAC tech is the same) around the world.
Conclusion
For what its worth, the DAC RS06 is a fully featured DAC that can adapt to, pretty much any setup. It's an honest DAC that is not afraid to piss its owner, especially if that owner made the mistake of having an unmatched setup. Matched with a harmonious rig(Headphone and Amplifier is compatible), this DAC offers end game source quality for less than end game price.
[redacted]
novicez1
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You mean the HPA RS02~RS08. I'm still wondering how the RS08 compares against the V281.
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No there are reviews of both, they were both linked. first sentence is the DAC.
Haven't heard the RS08 but seeing it is based on the V100 and the V281 on the V200, they're probably very different
novicez1
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Which is the most neutral of the bunch? I'm coming from the G109A paired with the RS06 using an HD600 , and an HD800S/Ether in the pipeline.
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The V100 of the Vio range has the most neutral signature to me
novicez1
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I've read Dave's review of the RS08. He claimed, while also inferring that you also made such claims, that when in balanced mode, the overall sonic characteristics trades warmth for soundstage and separation. That said, would the perceived darker signature of the V200/V281 be counteracted by such characteristics of the balanced headphone out?
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yes, partially. the balanced output is the best one of the V281 imho, so it muight be very good in the RS 08 indeed. I just can't confirm it
Sengell
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I only own the V281 and have no room for comparison with other amps. Also my source isn't balanced yet. I dont have the cable variety to test the same headphone on balanced and 6,3 mm output either. But nevertheless i tend to like the 6,3 mm output more than the balanced because it's just that good, even if the soundstage is smaller. I think the high fidelity roundabout video on youtube about amplifiers of 2015 mentioned something similar, namely that the 6,3 mm output sounds really well.
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Balanced is smaller? Are you sure cause I would rather say it's the other way around
novicez1
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I think Sengell prefers lesser width.
ciphy
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Hi everyone,
Long time reading, first time posting!
I've just pulled the trigger for a LP RS 06 with the 24/96 USB. It will go with my Lake People G109S and Beyer DT880. I hope to be able to give you my feedback soon! Even though I'm mostly an objective kind of guy, so I mostly bought the dac for the measurements and considering the quality of my G109.
I'll try to ABX the thing if possible against my previous dac.
Long time reading, first time posting!
I've just pulled the trigger for a LP RS 06 with the 24/96 USB. It will go with my Lake People G109S and Beyer DT880. I hope to be able to give you my feedback soon! Even though I'm mostly an objective kind of guy, so I mostly bought the dac for the measurements and considering the quality of my G109.
I'll try to ABX the thing if possible against my previous dac.
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