Quote:
Originally Posted by mshan
Could you elaborate, please?
Is it just that the soundstage collapses a little bit, or is it more significant than that?
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It's more significant than that, it's some of the thin sound like the headphone amp, where the decay of a note is not all that it should be. The XLR's are fuller sounding. I think folks who critize the DAC1 for being overly thin are either referring to the headphone jack or RCA's.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mecc
Any thoughts on RME AES/EBU in comparison to optical out via toslink?
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This depends on how jitter effects the DAC you are using it with. AES/EBU is certainly lower jitter though, because both the Lavry and Aqvox sound better with it than through the optical of the RME. Look in the review for how increased jitter effects each DAC. Considering I was able to build a good AES/EBU cable for the RME for $20>, I think it's definitely worth it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by darkless
Out of curiosity, did you use your XLR-RCA adapter on the AQVOX DAC when comparing it to the other DACs?
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Yes, I used the XLR-RCA adaptor for all three DAC's so that I would have an equal basis for comparison.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ferbose
You mentioned using the Hosa adapter for XLR-to-RCA, did you open it up to modify it, floating pin 3? I opened up my Hosa adapters to cut away the wire connecting to pin 3. John Siau, designer of DAC1, posted on head-fi saying if pin 3 is grounded, it will generate noise. When I did not float pin 3, I did not really hear any obvious noise, but it definitely did not sound as good as floating pin 3. I guess the so-called noise is a slight distortion that degrades sound quality.
Another observation I have made is that floating safety ground (third prong in the power cord) with DAC1 makes it sound better. I reemember Neilpeart posting on this as well. Empirical audio also believe DAC1 sounds best when safety ground in the power cord is floated. This is how I always use my DAC1.
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Yeah, I modded those adapters as soon as I got them, since floating the inverting channel has always sounded better to me.
I also did float the ground on the DAC1, this is how I have used it for a very long time. I tried the other DACs with the ground floated, but I did not notice any differences.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TVeye
how good is he usb input of the Aqvox (not for an headphone/mic input use but for a standard use with rca or xlr output),did you compare it to your RME pad?
Is the Lavry your first choice for heavy rock too?
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The USB input is pretty decent, it's better than what I get from the iRiver, it is probably about as good as an AV710. I think i would use the USB if I couldn't at least afford something like a Juli@ or 0404 as a transport.
The Lavry is my overall choice. Sometimes for not so well recorded rock, the combination of Lavry/Dynahi/SA5000 can be a bit much (in terms of being revealing), but I have the DT531 which is a bit more forgiving/groovy, so it is my weapon of choice when I need that kind of sound (whereas if you use the Aqvox it is a bit more forgiving/groovy regardless of the headphones used), so that way I can control the sound characteristic more easily just by picking which headphones I put on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrianS
The only thing that doesn't appeal to me about the aqvox is those buttons on the front, it looks real confusing and nonnewbie friendly. Would you say the aqvox is the most musical of the DACs?
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Don't worry about the buttons, the manual clearly explains what they all do, and if you need more description, just contact Aqvox, they are very friendly and informative.
I'm not a big fan of the term "musical," but I guess I would say that the midrange of the Aqvox makes it more "musical" as most people like to use the term, as it is easier to just listen to and forget about, if you have a highly revealing rig (like Dynahi/SA5000), whereas the Lavry points out all the extraneous details (like page turning, chairs rocking, etc.) moreso on such an analytical rig. I would liken it to some of the better tube amps I've heard, though not quite as blatant a coloration. Let me put it this way, it is easier to get enjoyable sound out of the Aqvox, whereas the Lavry can be a bit more demanding of components and recordings, though a bit more rewarding in the end, to me at least.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daroid
Is it possible to drive headphones with a pot inline from the RCA of the AQVox - not sure about the output impedance either ?
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I have not tried anything like that, perhaps contact the manufacturer? Norman told me the output impedance is 120ohms, so it could be possible to drive high-impedance cans from it directly.