[jimmychan]

My mod of Reference 1, disconnect the SPDIF input, add a i2s over hdmi board, connect to i2s signal pins.

Working great with a DI-20HE, now support 384k, was 96k.

 

[ohcrapgorillas]

My mod of Reference 1, disconnect the SPDIF input, add a i2s over hdmi board, connect to i2s signal pins.

Working great with a DI-20HE, now support 384k, was 96k.

Oooooh. I've only ever heard amazing things about I2S, and I'm really hoping to see it become a lot more common in the future. My Pi2AES has I2S over HDMI as well, so if I could fit this DAC with such a receiver, I would be able to use it.

Now, I have some questions... would this replace the PMD100? Did you have to do any casework, e.g. enlarging any of the holes? Some of those look a bit rough (no offense--better than I could do, no doubt). Would it be possible to use a mini-HDMI input instead? That might fit in the existing holes better, if one could find a direct replacement for the jack on the PCB. Also, it seems your 75R-BNC is actually RCA?

Last but not least... how did you find the difference in sound quality? Is I2S really all it's cracked up to be?

edit: Emailed Kingwa about all of this anyway, just to check, and also to ask about the 88.2kHz thing.

 

[jimmychan]

@ohcrapgorillas
In my case I have only one SPDIF input to be replaced. Your case has three inputs, you could choose which input to be replaced.
I have to use a hand file to enlarge the hole to fit in the i2s HDMI connector, the back panel is 1cm thick, so it is some kind of rough.
I never seen a mini-HDMI board for i2s, if there is any, it may fit better.
I just find something handy to fill up the hole of 75R-BNC, it has no funtion.
If you could upgrade to i2s input, that is definite worth to try. i2s is superior than SPDIF input in all sense.

If you planned to try i2s input for your DACs, I suggest you take a look on the Audio-gd DI-20HE, that converts USB/SPDIF to i2s. That is the best DDC I tried in the last few years.

 

[ohcrapgorillas]

@ohcrapgorillas
In my case I have only one SPDIF input to be replaced. Your case has three inputs, you could choose which input to be replaced.
I have to use a hand file to enlarge the hole to fit in the i2s HDMI connector, the back panel is 1cm thick, so it is some kind of rough.
I never seen a mini-HDMI board for i2s, if there is any, it may fit better.
I just find something handy to fill up the hole of 75R-BNC, it has no funtion.
If you could upgrade to i2s input, that is definite worth to try. i2s is superior than SPDIF input in all sense.

If you planned to try i2s input for your DACs, I suggest you take a look on the Audio-gd DI-20HE, that converts USB/SPDIF to i2s. That is the best DDC I tried in the last few years.

Thanks for your response. I am actually quite satisfied with the Pi2AES as a digital transport although the D20 was tempting. It does BNC, AES, and I2S alongside standard RCA and Toslink SPDIF.

Rather than a mini-HDMI board, I simply mean I hope it would be possible to replace the HDMI jack on the I2S PCB with a smaller one. It occurs to me now that this may not be so simple, as HDMI has a lot of tiny pins to desolder and resolder.

Unfortunately, I cannot simply choose which input to replace as you suggest. The USB and Toslink jacks are mounted directly to the main PCB on the DAC-19mk3, it is only the coaxial input that is "free" and could be replaced with another board:

 

[Darlog.hode]

Hey guys I'm in the market for a good DAC under $800. The best I was recommended was the Bifrost 2. Does anyone have an idea on the comparison between the R-1 or another Audio-GD DAC for this price, vs. the Bifrost 2? Thanks in advance!

Late reply, but if I were you, I'd take the R-1 in a heartbeat if I could. I have the Bifrost 2. It's a very clean, smooth sounding DAC. It sounds natural, laid back, it sounds good. It digs a lot of detail of the bottom end. However, the Audio GD has something that makes it sound thicker, punchier, more real, more dynamic, but not as clean and lean. Also more 3D. Bifrost lacks that something, but is not so bad as say Mytek. That one is a dead sounding DAC. But I am stuck with the Bifrost 2 for another year or so, thankfully I can add tubes in the line. I hope I can get into a R1 then, I had the R2R-2. I figure the R1 is quite a bit of DAC for the money.

 

[DecentLevi]

@Darlog.hode
Well I'm already a few steps ahead of you on this. I already went for the R-1 earlier in the year and sold it after a few weeks; to me the lowly Modi 2 Multibit stomped it, and the Qutest DAC left no trace of it in comparison. Here was my review. The Qutest is sleek, small, futuristic looking and sounding alike, and may even be future proof for quite some time. IMO however it does need an LPS (Linear DC Power Supply) to shine its' best. Feel free to check out its' aftermarket LPS thread for future developments there.

 

[sajunky]

I love my R2R11. Not looking for Mimby things anymore. If someone is selling such a sucker R1, R8 or R28, please let me know.

 

[thebkt]

I'm curious, does anybody know of a way to modify the output voltage of the R2R-1/R1? I've upgraded my amp from the NFB-1 and am finding that I have almost no volume control with other amps. The NFB-1 is connected via ACSS and is a-ok volume wise (my MX4 is at comfortable listening levels at 12 on low gain). However, on other amps I use XLR out and it seems that 5V is too much, leaving me at about 7 o'clock on the THX 789 and 2 clicks (~7 o' clock) on my GS-X mini.

 

[sajunky]

I'm curious, does anybody know of a way to modify the output voltage of the R2R-1/R1? I've upgraded my amp from the NFB-1 and am finding that I have almost no volume control with other amps. The NFB-1 is connected via ACSS and is a-ok volume wise (my MX4 is at comfortable listening levels at 12 on low gain). However, on other amps I use XLR out and it seems that 5V is too much, leaving me at about 7 o'clock on the THX 789 and 2 clicks (~7 o' clock) on my GS-X mini.

Isn't this device? http://www.miktekaudio.com/mx-4/

It has XLR input for a microphone. Don't use this socket. The other input should be stereo line level input, it is what you need. I don't have a manual to help with.

 

[thebkt]

Isn't this device? http://www.miktekaudio.com/mx-4/

It has XLR input for a microphone. Don't use this socket. The other input should be stereo line level input, it is what you need. I don't have a manual to help with.

Oh no, the Audeze LCD-MX4 headphone It's very sensitive (105db/mw), so even though it benefits from high quality components (sounds sublime out of the GS-X Mini), it doesn't need much power at all to drive.

 

[sajunky]

Oh no, the Audeze LCD-MX4 headphone It's very sensitive (105db/mw), so even though it benefits from high quality components (sounds sublime out of the GS-X Mini), it doesn't need much power at all to drive.

I wasn't sure.

Seriously, there shouldn't be so big difference. Are you sure THX 789 is an upgrade? Give us a feedback, please.

 

[thebkt]

I wasn't sure.

Seriously, there shouldn't be so big difference. Are you sure THX 789 is an upgrade? Give us a feedback, please.

The difference I think is that the NFB-1 is fed via ACSS which is current, not voltage. Both the THX and the GS-X Mini get loud very quickly. In the case of the THX my comfortable listening level is just above the point on the potentiometer where I can hear a channel imbalance. The mini has the DACT pot and comfortable listening levels for me is on the 2nd click. If you'd like to hear feedback on the sound difference, I'll post it (likely) this weekend after doing some A/B (posibly C) between the NFB, THX and mini.

FWIW - I find the NFB nice, but a little blurry in comparison to the very well defined detail of the THX. The NFB has still gotten a lot of usage from me on long work days when it helps to literally take the edge off. Also, I appreciate the engineering and build of the NFB/R2R, they're both solid products, whereas the THX is clearly built down to a price and doesn't feel premium at all.

I ask about the voltage output of the R2R1, as if it's possible, I'd love to have a bit more volume control for my sensitive headphones from the balanced output. If not, I can always modify the volume via EQ

 

[PopZeus]

I have the 789 being fed by the R2R-1 and it sounds fine to me. With really efficient headphones, I use the SE out, since it's on par with the balanced out in terms of transparency, and it doesn't create damping issues with hyper-efficient IEMs. With my 300 ohm headphones, I use the XLR balanced out on middle gain. From my experience, this is a very versatile amp when it comes to power.

 

[thebkt]

I have the 789 being fed by the R2R-1 and it sounds fine to me. With really efficient headphones, I use the SE out, since it's on par with the balanced out in terms of transparency, and it doesn't create damping issues with hyper-efficient IEMs. With my 300 ohm headphones, I use the XLR balanced out on middle gain. From my experience, this is a very versatile amp when it comes to power.

Good shout, I'll look into this as an option... I'm just short on RCA cables at the moment. The NFB always sounded considerably better balanced, but I never did test the single ended out of the R2R 1 vs balanced out.

 

[Mizicke5273]

Quick question about USB drivers for Audio-GD DACs. I just bought a R-28 2018 version used and am waiting for it to arrive. Do the Amanero drivers need to be installed for basic audio playback via or are they just for DSD playback?