[Norway]

Has anyone done a comparison between VEGA and ARK MX+?

 

[project86]

   
Project86 has both DA8 and Vega, hope he can chime in with his take on two.

 
 
I don't actually have the Vega, but I've had a chance to hear it a few times. Very very nice DAC! Probably a notch above the DA8, though I'd say the notches get smaller and more expensive the higher up you go. But Vega is definitely one of the better DACs out there at any price. 

 

[phaeton70]

would like to share the great experience I got with Mr Wang, CEO of Auralic.
I got some weird problems with my Vega, nothing really serious but still annoying, mailed to Mr Wang and in a matter of less than 3 weeks including shipment to China (which is 1 week each way) I got my Vega back, perfectly working! BIG KUDOS!!!! really a FIRST class customer service, quick and effective.
needless to say, I paid nothing for this
 
oh, as a side effect of this, I got my Vega with the new 1.7 FW
 

 
 
btw, from first listening to the new 2.16 driver, and of course considering that memory is not always reliable, they seem to be more "refined", I can hear more details than before without any sense of edginess... anyone can confirm this?

 

[Andrew_WOT]

  would like to share the great experience I got with Mr Wang, CEO of Auralic.
I got some weird problems with my Vega, nothing really serious but still annoying, mailed to Mr Wang and in a matter of less than 3 weeks including shipment to China (which is 1 week each way) I got my Vega back, perfectly working! BIG KUDOS!!!! really a FIRST class customer service, quick and effective.
needless to say, I paid nothing for this
 
oh, as a side effect of this, I got my Vega with the new 1.7 FW
 

 
 
btw, from first listening to the new 2.16 driver, and of course considering that memory is not always reliable, they seem to be more "refined", I can hear more details than before without any sense of edginess... anyone can confirm this?

Not sure about sonic improvement, but I do have some rare, random issues switching between DSD128 and PCM with new driver. Accordingly to Mr. Wang they are working with TheSycon on that.
So I'd guess in your case it wasn't just wrong USB board as SW minor version indicates the batch of Femto Clock.

 

[phaeton70]

yeah, I read the answer from Mr Wang, and mine was originally a 1.5.... not sure what was the problem, but now I'm enjoying my Vega with no probs at all and I'm really happy with the result!! a fantastic product with a fantastic customer support!!
 
maybe it's too early to say, it's only a couple of days since I got my Vega back, but till now no issues related to switching between dsd/pcm or switching PCM fs. I'm using default ASIO settings (safe/2048) and 30000ms (i.e. max) as fb2k buffer, usb cable is a wireworld starlight 7

 

[SleepyOne]

Could anyone please explain to me about this 1.5FW and 1.7FW thing? I am a bit confused. Many thanks!

 

[phaeton70]

really nothing to be worried about if your Vega is working correctly.
 
it has something to do with the femto clock parameters, AFAIK nothing else is touched (filters, usb, etc..) so if you are not experiencing any issue don't bother about it and enjoy your Vega!!!
 
PS maybe most important is the new 2.16 driver, they seem really a step forward wrt the old one.... at least this is what my memory is telling me.....

 

[SleepyOne]

No I haven't got a Vega but thinking to get one. So just want to make sure it has the latest spec etc.

 

[xahhax]

just got a new unit, #1856...and it came with 1.7

 

[SleepyOne]

Thanks!

 

[Andrew_WOT]

  yeah, I read the answer from Mr Wang, and mine was originally a 1.5.... not sure what was the problem, but now I'm enjoying my Vega with no probs at all and I'm really happy with the result!! a fantastic product with a fantastic customer support!!
 
maybe it's too early to say, it's only a couple of days since I got my Vega back, but till now no issues related to switching between dsd/pcm or switching PCM fs. I'm using default ASIO settings (safe/2048) and 30000ms (i.e. max) as fb2k buffer, usb cable is a wireworld starlight 7

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/auralic-vega-my-review-16756/index13.html#post280575
 

 From Mr Wang on software versions...

The SW version is only for internal record and with each batch of production and nothing related to program version. The SW is mostly for us to record the Femto Clock components version. We add another 0.1 to current version even the program is the same so there is no need to upgrade this. The current batch of VEGA is using SW 1.7.

 

[SleepyOne]

Cheers for the inform & link!

 

[LukeSena]

Dear Head-Fi'ers,

First and foremost Merry Christmas to all!!

Before I head to the table, just thought of posting a few more impressions of the Taurus mkII and further A/B testing against the Lyr, now that I've had more time for listening.

In balanced mode, sound signature is quite close between the two. The Taurus is now slightly even warmer in the midrange than the Lyr, but at the same time more neutral; yes, as strange as that sounds... The Lyr sometimes sounds very slightly "boxy" (some coloration in the 250 Hz area). The Taurus sounds quite balanced and neutral all the way from bass to low treble. I feel this is a particular strength of this amplifier. Having said that, differences are quite subtle and never definitive.

Balanced mode (especially when switching to the xlr input) sounds definitely more to my liking in terms of tone balance than SE, which to me sounds flat, soft and slightly lifeless.

However, the biggest trade-off of doing this is the detail retrieval goes back to a more "normal" level. I find myself now hard pressed to find distinct differences between the two.

Bass is now at a very similar level between the two; sometimes I slightly prefer one to the other's, but I could perfectly live with either...

One area where I feel both amps differ, tonally speaking, is in their treble presentation. Unfortunately I find (for me) the treble from the Taurus is still too soft and lacking definition in the presence area, but at the same time manages to sound slightly more sibilant. Hi-hats, certain snare drums, guitar strings/riffs played with a pick, claps during a concert and other hi frequency percussion instruments just don't seem to "hit" and "slam" as well as the Lyr. Again, difference is subtle but, like in F1, enough to "win" or "loose".

I believe this, among other technical aspects, help mark some differences in their abilities to soundstage and image.

I remember saying the Taurus rendered everything on a seemingly flat canvas, impression that changed when switching to the balanced cables. OK, now having A/B'd both for two weeks, these are the notes I have taken:

- The center image, particularly, is more clearly defined on the Lyr. Lead voices or instruments mixed at the center or near it are (within reason) clearly "seen" with the Lyr, especially noticeable with the eyes closed. Interestingly, with eyes open, things are perceived slightly different. Voices on the Taurus occupy a larger/more vague space and are not quite so focused. I suspect, with the balanced nature of the design behind the Taurus - having to tightly match components within 4 amp stages vs 2 of the single ended - this must be harder to achieve, but this is only from a theoretical standpoint, as I haven't tested other balanced setups.

- Many instruments recorded with a "halo" or envelope around them (micro information that helps locate the sound in a 3 dimensional space) are more tactile on the Lyr. The Taurus definitely shows air around instruments, just not so tactile.

- The soundstage has similar width and height on both, but is a little deeper on the Lyr. However, as "spacious" the soundstage might sound with the Lyr, it feels slightly artificial and not overly accurate (whatever that means, since this is highly debatable, depending on the perception of accuracy and the virtual listening position one might want to adopt with regards to the players and instruments). Although I wouldn't like to catalogue the soundstage of the Lyr as, what people refer to as a "3-blob stage", it does have a more prominent center compared to the other areas. The Taurus does seem to have a more even presentation.

- Sounds within the soundstage seem more crammed with the Taurus and more separated on the Lyr. Perhaps due to this, I find it's slightly easier to follow songs and lyrics on the Lyr.

After the time I've spent quickly switching from one to the other (which never took more than 3 seconds ), I feel I kept reaching more often for the Lyr, for whatever reason(s), which makes me feel a little uncomfortable... I hate speaking about value, since I am a firm believer of intrinsic value, like the people who have helped create some of the Wilson Audio legends. I absolutely don't mind about "diminishing returns", as long as the product genuinely brings simply better sound. In this case though, it is simply impossible to overlook the monetary value difference between the Lyr and the Taurus. I'm not exactly shure how to proceed now.

I have heard good things about the Taurus-HD 800 combo...However, one cannot help but wonder, even if the HD 800s image better than the HE500s (which is probable from what I have read), wouldn't this "behaviour" be also transferred to the Sennheisers? I'm willing to give it a try, but I think this would be my last attempt in trying to keep this amp. I'll purchase a pair in a couple of days and let you know how that went...

Thanks a lot for listening and sorry for the longer than expected post!

 

[ardilla]

Ahh, too bad you aren't really happy about the Taurus, I am getting curious about the mkI / mkII differnence. I also am getting curious about the Lyr.
 
Looking forward to your HD800 impressions

 

[LukeSena]

As promised, now that I have finally reached 5 posts (yipee!), here a couple of pics I made before going balanced...