[sygnus21]

Why choose not to use the nice precision resistor based volume control in favor of digital volume control? I have always found that as little as -10db of digital volume control begins to degrade to sound since you are throwing away bits.

Huh? What???

I wasn't overly convinced with R2R DACs when I tried them with the S17 Pro -- nothing wrong with it, just did not wow me enough to spend that much.

What did wow me were Chord DACs; I managed to pick up a Hugo TT for a reasonable price and I have been enjoying it for a bit now. All I can say is, this really did wow me, I'm hearing many veils lifted from my music and it removes that over processed sound I felt I got from my previous DAC on more instrumentally 'intense' tracks I listen to, zero distortion and still maintains that warm signature I love from the amp and headphones.

FPGA DACs are the real deal!

The Denafrips Pontus DAC (as an example) IS an R2R ladder DAC that uses an FPGA DSP module - Pontus II 12TH-1

 

[ngohw]

The Denafrips Pontus DAC (as an example) IS an R2R ladder DAC that uses an FPGA DSP module - Pontus II 12TH-1

Might have to give that a try some time in the future if I ever get the chance then!

 

[sygnus21]

Might have to give that a try some time in the future if I ever get the chance then!

For clarity, here's the Pontus DAC top shelf and the item in the yellow box is the FPGA module that gets firmware updated but can also be easily removed for replacement. It's simply snap-in. No screws....

The power supply is underneath that top panel. This thing is heavy and built like a tank. It's basically a modular design.

 

[UseThe4s]

Subtle upgrade - alu feet (11 Euro) and a heatsink (22 Euro + 6 Euro double side thermal tape). Previous max. continuous temp was 63°C (volume 42 on either low-gain or hi-gain and 100mA mode, 23°C room temp), presently the temp will not raise above 58°C so I am quite happy with this tweak.

 

[D1N0]

Subtle upgrade - alu feet (11 Euro) and a heatsink (22 Euro + 6 Euro double side thermal tape). Previous max. continuous temp was 63°C (volume 42 on low-gain and 100mA mode), presently xx°C (will be updated after short testing).

Maybe it needs to be raised a bit more for airflow around the heat sink

 

[UseThe4s]

Maybe it needs to be raised a bit more for airflow around the heat sink

Will see how the testing goes, anything below 60°C with this passive solution is a win for me. PS: even the aluminium feet are attached with the double-sided thermal tape so they help a little bit too

 

[SmartCheetah]

Previous max. continuous temp was 63°C (volume 42 on either low-gain or hi-gain and 100mA mode, 23°C room temp), presently the temp will not raise above 58°C so I am quite happy with this tweak.

Remember that Aune confirmed that even 80 degrees would be safe, so anything below 69 to prevent throttling is fine

But these are very good temps. I forgot to turn mine off yesterday and in the morning it was sitting at 60 degrees. It's elevated too, it seems to have a huge impact on temps.

 

[D1N0]

does it even matter wether high or low gain is activated?

 

[UseThe4s]

does it even matter wether high or low gain is activated?

No it doesn't, the gain mode does not affect the temp.

 

[ngohw]

Set up pic up next, XLR cable for my headphones!

 

[Erick Muller]

Hm, you guys need a passive preamp, schiit has one https://www.schiit.com/products/sys
or, if you want to feel fancy, you can opt for LDR for the purest sound transition, no direct connection from the knob to the sound path...
https://stereocoffee.wixsite.com/ldrpreamp/the-designer
https://tortugaaudio.com/products/archive/ldr3-v25-passive-preamp/
https://www.javahifi.com/review-product/ldr-pre-amp-single

this way you can keep the volume on the highest and have the ability to adjust the volume to your liking

Thx, which of those would be a balance, xlr preamp btw?

 

[Erick Muller]

does it even matter wether high or low gain is activated?

A little bit in my experience, only a couple of degrees tho, I usually turn of high gain to try to reach 65 degrees faster to get to the optimal temp level and get the best sound quality.

 

[sygnus21]

Set up pic up next, XLR cable for my headphones!

Nice setup.

If that's a balanced amp, you'll love that 4-pn XLR cable, as a balanced design typically provides more power to the headphones vs Single Ended (SE). That said, if you're using the 4.4 cable, you're still running in balanced so...

 

[ngohw]

Nice setup.

If that's a balanced amp, you'll love that 4-pn XLR cable, as a balanced design typically provides more power to the headphones vs Single Ended (SE). That said, if you're using the 4.4 cable, you're still running in balanced so...

thanks! ah yeah I don't expect a change in sound, but honestly speaking this 4.4mm cable sucks and gets tangled way too easily. I've seen a cable from Custom Cans first hand and they're very nicely braided and flexible, and I think balanced amps are more likely to have a XLR headphone output than 4.4mm, so I reckon I might as well kill two birds with one stone hahahah

 

[sygnus21]

thanks! ah yeah I don't expect a change in sound, but honestly speaking this 4.4mm cable sucks and gets tangled way too easily. I've seen a cable from Custom Cans first hand and they're very nicely braided and flexible, and I think balanced amps are more likely to have a XLR headphone output than 4.4mm, so I reckon I might as well kill two birds with one stone hahahah

They're starting to become common now, but yeah, mine doesn't have one either. If I wanted balanced connection from my 4.4 balanced cable, I needed this adapter, which works like a champ, and can be had for $36 bucks from Amazon.

I did end up ordering a 4-pin balanced cable anyway since I like having spare cables in case something happens to one.