[jp11801]

   
They are here! Come by any time to pick them up.

 
 
You are awesome! I can come by this Saturday if that is alright with you? 

 

[markm1]

I'm thinking about picking up an LCD-X on the forums or elsewhere. Would any of you comment on the updates to the drivers Audeze made this year? I'm wondering if it is worth trying to pick up one with the new 16 drivers versus the original version or even from 2014-15.....if I go that route? 

 

[willsw]

   
 
You are awesome! I can come by this Saturday if that is alright with you? 

 
Saturday is A-OK. Mark should be there. 

 

[willsw]

I picked up a Jensen XLR> RCA converter and can now use the balanced outputs of the Spring with our usual single-ended amp setup.  I don't think we'll have the Spring for more than another week, but if it would be possible I'd love to have a small event where we can compare DACs through speakers, some time next week. I suppose for this to be most significant, we'd need one of you Yggy+UPS guys to be agreeable to that. We also have a MHDT Pagoda arriving soon, which would be interesting to compare at less than half the price.

 

[kendavis]

I might be willing and able to bring a Yggy... if you promise not to make me cry. Let me know the particulars.

 

[doukhobar]

Hi @willsw, thank you again for the terrific meet. 
This could be interesting some time next week- I assume you mean the week of the twelfth?
I know the "Yiggy" DAC is based on a similar old-school R2R design concept as the Theta DSPro Gen V which I was always wanted to hear, and remember the hype about the Yggy before it came out from the Theta guys. I heard they found it good but different, and I've never heard one myself, but would like to. 
My DAC has a tube output stage, and both SE and XLR outputs. The XLR outputs are supposed to be amazing, more dynamic range and slam, but I've never heard them. Can I ask, would you mind posting a link of your Jensen transformer product? Also, is there any sort of gain stage built in? The Decware ZBIT, which I am interested in, is a Jensen transformer design with a gain stage. 
Perhaps if I brought my DAC I could test the SE vs XLR outputs to see if it is worth it to get some Jensens?
The Spring only has balanced outputs? Not familiar with this product. 

 

[willsw]

  Hi @willsw, thank you again for the terrific meet. 
This could be interesting some time next week- I assume you mean the week of the twelfth?
I know the "Yiggy" DAC is based on a similar old-school R2R design concept as the Theta DSPro Gen V which I was always wanted to hear, and remember the hype about the Yggy before it came out from the Theta guys. I heard they found it good but different, and I've never heard one myself, but would like to. 
My DAC has a tube output stage, and both SE and XLR outputs. The XLR outputs are supposed to be amazing, more dynamic range and slam, but I've never heard them. Can I ask, would you mind posting a link of your Jensen transformer product? Also, is there any sort of gain stage built in? The Decware ZBIT, which I am interested in, is a Jensen transformer design with a gain stage. 
Perhaps if I brought my DAC I could test the SE vs XLR outputs to see if it is worth it to get some Jensens?
The Spring only has balanced outputs? Not familiar with this product. 

 
Looking into the ZBIT, it looks like the Jensen product ( http://www.jensen-transformers.com/product/pc-2xr/ ) except simplified, possibly? I'm not sure. I imagine a DIY version wouldn't be hard to make. I don't think the Jensen is making things lifeless. The attenuation does actually make the balanced outputs quieter than the unbalanced, at least with the Holo Spring DAC, when I had unbalanced straight into input 1 and balanced>Jensen>unbalanced into input 2 and switched between. I also need to make some 8" RCA interconnects to go from the converter to the preamp, as per Jensen's recommendation. The spring has both single-ended and balanced, but like most DACs with both balanced is recommended. 
 
Bring your DAC as well, I meant to ask more about it. Or if you'd like to test out the Jensen and are willing to, you can lug your DAC and its huge transformer over anytime. 
 
I've also wanted to hear the higher-end Theta models. 

 

[sheldaze]

  I picked up a Jensen XLR> RCA converter and can now use the balanced outputs of the Spring with our usual single-ended amp setup.  I don't think we'll have the Spring for more than another week, but if it would be possible I'd love to have a small event where we can compare DACs through speakers, some time next week. I suppose for this to be most significant, we'd need one of you Yggy+UPS guys to be agreeable to that. We also have a MHDT Pagoda arriving soon, which would be interesting to compare at less than half the price.

I assume I could still come with Ayre Codex 

Not sure @schneller is still watching this thread, but this is the comparison he was most interested to hear.

 

[schneller]

I assume I could still come with Ayre Codex 
Not sure @schneller
 is still watching this thread, but this is the comparison he was most interested to hear.

Well I wonder if we could do a Yiggy vs. Spring vs. Codex comparison on a 2.0 speaker setup... I can bring blindfolds...

 

[yage]

  I picked up a Jensen XLR> RCA converter and can now use the balanced outputs of the Spring with our usual single-ended amp setup....

 
Funny, I tried this exact same setup with my Ayre digital sources. Unfortunately, the loss in signal level made it pretty much unusable with my headphone setup on certain recordings so I returned it.
 
If the shoot-out is this weekend, I have a short (1 ft.) pair of BJC LC-1 that you can try out. It's one of the lowest capacitance RCA cables out there (which is what you're trying to minimize).

 

[willsw]

   
Funny, I tried this exact same setup with my Ayre digital sources. Unfortunately, the loss in signal level made it pretty much unusable with my headphone setup on certain recordings so I returned it.
 
If the shoot-out is this weekend, I have a short (1 ft.) pair of BJC LC-1 that you can try out. It's one of the lowest capacitance RCA cables out there (which is what you're trying to minimize).

 
This morning, after reading the manual and an old thread about the Jensen, I actually made some 8" RCA cables (the manual said that nothing was gained by being shorter than 8", which seemed to imply that 8" was ideal) out of what we'll be using as our store-brand, high value interconnects: compression terminated video cable that's 20awg and 16.3 pF/ft. capacitance. Not quite as low as LC-1, but pretty low. I didn't try A-Bing between unbalanced and balanced from the same DAC, but I will again and see if it seems louder. 
 
Looks like the Aqua La Voce and Clones Asher DACs will be leaving the store on Sunday, if anyone really wanted to try either of those. We'll be there tomorrow from 12-6 (and today until 5:30). @gandhisfist borrowed the tardy ZMF headphones, but he'll have them back sometime next week and I'll let people know when that happens as well. Since this is all related to Urban HiFi, though also to DC meets, it's probably better that I don't keep posting here, as we're not a sponsor of Head-fi, and that anyone interested follow us on instagram and/or facebook, where I'll start making posts related to new gear, loaned gear, and gear leaving soon. Right now everything discussed is not being sold by us, so I think I'm cool, but I don't want to violate anything. 

 

[schneller]

So is there anything happening? A 3-way shootout?

 

[willsw]

So is there anything happening? A 3-way shootout?

 
Let's get a time set up! Tomorrow seems like too short notice, but if any evening during the week works for anyone, like Thursday or Friday (I'm hoping the MHDT Pagoda arrives early in the week), or the weekend, let's get it solidified. Anyone interested in coming to do a DAC shootout on speakers and on headphones say which days work best for you.

 

[schneller]

Let's get a time set up! Tomorrow seems like too short notice, but if any evening during the week works for anyone, like Thursday or Friday (I'm hoping the MHDT Pagoda arrives early in the week), or the weekend, let's get it solidified. Anyone interested in coming to do a DAC shootout on speakers and on headphones say which days work best for you.

This weekend is pretty open for me, except tomorrow night. Next Thursday is good. Friday is Rogue One night so nope. Next weekend also okay.

 

[yage]

Just got reminded by my son that he has a tae kwon do tournament today, so I'm out. Going to see a star war late Thursday night. Guess I won't be hearing the Spring DAC any time soon.