[bodiebill2]

I expect my DI-20HE tomorrow and was planning to use it in the chain where I currently have a Mutec MC-3+ USB, as follows:

Pi2AES --> MiniDSP Studio Dirac/preamp --> DI-20HE --> Musician Pegasus DAC

Or should I put the DI-20 before the MiniDSP Studio Dirac/preamp?

It will be used with or without Afterdark reference clock; I will try both of course.

 

[Jandu]

Or should I put the DI-20 before the MiniDSP Studio Dirac/preamp?

Try it without the MiniDSP first, I would suggest.

DI20HE needs a lot of hours to burn-in, so you have at least 1-2 weeks before the "real" music will show up.

Enjoy.

 

[bodiebill2]

The Dirac treatment has a beneficial effect on the sound as it 'locks in' the stereo image based on room characteristics. I believe this is done partly by time alignment for both speakers and subs. It makes the image fall into place. The qualities of the DI-20 operate in a different domain. So I do not expect that I want to miss out on the MiniDSP. Also it functions as preamp.

 

[FredA]

The Dirac treatment has a beneficial effect on the sound as it 'locks in' the stereo image based on room characteristics. I believe this is done partly by time alignment for both speakers and subs. It makes the image fall into place. The qualities of the DI-20 operate in a different domain. So I do not expect that I want to miss out on the MiniDSP. Also it functions as preamp.

If you feed the di20he through sipdf, you may be limited to 24 bits, no sure. No so good for volume control.

 

[bodiebill2]

The (all digital) MiniDSP Studio confines me to 24/96 or below anyway, regardless of connection cable.

I used to be a hires addict and upsampled everything to DSD256. I stopped doing that when finding that the benefits of Dirac using the MiniDSP at 24/96 were greater than hires without Dirac.

I never expected that I could be happy with digital volume control, and never was. But the MiniDSP Studio made me change my mind. Its volume control is crisp clear, like an open window into the sound image and comparable to my previous marvelous The Truth (Hornshoppe) preamp

I am now using AES/EBU connections (Swisscable, Nordost and Vovox) only but will also try I2S between the DI-20 and the DAC. The latter of course dictates the DI-20's position in the chain, answering my earlier question.

And when everything is settled in I will also try without MiniDSP:

Pi2AES --> AES/EBU --> DI-20HE --> I2S/hdmi --> DAC --> The Truth preamp --> Reimyo KAP-777 amp

for comparison.

 

[FredA]

The (all digital) MiniDSP Studio confines me to 24/96 or below anyway, regardless of connection cable.

I used to be a hires addict and upsampled everything to DSD256. I stopped doing that when finding that the benefits of Dirac using the MiniDSP at 24/96 were greater than hires without Dirac.

I never expected that I could be happy with digital volume control, and never was. But the MiniDSP Studio made me change my mind. Its volume control is crisp clear, like an open window into the sound image and comparable to my previous marvelous The Truth (Hornshoppe) preamp

I am now using AES/EBU connections (Swisscable, Nordost and Vovox) only but will also try I2S between the DI-20 and the DAC. The latter of course dictates the DI-20's position in the chain, answering my earlier question.

And when everything is settled in I will also try without MiniDSP:

Pi2AES --> AES/EBU --> DI-20HE --> I2S/hdmi --> DAC --> The Truth preamp --> Reimyo KAP-777 amp

for comparison.

The di20 has only 3 inputs. Rca, usb and a bnc clock input. And 4 outputs: aes/ebu, rca, bnc and i2s.

 

[bodiebill2]

The DI-20HE (version with 75 Ohm 10 MHz input) just arrived and out of the box sounds great with the external Afterdark EmperorDouble Crown reference clock.
As to be expected before burn in, it sounds better with the external clock: better imaging, more flesh. But the difference is not huge and I can imagine that internal and external can compete after sufficient break in.

So I will play music 24/7 for the time being. I do not think that this needs to be done at the internal setting for the internal clocks to break in, and that the external setting will do just as fine for this. Correct?

 

[bodiebill2]

The di20 has only 3 inputs. Rca, usb and a bnc clock input. And 4 outputs: aes/ebu, rca, bnc and i2s.

Thanks, I knew but forgot. I am now using an Oyaide spdif cable from the MiniDSP Studio to the DI-20 and AES for the rest. I will experiment with I2S later.

 

[FredA]

The DI-20HE (version with 75 Ohm 10 MHz input) just arrived and out of the box sounds great with the external Afterdark EmperorDouble Crown reference clock.
As to be expected before burn in, it sounds better with the external clock: better imaging, more flesh. But the difference is not huge and I can imagine that internal and external can compete after sufficient break in.

So I will play music 24/7 for the time being. I do not think that this needs to be done at the internal setting for the internal clocks to break in, and that the external setting will do just as fine for this. Correct?

The biggest difference is when used on the dac in an audio-gd setup. The best setup is still with the di20he feeding i2sto the r7 but the r7's usb input is really excellent. Small difference.

 

[Jandu]

A few users here are finding the I2S output to the DAC is the best connection used between DI20HE and the DAC.

 

[bodiebill2]

A few users here are finding the I2S output to the DAC is the best connection used between DI20HE and the DAC.

Listening with I2S now (an AudioQuest Pearl hdmi cable I still had lying around) and I think I slightly prefer it to AES. The sound reaches more to the left and right of the speakers.

 

[bodiebill2]

Replacing the 60 cm Audioquest Pearl with a 25 cm generic Chinese flat cable used for drones, the latter gave even better results. More clarity and details without fatigue. So now I have ordered a 10 cm (!) flat shielded hdmi cable with special angled terminations (A3 and A5):
https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005002447696308.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.65d74c4dRBLMKx
The battle between cheap and short vs pricey high end
For this the DI-20 and the Aquarius will need to be very intimate: I will put the former directly on top of the latter (as soon as arrived).

 

[newabc]

Someone mentioned LINDY Cromo USB 2.0 A to B cable in bbs.audio-gd.com.
I ordered one and will use it for playing youtube audios from an old gigabyte motherboard with "DAC-UP" USB ports. Will wait and see.

 

[dnnaudio]

Hi there. Has anyone compared side by side how much more superior the HE to non-HE model in a midfi setup? I am considering this for my office setup:

Laptop > USB > W4S Recovery > Singxer F1 > SPDIF > Accuphase DP500 CDP/DAC > Plinius 9200 Amp > Harbeth P3ESR

For reference the Accuphase DP500 DAC section is close to but not up to the performance of a Chord Hugo2 DAC. It was clearly better than a Hugo1, so it is decent though far from reference class. I am thinking the HE might be overkill for this system as the DAC and amp are mid class and might not show its full prowess over the non-HE. It's an office system w/ limited budget but I listen to several hours a day. Would appreciate your thoughts.

 

[PeterCraig]

I had both versions and compared side by side. Once you've tried the best DDC you can never imagine going back. The price difference is negligible, so if you have the budget I suggest the HE version. It will make a difference for your Accuphase.