[jdimitri]

First thing i noticed- Different sized feet! You know what they say about big feet

Comparison of the size:

Pics of paradisea:

Pics of the constantine:

Impressions:

0 hours- A little disappointed.. the paradisea sounds warmer, but not so much in a good way. It's a little slow, and the bass is noticably leaner. Mids also doesn't have that magic the constantine had. Time for burn-in!

24 hours- Wow, what a change! bass is tighter and has more impact, mids are smooth and highs right where they're meant to be. Compared to the constantine, it's around the same level of sound, just a different flavour. Sounds excellent with my K501.. Constantine may be better synergized for the K701

A couple of months later: To put it in simple terms, the paradisea is better in every way compared to the constantine..
After a week or so, i sold the constantine because i found no reason to keep it
Treble is sweeter, bass deeper and more musical and mids are exceptionally smooth

Changing the tube to WE396a is a must IMO, it's a cheap upgrade (around $20 probably) that makes the sound more musical and more detailed at the same time

So.. save up a bit more$ if you were considering getting a constantine, unless you're a tube hater

 

[ecclesand]

Thanks for the pics. I too have a Constantine, so I'm looking forward to your comparison. Quick question...do you think one could stack another component...say an amp...on top of the Paradisea? Or would the tube get too hot and damage the upper component? My deskspace is at a premium.

 

[Turn&cough]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecclesand /img/forum/go_quote.gif Quick question...do you think one could stack another component...say an amp...on top of the Paradisea? Or would the tube get too hot and damage the upper component? My deskspace is at a premium.

The heatsink gets hotter than the tube. I'd be more concerned about heat buildup inside the Paradisea than whatever sits on top of it. You could always place a slow turning silent PC fan in the back of both components in order to suck out the excess heat. I had one hooked up to a voltage adjustable Philips AC adapter on top of my Yamaha HT receiver. At 5v it was dead quiet.

 

[jdimitri]

Updated with first impressions

 

[nick77]

Picture is a little blurry, is that a bnc connection? Is there any benifit to using this as primary connect vs spdif? I have the same unit on the way and wonder if I should pick up an bnc adapter? How long did it take to get unit? Thanks, look forward to your burn-in update.

 

[recca]

TOSLINK (Optical), Coaxial RCA and Coaxial BNC all transmit using the SPDIF (Sony Phillips Digital Interface Format) standard. The benefit of BNC is that it is a true 75ohm connection reducing jitter introduced by connections with different resistances. There are some supposedly true 75ohm RCA connectors but they are rarely installed as standard equipment. That being said, using an adapter will defeat the benefit of BNC so you probably won't need it. However if your transport has BNC I think it would be worthwhile to try based on my own previous experience. Also if using any type of Coaxial cable make sure it is 1.5m to reduce cable induced jitter.

 

[Towert7]

That's odd jdimitri, I found the Paradisea+ to be a solid upgrade all throughout over the constantine. Maybe you have to give it a few weeks to get used to the sound (Not burn in mind you), especially if this is your best DAC to date.

I'll be interested to see what you think in a few weeks!

 

[Towert7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecclesand /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the pics. I too have a Constantine, so I'm looking forward to your comparison. Quick question...do you think one could stack another component...say an amp...on top of the Paradisea? Or would the tube get too hot and damage the upper component? My deskspace is at a premium.

First things first, the tube (2C51) sticks out of the top of the paradisea a bit, so you can not rest something directly on it. If you have a larger tube, it's even moreso.

Next, although the Paradisea does not run hot, you should allow it to have plenty of ventilation.

Despite all this though, you sure can stack certain sized components under the Paradisea, like I have done:

 

[Jose Garcia]

Thanks for this post! I have several questions for you guys.

I bought a Constantine about two months ago and used around 5 different cables with it. Everytime I noticed a different response and at the end I bought a RCA/BNC, 1.5m BlueJean Cable. The power cable is a DIY unit I made.

Q-1 .. What digital cables are you using?

Q-2 .. Have you noticed a big difference in performance with them?

Q-3 .. What power cable gave you best results?

Right now, and after a few hundred hours, the difference between my Sony SCD-C2000ES/Constantine vs the Sony as a player, are really marginal to my ears. Yes, you can notice some characteristics between both but they are not night and day. To cite an audiophile friend who listened my system last week, "they both sound good, but they are two different flavors".

I will try other power/analog/digital cable combinations in search of something new

....your suggestions will be apreciated!

Jose.

 

[happybob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jose Garcia /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for this post! I have several questions for you guys. I bought a Constantine about two months ago and used around 5 different cables with it. Everytime I noticed a different response and at the end I bought a RCA/BNC, 1.5m BlueJean Cable. The power cable is a DIY unit I made. Q-1 .. What digital cables are you using? Q-2 .. Have you noticed a big difference in performance with them? Q-3 .. What power cable gave you best results? Right now, and after a few hundred hours, the difference between my Sony SCD-C2000ES/Constantine vs the Sony as a player, are really marginal to my ears. Yes, you can notice some characteristics between both but they are not night and day. To cite an audiophile friend who listened my system last week, "they both sound good, but they are two different flavors". I will try other power/analog/digital cable combinations in search of something new ....your suggestions will be apreciated! Jose.

since i use mostly usb connection, can't really comment on the digital cable. I do find a good power cable can make significant improvment. i'm not sure how good your diy power cable is, some can be very good. but if it's not all that different from a generic stock cable, you might want to upgrade there first. i'm using a zu cable birth, which can be found on ebay for cheap and has gotten good reviews. there are other decent budget power cords out there such as the ones from signal cable or vh audio. and obviously there are ones that can go up to thousands of dollars. you should just pick a well-reviewed one in your price range and try it out.

 

[Towert7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by happybob /img/forum/go_quote.gif i'm using a zu cable birth, which can be found on ebay for cheap

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh.
(I'm trying to buy one myself, and the price keeps going up the more you mention it.)
Let's keep this little secrect on the down low, at least until I can get one for under 40$!!!! Haha.

 

[happybob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Towert7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Shhhhhhhhhhhhh. (I'm trying to buy one myself, and the price keeps going up the more you mention it.) Let's keep this little secrect on the down low, at least until I can get one for under 40$!!!! Haha.

keep trying, once in a while, you can get one for under $40.

anyway, if you think bidding for those zu cable power cords is hard, try to see if you can get an used signal cable magic power cord from audiogon, every time one becomes available, it's sold within 5 minutes.

 

[Bootleg]

Nice Pics!

 

[nick77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jose Garcia /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for this post! I have several questions for you guys. I bought a Constantine about two months ago and used around 5 different cables with it. Everytime I noticed a different response and at the end I bought a RCA/BNC, 1.5m BlueJean Cable. The power cable is a DIY unit I made. Q-1 .. What digital cables are you using? Q-2 .. Have you noticed a big difference in performance with them? Q-3 .. What power cable gave you best results? Right now, and after a few hundred hours, the difference between my Sony SCD-C2000ES/Constantine vs the Sony as a player, are really marginal to my ears. Yes, you can notice some characteristics between both but they are not night and day. To cite an audiophile friend who listened my system last week, "they both sound good, but they are two different flavors". I will try other power/analog/digital cable combinations in search of something new ....your suggestions will be apreciated! Jose.

Good questions and some of the same ones I am struggling with although I am concentrating on interconnects for right now.
My Paradisea should arrive in the next few days and I have several power cords to sample, one 14awg volex type and another diy project with high end 12 awg belden cable and good connects. I will report results if any. hehe http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/power-cord.html#pcf
I also picked up some nice interconnects using silver plated copper which I will be comparing to some old Acoustic Research ic's I have laying around from yrs ago.
I have a ar pro digital cable I will be using for now that imploys the 1.5 meter rule and also wonder if any have experimented with different digital ic's and what flavors they produced.
Now where is that postman? Hehe

 

[Jose Garcia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Towert7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Shhhhhhhhhhhhh. (I'm trying to buy one myself, and the price keeps going up the more you mention it.) Let's keep this little secrect on the down low, at least until I can get one for under 40$!!!! Haha.

My problem with those are the shipping... $45.00 to Puerto Rico ????? for a cable!

My McCormack DNA-125 amplifier weighted around 55lbs packaged, and I paid less than $90.00. I can't justify Zus charge for delivering a power cable weighting around a single pound...

Thanks for the repplies!

Jose.