[JulioCat2]

The only reason to buy the "MOD B" DF1704 is if you want to decode 96 Khz, other than that PDM100 sounds better, but i agree with Peete buy both and decide by yourself, the DAC19MK3 it's a really great sounding dac, i'm hearing it now, Elton John Candle In The Wind from MFSL Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Album and it's a totally joy to my ears.

 

[unl3a5h3d]

DACmagic?

 

[CherryBomb]

Enlightening. Thanks for the contribution.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pricklely Peete /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's not modified in any way.....Joe is blowing marketing smoke. He prefers the B version which is the DF1704 filter while the A version has the widely loved PMD100 HDCD filter chip. I find it curious that Joe likes the DF1704 while most here prefer the PMD100 chip...go figure. I certainly did not get the impression from post's here WRT the PMD100 module that the unit lacked anything of the kind....oh well....different strokes for different folks. There is nothing in this model that can't be bought directly from Kingwa.....you simply buy both modules (A &B) at the time of order. Peete.

Here is a NOS DAC with some form of jitter correction. . . if this thing is worth a darn, maybe you can have NOS sound without the jitter problem some attribute to NOS DACs.

http://www.mood-lab.com/dice.htm

 

[Uri Cohen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pricklely Peete /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's not modified in any way.....Joe is blowing marketing smoke. He prefers the B version which is the DF1704 filter while the A version has the widely loved PMD100 HDCD filter chip. I find it curious that Joe likes the DF1704 while most here prefer the PMD100 chip...go figure. I certainly did not get the impression from post's here WRT the PMD100 module that the unit lacked anything of the kind....oh well....different strokes for different folks. There is nothing in this model that can't be bought directly from Kingwa.....you simply buy both modules (A &B) at the time of order. Peete.

Wait, A version can decode HDCD discs?

 

[SilverCans]

The only thing holding me back from the 19mk3, that is when I had the money, was its freq response. It is rolled off somewhere well before 20k. Why this is done, I only can speculate its because he wanted to give it a warmer sound, but, again, I'm speculating.

 

[regal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pricklely Peete /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's not modified in any way.....Joe is blowing marketing smoke. He prefers the B version which is the DF1704 filter while the A version has the widely loved PMD100 HDCD filter chip. I find it curious that Joe likes the DF1704 while most here prefer the PMD100 chip...go figure. I certainly did not get the impression from post's here WRT the PMD100 module that the unit lacked anything of the kind....oh well....different strokes for different folks. There is nothing in this model that can't be bought directly from Kingwa.....you simply buy both modules (A &B) at the time of order. Peete.

Not just here, Diyaudio,com, diyhifi.org, just about anywhere you look the PMD100 is considered superior to the DF1704.

To the OP why would you want no oversampling? The problem is these DAC's have no filters and sound very different. Make sure you compare an oversampling R2R DAC to a NOS DAC before you buy, I am sure you will prefer the R2R DAC. Oversampling got a bad name from cheap sigma-delta chips like PCM1794, PCM1796, CS4297, etc.

The roll-off on the 19mk3 is not audible, it is less than 3db which no human can hear (the difference) above 17khz. It is truly a world class DAC, I prefered it to a $5000 Pass D1.

 

[Menisk]

I'll try and find the thread that had it and then edit this post, but there was a thread with explanations from Dan Lavry as to the benefits of upsampling. I'd personally recommend the Dacmagic which upsamples, I love mine.

EDIT: Here is the link: (http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f133/a...e-rate-437340/) You'll wanna have a read of the stuff that Dan Lavry has posted.

 

[DynaMike]

I´m quiet happy with the non-OS MoodLab products - sound matches very well tubed amplifying...

Just needs a proper power supply (DIY example in black behind the DAC) plus two black gates changed , HQ interconnects & there you are - a really satisfying piece of audio equipment. Also the build quality meets the price tag.

But I prefer the Concept with a HagUSB over the USB-Dice (heard both) as the resolution & soundstage is two steps up.

Some dirty shots:

 

[Currawong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverCans /img/forum/go_quote.gif The only thing holding me back from the 19mk3, that is when I had the money, was its freq response. It is rolled off somewhere well before 20k. Why this is done, I only can speculate its because he wanted to give it a warmer sound, but, again, I'm speculating.

I think you misunderstood the graphs put up on that Japanese site. First of all, all DACs have some kind of roll-off at ~20-22k (to zero) as this is the limit of the frequencies they can decode without distortion, basically speaking. The cut-off to 22k can be gentle or sharp, with most high-end DACs choosing a gentle roll-off. At 20k it's only about 1-2 dBs, which is essentially nothing, as there are almost no audible sounds in music at that level (most treble sounds are closer to 10k, or between about 6-16k). For all intents and purposes, the DAC19MK3 is dead-neutral.

 

[punkaroo]

x2 on Moodlab Concept

 

[.Sup]

DacMagic is amazing. I actually use its upsamplimg + ASIO4all's upsampling- cos it just sounds better to me

 

[Pricklely Peete]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CherryBomb /img/forum/go_quote.gif Enlightening. Thanks for the contribution. Here is a NOS DAC with some form of jitter correction. . . if this thing is worth a darn, maybe you can have NOS sound without the jitter problem some attribute to NOS DACs. moodlab

It's likely a decent performer provided you like the sound of a NOS design. The HF end of things is where NOS and I have an aural disconnect. I much prefer what Regal describes as the R2R ladder based monolithic DAC chips + 8X oversampling concept. The more R2R chips (specifically the PCM1704UK ) per channel the better (see the RE1 for details). The RE1's DSP1 chip can be manually set for NOS operation of which I treid that setting and the other two (2X and 4X OS) before settling back at 8X and leaving it there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HyperDuel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wait, A version can decode HDCD discs?

Yep

PMD invented the entire process from coding to decoding.

Quote:

Originally Posted by .Sup /img/forum/go_quote.gif DacMagic is amazing. I actually use its upsamplimg + ASIO4all's upsampling- cos it just sounds better to me

Frankly speaking the 19MKIII is in another league compared to the CA box which is good in it's own right.

Peete.

 

[Uri Cohen]

Well guys thanks for the comments. The 19MKIII will be in my short list, but the deal is do I really need a new DAC when my Monitor 02 US does the job just fine (the Monitor only has digital outputs, not inputs).

I'll most likely order it if Audio GD still makes them late next year. Late next year is when I can really consider upgrading for real.

 

[SilverCans]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think you misunderstood the graphs put up on that Japanese site. First of all, all DACs have some kind of roll-off at ~20-22k (to zero) as this is the limit of the frequencies they can decode without distortion, basically speaking. The cut-off to 22k can be gentle or sharp, with most high-end DACs choosing a gentle roll-off. At 20k it's only about 1-2 dBs, which is essentially nothing, as there are almost no audible sounds in music at that level (most treble sounds are closer to 10k, or between about 6-16k). For all intents and purposes, the DAC19MK3 is dead-neutral.

Yes every dac does have a roll off but the pic below posted by a member here shows: white is EMU0404, Green is 19MK3. Now it may not be terribly audible given it still within 2.5db at 20k, but it is a roll off none the less that begins nearly at 5k. I am not suggesting this dac sounds dull or anything of the sort, that is for each to decide on their own. To me it would be nice if it wasn't there.

 

[Raez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DynaMike /img/forum/go_quote.gif I´m quiet happy with the non-OS MoodLab products - sound matches very well tubed amplifying... Just needs a proper power supply (DIY example in black behind the DAC) plus two black gates changed , HQ interconnects & there you are - a really satisfying piece of audio equipment. Also the build quality meets the price tag. But I prefer the Concept with a HagUSB over the USB-Dice (heard both) as the resolution & soundstage is two steps up. Some dirty shots: snip snip snip

Uhh...no.

OP, put any money you ever considered putting into interconnects into the DAC. When you have more money than you know what to do with, buy some low gauge copper, because it looks nice.