[FredA]

The unit was working beautifully yesterday and last night, but this morning I turn it on and I get this on the faceplate. Any idea what happened here?

Voltage issue perhaps that has damaged the mcu, most likely. It can be replaced relatively easily. Does it still produce sound?

 

[limberpine]

Voltage issue perhaps that has damaged the mcu, most likely. It can be replaced relatively easily. Does it still produce sound?

I turned it off and then turned it back on for a third time and it seems fine now. It's plays music just fine right now. Weird.

 

[FredA]

I turned it off and then turned it back on for a third time and it seems fine now. It's plays music just fine right now. Weird.

Before turning the dac back on, wait a minute. I suppose you know this...

What happened to you can occurs if not pushing the button straight to the bottom and releasing it prematurely by accident, then push it again to the bottom, which can cause a power cut that would have the mcu bootup fail. It happened to me a couple of times.

 

[limberpine]

Before turning the fm dac back on, wait a minute. I suppose you know this...

What happened to you can occurs if not pushing the button straight to the bottom and releasing it prematurely by accident, then push it again to the bottom, which can cause a power cut that would have the mcu bootup fail. It happened to me a couple of times.

Ohhhh, I didn't know that. Thanks!

 

[DACLadder]

@limberpine. The display and input switching are done by a microcontroller on the display board. I'm sure your have but try power cycling leaving the unit off for a full 30 seconds.

 

[DACLadder]

Good job!

 

[K3cT]

You know, I started this hobby with an Audio-gd and I'm thinking of revisiting the company. I'm specifically looking for a DAC based on the PCM1704 and it seems that Kingwa only has one product left that employs this chip, the HE-7 MK2. Does anyone here have experience with this DAC?

I remember trying the Master 7 DAC based on the Burr Brown quite some time ago and if I recall correctly it was leaning towards dark and warmth. It was an earlier unit, must be a 1st or 2nd gen. I definitely prefer something a bit more neutral these days...

 

[FredA]

You know, I started this hobby with an Audio-gd and I'm thinking of revisiting the company. I'm specifically looking for a DAC based on the PCM1704 and it seems that Kingwa only has one product left that employs this chip, the HE-7 MK2. Does anyone here have experience with this DAC?

I remember trying the Master 7 DAC based on the Burr Brown quite some time ago and if I recall correctly it was leaning towards dark and warmth. It was an earlier unit, must be a 1st or 2nd gen. I definitely prefer something a bit more neutral these days...

The he7 mkii should do. Or the r7he mkii. I have the latter. The he7 has some extra warmth and a more musical sound.

I have not heard the he7 mkii. Only the old m7 fed by the di20he, itself externally clocked. Love the sound. Not dark at all.

 

[PeterCraig]

The he7 mkii should do. Or the r7he mkii. I have the latter. The he7 has some extra warmth and a more musical sound.

I have not heard the he7 mkii. Only the old m7 fed by the di20he, itself externally clocked. Love the sound. Not dark at all.

I also have a "souped" up Master 7. Same as Fred is describing: fed via i2s from the DI20HE with an external clock. Today it is a very satisfying dac.

Also just before the M7 was retired Kingwa release a new FPGA firmware with made the dac more resolving, fixed the issues with the bass etc. Since then he has further sharpened his firmware skills which are in place in the latest models.

 

[DACLadder]

I have the HE7 mk2. Remarkable sounding in the modern DAC universe. Not dark, mysterious, or tubby like the old, warmer gen 1 M7. In comparison the HE7 mk2 is crisp, clean, balanced, and dynamic. And has more detail when compared recently to newer pcm1704uk models - M7S 2017 and S7 2020. The HE7 mk2 sounds a lot like the R7 mk2 except for a polite amount of Burr-Brown charm. The R7 mk2 is slight tick up in transparency and detail but leans more neutral...

The original M7 works for many using HDMI I2S and rev 2 f/w. The old M7 employs I2S MCLK directly for DSP functions so no PLL. The internal crystal is not used for I2S. Connect an elite DDC like the DI20HE over I2S and the old M7 comes alive. On Kingwa‘s latest DACs MCLK is not even used as I2S data is recovered asynchronously. So, in theory, MCLK direct is a more ”pure” data path if your DDC clocks are up to the task.

I can certainly recommend the HE7 mk2. Sounds great on all inputs but still prefer HDMI I2S or internal USB.

 

[K3cT]

Thanks for the impressions. I'm interested but seems not much comparisons against more popular models like the Holo Spring 3 KTE, Denafrips Venus II or even Schiit Yggy A2.

 

[sajunky]

Thanks for the impressions. I'm interested but seems not much comparisons against more popular models like the Holo Spring 3 KTE, Denafrips Venus II or even Schiit Yggy A2.

You can find good comparison of R-7 (2000) with Venus here. Since then R-7 received already a second modification. I don't know what is changed in Venus II, but at least you can judge on the house of sound what you like. As you can see from earlier posts, sound difference of HE7 Mk2 is smaller to discrete lader type than it was before.

You should be aware that none of listed above DACs are NOS, except Audio GD. Denafrips NOS mode is in fact a linear interpolation to the maximum ladder frequency (DSP-less oversampling type). Holo Audio in reverse, doesn't oversample, but use extensive DSP filtering and ultrasonic scrambling to linearize ladder errors. It gives a similar sonic effect as noise shaping in Delta-Sigma design. In result reviewers avoid comparison with other R2R DACs (especially NOS type), rather Delta-Sigma models like Chord.

I didn't see any comparison from trusted source of Audio GD sound with Schiit yggy or Rockna wave/dream/light.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

And Schiity DACs don't do DSD so if you have SACD rips or an SACD transport, they're a no go.

 

[Benny-x]

You can find good comparison of R-7 (2000) with Venus here. Since then R-7 received already a second modification. I don't know what is changed in Venus II, but at least you can judge on the house of sound what you like. As you can see from earlier posts, sound difference of HE7 Mk2 is smaller to discrete lader type than it was before.

You should be aware that none of listed above DACs are NOS, except Audio GD. Denafrips NOS mode is in fact a linear interpolation to the maximum ladder frequency (DSP-less oversampling type). Holo Audio in reverse, doesn't oversample, but use extensive DSP filtering and ultrasonic scrambling to linearize ladder errors. It gives a similar sonic effect as noise shaping in Delta-Sigma design. In result reviewers avoid comparison with other R2R DACs (especially NOS type), rather Delta-Sigma models like Chord.

I didn't see any comparison from trusted source of Audio GD sound with Schiit yggy or Rockna wave/dream/light.

I have been sort of out of the loop for a while, but this is the first place I've seen anyone say that the HOLO Spring or May and the Denafrips Terminator are NOT NOS DACs, but maybe my focus there is only on when any of them are fed DSD512. I upsample and feed my T+A DAC8DSD DSD512 so that it's operating NOS, and that's the same situation I'd long heard for the Spring/May and Terminators.

Are we saying the same thing, the caveat being that you're talking about whenever they're fed anything else?

The Master and HE DACs also had their limelight for DSD for a bit, but I don't think it was ever a focus quite like it's been for those other DACs.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I upsample and feed my T+A DAC8DSD DSD512 so that it's operating NOS

No, just no. What you feed the DAC has nothing to do whether it runs NOS or not.

The Master and HE DACs also had their limelight for DSD for a bit, but I don't think it was ever a focus quite like it's been for those other DACs.

And nobody who has ever bought a single piece of Audio-gd cares about that even a little. The money we spend on Audio-gd gear goes into engineering and building the product, not into marketing it.