[Annafrancesca]

  just wait till you have tro invest in a good pair of mini to mini and usb to lod lol.......

 
Yep, I currently have 2 Algo Solos - The Original one and the new High Output Solo R. I dont have an iPod I dont even have a portable amp at the moment. Stuck with 2 CLAS and no way to listen to them. LOL.

 

[Duartisimo]

*edit

 

[AgentXXL]

New owner reporting in... I just received my CLAS -dB earlier today. So far I'm pretty impressed with it as an iDevice DAC, but I'm having a little problem with it as a DAC for my MacBook Pro.

My setup is the CLAS -dB attached via balanced cable to my Ray Samuels Audio Intruder, with the Intruder driving my balanced HD800 cans. With an iDevice attached to the CLAS, I'm noticing what appears to be a larger soundstage. I wasn't expecting this - other impressions I've read indicate that the CLAS was fairly transparent, having little effect on sonics. That said, each of us hears things differently so what I hear isn't necessarily what someone else would.

When I attach the CLAS to my MacBook Pro however, I'm noticing quite a bit of mid-range sibilance - sort of a mash-up of instruments overlapping and creating a somewhat uncomfortable sound. I'm feeding the CLAS with hi-res audio - all 88.2khz/24bit or higher source material. I only have one album that's 192khz/24bit and even it doesn't sound 'right'.

What's interesting is that the same source material fed directly through the Intruder DAC (limited to 48khz/16bit playback) sounds great. Could it be that my hearing is damaged such that the higher resolution playback (192khz/24bit) provides too much information that my brain then interprets as 'noise'? Using the CLAS with an iDevice is also limited to a max of 48khz/16bit so it's interesting that I find the audio more enjoyable than higher res playback.

I'll make sure it's not my MacBook Pro by trying the CLAS on another computer, but thought I'd report my initial findings and see if anyone else has encountered something similar. I'm almost hoping it's my Mac.... gives me a reason to consider a replacement/upgrade!

Dale

 

[Mavwong]

I am feeding clas with pc, jriver 18, with jplay, playing the aiff file, the best what I hear from this clas/RX3b combo.
 
Quote:

Hey guys, a question

Has anybody here compared the CLAS-db to other DACs as a Computer DAC as opposed to an iDevice one? Is there a difference? I have used it exclusively as an iDevice DAC with my SR-71B and Grado RS1 ans am very happy with it.

I am building (in my mind, for the moment) a home rig and either i use this one or some real simple USB DAC like the Halide Design HD or the HRT Streamer II+, but i don't know how well does the CLAS-db compare to either of those 2... it's certainly more expensive!

For the price, i think it should absolutely floor most everything else available, portables that is. Am i wrong on this one?

 

[refault]

New owner reporting in... I just received my CLAS -dB earlier today. So far I'm pretty impressed with it as an iDevice DAC, but I'm having a little problem with it as a DAC for my MacBook Pro.

My setup is the CLAS -dB attached via balanced cable to my Ray Samuels Audio Intruder, with the Intruder driving my balanced HD800 cans. With an iDevice attached to the CLAS, I'm noticing what appears to be a larger soundstage. I wasn't expecting this - other impressions I've read indicate that the CLAS was fairly transparent, having little effect on sonics. That said, each of us hears things differently so what I hear isn't necessarily what someone else would.

When I attach the CLAS to my MacBook Pro however, I'm noticing quite a bit of mid-range sibilance - sort of a mash-up of instruments overlapping and creating a somewhat uncomfortable sound. I'm feeding the CLAS with hi-res audio - all 88.2khz/24bit or higher source material. I only have one album that's 192khz/24bit and even it doesn't sound 'right'.

What's interesting is that the same source material fed directly through the Intruder DAC (limited to 48khz/16bit playback) sounds great. Could it be that my hearing is damaged such that the higher resolution playback (192khz/24bit) provides too much information that my brain then interprets as 'noise'? Using the CLAS with an iDevice is also limited to a max of 48khz/16bit so it's interesting that I find the audio more enjoyable than higher res playback.

I'll make sure it's not my MacBook Pro by trying the CLAS on another computer, but thought I'd report my initial findings and see if anyone else has encountered something similar. I'm almost hoping it's my Mac.... gives me a reason to consider a replacement/upgrade!

Dale

Sounds like you're doing something wrong somewhere in your setup. My CLAS -dB sounds fine via PC (using ASIO in foobar2000), although I find it sorta strange to read these claims that using the -dB with an iDevice sounds better. Maybe it has something to do with the quality of the USB cable (the length being more prone to degraded sq, etc.)?

 

[tsvo614]

Yea usb cable matters t

Sounds like you're doing something wrong somewhere in your setup. My CLAS -dB sounds fine via PC (using ASIO in foobar2000), although I find it sorta strange to read these claims that using the -dB with an iDevice sounds better. Maybe it has something to do with the quality of the USB cable (the length being more prone to degraded sq, etc.)?

Yea usb cable matters! Try toxic cables! He has a perfect usb for the clas -db.
Silver copper or both just ask frank.

 

[AgentXXL]

  Sounds like you're doing something wrong somewhere in your setup. My CLAS -dB sounds fine via PC (using ASIO in foobar2000), although I find it sorta strange to read these claims that using the -dB with an iDevice sounds better. Maybe it has something to do with the quality of the USB cable (the length being more prone to degraded sq, etc.)?

 
It was even simpler than that - a software equalizer had been turned on. I normally run with no software eq from my computer, but a friend had been over and playing around with my system and left it with the eq enabled. Now that I've disabled the eq I'm getting a similar soundstage and sonic signature to what I hear when using the CLAS with the iDevice, now with more detail coming from the computer/CLAS connection (as expected).
 
As for the USB cable, I have a really hard time believing that different USB cables will make a difference. Digital is digital - it either works or it doesn't. In an analog world however, I do believe that cables can and do make a difference. That's my opinion and I haven't had anyone able to prove otherwise to my aging ears, but I suppose anything is possible if you're willing to believe.
 
Dale

 

[tsvo614]

It was even simpler than that - a software equalizer had been turned on. I normally run with no software eq from my computer, but a friend had been over and playing around with my system and left it with the eq enabled. Now that I've disabled the eq I'm getting a similar soundstage and sonic signature to what I hear when using the CLAS with the iDevice, now with more detail coming from the computer/CLAS connection (as expected).

As for the USB cable, I have a really hard time believing that different USB cables will make a difference. Digital is digital - it either works or it doesn't. In an analog world however, I do believe that cables can and do make a difference. That's my opinion and I haven't had anyone able to prove otherwise to my aging ears, but I suppose anything is possible if you're willing to believe.

Dale

Oh are you kidding me, it makes a huge difference!

 

[AgentXXL]

Oh are you kidding me, it makes a huge difference!

 
Your opinion... mine differs greatly. As I said, I entirely agree when you are using cabling for analog signal transfer. But with digital interfaces like SPDIF and USB, a 1 is a 1 and a 0 is a 0. It either works or it doesn't. There is no logical explanation as to how a silver cable (or whatever your preference is) can make 1's and 0's sound different. If you can prove that a cable chemistry will somehow alter the sonic signature of digitally transmitted data, I'll be ready and willing to spend big $$$ on new USB/SPDIF cables. Scientifically, it just isn't possible outside things like asynchronous transfer, decreased jitter, etc. But again, those are all done at the DAC itself, not the cable. And if a digital cable is altering the sonic signature, it's actually changing the bits as they are sent from the source - you aren't getting what the original source file is supposed to represent. That too me is not what we want - we want to hear the source data as the original artist and recording engineer intended.
 
That said, I don't want to get into a discussion about the so-called benefit of certain digital cables - this is a thread to discuss the CLAS. If you want to have a scientific discussion about cables, PM me and I'll be happy to oblige. Just don't plan on converting me to your beliefs, nor will I try the reverse. We are all entitled to our own opinions, but mine are based on scientific fact, not snake-oil.
 
Dale

 

[tsvo614]

Your opinion... mine differs greatly. As I said, I entirely agree when you are using cabling for analog signal transfer. But with digital interfaces like SPDIF and USB, a 1 is a 1 and a 0 is a 0. It either works or it doesn't. There is no logical explanation as to how a silver cable (or whatever your preference is) can make 1's and 0's sound different. If you can prove that a cable chemistry will somehow alter the sonic signature of digitally transmitted data, I'll be ready and willing to spend big $$$ on new USB/SPDIF cables. Scientifically, it just isn't possible outside things like asynchronous transfer, decreased jitter, etc. But again, those are all done at the DAC itself, not the cable. And if a digital cable is altering the sonic signature, it's actually changing the bits as they are sent from the source - you aren't getting what the original source file is supposed to represent. That too me is not what we want - we want to hear the source data as the original artist and recording engineer intended.

That said, I don't want to get into a discussion about the so-called benefit of certain digital cables - this is a thread to discuss the CLAS. If you want to have a scientific discussion about cables, PM me and I'll be happy to oblige. Just don't plan on converting me to your beliefs, nor will I try the reverse. We are all entitled to our own opinions, but mine are based on scientific fact, not snake-oil.

Dale

Cool down man. Its my opinion.

 

[IceClass]

Cool down man. Its my opinion.

 
Yeah, but you know what they say about opinions ...

 

[AgentXXL]

   
Yeah, but you know what they say about opinions ...

 
You opine, I opine, we all opine... why can't we all just o-oak instead? 

 
Tony and I are having a good conversation about this via PM... definitely somewhat of a controversial topic for some.
 
Dale

 

[Duartisimo]

*edit

 

[dallan]

I was of the opinion that digital cables made no difference as well, until I sat down with different ones and actually started comparing. Boy was I surprised. So if you have done that then your opinion is valid otherwise it is like commenting on a pair of headphone that you haven't heard, even if you have seen the measuements or read different posts on tham.

 

[tsvo614]

You gotta compare the copper vs silver. The silver is faster. And sounds brighter. While copper is warm dull and dark.its preference though. Mine is pure silver occ 7n from toxic cables. Makes music sound more alive. Silver is best conductor of electricity. sounds amazing too!