[Audio-Omega]

Does Reference One improve bass and treble response apart from providing more details ?

 

[guitarplayer]

Get some rest, listen to some tunes, and recuperate!

Best wishes being sent your way.

Peace,

Lee

 

[Pricklely Peete]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audio-Omega /img/forum/go_quote.gif Does Reference One improve bass and treble response apart from providing more details ?

Not sure what you mean by this but I'd say the RE1 DAC let's through what is encoded on the source material without emphasis to any particular frequency range. If the source material has deep bass, you hear deep bass without additional artifacts or coloration.

It's treble response is down -1db at 20khz but most DACs in this range (top tier competitors) and config (pcm1704UK) show a similar drop across the board (with some exceptions). I find the top end of the RE1 the most natural sounding I've heard from a red book source and even moreso from higher rez files.

Bottom line ? The RE1 delivers the source material as is, nothing more and nothing less. Precisely the way I like it, IMO of course

Peete.

 

[Audio-Omega]

Thanks. So there is no colouration.

 

[Audio-Omega]

Thanks. So there is no colouration.

 

[gavszero]

Is there any particular reason why a lazer reading a disc ( Audio GD CD7 Player ) superiour to say a logitech transporter or Ref 3 getting a source from a CD player or Computer feeding the Ref 1 ? Pity the Ref 3 doesn't have ACSS output , wouldn't that make the Ref 3 then a good partner for the Ref 1 instead of a CD7 ? Don't have to change lazers after so many hours then ...

Is a HDD/sound Card/power Supply too noisy for a good audio source to equal say the CD7 player ? I hear a new model the CD8 is in the works ...

I'm considering the Ref1 but I won't be able to use it to it's full potential without having any components with ACSS output .

Thanks ...

 

[haloxt]

Ref 3 does have AGSS. As for whether or not computers are good transports, it depends on hardware and software. Also in theory computer as transport has a lot of potential issues and limitations that have to be overcome, while audiophile cd players have been designed for decades. Computer as transport is advancing though, they're doing lots of crazy stuff like dedicated PSU's. If you're interested in building a computer as transport, this might be a good start cMP² | CMP / 05Components . But personally I'm going to just wait for someone to mass-produce an audiophile hard drive based transport, will Kingwa put a hard drive in the CD8

?

 

[Currawong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gavszero /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is there any particular reason why a lazer reading a disc ( Audio GD CD7 Player ) superiour to say a logitech transporter or Ref 3 getting a source from a CD player or Computer feeding the Ref 1 ? Pity the Ref 3 doesn't have ACSS output , wouldn't that make the Ref 3 then a good partner for the Ref 1 instead of a CD7 ? Don't have to change lazers after so many hours then ... Is a HDD/sound Card/power Supply too noisy for a good audio source to equal say the CD7 player ? I hear a new model the CD8 is in the works ... I'm considering the Ref1 but I won't be able to use it to it's full potential without having any components with ACSS output . Thanks ...

From what I understand, the Ref 3 has the same output stage as the CD7, so you get the same benefits. Apparently both output 1 sockets have the ACSS digital output, and the output 2 sockets don't. Kingwa reckons all four sockets result in a slightly different sound, though I haven't experimented with this enough to derive any conclusion.

I'm not sure why you wouldn't be able to get the full potential of the Ref 1. People seem to be getting the idea that XLR is bad for some reason. When Kingwa suggests that ACSS is better, he's saying, as far as I can tell, that it's better using his IC cables. I can assure you that using a quite expensive and very reputable set of XLR ICs that there's little in it between ACSS and XLR in detail. The benefit of ACSS is, as far as I can tell, that you don't need high quality ICs to get a good signal transfer between components.

 

[tim3320070]

I have said before that I think the ACSS output sounds better than the XLR output (to my FBI-500 amp). I am able to a/b these two pretty quickly. With further testing, to my ear with my newish, and very revealing Thiels, I find it hard to distinguish between the two. So I guess I agree with Currawong that the XLR output is close enough that it doesn't matter (to me). When I get the Phoenix, I will try again between the two.
Those of you that have upgraded the ACSS connectors and cable might want to chime in on this as I am using the AGD cable and connectors.

 

[les_garten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tim3320070 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have said before that I think the ACSS output sounds better than the XLR output (to my FBI-500 amp). I am able to a/b these two pretty quickly. With further testing, to my ear with my newish, and very revealing Thiels, I find it hard to distinguish between the two. So I guess I agree with Currawong that the XLR output is close enough that it doesn't matter (to me). When I get the Phoenix, I will try again between the two. Those of you that have upgraded the ACSS connectors and cable might want to chime in on this as I am using the AGD cable and connectors.

There ain't no flies on XLR.

 

[Currawong]

For what it's worth, I mostly use Van Den Hul's The Orchid XLR cables, which have been compared favourably to Nordost's Valhalla at 10x the price.

 

[gavszero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haloxt /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ref 3 does have AGSS. As for whether or not computers are good transports, it depends on hardware and software. Also in theory computer as transport has a lot of potential issues and limitations that have to be overcome, while audiophile cd players have been designed for decades. Computer as transport is advancing though, they're doing lots of crazy stuff like dedicated PSU's. If you're interested in building a computer as transport, this might be a good start cMP² | CMP / 05Components . But personally I'm going to just wait for someone to mass-produce an audiophile hard drive based transport, will Kingwa put a hard drive in the CD8 ?

I guess thats sort of what I'm saying , if such a unit like the CD8 could have a HDD or better still have a seperate unit just HDD base but with the output stage like the CD7/CD8 . Only problem now is it has to have some sort of output to display the albums on the HDD .. Anyway hope Kingwa looks into something like this as it seems like the majority would like this feature by the way people are saving audio on HDD's .

Has anyone heard or know anymore about the release date of the CD8 ?

Cheers ...

 

[punk_guy182]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gavszero /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyway hope Kingwa looks into something like this as it seems like the majority would like this feature by the way people are saving audio on HDD's

I would like to see something like that come out also. I have a library of 200 CDs but I don't play them anymore. All the music I play nowadays are lossless audio files that are stored on the HDD of my computer.

 

[Pricklely Peete]

What hasn't been explored in any great detail (yet) is upgraded ACSS cabling. What if a HQ cable in this spot restores the 15% edge over XLR ? The other consideration is the fact that the less conversions from I/V that has to take place between components the better the signal integrity in theory.

I wonder if SE's cable loan program is still a go ? Either way I'm thinking of some HQ ACSS cables of my own. I have studied what it's going to take to change the wiring from the I/O sections (of the Phoenix and the RE1 which is much simpler) and I have also decided to change out the DC wiring with some Neotech LE-20AWG LEGENBURG Rectangular HOOK-UP Wire BLUE,(UP-OCC Mono-Crystal design) and fashion some new DC cables using the same stuff I have on the way from partsconexxion. I have 9 ft of it on order so I hope that's enough

This rewiring of the Phoenix (and to a lesser extent the RE1) is a bigger job than I first thought. It'll take me a few days at least (I'm slow). Anyway it should make a big big difference in conjunction with the Mundorf silver/gold stuff or at least I hope so. If I have enough Mundorf wire left over I'll make some ACSS cables with it.

Just some food for thought.

EDIT: Don't worry PG182 I won't be starting any of these mods until I'm done evaluating your amp.

Peete.

 

[tim3320070]

Quote:

Originally Posted by les_garten /img/forum/go_quote.gif There ain't no flies on XLR.

Explain this joke, I've had some Sake recently....