[rsbrsvp]

I think will depend on which tube amp and SS amp you compared to. Ferrum Oor/Hypsos has a little thicker Midrange and Bass body than Cayin HA-6A (Standard Tube). Something like Balancing Act with Elrog 300B MO produce even brighter on treble than Cayin Tube Amp.

This is corrrect in my experience. I have a Hibiki SDS DAC which is super duper saturated and I have a tube preamp which does not thicken the sound- and actually just adds tube sparkel and a bit more transparency-- and it works well.... Any more thickening would indeed be a problem in my system...

 

[project86]

Yeah of course it depends on the device. I thought you were strictly talking about throwing a tube buffer or preamp in between the actual DAC and (solid-state) headphone amp. Which can sometimes be a reasonable step to take but in this case probably not a good fit.

If we're talking about pairing the DSDAC 1.0 with a tube amplifier in general then yes it can make some excellent pairings. Still depends on the amp of course, but that's true even with SS amps to some degree.

 

[Vincent_Amsterdam]

Yeah of course it depends on the device. I thought you were strictly talking about throwing a tube buffer or preamp in between the actual DAC and (solid-state) headphone amp. Which can sometimes be a reasonable step to take but in this case probably not a good fit.

If we're talking about pairing the DSDAC 1.0 with a tube amplifier in general then yes it can make some excellent pairings. Still depends on the amp of course, but that's true even with SS amps to some degree.

FWIW I can report that the combo Grimm Audio MU1 (rather lean sounding streamer, neutral and ultra transparent), DSDAC 1.0 and SS amp from Dan d’Agostino works perfectly well. I must say, my latest change, introducing Stealth Audio cabling, brought the setup to a stellar level of performance adding a ‘swimming pool of space and air’.. in this way the thickness is beautifully spread through the room.. the challenge in our hobby is the endless search for perfection through mixing and matching components (always subjective and depending on your taste development changing over time)… just like creating your ‘master dish in haute cuisine’.

Cheers!

 

[Spektrograf]

I've got the DAC itch again—partially due to the excellent comprehensive write-ups for the DSDAC 1.0 from fine gents like @project86, @geoffalter11, Srajan, and others, and partially due to a perpetual curiosity of the not-as-loved-on-Head-fi PS Audio Directstream DAC mk2.

Usually, with more popular DAC's, I find I can triangulate different opinions into broad stroke trends based on preferences, but the DSDAC hasn't gained enough adoption yet to mine enough impressions to do this.

I currently have an mTT2 and when I look at a new DSDAC Deluxe, it's now within the same ballpark as a used DAVE. Since I already have the M-Scaler, if I pick up a DAVE, I'd be running an mDAVE config. Thanks @project86 for your writeup on your thoughts compared to solo DAVE. I'm hoping someone with experience with mDAVE could chime in, since many people feel there's a marked difference when running the M-Scaler with it.

Q: I'm wondering if anyone here has spent some time comparing a DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe with an mDAVE, and if so, what are some of your thoughts.

Spoiler: My own listening preferences and biases. (longwinded)

Nowadays, I mostly listen to classical and small combo jazz. I do particularly enjoy well recorded minimally mic'd recordings as long as I enjoy the music first. For classical, I enjoy everything from modern quartets like Attacca Quartet to major orchestral works.

I enjoy the mTT2 through my rig in how it portrays these genres in a palpably "real to me" sense. The presentations most closely matches my own memory of listening to a live jazz combo or orchestra. I find a lot of "hifi" is turning reality up a notch—kind of like turning up saturation in a photo. Live acoustic instruments, for me, doesn't quite convey the "more" that a lot of equipment strives to convey. The mTT2 combo with my stack, for me, gives a grounding of "reality"—which I understand why some people might perceive as "dry".

That being said, I do enjoy a bit of color to "round the presentation" a bit so it's not so immediate. A good example, is using the mTT2 and my headphone stack, I find it difficult to multi-task. When I try, I always end up listening to the music and not doing what I had originally set out to do with music playing through the headphones. In my speaker rig, I have an older DAC that's pleasant to listen to, but is technically behind much of the current offerings in the DAC market. Despite that, it's great when I want to play music and not have music be the cognitive focus of everyone in the room. Playing the mTT2 through the system can be…distracting…when music isn't the focus.

I'm hoping either the DSDAC or mDAVE can be a possible middle ground—perhaps a mTT2 with a bit more ease to it.

Oh, and as for DSD files. I don't have a dog in the fight on formats or decoding architecture. I seem to personally have a preference for DSD files. To me, I'd be happy to listen to any encoding of a great musical work, but when I have a choice, I always end up listening to the DSD file. A good example would be HDTT's Kind of Blue, which is offered in several encoding formats and bit rates encoded from the same source. Whenever I try to sample between DSD256 and the PCM 24/352 files, I always end up picking the DSD file to listen to. The irony is I love listening to DSD decoded on the mTT2, which I know Rob Watts personally feels is technically fairly problematic/inferior to deal with.

So, given that I enjoy DSD, the DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe is intriguing.

Spoiler: Headphone stack.

Roon on Mac OS > iFi Zen Stream > M-Scaler > TT2 > [Headamp GSX mk2 > Focal Utopia] OR [Eddie Current Zana Deux > Sennheiser HD580/600]

 

[Aibek]

My impressions of the sound of the older unbalanced model Rockna (Wavedream DAC) and CEN.grand DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe in a comparative aspect:
Rockna - analogue sound, warm and involving presentation, aggressive genres did not appeal to me due to the warmth of the sound, Rockna is tolerant of the recording quality.
Deluxe - analogue and natural sound, genre-universal, brings out all the details and nuances of the recording, and therefore emphasizes not only the pros, but also the cons of the source material.
I chose Deluxe.
If we compare both DACs with devices on the ESS Sabre, I note that both of them are inferior in terms of detail, resolution and space, but, alas, the delta-sigma is “skinny” for my ears, the highs ring, and many recordings sound somehow too lightweight. There is no “meat”, “corporality”.

 

[alekc]

If we compare both DACs with devices on the ESS Sabre, I note that both of them are inferior in terms of detail, resolution and space, but, alas, the delta-sigma is “skinny” for my ears, the highs ring, and many recordings sound somehow too lightweight. There is no “meat”, “corporality”.

@Aibek any particular DACs you have in mind? I ask since I have quite different feelings regarding Rocknas.

 

[Aibek]

Matrix Element X

 

[Vincent_Amsterdam]

My impressions of the sound of the older unbalanced model Rockna (Wavedream DAC) and CEN.grand DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe in a comparative aspect:
Rockna - analogue sound, warm and involving presentation, aggressive genres did not appeal to me due to the warmth of the sound, Rockna is tolerant of the recording quality.
Deluxe - analogue and natural sound, genre-universal, brings out all the details and nuances of the recording, and therefore emphasizes not only the pros, but also the cons of the source material.
I chose Deluxe.
If we compare both DACs with devices on the ESS Sabre, I note that both of them are inferior in terms of detail, resolution and space, but, alas, the delta-sigma is “skinny” for my ears, the highs ring, and many recordings sound somehow too lightweight. There is no “meat”, “corporality”.

How many hours has the unit burned in? Mine came to life in those aspects (resolution, space) after approx. 200-300 hours.

 

[Aibek]

How many hours has the unit burned in? Mine came to life in those aspects (resolution, space) after approx. 200-300 hours.

I listen to it every day since the first of August. 5-6 hours a day.

 

[Vincent_Amsterdam]

I probably will have the opportunity to a/b test two highend streamers next week: the Grimm Audio MU1 (via AES) and the Taiko Extreme SGM server (via USB) and let u know the outcome

Last Thursday I had the two streamers setup in my room:

Main takeaway: the Deluxe is sensitive to sources no doubt. The Taiko Extreme SGM adds a sh!t load of resolution to the presentation and pictures such a calm and dark image, unbelievable. The guitar in the beginning of ‘Private investigations’ (Dire Straits) sounded like real strings where the MU1 sounded like plastics. For me the difference I experienced was the same as back in the days playing cassette tapes when my dad handed me a TDK SA-X tape, wow!

But, on the other hand, so much resolution is a lot to process in your brains and I experienced the rendition somewhat exaggerated.. also the TE empties your pockets dramatically (33k EUR).. let’s give another music server a try costing a fraction of the Taiko and is said to play in the same ballpark: the Audiophool Music Server 2.1 which comes in for demo next week.

Edit: the Ideon Audio Absolute stream will be put in the mix too

 

[Vincent_Amsterdam]

I listen to it every day since the first of August. 5-6 hours a day.

Ah, OK, then the burn in has completed I suppose. Did the dealer also include a fuse upgrade? (mine came with the HiFi tuning - Diamond fuse).. works well!

 

[Aibek]

Did the dealer also include a fuse upgrade?

I bought it from the manufacturer itself (Cen.grand Digital Media Technology Co.,Ltd.).
I didn't change the fuse.

 

[Aibek]

Another advantage of CEN.grand DSDAC 1.0 is that there is no need to update the firmware. Only driver for Windows when using a computer. It is very comfortable.

 

[FOUNDERZERO]

Any word if future iterations are going to get I2S support? Would be great to see.

This DAC is at the top of my list as far as upgrade candidates go.

 

[ahossam]

Any update on GLS1.0?