[mz2014]

It promises to be very promising.
http://www.ultrahighendreview.com/mutec-ships-new-mc-3-smart-clock-usb/

 

[robertsong]

  A lot has to do with the quality of the SPDIF RCA input design.

 
Upgraded the Breeze DU-U8's spdif jack with a Eichmann phono pod and Mundorf solid silver wire. No question an all around improvement. Very pleased.
 
Now to upgrade the power wires and 6 electrolytics. Any suggestions here?
 
Oh yeah, I have a Graphene Extreme PC coming my way as well.

 

 

[ccschua]

  Now I make these statements about i2s vs SPDIF coax from experience.  Recently I had the opportunity to a face to face comparison of a Emperical Offramp5 (with the Dynamo power supply upgrade) using the excellent PS Audio i2s cable vs the Breeze with unfortunately just a Bluejean SPDIF cable and SR power cord.
 
This was done over many hours on a $40K system running a $6K PS Audio Directwave DAC.  We a group of folks and I did the switching double blind - so no but me knew which was feeding the Directwave - and we could switch on the fly from OR5 i2s and Breeze SDPIF coax.
 
On one track the Breeze was favored on a few a tie on a few the i2s OR5 won.
 
If i2s was so vastly superior on the DirectWave the $150 Breeze/SPDIF would have been crushed by the $1500 OR5/i2s.   With a better SPDIF cable like the AS Silver Statement and the Cerious Graphene power cord  -  I feel the Breeze SPDIF would have beaten the i2s OR5.
 
A lot has to do with the quality of the SPDIF RCA input design.

I tend to agree with the statement too as I felt that the outbox usb tends to have better isolation between digital and analog.

 

[FredA]

I tend to agree with the statement too as I felt that the outbox usb tends to have better isolation between digital and analog.

I tend to agree as well. In the case of the master-7, i2s is only slightly superior. I would have to try it wtith the breeze but i don't own an rca-terminated cable. This is true using the di2014 compared with the bnc output though a 0.5m dhlabs cable.

The point with i2s is that with some dacs like the master-7, it can make the usb interface the master cllock of the dac. Thus, if the i2s signal is not polluted, it has the potential to lower jitter beyond any spdif receiver's capacity or at least those on the m7. But to acheive best results, in my opinion, you need galvanic isolation. I will know about the validity of this solution in about one week or so when i receive the ethernet isolator i have ordered. The drawback is I will have to had two rj45 connections in the signal path and 6 more inches of wire. I have ordered a 6-inch cat6a shielded wire for that purpose.

But spdif can certainly sound very well with most dacs, including the master-7. But you need an excellent cable. There are very obvious differences between digital cables. The best of them are claimed to reduce jitter. That is a claim acoustic zen makes. I just love the sound of their silverbyte cable. That is one thing i would be very interested to try in my system. I will ask my friend to bring his along next time he comes to my place, it should sound awesome, perhaps even better than i2s, who knows.

I suspect that it not simply a matter of jitter. Jitter figures are so low with those xmos interfaces. Maybe, sound quality is also affected by harmonic distorsion of high-frequency noise filtering through the digital connection. Good measurements are not a garantee of good sound as you already know.

With all that testing done by posters of this thread, i am confident we will be able to extract the most of computer audio within the next months. In any case, i am very statisfied with my system since i have acquired the Breeze. I am just trying to improve on excellence.

And not to be forgotten: all devices helping to to isolate the dac from the noisy computers we use are also significant. :regular_smile :

 

[Nu3nO]

  It promises to be very promising.
http://www.ultrahighendreview.com/mutec-ships-new-mc-3-smart-clock-usb/

You might want to check here first http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/mutec-mc-3-a-17300/
 
Cheers.

 

[ccschua]

before I operate on the breeze, I had ordered the DXIO and will decide if the surgery is still required.
 
I plan to integrate the DXIO into the computer audio PC, giving 2 output option, USB and SPDIF.

 

[panhead]

 
Yes will do - before doing the cap modding (this version may not need that with Pannie FM's already in place).
 
I have been running the smaller TeraDak X1/X2 on the DXIO (using the 5VDC USB plug on the X1 and the wonderful 2G split cable power leg plugged in there) - sounds very, very good.  I needed the DC-30W back in my office system to power the Remedy.  And no need to do the plug - unplug routine.  I'll put this in the LPS shootout as well.  It'll get the better caps mod too.
 
The DXIO Pro3a is really blooming now - super sweet and musical and uber detailed.  This is one killer great DDC.
 
FWI There is a 2meter 2G cable listed on Audiogon for a decent price.  If you need a long USB cable this is a great choice.  Listed for $175

Many thanks,  purchased the 2G,  breaking in now and no regrets!!!!

 

[coolrob]

Hello guys!
First of all sry for bad english, its not my native language..
 
I would like to ask some advice. 
I got a Cambridge 651R avr and Canton Vento 870.2 speakers. I think they can sounding well, but im obsessed to use my computer as source for music.
For my last speaker and spotify using the integrated soundcard was ok for daily music, but i want something better.
And i want to listend some better stuff like flac or something. I think my integrated stuff is the weak point in my system. (realtek stuff from Gigabyte Z97-N gaming 5, using toslink)
 
Now im thinking about a this Gustard U12. i would use it for my computer and would send the signal for my 651R through Gustard U12.Is it ok or should i buy some other dac, maybe just a soundcard like Essence STX. (Other stuff which i like is the IFI Nano iDSD)
Is Gustard compatible with Win 10 or should i go back to Win7?
 
Thanks

 

[robertsong]

Hi Coolrob.
 
None of these units are OS dependent as far as I know. Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 will all work fine. You should go with a Breeze DU-U8 with Talema tranformer. Much better than the Gustard. Nobody really talks about the Gustard any more.
 
I got mine here:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/262010528369?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
 
The Talema transformer is $20 additional.
 
Hopefully this translates.

 

[somestranger26]

  I got mine here:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/262010528369?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
 
The Talema transformer is $20 additional.

You can get it directly from Breeze Audio on Aliexpress. I got the Talema transformer version for $128 shipped via DHL Express. http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Breeze-audio-Best-pure-USB-decoder-XMOS-U8-DU-U8-DAC-Asynchronous-USB-coax-fiber-XMOS/331129_32499738639.html

 

[bimmer100]

With all the mods done to my U12, it's bound to have a probllem at some point. That was last night when I was upgrading from Pulse to Murata power transformers.  I should of left well alone. I don't use Coax that often as it sounds inferior to HDMI i2s. Although I removed the pulse and in place had installed a DA101C. At first it was fine, but I wasn't happy with my soldering job as it wasn't neat... my picky ass decided to remove the component and replace it with a new. In the process I buggered the pcb...so no more coax for me.
 
at least my HDMI i2s works flawlessly.
 
I'm going to do the last mod on this U12... have a Belleson Superpower voltage regulator, which is several steps up in performance above the infamous Class D Dexa Regulator!!!
The specs of the Belleson are amazing,and others should seriously consider these! 
 
 
"The Superpower regulator is a high performance voltage regulator with a novel circuit design (U.S. Patent 8,294,440) to internally power its reference circuit with its own regulated output. A floating reference allows any output voltage from 1.2V (SPLV) to 30V (SPM, SP and SPJ), 100V (SPHP), 400V (SPHV) with low noise, low output impedance, high current (10A with SPHP) and fast transient response in a compact circuit that fits a standard IC footprint (except SPHP/SPHV). Optimum load transient response is obtained with a 100μF or more capacitor connected to Vout. Superpower delivers current to a load with a clean dynamic waveform with minimum ringing or overshoot and settles quickly. Superpower works best without a pre-regulator, because a pre-regulator increases overall drop out requirements and may limit the dynamic current available to the load. With a footprint to match industry standard TO-220 monolithic regulators, Superpower can be easily retrofit into existing systems or designed into new systems for maximum performance."
 
➢ Wide Vout range from 1.2V to 400V
➢ Very low noise
➢ Exceptionally fast transient response
➢ Output currents of 225mA, 500mA, 2A, 10A
➢ Very low output impedance
➢ Self powered bootstrapped reference
➢ Low drop-out voltage
➢ Available as positive or negative output ➢ LM78xx, LM79xx and LM317 pin out ➢ No pre-regulator needed 
 

 

 

 
more info - tons of details to show it's ultra low noise and ripple rejection is stellar. The original belleson superpower wasn't too great, but this is their new much improved MK2 model that should hold up to it's claims. I will at least give it a shot and test it out.
 
http://belleson.com/download/Superpower_datasheet.pdf
 
 
SPJ78 is the model i ordered.

 

[rb2013]

  It promises to be very promising.
http://www.ultrahighendreview.com/mutec-ships-new-mc-3-smart-clock-usb/

I don;t see a USB input  - so it's just a reclocker - $800.  Can accept an Rubidium atomic clock input 1-10Mhz, then output audio clock frequencies - neat.
 

 

[auvgeek]

  I didn't care for the Gumby either...just my opinion and preference. I feel its more analytical and much less musical. Digititus somewhat? My M11, at least to me, its MUCH MUCH more musical.  I'm excited to spend a bit more time testing some more ddc's. 
 

I've been out of the game a bit lately, but I haven't been able to find a decent review of Schiit's onboard USB (Gen 2 or Gen 3) vs a nice external DDC (Breeze, DIXO, modded U12/MX-U8, etc). Can you (or anyone else) offer some comparisons?

 

[rb2013]

   
Upgraded the Breeze DU-U8's spdif jack with a Eichmann phono pod and Mundorf solid silver wire. No question an all around improvement. Very pleased.
 
Now to upgrade the power wires and 6 electrolytics. Any suggestions here?
 
Oh yeah, I have a Graphene Extreme PC coming my way as well.

 

Nice!  I ran out of the  Mundorf solid silver wire - so ordered some more with a set of these ( I have the Eichman as well).  Will swap in the WBT NexGen's on my DAC60 which has an Eichmann now and see if the WBT is an improvement.  Then install in the Breeze the better of the two.
 

 
 
I'm going to try these very nice Pannie low impedence high ESR FRs - just ordered from Digikey.
 
The Breeze websites call those Pannie green caps XPO Masters - they are really X-PRO Masters - and Ebay is the only place I could find them.  Would love to see the spec sheet.  If they really were Pannies top audio cap they should be readily available.

 

[rb2013]

I tend to agree as well. In the case of the master-7, i2s is only slightly superior. I would have to try it wtith the breeze but i don't own an rca-terminated cable. This is true using the di2014 compared with the bnc output though a 0.5m dhlabs cable.

The point with i2s is that with some dacs like the master-7, it can make the usb interface the master cllock of the dac. Thus, if the i2s signal is not polluted, it has the potential to lower jitter beyond any spdif receiver's capacity or at least those on the m7. But to acheive best results, in my opinion, you need galvanic isolation. I will know about the validity of this solution in about one week or so when i receive the ethernet isolator i have ordered. The drawback is I will have to had two rj45 connections in the signal path and 6 more inches of wire. I have ordered a 6-inch cat6a shielded wire for that purpose.

But spdif can certainly sound very well with most dacs, including the master-7. But you need an excellent cable. There are very obvious differences between digital cables. The best of them are claimed to reduce jitter. That is a claim acoustic zen makes. I just love the sound of their silverbyte cable. That is one thing i would be very interested to try in my system. I will ask my friend to bring his along next time he comes to my place, it should sound awesome, perhaps even better than i2s, who knows.

I suspect that it not simply a matter of jitter. Jitter figures are so low with those xmos interfaces. Maybe, sound quality is also affected by harmonic distorsion of high-frequency noise filtering through the digital connection. Good measurements are not a garantee of good sound as you already know.

With all that testing done by posters of this thread, i am confident we will be able to extract the most of computer audio within the next months. In any case, i am very statisfied with my system since i have acquired the Breeze. I am just trying to improve on excellence.

And not to be forgotten: all devices helping to to isolate the dac from the noisy computers we use are also significant.

Well said - that would be an interesting experiment.  The reason that the quality of the cable (and length 1.5m being optimal) and exact tolerance rca terminations are so important for great SPDIF coax performance is not necessarily the test measurement jitter of a clock - but the real world jitter and time domain cohesion of a system with less then perfect 75ohm impedance through out the chain.  Sub optimal impedance can create back-wave reflections that confuse the receiver chip.  This induces jitter.
 
But other influences as John Swenson of Uptone points out like 'packet noise' from USB PHY processing (like the old DC servo noise from the PLL laser tracking circuit in CD players). This noise can pollute the digital systems power supply.  As Swenson points out regarding his measurements of USB processing induced 'packet noise' - it can even jump through isolators - even magnetic and optical ones.  The noise inter modulates with the data signal.   Very hard to isolate.  His solution with the Regen - besides the reclocking was exacting impedance matching.  Extreme care in the multi layer board design - direct coupling of the Regen to the USB DDC/DAC, etc...