[Cosmid]

Hello head-fiers, I need your opinion. I just got a Citypulse 7.2X DAC with TXCO installed. I bought it to compare with Constantine. People said it is significantly better than Zhaolu, which I loved so much. I hoped it is true so I will sell Constantine and keep Citypulse. Unfortunately I got disappointed. Similar to Zhaolu, it sounds clear, neutral, and crisp. But it sounds grainy and harsh in some classical music recordings. The most obviously is piano solo from Yiruma First Love (http://www.amazon.com/First-Love-Yir...=UTF8&s=music). It amplified an unknown noise so loud. I tried the same recording with Constantine but can not hear the same noise. The same happened with some string music too. On the contrary, Constantine sounds always smooth. Can anyone give any input in the comparison among Citypulse, Zhaolu, and Constantine?

 

[Davi]

The Citypulse needs many hours of break-in before you can evaluate it properly.
.... davi

 

[granodemostasa]

i tried my ori-modded zhaolu against a constantine before, at a meet, and thought the ori-zhaolu had a clear lead. but the ori zhaolu is an entirely different creature from a regular zhaolu.

 

[Cosmid]

Bump. Thanks for your opinion. Can anyone give more impression? Thanks.

 

[Jon L]

Here's some DAC comparison impressions, including the MHDT Paradisea, Citypulse, Stello, etc. The last couple of pages..

http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/i...;topicseen#new

 

[Cosmid]

I am running winamp through Citypulse. It has been about three days now. I just played the aforementioned album again. What a surprise! The unknow noise I talked about is gone! Great! Now every piano beat is so clear and crispy, sounds like what it should be! I will let it run till the end of this week, then do a comparison between Citypulse and Constantine. I am so happy to hear the burn-in effect!

 

[Cosmid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon L Here's some DAC comparison impressions, including the MHDT Paradisea, Citypulse, Stello, etc. The last couple of pages.. http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/i...;topicseen#new

Thanks Jon. It is an interest thread. I do not have Paradisea, but I use Constantine with a tube buffer. Should be close.

 

[Angaria]

cosmid - I just picked up a citypulse, but was thinking about a constantine, so please let me know what you find.

 

[Cosmid]

A headfier asked me for my opinion about these three DACs. First, Zhaolu sounds very good. Mine was a stock one with upgraded opamps. I enjoyed the clear, neutral, and crispy sound. The soundstage was pretty good, but can be improved by a X-10 V3 tube buffer. I think the Zapfilter can do the same too. Compared to Zhaolu, Citypulse with TXCO sounds better in upsampling mode. It extended the Zhaolu's advantage to a higher level, which justfies the price difference very well. But in non-oversampling mode, it does not shine at all. If you like the Zhaolu sound, you can not go wrong with a Citypulse. Constantine is different from both Zhaolu and Citypulse. Its SQ is on par with a upsampling Citypulse, but far better than a non-oversampling Citypulse. I can not decide which one sounds better. They are just in different styles. Citypulse sounds very clean and crispy, but Constantine sounds warm and natural. I carefully listened to both, and decided to keep Constantine and let Citypulse go. I enjoy the clean sound, but I was afraid that a perfect clean system would sound unnatural, and fatigue. IMO, if you have a Citypulse or Constantine, it is not worth getting the other one, but if you have a Zhaolu, either Citypulse or Constantine would be a nice upgrade option.

 

[ecclesand]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cosmid /img/forum/go_quote.gif A headfier asked me for my opinion about these three DACs. First, Zhaolu sounds very good. Mine was a stock one with upgraded opamps. I enjoyed the clear, neutral, and crispy sound. The soundstage was pretty good, but can be improved by a X-10 V3 tube buffer. I think the Zapfilter can do the same too. Compared to Zhaolu, Citypulse with TXCO sounds better in upsampling mode. It extended the Zhaolu's advantage to a higher level, which justfies the price difference very well. But in non-oversampling mode, it does not shine at all. If you like the Zhaolu sound, you can not go wrong with a Citypulse. Constantine is different from both Zhaolu and Citypulse. Its SQ is on par with a upsampling Citypulse, but far better than a non-oversampling Citypulse. I can not decide which one sounds better. They are just in different styles. Citypulse sounds very clean and crispy, but Constantine sounds warm and natural. I carefully listened to both, and decided to keep Constantine and let Citypulse go. I enjoy the clean sound, but I was afraid that a perfect clean system would sound unnatural, and fatigue. IMO, if you have a Citypulse or Constantine, it is not worth getting the other one, but if you have a Zhaolu, either Citypulse or Constantine would be a nice upgrade option.

Hey...this is good news since I just upgraded from a Zhaolu 1.3 to the Constantine which will be arriving Monday of next week. Thanks for the info!

 

[laxx]

Cool read. I've always wanted to try a Zhaolu.

 

[KobaltBlau]

I am the head-fi'er who asked cosmid about this. I greatly appreciate your taking the time to write a very informative response, thank you, it is very helpful!

Just to fill out the thread, which version of the the zhaolu did you have, Cosmid? Also, have you tried a paradisea?

Finally, what headphones and amp(s) did you use most often to compare these units?

Thanks in advance, again!

Andy

 

[Cosmid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KobaltBlau /img/forum/go_quote.gif Which version of the the zhaolu did you have, Cosmid? Also, have you tried a paradisea? Finally, what headphones and amp(s) did you use most often to compare these units?

You are very welcome Andy. My Zhaolu was 2.0 version. It was the first Zhaolu 2.0 with upgraded headamp outside mainland China. Eddie Wu went to the factory and sent me mine way before when other people in USA got it. I have not tried a paradisea. I read a Enjoymusic.com review comparing both Constantine and Paradisea. It suggests that it is hard to say which one is better. I chose Constantine also because I have a modded X-10 V3 tube buffer, so the solid state Constantine looks better to me. When I am at home I listen to W1000 and HD650/Grace52 via the modded X-Can V3 amp.

 

[bioport]

Thank you guys for this insightful thread. I am using a Darkvoice 336i tube-only hp amp, so I wondered what dac would be most suitable.

So far I liked what I read about the Non-OS sound, but in combination with a tube amp this may wash out too much detail. Also I am already getting a healthy bass from the tubes so I wondered if the articulate bass of Non-OS Dacs might overdose my amp/ears. Do you think theses concerns are justified? (The only Dac I have heard so far is an M-Audio Firewire solo, which in comparison to my CD10 couldn't win me over as a permanent rig for PC based music.)

Can any one name a good source for Constantine/Citypulse?

 

[KobaltBlau]

Thanks again, Cosmid for filling in those details. bioport, what is your budget? for $459US the Oritek Zhaolu is has been reviewed quite favorably with various tube amps. It is considered quite different from a standard zhaolu, but alas, I have not head one.