[Torq]

  If Holo is such wonderful DAC, why is that most of people want buy modded one (level 2, level 3) or planning DIY?
Why you get modded one?
 
LOL

 
The Level 1, 2 and 3 units are just different options from the original designer and built at the factory.  It's no different than, say, the two versions of the Auralic Aries.  Which is a FAR cry from sticking cardboard under transformers and plastering the PCB with haphazardly soldered cotton-wrapped wires based on some third-party's advice (who also happens to charge more than the entire DAC costs for performing said "mods").
 
The differences are in the PSU.  And well-respected companies like NAIM have been offering different PSU levels for, oh, at least 30 years.
 
When Gustard start offering the X20 with cardboard transformer mounts and random cotton wiring, you'll have a comparison.  Until then, you're just coming across as ridiculous.
 
You should listen to both and compare.

 

[rigo]

Well... I just pulled the trigger on the Level 2.   Grand total: $1502.98. Decided to go for the L2 since it's only $170 more than the L1.

Where did you get the L2 at that price?

 

[Peaceofmind]

Also level 3 goes through more intense QC testing and burn in time.

 

[rajacat]

Where did you get the L2 at that price?

Black Friday 
 
http://www.shenzhenaudio.com/holo-audio-spring-r2r-dac-hi-end-dsd-dac-220v-only.html

 

[Robert McAdam]

I use XXhighend which is similar to HQ player. XXhighend can upsample to 24/768.
 
Can the Holo Audio Spring USB take 768 in NOS mode?
 
I know the Singxer SU-1 I2S is limited at 384.
 
The Phasure NOS dac designed to go with XXhighend works at 768. This DAC is not mentioned as a comparative NOS Dac and by all accounts is possibly the best in conjunction with Xxhighend. The only NOS competitor mentioned is the Metrum Pavane which is from Holland also. When it comes to price the 2 Dutch Dac's are similar leaving the Chinese Holo Audio out on its own.
 
Robert

 

[DecentLevi]

Holo Audio Spring Impressions by DecentLevi 11-26-16​

 
Hello all, I just came back from a fairly in-depth audition of the Holo Audio Spring DAC level 3. Today during the local south Bay Area Head-Fi meet I set up, I was bestowed with the chance to get my (ears) on this Holo Audio DAC, and it was an adventurous ride with some interesting quirks. This was all thanks to the exhibitor @HeadAmpTeam who brought their rig.
 
Source chain:

1. Amp:                  GSX MK II amp (dual unit balanced + SE), and Elise OTL tube amp from Feliks Audio
2. DAC:                  Holo Audio Spring DAC Level 3
3. USB component: Singxer SU-1, connected to the DAC via I2S cable
4. Headphones:       Focal Utopia, HifiMan HE-1000 v2, HD-800 and HD-650

 
Source: lossless FLAC songs of various genres mostly Daft Punk (Random Access Memories) and Michael Jackson (Thriller), played via Foobar on a Windows laptop. Also tested with my laptop as a source with a few DSD x64 files.
 
 +  
+ +
 
 
I didn't take any photos so above are stock photos except for the Focal Utopia
 
Appearance: I was quite agasp at the size & weight of this thing. It's far bigger in person than it seems in any of the photos I've seen online. It's a very similar width as the Yggy but probably a tad more length, yet much thinner. It packs some hefty weight too, which is more than made up for by it's enormously hefty sonic performance. I commented that it's about the exact dimensions of the initial DVD players that came out in the late 90's, and the vendor agreed on this. The build was as solid as a fine gem.
 
Sound:
Well actually my amusement in this hobby is more for the looks of the gear, so I didn't bother to listen... LOL gotcha! 

 
So my initial impression with this was with the GSX MK 2 amp and the HEK (HE-1000 v2) headphones. It sounded fairly OK, but really nothing to write home about. Throughout the testing I went back to this pairing several times and it struck me as rather 'meh', with bass that was thunderous and somehow off kilter, with dynamics that are super soft / slow and greatly rolled off highs making details slim to none. IMO after trying the HEK (1 and 2) on at least 3 separate occasions is that they can be good for the likes of orchestral / classical for the large soundstage but anything with a beat is a non-starter. Several A/B's to these and the Focal Utopia (more below) between both myself and a random listener had basically agreed on the above, even the honest vendor seemed quite taken aback with the improvement with the Utopia on this system... this was a case of bad synergy / crappy headphone model rather than the DAC. Moving on...
 
Next I took over a well burnt in pair of HD-800 (sorry, the S version was not available), and everything changed from 'OK' to 'extremely resolving with a lot of finesse'. Imaging, details and overall presentation are quite comparable, if not (perhaps) even better than a Yggy + Rangarok + HD800 I recall trying earlier that year in the same room. Voices screamed with realism, and layering / imaging was astonishing. Drums hit cleanly and with authority, no matter how complex the recording seems to be. However, being the HD-800, I've always seen it as not quite perfection, as my take on its' sound signature is slightly bright with something very hard to explain about the dynamics that has always struck me as off kilter, as if it's just a few milliseconds slower than natural.
 
Meet the Holo Audio Spring's pairing on a good amp with the Focal Utopia Headphones (shown above on bottom right)
I had to make up a word for this pairing: 'Awe'-stonishing! I got this sense of awe in astonishment with a physical reaction of the chills and near loss of motor skills, as my body sunk down in the chair, mind transported into the scene of the recording so deeply it was probably the beginning stages of an out-of-body-experience. Intrinsic perfection, brilliance, bemusement and transfixing non-stop! Competing only with ultra-rare extinct rigs I've heard such as the Sony MDR-R10, this was easily one of the very top rigs I've ever heard after 6-7 meets. Perhaps the best bass definition I've ever heard, lusciously organic mids, spot on treble, fantastic dynamics / punchyness and PRaT, and very detailed in a good way - pleasingly detailed rather than clinical. Excellent soundstage. A cross between the sound of the dynamic driver HD-800 and electrostatic driver Stax SR-009, which I like this unique beryllium driver headphone the best. And no wonder it sounds so good with the GSX MK 2 amp - the vendor told me that amp was tuned with the Focal Utopia headphones. Also note I have tried these headphones last summer with the Liquid Tungsten and top Woo Audio amps such as WA22 (IIRC), and indeed these do sound amazing with other amps too! Pairing them with the Holo Audio Spring DAC is an ultimate pairing, and one I aspire to have.
 
The Focal Utopia costs only $1,000 more than the $3,000 HE-1,000 v2, but IMO it sounds 5x better.
 
Next I tried the HD-650 on this pairing. My impression was it sounds overtly dark with a fairly substantial loss of detail. I then tried these 'cans on my Elise amp (still with the Holo Audio Spring DAC), to which the sound was surprisingly not changed very much, maybe just a touch darker. Unless you have a fairly bright amp, I as of yet would not recommend the HD-650 with the Holo Audio DAC. 
 
Comparing the GSX MK2 to the Feliks Audio Elise amp on the same DAC system and headphones, it looks like the giant-killer solid state won, having much better dynamics / immediacy, and overall more resolving. However the Elise can come close, with the right tubes - as the sound of this versatile $700 tube amp can be customized with thousands of possible tube combinations; and the Elise is nearly comparable with the Zana Deux. The GSX amp should sound better as it lists for $2,999!
 
DSD mode:
Towards the end of my comparison I also tried several well mastered DSD 64x files of various genres in native DSD mode on the same above system with both HD-800 and Focal Utopia. It was absolutely astonishing, with perhaps even more micro-details than PCM. Overall both PCM and DSD were quite pleasing with this DSD, and even comparable. To do a proper comparison, I then moved my laptop source with the same headphones over to my Gustard X12 DAC, playing the same sections of the same songs. Interestingly, the Holo Audio Spring DAC really did sound better than what I previously thought was a fantastic native DSD implementation on my Gustard X12 DAC. The differences I noticed were a more organic sound and better bass definition on the Holo Spring DAC - oddly it seemed as if the X12 was unable to reproduce certain background bass passages, where the Holo Spring had done them with finesse.
 
USB cleaning / re-clocking components:
OK guys, this is what I consider to be the most important take-home from this review: The Holo Audio Spring "requires" a USB component / cleaner... that is, if you're a hi-fi audio enthusiast or anything more than a casual listener - and even with the level 3.
 
I had initially asked the vendor (mentioned at top) what is that black box on top of the DAC, to which he told me it's the Singxer SU-1 (USB signal cleaner / reclocker) and he surprised me by saying this DAC is not the same without one. So towards the end I did a proper test and confirmed his opinion to be absolutely 100% valid: After using his setup all along with the Singxer SU-1 connected to the DAC by I2S cable, I asked him to "remove the middle man", so connecting my laptop to the Holo Audio Spring directly with a USB cable. Even though this caused about a 5 min. delay to install the separate driver required for either of these two components, I know with certainty this is the difference I heard: Without the USB component, the overall performance was simply quelled by a lot, making the Holo Audio Spring no more desirable to me if at all than my $250 Modi 2 multibit DAC (AKA 'Mimby'). The energy and realism was pushed back at least 40%, and though I didn't do a thorough enough A/B, it also seems the soundstage and detail were also reduced by a fairly moderate amount.
 
Model versions:
Without remembering precisely what was said, the vendor told me something on the order of having only heard the level three, but that they should all sound quite similar. He pointed to the blown-up photo of the internal circuitry that was placed as a cool looking sticker covering the entire top of his Holo Audio Spring DAC, showing how the schematics, chip, etc. etc. were all the same on all three versions, with the exception of several parts, which in his opinion may make more of a modest difference. He also pointed to the USB section of the PCB on the circuitry photo, indicating that the USB section may potentially be easily changed / upgraded.
 
Summary:
All my testing had shown the Holo Audio Spring DAC (level 3) to be very neutral, striking down my previous suggestion that its' silver wiring may cause extra brightness. I would also like to happily mention that it is not 'too' colored. I would say it is slightly on the 'musical' side of coloration with a slight sound akin to tube euphony. It certaintly doesn't sound cold / clinical, but it's also not a highly colored sound, only a subtle one that's pleasing and really gels with the right headphones... it also seems a somewhat system-dependent DAC, so synergy with upsteam gear (AMP + headphones) becomes very important. I didn't spend enough time with it to gauge the soundstage / imaging enough, but can say it does seem comparable to the Yggy.
 
I personally don't have much of a problem with the apparent absolutely-required addition of an USB component - I already have a Schiit Wyrd and if that doesn't do it for me, the Singxer SU-1 is only an extra $399. And about the three versions, I would definitely have to say, IMO that the level 1 must be a very great price-to-performance ratio, being that it's around 1/2 the price as level three, possible to be modded, and mainly the same as the level three. So for me, I'll just get the level 1 and see how it goes.
 
PS - @HeadAmpTeam, do you also sell this DAC? Because you mentioned they're somewhat hard to come by.

 

[mko71]

I have sort of a unique situation. I have an Oppo 103 that has the Vanity HD audio board. I can output DSD over DoP etc via SPDiF. How can I connect this DAC? Is there a SPDIF to USB box? Right now I have a modified Tascam DA-3000 that I'm using to play files/SACD's from my 103 and I can also use SD cards.

Thanks!

 

[mordy]

Hi DL,
 
Read you impressions with interest. Here is my question: If the Singxer SU-1 USB signal cleaner / reclocker makes such a difference as to make the Holo DAC sound ordinary without it, did you try the Elise with the Singxser?

 

[joseph69]

@DecentLevi 
 
"making the Holo Audio Spring no more desirable to me if at all than my $250 Modi 2"
 
Thinking maybe I should just buy the SU1 for my PWD-ll in this case?
Sounds like the SU1 is the game changer rather than the Spring?

 

[rajacat]

 

 ​

USB cleaning / re-clocking components:
OK guys, this is what I consider to be the most important take-home from this review: The Holo Audio Spring "requires" a USB component / cleaner... that is, if you're a hi-fi audio enthusiast or anything more than a casual listener - and even with the level 3.
 
al parts, which in his opinion may make more of a modest difference. He also pointed to the USB section of the PCB on the circuitry photo, indicating that the USB section may potentially be easily changed / upgraded.
 
 

Did you try the Spring with SPDIF, w/o the SU-1 inserted, in NOS mode? No Usb.

 

[joseph69]

@DecentLevi 
 
Also, what source was being used at the meet that  there was such an impressive result with the SU1 in-between?
Thanks.

 

[Torq]

For what it's worth, while I think the USB input on the Spring DAC is the weakest link it has, the difference between the I2S input vs. the AES or S/PDIF interfaces was very small.  Discernible, but not worth worrying about.  It certainly wasn't a big difference and for me was much smaller than the difference between using the Spring in NOS vs. OS mode.
 
I'd use the SU-1 if my source was USB and I'd use the SU-1 if I wanted to do multi-rate DSD, but as it stands my Spring DAC is now connected to an Auralic Aries via AES and that's how it'll be used going forward.

 

[rajacat]

  For what it's worth, while I think the USB input on the Spring DAC is the weakest link it has, the difference between the I2S input vs. the AES or S/PDIF interfaces was very small.  Discernible, but not worth worrying about.  It certainly wasn't a big difference and for me was much smaller than the difference between using the Spring in NOS vs. OS mode.
 
I'd use the SU-1 if my source was USB and I'd use the SU-1 if I wanted to do multi-rate DSD, but as it stands my Spring DAC is now connected to an Auralic Aries via AES and that's how it'll be used going forward.

That's reassuring. The Spring was a stretch for me, substantially surpassing my 1K budget. I might buy the SU1 in the future if I want to explore the outer reaches of OS DSD but I suspect that I'll be happy just inserting the L2 Spring to where the Constantine is now. 
laptop > Bolder SB3 > MHDT Constantine > Tortuga LDR passive pre > various amps > speakers ( I know this is Head Fi but I'm mainly a floor stand speaker guy)

.

 

[DecentLevi]

  Hi DL,
 
Read you impressions with interest. Here is my question: If the Singxer SU-1 USB signal cleaner / reclocker makes such a difference as to make the Holo DAC sound ordinary without it, did you try the Elise with the Singxser?

Hey friend. I think my comparison of the above rig with/without the Singxer SU-1 USB component was done only with the GSX MK2 amp and the Focal Utopia headphones - but I do remember the Elise sounding top notch with this USB component + DAC and much better than with with my Wyrd + Gustard X12 DAC I tried afterwards. I'll tell ya the difference was far reaching; greatly improved with this USB component, and very dull without it, as if much of the life / realism / refinement had been sucked out of the DAC. And this isn't a case of 'coloration' or adding anything to the sound, just revealing more layers and 'truth' about what's already in the recording.
 
Seeing how the USB input implementation of the Holo Audio Spring DAC is very likely a weak link, I would say the above mentioned necessity to use USB components (signal enhancers / reclocker / converters) has not only to do with an improvement from the extra component itself, but may have more to do with the fact that a different input is being used into the Holo Springs; which in the case with the Singxer SU-1 component and the Holo Audio Spring mentioned above, it was using the I2S connection. I did also ask the vendor if just plugging the data stream into a different method would make a big improvement, but he actually seemed to infer it really was the Singxer SU-1 that was doing the heavy lifting. However do note that this DAC has not only USB and I2S, but also optical, coax and AES inputs, and the SU-1 has all of these output options, except for optical as far as I understand. 
 

 
So I would encourage anybody with these different connections available to do some experimenting and see if any of these connections yields better sonic results without having to have a USB component - however of course, having one is generally the only way to get I2S, optical and coax connections, as far as I understand. As for myself I have only a Wyrd which only enhances the USB connection, so I'd be surprised if that makes as much of a difference as the likes of the Singxer SU-1. There's also the Gustard U12 which has optical, coax, IIS (HDMI) and AES outputs, which I'd be interested to see how it works with this DAC in comparison to the SU-1, and which interface results in better sound. 
 

  @DecentLevi 
 
"making the Holo Audio Spring no more desirable to me if at all than my $250 Modi 2"
 
Thinking maybe I should just buy the SU1 for my PWD-ll in this case?
Sounds like the SU1 is the game changer rather than the Spring?

Interesting notion - stranger things have happened, but I'd bet it's more of the effect of the SU-1 together with the Holo Audio Spring that does the magic, but OTOH I will probably get around to experimenting what the likes of either of these two USB components can do to ordinary DACs eventually as well. 

  Did you try the Spring with SPDIF, w/o the SU-1 inserted, in NOS mode? No Usb.

Nope all I had for this was a male USB A to B plug

  @DecentLevi 
 
Also, what source was being used at the meet that  there was such an impressive result with the SU1 in-between?
Thanks.

It was a Windows laptop with lossless FLAC files via Foobar with the XMOS WASAPI (bit perfect) driver

  For what it's worth, while I think the USB input on the Spring DAC is the weakest link it has, the difference between the I2S input vs. the AES or S/PDIF interfaces was very small.  Discernible, but not worth worrying about.  It certainly wasn't a big difference and for me was much smaller than the difference between using the Spring in NOS vs. OS mode.
 
I'd use the SU-1 if my source was USB and I'd use the SU-1 if I wanted to do multi-rate DSD, but as it stands my Spring DAC is now connected to an Auralic Aries via AES and that's how it'll be used going forward.

Perhaps the difference between USB and I2S / other inputs is small, but it would seem it's more of the SU-1 that is making the difference here moreso than just an adapter. If yours sounds great, then it's probably the heavy lifting of the Auralic Aries that's making it sound better than the USB connection.
 
What does using the SU-1 have to do with multi-rate DSD? The vast majority of the time doing this test was with FLAC "PCM" files, to which these "normal" files along with DSD as well, were both where I heard the big improvement when using the SU-1, rather than the component only benefitting DSD mode.
 
Also FYI I noticed the SU-1 is on sale on Shenzhen Audio now for $349.

 

[Torq]

  Perhaps the difference between USB and I2S / other inputs is small, but it would seem it's more of the SU-1 that is making the difference here moreso than just an adapter. If yours sounds great, then it's probably the heavy lifting of the Auralic Aries that's making it sound better than the USB connection.
 

 
But that's not what I said - I said the difference between I2S and AES and the S/PDIF inputs was very small.  The native USB input is clearly behind those options and is just not a way I'd opt to run this DAC at all.
 
Beyond that, the SU-1 is a decent DDC (with some odd stability issues), but having tried various inputs and various ways of driving them, it is not, in and of itself, really making that much of a difference compared to just not using the direct USB interface.
 

  What does using the SU-1 have to do with multi-rate DSD? The vast majority of the time doing this test was with FLAC "PCM" files, to which these "normal" files along with DSD as well, were both where I heard the big improvement when using the SU-1, rather than the component only benefitting DSD mode.
 

 
I said there were two cases where I'd use the SU-1.  The first is to avoid using USB directly into the DAC.  That leaves you I2S, AES and S/PDIF interfaces.  Multi-rate DSD generally doesn't work with a standard spec AES or S/PDIF interface (i.e. via DoP on COAX or TOSLINK) because if you stay within spec those interfaces don't have enough bandwidth for more than single-rate DSD operation.  In which case, your remaining option for multi-rate DSD is the I2S interface ... which is where the SU-1 comes back into the equation.