[n3rdling]

Did you buy the TotalDAC or is it on loan?  I'm not convinced that NOS is necessarily better, but I've been strictly R2R DAC since hearing my first Parasound.  You should come to CanJam if you can make the trip.  I'm gonna have the Stax DAC-X1t and Assemblage DP-75 as sources.  The X1t in particular is probably the best I've heard...I kinda chuckle to myself sometimes while listening through it at just how good it sounds. 
 
As for wanting tighter bass, the BHSE excels at that.  It has a complete grip on those drivers that separates it from any of the other commercial offerings.  Looks like you're almost there

 

[arnaud]

  Did you buy the TotalDAC or is it on loan?  I'm not convinced that NOS is necessarily better, but I've been strictly R2R DAC since hearing my first Parasound.  You should come to CanJam if you can make the trip.  I'm gonna have the Stax DAC-X1t and Assemblage DP-75 as sources.  The X1t in particular is probably the best I've heard...I kinda chuckle to myself sometimes while listening through it at just how good it sounds. 
 
As for wanting tighter bass, the BHSE excels at that.  It has a complete grip on those drivers that separates it from any of the other commercial offerings.  Looks like you're almost there

 
Paid for, built and delivered... I believe the policy is to pay upfront but return within 10 days of delivery if unsatisfied. Seems the latter is rather rare though .
 
Want to join a CanJam some day but I guess there's got to be the right star alignment as work would have to take me there at a concurring time...
 
The Stax DAC is famous, another french fellow has one I recall and pretty happy with it driving his stax gear...
 
Arnaud 

 

[bmichels]

Talking about R2R magic, the TotalDac D1-Dual is in the house and it is singing! I just could not go to bed yesterday, it's that addictive. I don't know what to expect from the BHSE but already with my 727 amp, there is bass slam I would never have thought the SR009 be capable of. If anything, I now want it tighter.
The dac is so fluid but still having crazy amount of resolution. Percussions, piano, voices, everything is scarely real sounding.

So, yeah, source does matter, especially for the 009!
Not sure it is the R2R or the NOS aspect that makes it so effortless. For nasty recordings, I can disengage the compensation filter that is there to compensate treble rolloff from the brickwall filter in case of 44.1k recordings. For 95% of the stuff I have listened to so far, I prefer it on though.

If only the bhse could arrive now ...

An... The more I read about TotalDac, the more I want one ! What source do you use ? TotalDac Server ?

 

[jgazal]

Not sure it is the R2R or the NOS aspect that makes it so effortless.

 
Or:
 
3rd) a dac that does not need an I/V stage.

 

[arnaud]

An... The more I read about TotalDac, the more I want one ! What source do you use ? TotalDac Server ?

No, I read lots of good things about using the server upstream but I am using an iMac > audirvana 2 > Schiit Wyrd > TotalDac usb cable/filter > USB input (an XMOS)...
 
Honestly, it's working marvels, can't imagine what the server would bring! [one can never guess what is missing though ]
 
If I was sane, I would advise you to wait for the Schiit Yggdrasil, but I had heard the D1 before so I went nuts because I could... There's unbelievable texture to any instrument, the harmonics are so rich and full, dynamics / slam is crazy, you'd suspect the internal D/D processor is messing with the signal. But I guess that's what people who rave about R2R are on about.
 
arnaud

 

[Golfnutz]

China to Japan I think. I then shipped myself to Justin.

I got myself a few pairs or quads of XF2/XF4/XF5 since so I may not even try the psvane actually. Am kinda curious though.

Arnaud

I hope you mean for a quad of XF4/XF5 double D getters...

 

[astrostar59]

   
could you tell us which R2R magic DAC you got ? 
 
thanks

I use an Audio Note DAC 4.1 which has tube rectified PS and 2 x 5687 tubes on the output. It also uses output transformers on the final stage so the output impedance is very low at 1o ohms. This combined with a 2.5 volt output level means it can drive a Power Amplifier via a passive pre with fantastic results. Besides the finished products at Audio Note UK, you can get the DAC 4.1 in kit form for around 3.600 US. 
 
Arnaud's Total Dac is R-2R as well, though a different approach. It has no tubes, and uses 100 resistors in each channel instead of the I/V transformers approach in my DAC. Besides the smoother treble and organic (real) sound quality to NOS DACs, if it also has the filter removed, that has major benefits as well. Check it out, it changed my (audiophile) life forever.....

 

[arnaud]

I hope you mean for a quad of XF4/XF5 double D getters...

I have 2 matched pairs of Miniwatt/Philips DD getter (XF4/5) and a matched quad of miniwatt/mullard xf4 DD getter. But I don't see them often coming up in pairs, let alone quads.

But what comes out much more often are OO getter, I have a few pairs or quads of telefunken / mullard / siemens (some XF2).

BTW, was there a confirmation how to install matched pairs? E.g. Should it be matched by channel or drive stage? I would guess it's the former hence matched pair in front/back slot?

Arnaud

 

[Golfnutz]

Matched pair by channel (left side, right side). Looking forward to your comments when you received your amp.

 

[cat6man]

Talking about R2R magic, the TotalDac D1-Dual is in the house and it is singing! I just could not go to bed yesterday, it's that addictive. I don't know what to expect from the BHSE but already with my 727 amp, there is bass slam I would never have thought the SR009 be capable of. If anything, I now want it tighter.
The dac is so fluid but still having crazy amount of resolution. Percussions, piano, voices, everything is scarely real sounding.

So, yeah, source does matter, especially for the 009!
Not sure it is the R2R or the NOS aspect that makes it so effortless. For nasty recordings, I can disengage the compensation filter that is there to compensate treble rolloff from the brickwall filter in case of 44.1k recordings. For 95% of the stuff I have listened to so far, I prefer it on though.

If only the bhse could arrive now ...

 
Total-ly agree.
The D1-Dual and 009 (with bhse here) is a match made in heaven.  Nothing bright about it at all.
Magic is the word I would use.
 
R2R or NOS, or maybe fully balanced DAC (R2R on both legs)............details, subtlety and ease

 

[cat6man]

   
Congratulation, Arnaud.

Crowing (for the TotalDac D1) 

 
Eric

 
just to be clear, the D1 and the D1-dual are different animals (same species), and the D1-dual is a fully balanced R2R DAC.
if you run the D1-dual with RCA/unbalanced connections, you lose half of the DAC.
 
i haven't heard the D1 for comparison, but purchased my D1-dual based on word of mouth that it really was a step up from the D1.

 

[yellowblue]

just to be clear, the D1 and the D1-dual are different animals (same species), and the D1-dual is a fully balanced R2R DAC.
if you run the D1-dual with RCA/unbalanced connections, you lose half of the DAC.

i haven't heard the D1 for comparison, but purchased my D1-dual based on word of mouth that it really was a step up from the D1.

And the D1 server with reclocker for the D1 is another huge step up. Maybe it is time to start a own thread about TotalDac

 

[bmichels]

And the D1 server with reclocker for the D1 is another huge step up. Maybe it is time to start a own thread about TotalDac

 
Yes, let's start a TotalDAC Thread.
 
My first 2 questions will not be about the DAC itself for which I have no doubts at all, but about the TotalDAC SERVER:
 
- Is the Music management Software convenient to use & easy to manage and create playlists.
and more important
- Is it possible to stream HiFi quality from QOBUZ or TIDAL with the TotalDAC SERVER (without the use of an exyernal PC/MAC of course). If YES, then is the QOBUZ or TIDAL interface easy to use ? 
 
Those "Streaming" questions are very important for me since more and more I stream instead of playing local files.

 

[Audio Jester]

Yes, let's start a TotalDAC Thread.

My first 2 questions will not be about the DAC itself for which I have no doubts at all, but about the TotalDAC SERVER:

- Is the Music management Software convenient to use & easy to manage and create playlists.
and more important
- Is it possible to stream HiFi quality from QOBUZ or TIDAL with the TotalDAC SERVER (without the use of an exyernal PC/MAC of course). If YES, then is the QOBUZ or TIDAL interface easy to use ? 

Those "Streaming" questions are very important for me since more and more I stream instead of playing local files.

Love the enthusiasm, but wouldn't your questions be better asked in said Total Dac thread?

 

[justin w.]

I just received an email from the company that was polishing/anodizing the BHSE panels in the seafoam green color, i had sent a few sets of parts for the next batch of BHSEs
 

 Justin,
We received a box from you today. I am no longer interested in providing services to Headamp. Please forward your UPS shipper number or call for a pickup of the box.
Thank you,

 
This is sad and unfortunate. My last order with this company was for a few of the seafoam green parts exactly one year ago. Given that there is no explanation such as "we're no longer able to process orders of this size" or "we are not offering this color anymore" I would be fairly certain the reasons are personal. It is too bad many small businesses in this country choose to operate this way. Likely i will just be ending the availability of this color.