I am using a Holo Spring 3 in NOS with i2S and get no popping either. Swapping between DSD and PCM in my playlist in Moode.
I get a very slight pause (around 0.5 of a second) switching between DSD to PCM tracks and then it plays. PLL is off.
Might be dependent upon the player one is using. I'm using Squeezelite and unfortunately, the configuration file is not accessible. I think it lacks the necessary pause when switching formats.
Got Holo Red few days ago. Tried as a streamer with usb, i2s, and coax connected to may kte. Here are my initial thoughts:
1. Cable matters. I replaced stock pc with zu event pc, heard more focused sound. Clarity upticked
2. All outputs sounded roughly the same to me but I like coax as it sounds most open and smooth
3. I was using macbook pro before red and I didn't hear out of this world difference. Sure, red brought upticks on clarity, openness, and imaging. This tells me, may does really a good job of noise and jitter handling at input stages
Gonna run red few more days to burnin and see how it improves.
Just tried DDC. Macbook pro > Supra Excalibur USB cable > Holo Red > Audioquest Carbon Coax cable > Holo May KTE.
My impression with this connection is instant upgrade in realism. Fuller and more composed sound. Simply Awsome.. May be I need a better router or ethernet cable, or both to beat the DDC setup. Not gonna try it though, I am happy with DDC performance
The Mano Ultra mk2 or mk3 are on a different level. The Mano Ultra mk3 is truly amazing in terms of sound quality. The Red is more versatile (can also work as DDC) and supports higher resolutions including DSD.
It very much depends on your needs.
I am not interested in DSD and want to stream Qobuz or Tidal and my local music library with best sound quality possible for a reasonable price. This is how I ended up with the Mano Ultra mk3.
The Mano Ultra mk2 or mk3 are on a different level. The Mano Ultra mk3 is truly amazing in terms of sound quality. The Red is more versatile (can also work as DDC) and supports higher resolutions including DSD.
It very much depends on your needs.
I am not interested in DSD and want to stream Qobuz or Tidal and my local music library with best sound quality possible for a reasonable price. This is how I ended up with the Mano Ultra mk3.
I dosent use DSD neither. Personaly i dont need a DDC if i can also bypass the usb output by using a different source with I2S. I just wonder if the Red sounds as a Streamer better than the simlar priced Mano Ultra mk2. And does a better fuse like the purple one, imptove the sound quality?
Had my Red for a bit over a week now and I'm very pleased with it! Using it as a UPNP end point with the stock OS and it sounds fantastic. I've played around with some of the outputs, and with my gear (Spring 3 KTE), I find that using the USB out is definitely the best. i2s is a close second, but I find it a bit harsh or bright.
Set up was easy and straight forward, just popped the SD card in, plugged in USB and ethernet, and I was basically good to go. I use LMS for playback with the upnpbridge, so that did take a minimal amount of set up. Just had to apply the "normal mode" preset and tweak a few things; raise the maximum sample rate, enable 24bit, and rename it. Couldn't be easier (except if I used the squeezebox output on the Red, but I don't think it sounds as good as upnp).
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