[dura]

As soon as we can find one that sounds as good as the Rega DAC and is in the same price range....

 

[edvardd]

Quote:

As soon as we can find one that sounds as good as the Rega DAC and is in the same price range....

I wonder how REGA DAC compares to DACMINI, dacport lx or EE Minimax DAC. They are in the same range or rather lower
 

 

[dura]

I don't know, never heart them; but search in this threat and you'll find I tried 3 other well respected DAC's (5 if you count the squeezeboxes) in the last 2 years at the same price level or slightly more the Rega and I found the Rega to be clearly superior to my ears. So much that I'm not at all interested in alternatives any more.

 

[Equus]

Quote:

I wonder how REGA DAC compares to DACMINI, dacport lx or EE Minimax DAC. They are in the same range or rather lower
 

Can't speak to the others, but I have a DACMini.  To my ears, with the LCD-2, there's not quite as much presence and extension in the lower frequencies, but the clarity and detail in the mids and lower trebles is comparable.  Presentation, of course, is slightly different and the DACMini does have a decent headphone out, making it a nice all-in-one solution.  I prefer the Rega or the Assemblage to the DACMini, but it's still a nice piece of equipment.

 

[ImitationOfLife]

Picked up my Rega today. I've spent two hours with it so far. I like it more than when I auditioned it.

 
Anyway, what's everyone's experience with the filters?

 

[Equus]

I really don't honestly hear much difference with the filters, but the fan is usually on in that room so there's a decent amount of ambient noise in the background, which makes it a little harder to hear if there are any small differences in there.  I do notice that there are still some audible pops and sounds which may be a part of the recordings that seem to happen more often on the first setting than the others.

 

[ImitationOfLife]

Quote:

I really don't honestly hear much difference with the filters, but the fan is usually on in that room so there's a decent amount of ambient noise in the background, which makes it a little harder to hear if there are any small differences in there.  I do notice that there are still some audible pops and sounds which may be a part of the recordings that seem to happen more often on the first setting than the others.

Okay, so I'm not crazy.

I have heard some pops on recordings that I used to think sounded decent.
 
Btw, does anyone have a channel imbalance when the volume is low? It's louder on the right side when compared to the left.

 

[bcwang]

If you keep repeating the same segment does it keep popping in the same spot?  If yes, it's probably the recording, if not, something is wrong.
 
What do you mean when the volume is low, there is no volume control on the DAC.  I never noticed anything out of the ordinary.  If there is imbalance at quiet parts of a song, it should be there for loud parts too. 

 

[ImitationOfLife]

Quote:

If you keep repeating the same segment does it keep popping in the same spot?  If yes, it's probably the recording, if not, something is wrong.
 
What do you mean when the volume is low, there is no volume control on the DAC.  I never noticed anything out of the ordinary.  If there is imbalance at quiet parts of a song, it should be there for loud parts too. 

Yep, the popping is the same every time. No worries.
 
As for the imbalance, I meant with my amp, but I've solved the problem.
 
Now back to listening...

 

 

[bcwang]

Quote:

Yep, the popping is the same every time. No worries.
 
As for the imbalance, I meant with my amp, but I've solved the problem.
 
Now back to listening...

 

Ok, for a second there I thought I was following the wrong thread.  Glad there is no problem.
 
I generally just stay between filter 1 or 5.  Usually 5, as it seems to be more dynamic, with better transient performance and more impact in the bass.
 

 

[ImitationOfLife]

Okay, thanks for the advice. I still need to sit down and compare the filters, but it just seems so tedious.
 
I've had it on filter one since I started listening today. I think I'll make the switch to five now.

 

[dura]

The filters seem to be system dependent. 1 fits my system best, giving most bite and bass, 5 gives most treble. 2 and 4 sound about the same to me, smooth but not enough grip, probably because my speakers sound controlled, somehow I do not like 3. But the effects are rather subtle so don't worry too much. 

 

[Equus]

That wouldn't surprise me, dura.  I know sachu didn't like the Rega he auditioned as much as I do.  He might have been mostly using his speaker rig.  The vast majority of my collection is FLAC ripped from CDs, so it may also be the source material I have.
 
EDIT - I'll have to try out filter 5 a little more.  Been mostly using 4, but it seems to smooth things a little more than I might want in some recordings, while I'd use 1 except it does exhibit odd popping sounds which make me paranoid since my first unit had some wicked popping occasionally.

 

[dura]

1 gives me the best definition in instruments; I can imagine that, if you somehow have pops in your sources ( I do not btw, and all my music, 1000+ albums is in FLAC too) the pops are most clearly heart with filter 1. It seems to accentuate transients.

 

[Equus]

Filter 1 definitely does seem to eke out the detail more, it seems.  I listened to a few files last night, and I heard pops again with filter 1, but it wasn't something I could recreate all the time.  It tends to usually be near the beginning and ending of tracks and doesn't always happen in the same place.  For instance, I heard a pop in one song near the beginning and went back and listened to the same passage two more times and the popping sound was not there.  This is through the Liquid Fire to LCD-2, so it may be more or less noticeable on other setups.  I'll also have to try fiddling with the settings on my Touch to see if there's something there (like pre-buffering or something) that is affecting the quality.  The upside is that it doesn't always seem to be in the same channel, so it doesn't seem to be quite the same issue I had earlier.