Holo Audio Cyan 2 DAC

[StaxEnjoyer]

Im a little afraid to review the Cyan 2 because i haven't done it before. Im also curious on what other people think of the DAC. I love the DAC especially for Oversampling. It shapes the music into a almost realistic enviorment. The reason i suggest HQplayer oversampling is because there are 2 filters that sound great: Sinc L and Sinc Mx with Sinc Mx enlarging the soundstage especially if ur using DSD256x.

 

[albertmuc]

Do you like it? Endgame DAC? Good synergy with Hekse?

Where have all the Cyan 2 owners gone? Too busy listening to their new DACs no doubt .

Man I’m dying over here waiting for a reply .. 5:33AM like a fiend

The Cyan 2 is an excellent DAC and it gets better every day, in NOS mode with tube sound, ideal for the HEKSE and its treble reproduction. My C2 is connected to an "Innuos Zen MK3" via the USB input and plays so well that I see no need to get to know the Spring 3.

I'm curious about DSD, so I hope to find a solution that enables DSD playback in combination with my "Innuos Zen MK3"...

 

[Louisiana]

Man I’m dying over here waiting for a reply .. 5:33AM like a fiend

The problem is that not everyone is a "reviewer".
I already find it difficult to describe sound in my native language, and it doesn't get any better at English
I just want to let the device play for a week or two before I form an opinion.

The first impression is very good, the bass feels more powerful than on my R28, the stage is wider, but string instruments don't feel as realistic as on my R28.
I'm currently using HQPlayer and playing with the various filters.

My favorite PCM filter so far is:

Music fells "thick" an "strong" to me.

Favorite DSD Filter:

Typical wide DSD stage, but music feels full-bodied, like PCM.

I also like this filter:

But depend on the album, music is to soft, but stage is extreme wide.

Without HQPlayer, Cyan2 is also very good, if you don't use HQPlayer before,you won't miss anything, but the HQPlayer really gets everything out of the Cyan2.

This is how I currently see it:
Without HQPlayer I prefer my R28, with HQPlayer the Cyan2 is the clear winner.
The device has really convinced me, so much so that I'm thinking about whether an upgrade to the Spring3 would be worthwhile

Do you like it? Endgame DAC? Good synergy with Hekse?

So far I've only heard closed with my Atrium, I'll connect the HEKSE over the weekend and then report back.

Where have all the Cyan 2 owners gone? Too busy listening to their new DACs no doubt .

This, and my work steals a lot of my time.

 

[Louisiana]

@albertmuc
if MUC stands for Munich, then we are almost neighbors
You have a beautiful tube amp there.

 

[LXMc]

Without HQPlayer I prefer my R28, with HQPlayer the Cyan2 is the clear winner.

I anticipate this is exactly how I'm going to feel when I eventually compare the Cyan2 to my Frerot and I'm worried I'll want to keep both...

 

[Picard7]

The Cyan 2 is an excellent DAC and it gets better every day, in NOS mode with tube sound, ideal for the HEKSE and its treble reproduction. My C2 is connected to an "Innuos Zen MK3" via the USB input and plays so well that I see no need to get to know the Spring 3.

I'm curious about DSD, so I hope to find a solution that enables DSD playback in combination with my "Innuos Zen MK3"...

Good to hear. Will be using the same headphones and an Innuos Zenith (via a Nitsch or MJ3, if I find one).

 

[Spinning46rpm]

How do you switch between different input sources using the Cyan?

Greeting from another neighbor

 

[albertmuc]

How do you switch between different input sources using the Cyan?

Greeting from another neighbor

It's nice to have so many neighbors

Currently I only have my Innuos music server connected.

Anyway, today I had a good day because I found out that the Innuos can be controlled by an HQPlayer... Only my last steps are missing.

 

[gammi]

How do you switch between different input sources using the Cyan?

Greeting from another neighbor

It's automatic.

 

[Spinning46rpm]

Sure, but which source will be prioritized?

 

[JerseyD]

Sure, but which source will be prioritized?

Ideally, you would only have one source actively playing (which it detects). I think if multiple sources are playing, it defaults to USB.

 

[Spinning46rpm]

I use mainly I2S, AES and SPDIF.
I understand that Holo had to do some cost savings but I don‘t understand why Holo even sacrificed the input selector.
Hence the Cyan is a dumb box and everything needs to be controlled from the outside, correct?

 

[skipspence]

I didn't find anywhere which clocks does Cyan2 use? Looks like clocks are generated from USB/I2S inputs via FPGA, ie it doesn't have any physical internal clocks at all?
Can someone please explain?

 

[realmccoy]

The Cyan 2 is an excellent DAC and it gets better every day, in NOS mode with tube sound, ideal for the HEKSE and its treble reproduction. My C2 is connected to an "Innuos Zen MK3" via the USB input and plays so well that I see no need to get to know the Spring 3.

I'm curious about DSD, so I hope to find a solution that enables DSD playback in combination with my "Innuos Zen MK3"...

I can see you have violectric v222, does it pair well with the Cyan2 ?
Nice set up btw

 

[bogi]

Hence the Cyan is a dumb box and everything needs to be controlled from the outside, correct?

correct is: from the back side
It's time to turn Cyan2 180°, so the back side becomes front side!
(just joking)

Clearly, Cyan 2 is not a suitable choice if you need to switch 3 inputs. For many of us one input (usually USB) is all we need.