[El_Doug]

my DM has never hissed

id check for grounding issues, which might be consistent with a lowering of the noise with the move to balanced cabling

 

[vlach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thathertz /img/forum/go_quote.gif Really enjoyed hearing your impressions. My last amp was a Rudistor NX-02 and it had great synergy with the DM Glad you like the 'min' setting. I've tried really hard to appreciate the other filter settings but with my setup the 'min' setting produces a larger soundstage, a more balanced representation (with respect to bass, mids and treble) and a more natural sound. I've tried with many different music genres but overall the 'min' setting works best for 90% of my music. I've looked to upgrade from the DM on several occasions but I honestly don't think there is any DAC that can provide a significantly great improvement without spending around 5 times the price. (I paid £200). Enjoy!

Well, i've been thinking the same thing (upgrading from the DM) and so far i think the PS Audio Digital Link lll is the only contender i would consider under $1000, at $699 with discrete analog output stage (as opposed to op amps) and massive built in power supply. I would think the law of diminishing returns kicks in around that price range. Is the PS Audio worth upgrading over the DM? I wish i knew. In the meantime I look forward to reading opinions & comments on that option.

 

[Bloodoath]

Quote:

Originally Posted by El_Doug /img/forum/go_quote.gif my DM has never hissed id check for grounding issues, which might be consistent with a lowering of the noise with the move to balanced cabling

Or what he said.

 

[GeoD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thathertz /img/forum/go_quote.gif I heard the Apache quite some time ago. It was just ok. My Singlepower MPX3 is a big step up from the NX-02 but it has ALOT of upgrades. The MPX3 gives a more holographic soundstage, better seperation of instruments, really hard hitting bass which (considering this is a tube amp and I have low impedance phones) is controlled and not in the slightest bit boomy. There is a sense of a huge power reserve - the MPX3 never runs out of steam regardless of the demands of the music and the volume level. I must say I was floored by the MPX3. It was my first tube amp and while was expecting great things I thought the signature sound would be more laid back and characteristically (for a tube amp) overly warm. That's definitely not the case. (Please be aware of the potential issues surrounding SP amps. Despite the sh** storm, the SP amps still take some beating - you just have to hear one.) Anyway, all things considered and if I had the cash, I would probably still go for a b22 - this seems to be the end of the road for many people. (Mentioned by L'il Knight above - totally agree!) That's not to say there isn't alot of fun to be had along the way Enjoy what you have and give it some time. It's much more enjoyable listening to music than worrying about equipment upgrades. It took me quite a long time and a lot of money to realise that Close your browser, close your eyes and listen to some music.

Thanks for the feedback on the SP amp. If I do ever upgrade again, I'd probably opt for a balanced B32 or B22. I definitely thought I reached the end of the road when I got my amp, but upgrading the DAC to the DM made me think otherwise.

When I first got into the hobby, I was overly concerned about the upgrades and equipment. Now that I'm approaching the end of the road, I've been trying to just enjoy the music and share my listening experience with others. It's always fun watching peoples reactions for the first time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bloodoath /img/forum/go_quote.gif My DM is dead quiet. I'm partly balanced from the DAC into my Amp/Mixer to my phones. I hear no hiss in this setup. I'd look to see if the TB sound card or other component to turned up too high.

The hiss is coming from the balanced output of my amp, not the DM. I was just under the impression it was because I wasn't fully balanced. Volumes completely maxed or at a min, I still hear the noise. It's barely audible like I said, once the music is actually playing you'd never hear it. When no music is playing it's just not a dead silence. I look at it as the power channeling through the cables ready to explode with music

Quote:

Originally Posted by El_Doug /img/forum/go_quote.gif my DM has never hissed id check for grounding issues, which might be consistent with a lowering of the noise with the move to balanced cabling

I'll check, but I'm pretty sure I have everything setup properly. I have a feeling it's just the amp.

Thanks guys. Cheers!

 

[charliex]

Still love my DacMagic - well worth the cost. Has there yet been a concensus on which filter is preferable - LIN or MIN or STEEP?

 

[jsplice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by charliex /img/forum/go_quote.gif Still love my DacMagic - well worth the cost. Has there yet been a concensus on which filter is preferable - LIN or MIN or STEEP?

I'm still loving mine too. I seriously don't think there is a dac around $400 that can touch it. In fact I think you'd have to pay at least double to get any kind of improvement, which would probably be marginal.

As for the filters, I'm using mine with a Compass in "super" mode at the moment, which I find terribly bright sounding. Therefore I'm using steep most of the time now, but I find that Linear Phase is the most accurate. Steep gives the sound a smoothing effect that I need to balance out the somewhat harsh sound of the Compass. When my Ming Da MC84 C07 shows up, I'll most likely go back to Linear.

 

[Drubbing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by charliex /img/forum/go_quote.gif Still love my DacMagic - well worth the cost. Has there yet been a concensus on which filter is preferable - LIN or MIN or STEEP?

Is there any consensus on whether the filters make any difference? I've had mine for a few months and the only way I know I'm on a different filter is the delay as it skips over.

That aside, very happy with mine too.

 

[FauDrei]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsplice /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm still loving mine too. I seriously don't think there is a dac around $400 that can touch it. In fact I think you'd have to pay at least double to get any kind of improvement, which would probably be marginal.

Ever wondered how the CA 840C's dual differential DAC sound compared to DacMagic? Here you have an option to do just that. Package and implementation is pretty much the same as DacMagic. Price too ($350). In fact, I think this is better value for the price because you get better DAC chips, internal PS and integrated headamp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vlach /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, i've been thinking the same thing (upgrading from the DM) and so far i think the PS Audio Digital Link lll is the only contender i would consider under $1000, at $699 with discrete analog output stage (as opposed to op amps) and massive built in power supply.

How about this for Digital Link lll price? Or, even better, same thing with reclocking/DSP option for a couple of hundreds more (but still under $1K)? Better DAC chips (2x PCM1704UK per channel), three separated power supplies, s*itload of separate regulators, discrete differential diamond output stage... I have the balanced current transmission version and it is easily the best source I've ever owned (heard) so far. Reclassifies most other parts of my chain into Mid-Fi.

That said - I still love my CA DacMagic/GS Solo combination...

 

[vlach]

How about this for Digital Link lll price? Or, even better, same thing with reclocking/DSP option for a couple of hundreds more (but still under $1K)? Better DAC chips (2x PCM1704UK per channel), three separated power supplies, s*itload of separate regulators, discrete differential diamond output stage... I have the balanced current transmission version and it is easily the best source I've ever owned (heard) so far. Reclassifies most other parts of my chain into Mid-Fi.

That said - I still love my CA DacMagic/GS Solo combination...[/QUOTE]

The Audio GD DAC looks very substantial. Since you own both the Audio GD & DacMagic, would you care to offer some SQ comparisons? I wonder "how much" better the Audio GD is? Thanks.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by charliex /img/forum/go_quote.gif Still love my DacMagic - well worth the cost. Has there yet been a concensus on which filter is preferable - LIN or MIN or STEEP?

I've had mine for about 2 months now and I am still really impressed! It sounds great via USB or via SPDIF! Incredibly quite and the sound is awesome.

 

[FauDrei]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vlach /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Audio GD DAC looks very substantial. Since you own both the Audio GD & DacMagic, would you care to offer some SQ comparisons? I wonder "how much" better the Audio GD is? Thanks

The difference is small and it is huge in the same time.

I went for A-GD Reference One (Ref-1). If we oversimplify it - it should be a balanced version of their DAC-3 DV that I mentioned in last post. I would not bother you with DacMagic/Ref-1 technical and/or aesthetic differences: see/read for yourself...

If you are just an occasional listener and/or the rest of your setup does not follow SQ wise - DacMagic shoud be (and is) good enough: it is clear, detailed and it has good dynamic range. There are also few cheap and easy tweaks that improve it a notch or two. It greatly benefits when fed through good USB to SPDIF converter (Musiland, M2Tech, VALAB) instead of his own USB input.

Put a good symphony recording through DacMagic and the chances are that you will be pleased with the reproduction.

Put the same recording through Ref-1 and the chances are that you will be sitting in front of the orchestra.

It is not "oh, I've never hear THAT before!" - DacMagic does the details well too. It is rather different perspective of the same picture: piano is pianoforte and not pianino, violins are wooden and not electric instruments, cymbals are not dIgItIzEd, the performes are not sitting in just two or three chairs in front of you... Ref-1 is much, much better in fooling you that you listen to the real thing. It extends somewhat lower and higher then DacMagic, not much though. I would say the capability to effortlessly present subtle dynamic differences and "ambient cues" are the greatest differences. Even from properly ripped and encoded lossy files. With it's capable DSP/reclocking features it is also less susceptible to bad SPDIF transports (although it benefits from good ones).

On the other hand... It is huuuge (see picture) and will not fit anybody's desktop. You really DO NOT need the balanced version if the rest of your setup is not balanced too. It has just one BNC/RCA SPDIF input. It is expensive (at least for me).

Does the Ref-1/DacMagic SQ difference justify their price difference? In my case and with my setup - yes. YMMV.

 

[brown274]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FauDrei /img/forum/go_quote.gif It greatly benefits when fed through good USB to SPDIF converter (Musiland, M2Tech, VALAB) instead of his own USB input.

How about SPDIF to SPDIF ?

 

[FauDrei]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brown274 /img/forum/go_quote.gif How about SPDIF to SPDIF ?

Well, if you use USB to SPDIF converter, you do connect SPDIF to SPDIF (computer -> USB cable -> USB to SPDIF converter -> SPDIF cable -> DAC).

Most of the time I am using laptop as a transport and because of that I mentioned USB to SPDIF converter. Perhaps I should have said: "It greatly benefits when fed from good SPDIF output." Good SPDIF output means SPDIF output with as low jitter as possible.

Great majority of today's USB to SPDIF converters and USB receivers are standard "of the shelf" 16bit/48KHz implementations with rather high jitter (nanosecond range). The same "of the shelf" implementation is integrated in DacMagic. CD transports in general have better SPDIF outputs then their computer counterparts - thus the reason why good CD players still hold their own against computers and squeezeboxes. It mostly depends on clock precision and SPDIF implementation.

I was, and you most probably would too, be amazed with SQ difference obtained by "just" swapping an ordinary SPDIF feeder (in my case HagUSB) with low jitter one (in my case Musiland Monitor 01 USD). The best DacMagic upgrade I've done.

 

[jsplice]

FauDrei, would you say the price of the Ref1 is worth the upgrade over the DacMagic? I currently own a DacMagic and thought that it sounded amazing, but I haven't heard much better.

 

[brown274]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FauDrei /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, if you use USB to SPDIF converter, you do connect SPDIF to SPDIF (computer -> USB cable -> USB to SPDIF converter -> SPDIF cable -> DAC).

Well my laptop has SPDIF out. If I have to spend $100 for the converter + $450 (dacmagic)= $550, I would rather just get the V-DAC for $300 since I have heard that they are pretty close to each other. DACMagic might sound a bit better than the V-DAC, but I bet it don't sound $250 better.