rb2013
Author of The 6922 Tube Review
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2013
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Berkerly Alpha USB:
Tanly (old version):
Tanly (old version):
So it looks like the SU-1 is only 220v?
If someone speaks Chinese maybe they could ask.
I thought of getting one, but I'm good with SPDIF, so would rather put the money into better linear power supplies and gizmos.
Tonight I ordered another X-1, F-1, and a Q1-S. I plan on replacing the spdif rca with a WBT Nexgen Au, that helped the Breeze.
These things are just killer great! I sitting here just blown away at the SQ. I mean cavernous sound stage depth, amazing clarity and focus. Another 1/2 octave of bass depth, excellent definition. Tone naturally rich. The little bells on Ricky Lee Jones 'Gravity' just hanging in space, so realistic.
Man oh man - pay dirt!
I have been using the Pro3a without an external supply,
As I am waiting for my ipower.
This Pro3a, without even an external PSU,
is already superior to the Yggy USB Gen3 ..!!
A bit more soundstage air, depth and instrument separation..
A more effortless presentation with the unit only having 15hrs burn in at most.
The Pro3a is completely sold out now, as it seems it is gaining popularity.
But now what you say about the F-1..!
So I ordered the F-1 and would like to ask,
Do you see on the board a location for an external power input,
like the Pro3a has?..
Edit:
I will have a Regen feeding it from the computer.
FWIW and perhaps another data point, I am using an "old" Tanly - and adding the Intona to the Tanly was a bigger upgrade in SQ than, for instance, from the MX-U8 to the Tanly....
Actually adding the Intona was at least equal to the improvement that I noticed between any of the 6 or so DDC upgrades I have made - it trumped a few DAC "upgrades" also...
Adding a battery powered Regen or Recovery after the Intona is just the icing on the cake so to speak... but this stuff is very system dependent and I am using i2S rather than SPDIF/AES...
So, I am especially looking forward to reports on these new bridges i2S performance...
thanks to rb2013 for taking the lead...(and.... sorry... off topic but 1975 Reflektor E88CC's are brilliant!!!!)
Glad you love the '75 HG's!
Well I'm using a Paul Pang V2 USB card in my WIN 10 machine - fed by an iFi iPower. That was a small but noticeable improvement before the addition of the iPurifer2 and the DC iPurifier. After really small. Some folks with the PPA 3 card have noted a small improvement with the Intona - but a much bigger one with their laptops. So I guess the improvement from the Intona is very system dependent.
My set-up is vastly different then most folks - first I had been using a Jitterbug modded into a +5 VDC VBUS blocker out of the PPA - with the ground pin cut as well.
Using only the data leg of a Lightspeed 2G cable. Tried the Curious USB (not a split cable) and for my system the 2G was way better. Now I know all kinds of folks are raving about the Curious loom - so you know YMMV!
On the Intona. Now again my system is much different then most. My APL DAC for example is a $6500 custom design using six AKM 32-bit DACs per channel - Lunduhl transformer coupling - class A ECC99 tube output stage - femto clock board, custom discrete SPDIF reciever, WBT Nexgen gold connectors, etc... Not the typical $600-$800 Gumby, Gustard or AudioGd. The latest version of this APL DAC goes for well over $10K.
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/aplhifi/nwo30go.html
The things I don't like about the intona: Need USB power from the PC. Hopefully the next version will have ext power capabilities - or the Uptone version combined with the Regen technology. Another high end cable needed in the chain. The Intona reclocks (in fact recreates) the data stream with very low end STItime clocks, I wouldn't mind paying a little more and getting better clocks. I'm sure that will come from them or another company like Uptone on the next generation. But some time I will get something like this...
Like the Regen - it has been really variable in the performance changes. Did not like it with the Pro3a - but worked great with the Breeze and the F-1 - why? Who knows. Will give a W4S Recovery a try to see.
Cheers!
bought a set of 74's as a backup!
Yep - some of this USB stuff does not make much sense, I think I have an OK front end:
Server: Gigabyte GA-Z87M-D3H, I5-4670t, NOFAN CR-95c, 2x4 GB Corsair, TeraDak 210 ATX LPS, , 32GB OS SSD (PPA batterypack ), 256GB +500GB SSD's w/LPS for primary music (all WAV files), SSD's use PPA red thin SATA cables and suspension blocks, PPA V2 USB card (PPA battery pack). Software: WIN2012 core/AO, JPlay6, Mini, Total Commander:
Source: PPA V2 USB card (battery) > 1.7M PPA dual USB cable > Intona standard USB isolator > Pagena AG 0.5M USB cable > W4S Recovery (battery)> PPA 17CM red USB cable > Tanly DDC HDMI (Wireworld Starlight 5.2, 1M) i2S > Audio-GD Master 7 DAC.
So you can see it is LPS and batteries and the audio sources (not the PC) are fed by a 220V mains power regenerator. (I do not think an APL DAC is in my future - I first need some serious speakers upgrade.. and then there's the grandkids
The Intona was a good improvement even with the pretty stable PC (perhaps the mains power here is really bad..), but to be honest - - nothing like adding 75 Reflektors
Agree on the Curious - I sent my Curious link back also... prefer the PPA stuff... and the one Pagena in the loom does not seem to hurt anything. The Curious guy is great to work with though, and with his return policy everyone should try his stuff if they have the inkling..
For the Intona, it is pretty easy to upgrade the power.. mine is getting fed by a PPA 5V battery pack through the PPA 2 card (I noticed the change powering this from LPS to battery)...agreed on the so-so clocking (at least in principal, I do not know such stuff) but that can be pretty easily remedied by the Regen/Recovery and battery... in fact I personally would lean against an all-in-one solution unless it was totally killer - I can easily see folks preferring the Regen over the Recovery and visa-versa. I found the Regen very dynamic, but when I changed my listening position to near-field it was a bit much, so the Recovery is now the better fit. The trouble is the added expense, it is really crazy money for these small incremental improvements - good thing many of the companies offer a grace period...
It is great for us consumers these companies like iFi, W4S, Uptone, etc. are constantly raising the bar.. and they got the China suppliers pushing also... must be a crazy business to be in these days... it will be interesting to see the next couple years new products developments.
I think the general value of quality audio is quite good compared to years ago.. with a well tuned laptop and some thought given to the other stuff you can put together a system that would have taken mega-bucks back then....
Saludos!
you made me more itchy to order this f-1 hahahaha, i also use elfidelity sata filter and pci express filter, plus elfidelity usb card
i will order this shortly to compare the amanero usb quality from my upcoming audio gd nos 7
seems like i gonna use the coax from f-1 to audio gd to compare with it's own usb amanero.
i already have ifi micro iusb 3.
i also have jays audio china linear usb psu 5 volt but not gonna use this after i have ifi usb 3
will gonna do like this
elfidelity usb card -> ifi usb 3 ->dual head usb cable separate power (the usb power go to linear psu, or just use the ifi iusb 3 power ) -> f-1 -> nos 7 coax input
vs
elfidelity usb card->ifi usb 3 data only -> nos 7 usb (audio gd amanero dont need power from usb)
i will post my result as soon i receive both f1 and nos 7
thanks for your picture setup and how do u think about cchd-957 vs cchd-575 . which one is better
.
Like the Regen - it has been really variable in the performance changes. Did not like it with the Pro3a - but worked great with the Breeze and the F-1 - why? Who knows. Will give a W4S Recovery a try to see.
Cheers!