Audio-gd R2R DAC Thread

[TiborM]

I'd like to try something like Matrix x-spdif 2 to use I2S because a lot people say it's the best connection.. But well, money money money :-D Some better headphones are my first priority now

 

[Chopin75]

For years I've used Musical Fidelity S/PDIF convertors to convert USB into coax--which I feed to the DAC du jour. Currently the convertor is the V-Link 24/192. And for the past 2-3 years, I put a USB Regen in line before the S/DIF convertor.

Every DAC I've heard in my system sounds better (a little better, or sometimes significantly better) than USB straight into the DAC. Part of this may be the very fine sounding coax cable I'm using: Oyaide R-510. Not cheap, but it sounds significantly better than other coax cables I tried.

PS: I totally agree with you about NOS. Assuming I get the R2R 1, I'll run it 100% in NOS mode. I'm able to compare NOS vs OS multibit in my system because I have an Audio GD DAC-19 as well as NOS 19. The DAC-19 is a terrific DAC, but doesn't sound quite as relaxed & organic as the NOS 19.

Hi, I am new to this thread. Just want to comment that the Oyaide R-510 is excellent BNC/SPDIF cable! Got it recently and sounds really amazing, very detailed but smooth and great soundstage. Good value too.

Has been following R2R 7 thread of same site, glad to hear the NOS mode is great for R2R-1. I am looking for a great NOS DAC and has been thinking of R2R 7,though it seems R2R -2 may be even better for value at much cheaper price. Has anyone compared these 2 ?

 

[Pharmaboy]

Hi, I am new to this thread. Just want to comment that the Oyaide R-510 is excellent BNC/SPDIF cable! Got it recently and sounds really amazing, very detailed but smooth and great soundstage. Good value too.

Has been following R2R 7 thread of same site, glad to hear the NOS mode is great for R2R-1. I am looking for a great NOS DAC and has been thinking of R2R 7,though it seems R2R -2 may be even better for value at much cheaper price. Has anyone compared these 2 ?

Yes, that Oyaide cable really changed my coax setup for the better--and w/a decent Billy Jeans coax cable, it already sounded better than optical or USB straight in...

I've never actually heard either DAC you mention. However, I do own 2 previous generation AGD multibit DACs (DAC-19 & NOS 19)...and love them, especially the NOS 19, which is my day-to-day DAC. All through the years, AGD also offered larger, "Master" products that incorporated the same basic DACs, but with bigger power supplies--and sometimes (if memory serves) built-in big HP amps.

This R2R 7 appears to be a fully balanced R2R 1 (same chipset count) but w/larger power supply, much larger case, and all USB chipset "options" from R2R 1 included in the price (which as you note is 3X that of R2R 1).

I never considered the previous "Master" series, nor would I consider the R2R 7--the box is huge, way too big for my desktop. I also have a problem paying 3X the price, frankly.

FYI, if I end up getting the R2R 1 (highly likely...later this year), I'll put my DAC-19 up F.S. and keep the NOS 19 as a combo back-up and sonic alternative (to play around with, compare to newer DAC).

 

[PopZeus]

So, maybe due to the proposed upcoming tariffs on Chinese imports, I decided to upgrade my chain with an audio-GD DAC. The R2R 1, to be specific. I’d love to heat people’s general thoughts on the device.

But as an audio-GD noob, I emailed them my DAC request, they sent me a price quote. Now, do I just PayPal them the money with the requisite info, and wait for order fulfillment/shipping updates a few days later? Is it that simple??

Any advice from the thread vets would be swell. Any opinions on the R2R 1 are also appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Pharmaboy]

So, maybe due to the proposed upcoming tariffs on Chinese imports, I decided to upgrade my chain with an audio-GD DAC. The R2R 1, to be specific. I’d love to heat people’s general thoughts on the device.

But as an audio-GD noob, I emailed them my DAC request, they sent me a price quote. Now, do I just PayPal them the money with the requisite info, and wait for order fulfillment/shipping updates a few days later? Is it that simple??

Any advice from the thread vets would be swell. Any opinions on the R2R 1 are also appreciated. Thanks!

The R2R 1 is the DAC I'm most interested in, as well. I've read scattered/occasional good things about its sound (mostly here). What puts me over the top w/this DAC is that I can have 3 live outputs from it at any given time (replace the ACCS w/2nd pair of RCA outputs = 2 RCA outputs; plus 1 X pair of 3-pin XLR out). I have a number of amps here, and the fact that I can hook up 3 of them at any time to the R2R 1 (confirmed by Kingwa) makes this unit uncommonly useful.

Re its sound, I'm hoping that its NOS mode sounds even better (incrementally) than my favorite DAC ever, the NOS 19.

But re your purchase question, only Audio GD can answer it--tell you how to pay for a unit. I thought I remembered reading that they issue a Paypal invoice to each customer (which by design is intended to prompt/facilitate Paypal payment). Could be wrong about that.

BTW, I bought my NOS 19 & DAC-19 from Magna HiFi in the Netherlands, so never directly purchased from AGD...

 

[thebkt]

Now, do I just PayPal them the money with the requisite info, and wait for order fulfillment/shipping updates a few days later? Is it that simple??

Bingo! I included my info in the paypal payment to ensure all the details in the email lined up with the paypal payment.

 

[PopZeus]

The R2R 1 is the DAC I'm most interested in, as well. I've read scattered/occasional good things about its sound (mostly here). What puts me over the top w/this DAC is that I can have 3 live outputs from it at any given time (replace the ACCS w/2nd pair of RCA outputs = 2 RCA outputs; plus 1 X pair of 3-pin XLR out). I have a number of amps here, and the fact that I can hook up 3 of them at any time to the R2R 1 (confirmed by Kingwa) makes this unit uncommonly useful.

Re its sound, I'm hoping that its NOS mode sounds even better (incrementally) than my favorite DAC ever, the NOS 19.

But re your purchase question, only Audio GD can answer it--tell you how to pay for a unit. I thought I remembered reading that they issue a Paypal invoice to each customer (which by design is intended to prompt/facilitate Paypal payment). Could be wrong about that.

BTW, I bought my NOS 19 & DAC-19 from Magna HiFi in the Netherlands, so never directly purchased from AGD...

Yeah, from a feature list, this DAC is incredible. Love that there are 2 dedicated RCA outputs as well as a balanced XLR out. My amp collection seems to be growing slowly and I would love to not have to rely on the RCA bypass feature downstream.

Love the input options as well, including the USB upgrade (since this will primarily be a desktop DAC) and HDMI (no use for it yet, but cool).

I'm hoping I'll hear a positive difference between the R2R 1 and my current DAC, the Mimby. I know there are jumpers in the device that can tweak the sound but I'm not sure to what extent the audio changes. I've been getting better, more revealing gear recently, so I feel like now is a good time to hear what else is out there.

 

[thebkt]

But I have to ask: what do you mean by "noticeably more resolving"? Does this refer to frequencies/tonal reproduction? Or just to detail & accuracy?

Is there any brightness/peakiness in this unit?

Detail and accuracy for sure. I think I finally understand what people are referring to when they say some components are more 'musical'. The best I can do to describe the differences are that the added detail means there aren't just more details coming through, but I can hear more layers. For example, multi guitar parts or layered orchestral, I can hear more melodies coming through as the DAC is resolving more of the instruments. I noticed this immediately with my HE-560's, but they haven't since had much headtime since I got the clears.

Also, there's no weird treble peaks or anything that I've noticed. It's absolutely silky smooth. Given how much headtime the Clears have had, I don't think I'll be shooting for a warmer tone with NOS mode, as my brightest headphones sound great as is and the rest don't need to be any darker for my tastes.

Also, after further headtime, I've noticed there is a difference between my Eitr and the USB input of the DAC. I don't particularly hear any tonal or detail difference, it seems a tad louder via USB... I'm going to have to actually sit down for a few days with each and give it some time if I want to discern any real difference. Safe to say that the USB Isolator is doing it's job! The Eitr made a big difference to my Mimby, so the fact that the R2R 1 sounds so comparable is a great sign.

 

[PopZeus]

Ok another n00b question. What is NOS mode and do I have request that during my initial purchase order? Or is it something I can do on my own after it is delivered?

 

[thebkt]

I'm hoping I'll hear a positive difference between the R2R 1 and my current DAC, the Mimby. I know there are jumpers in the device that can tweak the sound but I'm not sure to what extent the audio changes. I've been getting better, more revealing gear recently, so I feel like now is a good time to hear what else is out there.

I upgraded from the Mimby. It's a noticeable improvement to be sure. Like I've mentioned earlier and to my ears, it sounds tonally similar to the Mimby, but more resolving. There's probably more, but I won't pretend to have ears golden enough to discern and articulate those differences.

Also, the NOS/OS settings are controlled by jumpers as per the product page on their site. You get a small baggy with 6 or so jumpers in it.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Detail and accuracy for sure. I think I finally understand what people are referring to when they say some components are more 'musical'. The best I can do to describe the differences are that the added detail means there aren't just more details coming through, but I can hear more layers. For example, multi guitar parts or layered orchestral, I can hear more melodies coming through as the DAC is resolving more of the instruments. I noticed this immediately with my HE-560's, but they haven't since had much headtime since I got the clears.

Also, there's no weird treble peaks or anything that I've noticed. It's absolutely silky smooth. Given how much headtime the Clears have had, I don't think I'll be shooting for a warmer tone with NOS mode, as my brightest headphones sound great as is and the rest don't need to be any darker for my tastes.

Also, after further headtime, I've noticed there is a difference between my Eitr and the USB input of the DAC. I don't particularly hear any tonal or detail difference, it seems a tad louder via USB... I'm going to have to actually sit down for a few days with each and give it some time if I want to discern any real difference. Safe to say that the USB Isolator is doing it's job! The Eitr made a big difference to my Mimby, so the fact that the R2R 1 sounds so comparable is a great sign.

Thanks for a thought-provoking, thorough reply.

Looking at my original question ("what is 'more resolving'?") I now realize how hard that is for anyone to answer. And you actually did!

"I think I finally understand what people are referring to when they say some components are more 'musical'. The best I can do to describe the differences are that the added detail means there aren't just more details coming through, but I can hear more layers."​

(really fine answer)

 

[Pharmaboy]

Ok another n00b question. What is NOS mode and do I have request that during my initial purchase order? Or is it something I can do on my own after it is delivered?

In the R2R 1, 2 modes (NOS or OS) can be switched (one to the other), on the front panel.

However, I believe there are 3 different NOS modes, and the one that's switchable on the panel is set w/jumpers placed inside the case. That is to say, one of those 3 NOS modes is set as default in every unit shipped, and when you switch to "NOS" on the panel, you get that particular NOS mode. But if you want 1 of the other 3 NOS modes to be switchable from the front panel, you have to go in and change those jumpers to that other NOS mode.

It may be the same w/OSS modes (ie, only one is available from front panel--if you want another, you set jumpers)...but since NOS is all I care about, I didn't look into it very far...

 

[TiborM]

Hi. Well not quite sure, if there is any nos mode active by default. Probably so, but don't know what is PLL setting with jumper 3 and people on r2r 7 thread like it more with the jumper on and me too. So I have jumper 3 and 4 and 5 on and that's the way I like it :-D

 

[arielext]

Completed my audio-gd stack today; R2R-1DAC -> NFB-1AMP with acss interlinks.
Coming from a schitt modi uber the difference is quite noticable; but it's way too early for real impressions.

 

[TiborM]

Nice! That has to be something. Give us your findings later