[dukja]

Don't worry about V-DAC.  I had it long ago and it is no comparison to Ref-7. 

 
Quote:

Hey guys. I just got myself a Reference 7, and I am very excited about it. It sounds great but I wish I had not packed up my V-DAC so quickly. Now I do not have a chance to directly compare them. I am only 25, but my memory lasts about 5 seconds.

 
 

 

[TruBrew]

Well, the T1 is not the final STAX amp. That may end up being a BHSE, of course I will also need the 009 to go with it. I was contemplating the idea of selling my SX-950, LCD-2, and T1 to buy a KGSS. I don't think I am going to do that however. I only have about another two months of income until I quit my job. After I start my nursing program, I won't see a regular income for two years. After that it is BHSE time. As for now I think I would rather keep the variety I think. It can be so hard to chose. One better device, or two good ones. 
 
OK, I will probably keep the SX and LCD-2 and just buy the KGSS anyway. We will see how much money I have before school starts. I tried to buy a hybrid ExStata that was for sail here, but I was at work and it sold in just a few hours.
 
I have also been thinking about buying a Phoenix to use with my LCD-2, which I could connect by ACSS. I don't know which one is a better idea.
 
If in the future I had both the Phoenix and the BHSE, does the Ref 7 output ACSS and XLR simultaneously? 

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Leaving it running constantly will be fine.

 

No, it might not be okay leaving it constantly running.  Audio-gd's PDF owners manual specifically says you should not run it for more than 8 hours at a time.
 

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

If in the future I had both the Phoenix and the BHSE, does the Ref 7 output ACSS and XLR simultaneously? 

I don't believe so.
 

 

[dukja]

Why do you need ASCC and XLR output at the same time?
 
If you mean remain both cables connected the same time but use one output at a time, it might work.  I used to  have Ref-1/7 have ASCC to Phoenix and RCA to a stax amp.  ASCC has priority over RCA.  So if the ASCC to Phoenix is active, then the RCA output to the stax amp will be cut off.  However, if I switched off the ASCC input on Phoenix (and switch to any other inputs), then the RCA output to stax amp will be activated.  I usually use this way to compare my dynamic and stax setups on the fly.
 
Quote:

If in the future I had both the Phoenix and the BHSE, does the Ref 7 output ACSS and XLR simultaneously? 

 

 

[TruBrew]

I don't need it to actually output to two amps simultaneously. If I do have multiple amps plugged into it, how does it know what to output to. There appears to be no output selector. I would not want to have to unplug one amo, and plug in another every time I wanted to listen to a different system.
 
I hope that clarifies my question.

 

[FauDrei]

It works like this:
 

1. You may physically connect cables to all three DAC's outputs at the same time (RCA, XLR, ACSS).
    
2. If DAC "detects" selected/enabled ACSS input on ACSS connected headamp/preamp/amp - it disables RCA/XLR outputs.
   
   This means ACSS output has priority over RCA/XLR outputs.
   
   This also means ACSS output can not work simultaneously with RCA/XLR outputs.
    

1. RCA output is derived from XLR output (XLR "hot" pin 2 = RCA "+" centre pin; XLR "ground" pin 1 = RCA "ground" ring).
   
   This means RCA output is the same as XLR's positive phase ("hot") output.
   
   This also means RCA and XLR outputs are always working at the same time, and you can simultaneously output to two headamps/preamps/amps (but it is not recommended).

 
 

 

[LarsHP]

Quote:

No, it might not be okay leaving it constantly running.  Audio-gd's PDF owners manual specifically says you should not run it for more than 8 hours at a time.
 

There is an owners manual? Where does one get hold of that?
 

 

[TruBrew]

Thanks, that answered my question perfectly.
 
Quote:

It works like this:
 

1. You may physically connect cables to all three DAC's outputs at the same time (RCA, XLR, ACSS).
    
2. If DAC "detects" selected/enabled ACSS input on ACSS connected headamp/preamp/amp - it disables RCA/XLR outputs.
   
   This means ACSS output has priority over RCA/XLR outputs.
   
   This also means ACSS output can not work simultaneously with RCA/XLR outputs.
    

1. RCA output is derived from XLR output (XLR "hot" pin 2 = RCA "+" centre pin; XLR "ground" pin 1 = RCA "ground" ring).
   
   This means RCA output is the same as XLR's positive phase ("hot") output.
   
   This also means RCA and XLR outputs are always working at the same time, and you can simultaneously output to two headamps/preamps/amps (but it is not recommended).

 
 

 

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

There is an owners manual? Where does one get hold of that?
 

 
I had a link to it.  I'll have to look for it.  You could e-mail them though and ask.
 
 

 

[spytsi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FauDrei /img/forum/go_quote.gif

It works like this:
 

1. You may physically connect cables to all three DAC's outputs at the same time (RCA, XLR, ACSS)..

.
.
.

1. RCA output is derived from XLR output (XLR "hot" pin 2 = RCA "+" centre pin; XLR "ground" pin 1 = RCA "ground" ring).
   
   This means RCA output is the same as XLR's positive phase ("hot") output.
   
   This also means RCA and XLR outputs are always working at the same time, and you can simultaneously output to two headamps/preamps/amps (but it is not recommended).

Which means that, when I receive my unit, it'll be perfectly functional to send the (balanced) signal from the DAC's XLR outputs to my PrimaLuna's (unbalanced) RCA inputs (through an XLR-to-RCA interconnect) plus send the (unbalanced) signal from the DAC's RCAs to my Pioneer AVR (provided that I avoid having both amps simultaneously on -- not that I intended to, really
 
One more question: I chose the aforementioned setup: XLR-to-RCA interconnection for the 2-channel amp & RCA-to-RCA for the home theater AVR - and not the other way around - on this hypothetical basis: although both amps will be finally fed with an unbalanced signal, the XLR-to-RCA unbalancing may be superior to the unbalanced signal coming directly out of the DAC's RCAs; thus, send the (supposedly superior) signal to feed the 2-channel setup. Does this stand on logical grounds, or both signals are of identicall quality? Or maybe even the opposite holds true, i.e. unbalancing the signal on the unit board prior to sending it to the RCA outputs is better than doing the same thing outside the device through an XLR-to-RCA cable?
 
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by IPodPJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I had a link to it.  I'll have to look for it.  You could e-mail them though and ask.

Manual on demand? I thought that every piece of electronic gear sold nowadays is accompanied by one (if not printed, at least in a CD ROM shipped with the unit). If not so, they should have already posted a dedicated page on their website, with download links to PDF manuals of all Audio-GD devices sold, including discontinued models. This is the least to do to support customers on that. All the info and valuable help one can extract from user feedback on fora like this should not be regarded as a substitute of the need for a structured manual.

 

[FauDrei]

One more question: I chose the aforementioned setup: XLR-to-RCA interconnection for the 2-channel amp & RCA-to-RCA for the home theater AVR - and not the other way around - on this hypothetical basis: although both amps will be finally fed with an unbalanced signal, the XLR-to-RCA unbalancing may be superior to the unbalanced signal coming directly out of the DAC's RCAs; thus, send the (supposedly superior) signal to feed the 2-channel setup. Does this stand on logical grounds, or both signals are of identicall quality? Or maybe even the opposite holds true, i.e. unbalancing the signal on the unit board prior to sending it to the RCA outputs is better than doing the same thing outside the device through an XLR-to-RCA cable?

Both outputs are of identical quality: look at the output wiring on this picture, or in more detail on this one (just wires on right picture edge).
 
If we are nitpicking and assuming you will use identical RCA interconnect cables on both outputs - possible sonic differences will depend on differences in quality between RCA output socket vs. XLR output socket + XLR to RCA converter.
 
Just swap them and see which combination you like more. Great chances are - you will hear no difference.

 

[spytsi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FauDrei /img/forum/go_quote.gif


Both outputs are of identical quality...

Obviously if the signal is of identical quality on both output wiring, any audible differences will be attributable to differences between sockets and/or interconnects. Thanks for this clarification.

 

[TruBrew]

this may not be the perfect place to ask, but I feel like someone where may know. I am talking to a builder about having a Beta 22 made. I asked if he could install ACSS inputs, so it could be used with the Reference 7. He said he has no experience with ACSS, and could only do XLR. Does anyone here have knowledge of ACSS. I am sure it is simple to implement, and if I could have someone tell me how it is done, I could pass that info along.

 

[tme110]

I have no idea but I would imagine that it would be a real challenge to implement. It's not just a change in connectors, it's a completely different concept of operations for an amp.  RCA and XLR are voltage controlled signals where the ACSS lines pass a current controlled signal.