[Nada]

   

If auditory memory only lasts a matter of seconds, ....

 
Theres no if. Auditory memory only lasts seconds. You can clear up your confusion by understanding the differences between sensory memory, short term memory, long term memory and working memory.

 

[Nada]

  ........t I have never experienced this level of musicality and joy with any of my previous DACs. none......

 
Thanks for sharing. Your opinion means a lot to me considering your former DAC's. I think the experience of joy is the most important quality for me in listening to music. Cheers.

 

[Articnoise]

   
Theres no if. Auditory memory only lasts seconds. You can clear up your confusion by understanding the differences between sensory memory, short term memory, long term memory and working memory.

 

I would say that it is you that is confused and don’t know what Auditory memory is. The short auditory memory, that some says is as short as 4 sec, has nothing to do with comparing sound quality, it’s about remember sequences, learning ability and so on. Use some common sense!

 

“Auditory memory involves being able to take in information that is presented orally to you, process that information, store it in your mind and then recall what you have learned. Basically, it involves the tasks of attending, listening, processing, storing, and recalling. This, for many students, even those who are not disabled, can be an extremely difficult task.”

 

“Musical memory is an entirely different area of Auditory memory. First, most musicians can listen to music and identify the instruments.  I can recognize a piano, guitar, banjo, violin, bass, clarinet, saxophone, flute, drum, cymbals and a few other basic instruments. But could I recognize a viola, a cello,  mandolin, french horn, trumpet, cornet, trombone, and others? Maybe in some circumstances, but most of the time, music is not my field.”

 

http://www.breakthroughlearningcollege.com/memory/auditory-memory/

 

“Auditory memory involves being able to take in information that is presented orally, to process that information, store it in one's mind and then recall what one has heard. Basically, it involves the skills of attending, listening, processing, storing, and recalling.”

 

“To test the auditory digit span of a child, say numbers slowly in one second intervals, in a monotone voice. Say, for example, 6-1-5-8 and have the child repeat it back. If he can, then say 9-2-4-7-5. The child must be able to say a 4 digit sequence back correctly 75% of the time on the first try to be considered at a short-term memory of 4, and it is the same for each higher digit.”

 

http://www.learninginfo.org/auditory-memory.htm

 

 

“The Auditory Memory Test focuses on short-term auditory memory which consists in reproduction of verbal cues within a short interval. It is aimed at diagnostics of employees in such positions, where short term remory of facts and information is important, e.g. telephone operators, call centre workers, customer support, or counter clerks.”

 

http://www.tcconline.eu/auditory-memory-test/

 

[motberg]

   

I would say that it is you that is confused and don’t know what Auditory memory is. The short auditory memory, that some says is as short as 4 sec, has nothing to do with comparing sound quality, it’s about remember sequences, learning ability and so on. Use some common sense!

 

I agree on this, technically correct or not, many times I evaluate my system based upon my memory of sounds encountered during live performances many years ago..
Stuff like the sound signature of a Leslie cabinet or Precision Bass playing a few feet away seem to get solidly burned into the old grey cells...  

 

[tkcha]

 
 
Hi   All.   I'm 50 years old I'been audiophile 35 years now my exprience mostly speaker base system until 2012 but because under circumstance can't have a dedicated listening room so started Headphone journey.
My systems are PC with JRIVER 20 bitstreaming or DSD256 upsampling. Blue Circle Audio FX2 XOe power conditioner,Inderstrial Version Intona,Holo Kitsune Edition Spring 3 DAC, Woo audio 6SE,
Macorni U52 Rectify tube,6FD7 fat bottle driv tube, Modded HE6 Audio sensibility OCC Copper cable, Hifiman HEK, AKG 551. All my IC, PC are Audio Sensibility statement OCC cables, USB cables are Supra.
Now I have 4 Systems.   A: 2 channell speaker system: Vintage AR horn tweeter based Large Moniter,DIY Full range 16'.18'.50' size,morel cat308 tweeter,Focal 4 inch mid, 2 Focal 8 inch woopers with HMDF cabinet.
PS Audio Perfectwave Mark2 as dac/pre, Parasound JC1 mono Amp with B: onkyo AV reciever 5.1 Home theater system.      C: Audio Engine A5+ desktop power moniter with 8inch subwooper, Calyx M,Fiio X5 gen2 DAP using as Dac.         Since 2014 I was serching for reference grade DAC, listened Chord Hugo,2Qute,HugoTT,Hegel HD30,
SIM audio Moon 380D neo DSD,Moon EVO 780D DSD at my system.   but not satisfied non of them.         while auditioning these dacs visited many dealer,show listened PS audio DS,DCS vivaldi full stack,MSB analog, Diamond
5,Bricasti M1SE all most any high-end dac but some of i like It's out of my reach  which mbs,dcs are crazy money then Holo Spring DAC got my attention.   After 2 phone call with Tim I ordered  Now  I Have about 120 hours  burn in so I got many good reading from here  so  Here U ARE My detail impression.
 
 
HIGHS
 
Talking About HIghs always details and extention or roll off, hash that hurting your ears  kind of stuff  but Spring dac is so diffrent then any other dac under $10K dac  silky smooth high with jobs of detail,extra extention either red book
High-Res,DSD .    compare to Other dacs best details without harsh treble.    A+
 
MIDS
 
The Mids Are about Vocals,Instrument how natural, neutral sound is.   Spring DAC contained very good midbase attack [boogy factor] make u  tap toes while listening.   I love Vocals at this dac so much Patricia Barber MFSL CAFE BLUE DSD, she singing for me in my room.  SO much more realism than other dacs I Listened before.  A++
 
BASS
 
Tight And Fast.  Once my Modded HE6 always I want more base compare to Audeze LCDs.
Now I Don't think missing any base actully might I like more that tight,dry not wet base with lighting strike fast transition.     Layer after layer between drum skin to diffrent drums base details are so good not mono tone base It's a lot of dacs problem.      Spring Is quiet amazing.
 
Image, Soundstage 
 
On Hifimam HEK already have very good soundstage but with Spring dac wider,deeper, taller and Holographic 3D Fleeing to it   woo WOO..   but not finnish yet It Works even better with Modded HE6  that soundstage better than ever with Pin Point Image.
 
FINALE
 
Music choice,setting: 15000 Albums on 8T HDD. lot of XRCD,DCC,Audio Fideility,MFSL UDGOLD CD,K2HD,SHM CD,BS CD FLAC,WAV and 2000 HIGH-REZ downloading from HD tracks, quboz.  1500 DSD albums, include about 50. 128,256 dsd albums.  classical,jazz, classic rock,progressive rock,blues, vocals,heavy metal, K-POP everything if music is good.
all PCM albums Bitstreming to NOS mode dac i like this setting.    maybe some people like upsampling to dsd256 but for me pcm to pcm withput upsmpling. single DSD bitstreaming sound good but upsampling to 256 better.  but u DON'T need to 128,256 upsampling to higher.    THAT'S   IT  TODAY
SO U GUYS GUESSING !!!       YES I'M  OVER THE MOON THAT HAPPY !!!!!   do not read too much listen more!!

 

[lukeap69]

@tkcha

I can relate completely with your impressions especially the bass and drums. Thanks for your impressions.

 

[tkcha]

HI   again   I forgot to mention about Exasound E22   also very good sounding dac especilly DSD BUT pcm sound hold me not buying it.
also  I Wanna talk about Chord,PS audio using FPGA sound very good on PCM but not with DSD  why is that ?
I didn't hear DAVE  how about DSD sound?     ultra high-end  DAC   like MSB select, DCS vivaldi ,Esoteric Grandioso  these are real deal  if u
have money go listen to them  diffrent leage  themselves.
And nobody listen to DXD u better do that with good dac that sound better than DSD128  only 256 can beat it.

 

[ZGojira]

  HI   again   I forgot to mention about Exasound E22   also very good sounding dac especilly DSD BUT pcm sound hold me not buying it.
also  I Wanna talk about Chord,PS audio using FPGA sound very good on PCM but not with DSD  why is that ?
I didn't hear DAVE  how about DSD sound?     ultra high-end  DAC   like MSB select, DCS vivaldi ,Esoteric Grandioso  these are real deal  if u
have money go listen to them  diffrent leage  themselves.
And nobody listen to DXD u better do that with good dac that sound better than DSD128  only 256 can beat it.

 
I have heard the Esoteric Grandioso D1, and I currently own the Holo Spring Level 3 (only had it for a few days, so it's still settling in).
I heard both using my sr-009 connect to 727A (Feedback mod).
The Grandioso D1 I heard was part of a huge chain of other really expensive stuff 

e.g. power regenerator, 5K power cables, and some really! fancy interconnects and USB cables.
It also had a Woo audio tube amp as a pre-amp between the 727A and the Grandioso D1.

I have none of the fancy stuff in my own chain....
 
Although I would agree that listening to it was an eye opening experience

(The only time I was nearly in tears listening to music

).
However, it might not be considered "better" by everyone's standards...
 
The Grandioso D1 was liquid smooth, I could not fault the sound balance in anyway....everything sounded unrealistically good

Unfortunately, this is also the reason why it might not sit well with everyone, it was unrealistic....
 
The thing that keeps being mentioned by everyone about the Holo is how realistic it sounds.
Of course, depending on recording this might actually work against it.
The texture of the recording is very apparent....i.e. if the recording was done in different rooms or was done using different mics before being mixed together, you will be able to tell the difference between them. In some bad cases there will even be a disjoint in the sound 

 
 
My personal preference is for things to sound as close to the recording as possible, even if most of the time things sound bad.....

 

[lukeap69]

On another thread, @Barra provided some interesting comparison with the Yggy

http://www.head-fi.org/t/804153/life-after-yggdrasil/825#post_12958039

 

[oneguy]

So is the general consensus that I2S is the preferred option on the Spring? Is this because of the way the Spring does it I2S vs USB input implementation? Has anyone done a comparison between the two previously mentioned inputs?

Sorry for all the questions. I see a lot of talk of people pairing the Level 3 with the SU1. I am curious if a good USB input will avoid the need to buy another add-on for the Spring Level 3.

 

[rkyoto]

So is the general consensus that I2S is the preferred option on the Spring? Is this because of the way the Spring does it I2S vs USB input implementation? Has anyone done a comparison between the two previously mentioned inputs?

Sorry for all the questions. I see a lot of talk of people pairing the Level 3 with the SU1. I am curious if a good USB input will avoid the need to buy another add-on for the Spring Level 3.

​The built-in USB module of spring is XMOS based, fully isolated and that's it. No femto clocks and other fancy stuff. It's good enough in my opinion. Better than its SPDIF inputs.
 
The creator of the spring DAC does have another usb noise filter product like schiit wyrd. I don't know if it is sold in US.

 

[oneguy]

 
​The built-in USB module of spring is XMOS based, fully isolated and that's it. No femto clocks and other fancy stuff. It's good enough in my opinion. Better than its SPDIF inputs.
 
The creator of the spring DAC does have another usb noise filter product like schiit wyrd. I don't know if it is sold in US.

I have a USB noise filter product. I am just wondering if that being used with USB input is on the same playing field as the I2S input or if one is on a different level from the other.

 

[ZGojira]

 
​The built-in USB module of spring is XMOS based, fully isolated and that's it. No femto clocks and other fancy stuff. It's good enough in my opinion. Better than its SPDIF inputs.
 
The creator of the spring DAC does have another usb noise filter product like schiit wyrd. I don't know if it is sold in US.

 
These? https://kitsunehifi.com/product/holo-audio-titanis-active-usb-processor/
 
I got two of the 800mA version along with my spring.
 
First of all, I should mention that I am skeptical of these devices (and digital cables in general)....
 
I did a quick test and could not hear any difference on the spring...this could change when I spend more time with it.....
 
However, I tried it with an XDuoo XD-05 and the was a noticeable difference in sound.
Enough of a difference that I think should be measurable, which is what I did (nothing fancy, just on board line-in).
 
And indeed, there was a difference

THD has increased ten-fold

I tried it both directly from computer port and with extension cable, the results were the same....
 
I even tried chaining them to see if that made a difference, and THD increased by 100 times....(which makes sense, 10 x 10 = 100)
 
It would be great if anyone else can also do some quick measurements to confirm that I'm not doing something wrong....

 

[REXNFX]

 
 
 
Hi   All.   I'm 50 years old I'been audiophile 35 years now my exprience mostly speaker base system until 2012 but because under circumstance can't have a dedicated listening room so started Headphone journey.
My systems are PC with JRIVER 20 bitstreaming or DSD256 upsampling. Blue Circle Audio FX2 XOe power conditioner,Inderstrial Version Intona,Holo Kitsune Edition Spring 3 DAC, Woo audio 6SE,
Macorni U52 Rectify tube,6FD7 fat bottle driv tube, Modded HE6 Audio sensibility OCC Copper cable, Hifiman HEK, AKG 551. All my IC, PC are Audio Sensibility statement OCC cables, USB cables are Supra.
Now I have 4 Systems.   A: 2 channell speaker system: Vintage AR horn tweeter based Large Moniter,DIY Full range 16'.18'.50' size,morel cat308 tweeter,Focal 4 inch mid, 2 Focal 8 inch woopers with HMDF cabinet.
PS Audio Perfectwave Mark2 as dac/pre, Parasound JC1 mono Amp with B: onkyo AV reciever 5.1 Home theater system.      C: Audio Engine A5+ desktop power moniter with 8inch subwooper, Calyx M,Fiio X5 gen2 DAP using as Dac.         Since 2014 I was serching for reference grade DAC, listened Chord Hugo,2Qute,HugoTT,Hegel HD30,
SIM audio Moon 380D neo DSD,Moon EVO 780D DSD at my system.   but not satisfied non of them.         while auditioning these dacs visited many dealer,show listened PS audio DS,DCS vivaldi full stack,MSB analog, Diamond
5,Bricasti M1SE all most any high-end dac but some of i like It's out of my reach  which mbs,dcs are crazy money then Holo Spring DAC got my attention.   After 2 phone call with Tim I ordered  Now  I Have about 120 hours  burn in so I got many good reading from here  so  Here U ARE My detail impression.
 
 
HIGHS
 
Talking About HIghs always details and extention or roll off, hash that hurting your ears  kind of stuff  but Spring dac is so diffrent then any other dac under $10K dac  silky smooth high with jobs of detail,extra extention either red book
High-Res,DSD .    compare to Other dacs best details without harsh treble.    A+
 
MIDS
 
The Mids Are about Vocals,Instrument how natural, neutral sound is.   Spring DAC contained very good midbase attack [boogy factor] make u  tap toes while listening.   I love Vocals at this dac so much Patricia Barber MFSL CAFE BLUE DSD, she singing for me in my room.  SO much more realism than other dacs I Listened before.  A++
 
BASS
 
Tight And Fast.  Once my Modded HE6 always I want more base compare to Audeze LCDs.
Now I Don't think missing any base actully might I like more that tight,dry not wet base with lighting strike fast transition.     Layer after layer between drum skin to diffrent drums base details are so good not mono tone base It's a lot of dacs problem.      Spring Is quiet amazing.
 
Image, Soundstage 
 
On Hifimam HEK already have very good soundstage but with Spring dac wider,deeper, taller and Holographic 3D Fleeing to it   woo WOO..   but not finnish yet It Works even better with Modded HE6  that soundstage better than ever with Pin Point Image.
 
FINALE
 
Music choice,setting: 15000 Albums on 8T HDD. lot of XRCD,DCC,Audio Fideility,MFSL UDGOLD CD,K2HD,SHM CD,BS CD FLAC,WAV and 2000 HIGH-REZ downloading from HD tracks, quboz.  1500 DSD albums, include about 50. 128,256 dsd albums.  classical,jazz, classic rock,progressive rock,blues, vocals,heavy metal, K-POP everything if music is good.
all PCM albums Bitstreming to NOS mode dac i like this setting.    maybe some people like upsampling to dsd256 but for me pcm to pcm withput upsmpling. single DSD bitstreaming sound good but upsampling to 256 better.  but u DON'T need to 128,256 upsampling to higher.    THAT'S   IT  TODAY
SO U GUYS GUESSING !!!       YES I'M  OVER THE MOON THAT HAPPY !!!!!   do not read too much listen more!!

Do you have an analog source that you can compare this DAC to? TIA!

 

[tkcha]

Hi  REXNFX   No  I don't  have any turntable set up but Megnum Dynlab FM tuner Having over 15 years.   but  I have lot of vinyl experience
I Think Holo Spring DAC Can compete with VPI classic Signature Or Lower even older HRX.     Spring Is Very Analog Sounding DAC specially
DSD.    One Of Best DSD Sounding DAC ON the market Right Now.