[kuloku]

Very sad...
although I have a NET iis ddc for VOX,
but HUB always best choose.

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

Yep tired of waiting just ordered an SU-6 from MagnaHifi.

Update:

So an Android Box (Beelink GT King) w/ LPS running UAPP + LH Labs Revive (USB Regen/Reclock) + Singxer SU-6 turns up a pretty good combination for a streamer/network player setup.

 

[kuloku]

Looks awesome!
Singxer SU-6's USB PORT is already processed.
need USB Regen ?

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

In the SU-6 thread they say USB implimentation is good not great. I have the LH Labs Revive for sometime now. So why not use it. Haven't got the chance to hear the SU-6 without. Still burning in....

But I really like what I hear.

 

[otijhuis]

I've had the Hydra Vox/Zap stack for a while now and have very mixed feelings.

As far as audio quality goes the stack is terrific. It's significantly better than my Chord Qutest (and it looks better too). I totally agree with @Joe-Siow about the clearer/cleaner sound, bigger soundstage and tighter bass. It's almost as if the singer gets pulled back a little and everything gets more room to breathe. The headphone section is much better than the one on my Luxman amp.

The thing is, everything else feels unfinished or constantly reminds me it's there (not in a good way):

• the switching noise it makes when changing formats is really annoying and happens a lot since I constantly use shuffle on my Tidal playlists
• the android app is so buggy and slow to reconnect that it's faster to just kill the app and restart it. Turning off the stack through the app regularly hangs and that even causes the touchscreen on the stack itself to become completely unresponsive and I actually have to pull the plug
• still no ios app even though they already have an app for another Audiobyte product. Feels like they are trying to do too much at once
• increasing the volume doesn't get saved so I have to increase it every time I turn on the stack (I want the volume matched with some other equipment)
• playing music through the usb connection causes constant pops/clicks. Doesn't matter if I use my macbook or a windows machine. Audiobyte has sent me a new usb module and I even got a completely new stack. Same issue. With the same cable and setup to a Hegel H190 or to the Qutest, no issues at all. Everything plays perfectly through those devices. Audiobyte hasn't been able to reproduce the problem on their end. I used the usb connection from the Hegel as a temporary workaround but I switched to another amp
• communication with Audiobyte sometimes is amazing and extremely fast, then suddenly you're left hanging and it's complete silence. I suspect they are very busy but I wish they were way more transparent. If it's going to take a while just let me know

Audiobyte thinks my usb problem and the switching noise will go away with the arrival of the Hub, which I was planning to get anyway. But I believe the Hub was supposed to be released "soon" for a year now already so I have no clue when to expect it to be available.

If I had to use one word to describe the Audiobyte stack it would be "potential". If they can get their act together they have one hell of a product.

The Qutest does one thing way better and that's getting out of the way. No, you can't upgrade it, it has no crazy settings, but it just works and I don't have to think about it.

I will wait a little while longer for the Hub to come out and see if that alleviates most of my issues. Does anyone have any experience with the Chord TT2 or TT2 + M-Scaler compared to the Hydra Vox? I'm especially interested in the soundstage, bass and sense of air compared to the Vox. In case it doesn't work out I'm thinking about going that route. I know the TT2 + M-Scaler is considerably more expensive but ease of use is becoming more and more important to me. I just don't want to fiddle with things anymore and am planning on keeping the equipment for quite some time.

Also, does anyone know what kind of effect changing the analogue voltage on the Hydra Zap (16.5-19.5V I believe) should have?

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

Thank you for your impressions. If you have seen my initial posts. I too had this problem during format transitions and was resolved by a FW update (1.39) + some DC offsets. Now using I2S thru Singxer SU-6, however clicks still remain during device locks.

Went to the Play Store and saw another Audiobyte app (Hydra Remote) but this is for an older product.

 

[otijhuis]

Thank you for your impressions. If you have seen my initial posts. I too had this problem during format transitions and was resolved by a FW update (1.39) + some DC offsets. Now using I2S thru Singxer SU-6, however clicks still remain during device locks.

Went to the Play Store and saw another Audiobyte app (Hydra Remote) but this is for an older product.

Yes, I have seen your posts, thank you for those. I'm running Bullet 1.40 at the moment. The sounds aren't too loud but I tend to be very sensitive to them and they just start to annoy me. I was hoping the Hub would have been out already since Nicolae and the dealer say it will stop switching because of the constant upsampling. If that takes too long I'll see if those DC offsets help. If I remember correctly you have to open it up to make those changes?

Never tried I2S but read a lot of good things about it. The Hydra is the first audio product I own that has an I2S input. I've been looking into the Matrix X-spdif 2 for I2S because of all the usb issues I'm having with the Vox.

Yeah, that's the app I noticed as well. It doesn't look too different from the Hydra Vox android app and I'm a bit disappointed they haven't released an ios version yet. It's not exactly a complicated application.

I'm still hopeful that after the Hub is finally released they will really focus on the software side of things (app, new firmwares, hub integrations).

 

[neogeosnk]

Any update on Hub? Manufacturer said April..

 

[otijhuis]

Any update on Hub? Manufacturer said April..

I hope you're right but I'll believe it when I see it. It has been pushed back enough times already. I just told my dealer to contact me when it's available.

 

[Franco66]

Goodmorning everyone. I've had it for about two months. The sound quality of the DAC is certainly excellent with the plus of its power supply. For the defects found by me everything works perfectly, the Android app is fine, it hooks up immediately and does its job. The clicks of the relays to change resolution obviously are there but they are not really a tragedy ... For the noises with USB connection I have never heard it. I use Mac Mini with Roon core, Qobuz and hard disk files. The analog variable volts output I believe is for powering an external device.

 

[otijhuis]

Goodmorning everyone. I've had it for about two months. The sound quality of the DAC is certainly excellent with the plus of its power supply. For the defects found by me everything works perfectly, the Android app is fine, it hooks up immediately and does its job. The clicks of the relays to change resolution obviously are there but they are not really a tragedy ... For the noises with USB connection I have never heard it. I use Mac Mini with Roon core, Qobuz and hard disk files. The analog variable volts output I believe is for powering an external device.

The Android app only connects immediately for me when I start the app. When the app is running in the background and I switch to it, then it takes ages to reconnect. It's faster just to kill the app and restart it. Luckily you don't really have to use the app very often so it's only a minor annoyance.

The clicks can be a deal-breaker for some people and others, like you, aren't really bothered by it. It's very personal. Considering every other dac I have heard didn't have those clicks I personally regard it as a flaw.

I just switched to an intel nuc with roon core today and connected it with the same USB cable to the dac. The noises are gone now. No clue what caused the issue but it happened with both my Macbook and an intel nuc with windows 10. Using the nuc with roon core also solved the clicking noises since I'm using roon dsp to upsample, so no sample rate changes and no more clicking. I'm very happy with the setup. Only going switch to a fanless case since the fan is still audible no matter where I put it in my livingroom.

 

[mantraone]

Let me only suggest with roon core and Hydra Vox+Zap to add an roon end point like my SOtM sMS200 Ultra, it's a very good upgread unstead of USB cable direct to DAC. Very low noise level, more effordless sound and holographics 3D pin-poing soundstage.

 

[neogeosnk]

Pi2AES for me works great using i2s.

 

[otijhuis]

Let me only suggest with roon core and Hydra Vox+Zap to add an roon end point like my SOtM sMS200 Ultra, it's a very good upgread unstead of USB cable direct to DAC. Very low noise level, more effordless sound and holographics 3D pin-poing soundstage.

Sounds great and looks like a really interesting device. I'm definitely going to add a Roon enpoint but I'll be waiting for the Hydra Hub since it's a reclocker/upsampler/Roon endpoint and will connect to the Vox with I2S I believe. It should be out soon but I don't mind having to wait a few more months.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Sounds great and looks like a really interesting device. I'm definitely going to add a Roon enpoint but I'll be waiting for the Hydra Hub since it's a reclocker/upsampler/Roon endpoint and will connect to the Vox with I2S I believe. It should be out soon but I don't mind having to wait a few more months.

If it is like with the Wavelight, the Hardware setup is finished, but due to corona there are delays for parts.