[mjg]

Hey guys,


after reading elephas, and elnero's comments i went and bought a dialogue II.

Was debating upgrade to my emu 1212m, yet i figured why spend that kind of money when these kinds of DAC's seem like a good deal.


going to use it with a 1212m, ppx3 (with slam upgrades etc), ms2i and hf1's

how do you guys feel this will sound?

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjg how do you guys feel this will sound?

Good, hopefully!

It should definitely be a whole new flavor of sound. I've never heard an NOS DAC myself, but they do have quite a following.

 

[J-Pak]

They've definetly gained in popularity, I was researching them when they first popped up on ebay for just under $200, and now I've seen them going for twice that.

mjg will you be comparing it with your m901?

 

[elnero]

I suspect it's going to sound yummy, I'd actually really like to hear a PPX3 or PPX3 Slam with my Dialogue II and RS-1's, it might make for a very interesting combo albeit one I wouldn't have room for.

 

[MikeW]

Your in for a treat, mine sounds way better then my x-fi. Note this dac needs burn in. It's sound changes alot supposedly. Mine was fully burned in when I got it, but the previous owner did not like it till it burned in.

 

[mjg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-Pak They've definetly gained in popularity, I was researching them when they first popped up on ebay for just under $200, and now I've seen them going for twice that. mjg will you be comparing it with your m901?

Well the 901 is gone, but it's kind of hard because the grace didn't have a dac out option, im gonna be using a different amp and well, u know... This one ended up costing me $250 shipped! (ouch). Yet i guess even there if i like the sound its no big deal.


MikeW; thanks for the comments, actually ir ead some of your posts too as well and helped me make my decision.

I was wondering how important having a good transport is going to be with this... how much does jitter become a problem? I never had a NOS dac b4.


Anyone wanna comment on how long burn in was?

 

[MikeW]

Mine sounds great with just a Radioshack Digital PCM cable. I don't know what "Jitter" sounds like so I guess I wouldent even know if I was hearing it. I don't hear any odd crackling or pops. My only complaint about this DAC is it's relativly bad noise floor. It puts out noticeable hiss in the audio at high volume levels. And i've verified that it is indeed the dac doing this. The volume levels where it starts to get annoying are deafening though so it's not to big a deal, and it's still worlds better then my X-Fi.

 

[Gabe Logan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elnero I suspect it's going to sound yummy, I'd actually really like to hear a PPX3 or PPX3 Slam with my Dialogue II and RS-1's, it might make for a very interesting combo albeit one I wouldn't have room for.

That's the combo that i am looking at the moment but i took a big hit on the PPX3 Slam so i cannot justify one untill next year.

It's kind of funny,i sold my equiptment like 3 or 4 months ago but here i am again in this cycle of madness

 

[Elephas]

I've been using the Dialogue II linked to an AirPort Express as my bedside rig. Amp is the Corda HA-1 MkII and I usually switch between the HD650 and L3000. The HD650's oval shape makes it suitable for listening while lying down.

For normal listening, I prefer the CEC DA53, a 24/195 oversampling DAC. While relaxing, the Dialogue II's warmer and smoother sound is often preferable. It has less details and treble extension than the CEC. Listening to low-paced vocals or instrumental music at very low volume is great way to relax.

 

[MikeW]

I use my D2 with DT880s so they "Synergize" quite well, as the DT880 has fairly pronouced high's making it fairly "Bright" headphone. The lowe treble of this dac go's great with these phones. If I was using a warmer phone I might prefer a more bright source.

 

[mjg]

my pre break in thoughts (5 hours of playing time or so today) is the dac has a very warm and pleasant midrange, great bass, though at the momment is a tad congested in the highend I don't like the way cymbols sound just yet, almost a slight nasal character. This did alleviate as the dac played a bit more... I can only assume this will smooth out alot more over the break in period. Also, i tried to replicate MikeW's noisefloor problem and couldn't to my ears. I'm using the same volex power cables he is also... The dac's fit and finish is excellent considering the price. Overall for the money, even unbroken in i'm very satisfied. I can easily see how people find so much value in this dac. I'll be glad to compare it to my emu 1212m once i finally have it setup at my apartment, but for the time b eing i had a makeshift rig using a dvd player as transport.


Happy new years : ]

 

[MikeW]

I think the noisefloor thing is directly associated with extreme gain, that the DT880's require to drive, and at max volume. Like I said, it's not an issue at anything below 80% volume on high gain setting. Though the DT880's arnt unlistenable at this volume level on low classic recordings, they are on everything else.

edit: I don't get this slight "hiss" with my soundcard at the same volume levels, or when the amp is not connected to anything. I'll also concde that it's possible that the dac is sensitive to somthing in my enviroment, or it could be even transport related. It's hard to say as I don't have another transport to try it with.

 

[Elephas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer I've never heard an NOS DAC myself, but they do have quite a following.

That's too bad, your posts about DACs are very informative. Someone should send you a Dialogue II for evaluation/comparisons and maybe some mods!

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elephas That's too bad, your posts about DACs are very informative. Someone should send you a Dialogue II for evaluation/comparisons and maybe some mods!

And I wouldn't mind a bit if someone did! Are you volunteering?

 

[MikeW]

Seems some of my problems may be related to my grounded computer (transport) hooked into my APC (Square sinewave), that's hooked into my grounded (at the wall, not the unit) Dialogue II.. I tried ungrounding my computer today and leaving the dialogue II and Amp grounded at the wall, I was also able to ground my amp as well (previously floated via a switch on it's power supply).. the sound changed once again, in not so subtle ways. Im getting tired of posting all these changes

, I've been playing around with the power so much, and every little thing changes the sound. So far im liking this configuration the best (ungrounded computer, everything else grounded).. The noise I was hearing in my dac went down a signifigant amount. If anything I can encourage other people to check and double check for ground loop, and various ground interfearnce problems.