[Licht]

Thanks! Followup--why is it that the pre-amp (i.e. variable) output matches the volume level of the line (i.e. fixed) out when the knob is turned to halfway? I thought most pre-amps at full volume are equivalent to line-out and anything less than that attenuates the signal. I am asking because at the moment I have the unit connected to a stereo receiver so my speaker setup is double pre-amped. Also, the gain settings effect the variable & fixed out which I find odd, although I always use low gain setting which is +0db anyway. Thank you for clarifying

I am just one R2R11 owner so to make it precise, you can mail to Kingwa, but from the spec sheet on the web:

Output level:
Headphone output : 10V RMS
Variable output : 5V Max
Fixed output: 2.5V RMS (High gain)
Fixed output: 1V RMS (Low gain)

So maybe using RK27 pot on variable mode and different fixed register for the fixed output.
I've confirmed the volume now and yes, about 12 o'clock on the variable equals to the fixed output level.

 

[myusernameislove]

There is a difference in sound of my R2R-11 connected via AQ Carbon USB cable to Elfidelity AXF-100 PRO III internal USB Power Filter PCI-e card (powered with iFi iPower 5V/2A adapter) and R2R-11 connected via AQ Carbon USB cable and iFi USB-C adapter cable to portable DAP Shanling M0 or Android Phone ( Sony Xperia XZ1), and you know what - it sounds better from portable than from upgraded USB connection on my computer. Maybe it is the influence of materials used in iFi USB adapter, and maybe it is the fact, that portable DAP uses internal battery. Portable connection gives unbeliavably clean and silver-like drive to the sound that is occuring on super dark background, while computer with USB card powered with clean power from iFi iPower has only this super dark background with no additional crystal clear drive impression on top of it. Impressive.

Early production HD540 600Ohm and first class 3rd party headphone OFC copper cable. Stock pads with changed foam (inner plastic stripe kept in place in between 2 foam halves to keep the sound faithful to original).
Both R2R and computer are powered with High quality power cables from aluminium power distributor.

After a while... I would describe the difference as more relaxed, solid, darker from PC, and brighter and more energetic from portable DAP. Both actually sound nice.

 

[Nickol]

Audio-GD have so far not acknowledged this fault, so will not offer refunds. Unless their customers start making a noise about it. I’m glad you’re enjoying your DSD-free listening; but it would be prudent to at least not dismiss this problem as irrelevant (even if it doesn’t affect you) because one day when you do buy a product with a flaw, you’d be grateful for the support of your community, especially when the vendor won’t acknowledge there is a problem.

He finally admitted it. Acknowledged the problem, but did not inform anyone about it. And just released a solution: eliminated this defect in the device.
Audio-gd R2R 11 is a new version, 2019. It reduces the level of background noise when playing DSD by 14 dB.
... But not on those devices that have already been sold ....

 

[Nickol]

It is a question of judgment and depends on our different point of view:
I guess, most of us were upset if airbags wouldn't work in our car as officially stated in the manufacturer prospects even if we don't need them regularly and all the other features work flawlessly...

The problem can be reproduced by all the four of us who took the time and evaluated the sample files so it is a safe bet that many (if not any) of the R2R-11s are affected.
Unfortunately it's a complex scenario and not all DSD tracks can show the flaws.
- The affected tracks are mostly from silent, pianissimo, or piano parts of well recorded and mastered, High Dynamic Range DSD sources.
- Classical music, jazz, folk, country or other acoustic recordings are more plagued than rock, pop, or electronical genres.
We've checked different players like Foobar2000, Jriver, Audirvana (MacOs), Album Player and all of them show the problem.

Good news!
He finally admitted it. Kingwa acknowledged the problem, but did not inform anyone about it. And just released a solution: eliminated this defect in the device.
Read this: http://www.audio-gd.com/R2R/R2R11/R2R11EN.htm
Read this: http://prntscr.com/ls5wa8
"Audio-gd R2R 11 is a new version, 2019. It reduces the level of background noise when playing DSD by 14 dB."
The bad news: ... But not on those devices that have already been sold ....

 

[gLer]

Good news!
He finally admitted it. Kingwa acknowledged the problem, but did not inform anyone about it. And just released a solution: eliminated this defect in the device.
Read this: http://www.audio-gd.com/R2R/R2R11/R2R11EN.htm
Read this: http://prntscr.com/ls5wa8
"Audio-gd R2R 11 is a new version, 2019. It reduces the level of background noise when playing DSD by 14 dB."
The bad news: ... But not on those devices that have already been sold ....

Yep. We knew it all along, even though he claimed it was 'by design', and due to NOS etc. etc. Like you say, doesn't help existing owners, unless he offers free upgrades, of which there's no chance. Shame really, but in a way I'm glad because it made me sell the R2R-11 and get the vastly superior R-28. Couldn't be happier.

 

[MelonHead]

Yep. We knew it all along, even though he claimed it was 'by design', and due to NOS etc. etc. Like you say, doesn't help existing owners, unless he offers free upgrades, of which there's no chance. Shame really, but in a way I'm glad because it made me sell the R2R-11 and get the vastly superior R-28. Couldn't be happier.

I would say "bittersweet news".
AfaIk, they never acknowledged the problem officially and according to the communication they act like they have made an update, not an error correction.
I would forgive if they were offer a free or cost-effective solution for current owners/early supporters.
I'm not techie enough to be sure,whether it is a real solution like in R28 or R1, or they have found some sw workaround to mask the problem.
Next year, I will upgrade the R2R-11 as I have too many native DSD recordings, to accept the situation. At least 40% of my albums are affected by this background noise. Higher sampling rate has higher problem ratio,but it doesn't mean that DSD64 files can't suffer from the same problem.
For example I can tail the glitches in every Mariinsky classical recordings.

 

[youurayy]

really sad because R2R-11 + DSD had a really great base sound (minus the tragic noise)

it never should have been advertised as DSD-capable, and it really shows the company didn't do their due diligence in terms of testing the product, or this particular feature anyway

 

[youurayy]

but the sound of this thing is truly amazing...... paired with Audio Zenith PMx2 on a silver cable.

(complex music like Hans Zimmerman's Man of Steel OST or Interstellar OST really make it shine)

 

[bunkbail]

(complex music like Hans Zimmerman's Man of Steel OST or Interstellar OST really make it shine)

Weird coz complex music is where the R2R-11 performs poorly in my opinion, at least when being compared to my $99 Sabre-based Khadas tone board.

 

[youurayy]

Weird coz complex music is where the R2R-11 performs poorly in my opinion, at least when being compared to my $99 Sabre-based Khadas tone board.

What headphones do you run? The PMx2 I have is planar-magnetic, so very fast, and very neutral tune = means great real bass. (I have to try R2R with my Utopias just bored to pull the balanced cable out of them.) That's a big part of it. Also I suspect burn-in, in this case an actual hardware burn-in, was needed. I had the unit collecting dust while I was listening to iFi Pro iDSD, and then I needed to test optical so I pulled it up. The separation and rendering of R2R is unmatched, I kept asking myself "how is this even possible" all the time. Basically I can mentally zoom in on any single instrument or voice and it stands out clearly. The timbres of vocals display the smallest emotional nuances and I feel like I hear them properly for the first time ever. And there's no "choking" in the complex parts of the song where many instruments/vocals are playing concurrently -- everything stays nicely separated. The downside is the songs with bad mastering are intolerable, but there aren't that many (I'm playing from TIDAL now).

 

[youurayy]

Ok I've connected Utopia, playing Moanin' by Art Blakey from Tidal, sipping Jim Beam, and I just can't turn it off!

Anybody tried the 2019 version of R2R yet?

 

[malenak]

Have anyone tried R2R 11 with Hifiman HE-6?

 

[ItsAllInMyHead]

Anybody tried the 2019 version of R2R yet?

Yes. The only change is a DSD filter.

 

[youurayy]

Yes. The only change is a DSD filter.

So the DSD isn't crackling anymore?

 

[ItsAllInMyHead]

So the DSD isn't crackling anymore?

That's a bit of a tricky question. We've got a discussion over on the R2R main thread if you'd like details, but to summarize...

There were/are 2 noises that occurred during playback

- The R2R 11 had one type of (to my ears) very low level noise that was present in all DSD playback. I would not have characterized it as a crackle myself, but noises are hard for me to describe... more of a hiss/static to me. Note - to my ears this was never objectionable. I don't listen to much DSD, but if I squinted my eyes and held my nose just right, I could hear it. That noise was constant in tone and amplitude. The upgrade removed (ok technically just reduced) that specific noise. It was specific to the R2R-11 (in the current R2R line of products). Kingwa confirmed that. I never heard it with an R-1 or R-8.
- There is (what I'd describe) as a weird noise during quiet passages or "silence" with some tracks. The opening seconds of a track will reveal its presence instantly to me if it is there. That noise is present in all the current A-GD R2R DACs I own and that some others own. Kingwa is now aware of it and studying the situation. It is only with some tracks from certain sources. It does not occur with all DSD tracks.

So, in summary... what I've recommended is that if DSD is an extremely important part of a music library, then the A-GD R2R DACs may not be the best choice at this time. There's a known issue without a known solution with some tracks. With other tracks (all of the music I own) it plays flawlessly. However, I've downloaded a few of the tracks with the issue, and it is 100% there. The cause and the subsequent solution are not yet known.