[XVampireX]

  It does look very clean. The discrete resistor boards are proprietary so no off the shelf monolithic DAC chip is used. The chassis seems to be standard steel or aluminum and not milled from a billet of aluminum like other fancy brands use.
 
I still don't understand why Schiit dissed DSD in their DAC's. Perhaps because their off the shelf multibit DAC chip doesn't do DSD. And also in some kind of effort to "standardize" High Res audio confining it to PCM only. DSD would have to be an afterthought for them, so I guess that's why it was left out...

 
DSD is a good format and it's really not dead nor going to be dead any time soon, though of course, it's a niche format, people barely use FLAC nowadays and most streaming goes for 320kbps tops except perhaps Tidal which does lossless... I'm guessing MQA is the bridge between FLAC 16/44.1 and high-res
 
Speaking of DSD, does Spring DAC do DSD Natively or is it DoP?
 
speaking of MQA, would be cool if this Spring DAC would support it, format versatility is always welcome.
 
Schiit is trying really hard to go for mainstream even though they are still doing products for a niche market, and that niche will probably never become mainstream. (And very good that it won't - we don't want everyone joining the bandwagon, or it won't be fun - just the enthusiasts)
 
Anyway still waiting for more reviews. 

 

[Pixelplay]

+1 really looking forward to a review.......

 

[defbear]

I hope that you received it on time as expected. Any updates on its performance? Hopefully you're immersed in the experience and enjoying it, TIA for sharing your impressions!

Decades ago I used to go to see Pink Floyd quite a bit when they were a quartet. 1st show was with Syd Barrett even. During the early PF shows David Gilmour hung out, standing in the audience with the rest of us, watching the opening acts. I bumped in to him enough he remembered my name. On three tours They performed at the Santa Monica Civic. No opening act. Three hour shows. They would setup their 'Azimuth' Quadrophonic sound system that surrounded the auditorium and cris-crossed the ceiling. Now I saw Everybody! But no one sounded like Pink Floyd. Not when they had complete control of their environment. Gigantic swirling soundscapes twirling about the arena. Rick Wright with his Gigantic Silver Joystick. Unbelievable. And that is what my new Kitsune tuned, Holo Audio Level 3 Spring DAC is like compaired to all my other DACs. For me it is a complete revelation of what's possible in a listening experience. This is more than Buzzword compliant. The sounds stage is not only wide but deep. The channel balance is 'perfect' to my ears. Not a drop of harsh treble yet I am hearing more 'micro details' than ever before. There is Plenty of Bass and I can describe the mids as delicious. I already went back and listened to my collection of 900 albums in 16/44 FLAC when I got my Master 11. But there is so much more readily apparent sonic information available (gee I hear a lot of things I couldn't before) that I'm going to have to explore my collection again. The signal chain I have been mostly using looks like MacBook Pro USB> Singxer SU-1 DDC> Holo Spring Dac via I2S> Audio-gd Master 11 via cheapie SE RCA cables> HD800 via Norne Draug II cable. Substitute a LTA microZOTL for the Master 11 at times. I finally had a listen bypassing the Singxer SU-1 and going plain vanilla USB and was very pleased with how Robust it sounds on it's own. It really doesn't seem to give up much. I need more listening time. I should try the Intona in front. Haven't tried it with the Liquid Carbon yet. I had been casting about for a new DAC for months. I have lived with Bimby and heard Gumby. I thought I knew where Yggy might be heading. But the HoloDac had features that were appealing. Two Ladders etc. Read about that elsewhere. I would buy this again and in fact I would run to do it. Yes it was delivered as expected. And yes Pink Floyd did 'Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast'.

 

[occamsrazor]

And that is what my new Kitsune tuned, Holo Audio Level 3 Spring DAC is like compaired to all my other DACs.

 
Nice review, thanks. Which are your other DACs that you've compared it to, out of interest?
 
What maximum PCM/DSD rates are you able to get using either:
 
Mac > SU-1 > Holo
Mac > Holo
 
And on a completely superficial note... does anyone else hate the gold buttons and case-sides? Maybe it's just me, I have a thing against gold anything.

 

[defbear]

Nice review, thanks. Which are your other DACs that you've compared it to, out of interest?

What maximum PCM/DSD rates are you able to get using either:

Mac > SU-1 > Holo
Mac > Holo

And on a completely superficial note... does anyone else hate the gold buttons and case-sides? Maybe it's just me, I have a thing against gold anything.

The Master 11 has a built in Balanced DAC much like their Stand-alone Master 7 DAC. 4 chips vs 8. Bimby and Gumby. I briefly demoed an Yggy but not enough to really get to know it. Enough to convince me to carry on looking. An Auralic Vega was very appealing. I haven't had the Holo long enough to explore everything by a long shot. I have a Mojo and Ifi idsd. Not even close. I've used the Ifi as a DDC as well. Emotiva Stealth DAC 1. I have gotten 384K in NOS. Haven't fooled around with DSD to talk but had fun up-sampling FLACS to DSD. I just entered the gates to Disneyland here. Others can probably wring every last drop. We all think gold looks cheap on guitars. I like this case though. Not another black or silver. Think of it as Bronze or Foxy . I just put on Jeff Beck's 'Loud Hailer'. OMG. Can't wait for the Singxer and HoloDac to burn in. So much more clarity and detail. Balance. Not sure I can take much more.

 

[Pixelplay]

Man am I glad that I have a version 3 Kitsune on the way!

 

[crooner]

Great review thanks!
 
I have been considering the Lampizator as an alternative to the Holo. I believe the newest Amber uses a proprietary DSD decoding scheme and not off the shelf Sabre chips anymore.
But I already have a tube preamp and power amp, so I don't need the extra "sweetness" a tube based DAC provides.
 
Is the chassis made out of steel or aluminum?
 
Any relay or clicking sounds when it switches sampling rates or from PCM to DSD?
 
Good to know the I2S converter is not absolutely necessary for best performance. All my stuff is single ended too, so the XLR's won't be used.
 
Thanks again!

 

[Peaceofmind]

Thanks for that review. I been waiting for months for a black Yggy to be offered from Schiit website. I refuse to buy the silver Yggy because all my components are black. If the good reviews continue and the Holo Spring DAC is praised over the Yggy, this is going to be my new DAC.

 

[bimmer100]

Great review thanks!

I have been considering the Lampizator as an alternative to the Holo. I believe the newest Amber uses a proprietary DSD decoding scheme and not off the shelf Sabre chips anymore.
But I already have a tube preamp and power amp, so I don't need the extra "sweetness" a tube based DAC provides.

Is the chassis made out of steel or aluminum?


Any relay or clicking sounds when it switches sampling rates or from PCM to DSD?

Good to know the I2S converter is not absolutely necessary for best performance. All my stuff is single ended too, so the XLR's won't be used.

Thanks again!

The chassis seems to be aluminum, but this is 20lbs approx! And will double check but appears all panels are 5-6mm thick!!!

The dsd/PCM attenuation is managed quite well with everything we tested except with the microrendu there is still a bug where the click noise is not acceptable to our standards. We are working on this currently and should have a fix. All dacs I'm aware of have this format change click or in some cases "POP!!!"
But the spring DAC manages to attenuate it into a subtle click. Ask other users. It Happens when going from dsd to PCM, or PCM to dsd. But never noticed anything when switching sample rates while using one format.

But our final revision of the kitsune tuned edition spring DAC will be revealed at RMaF 2016. Those who may be at RMAF. Come and have a listen to the Kitsune Tuned Edition Spring Holo DAC. We are coexhibiting with HeadAmp, so you will likely be able to hear on a nice pair of stax or he1000v2's. I understand it's a new DAC, so our Holo Audio USA motto is "Time will tell..." And it's just that, thanks for the interest in this DAC! I'm happy to answer questions and stick to the facts. Otherwise I'm not going to comment on comparisons with others products.

 

[audiobill]

Deleted since Tim already addressed the issue above.

 

[HeadAmpTeam]

HoloAudioUSA will be partnering with HeadAmp for CanJam at RMAF 2016.  Stop by for your exclusive chance to hear what the Spring DAC can do through our extremely transparent amplifiers and top-of-the-line headphones!

 

[XVampireX]

  HoloAudioUSA will be partnering with HeadAmp for CanJam at RMAF 2016.  Stop by for your exclusive chance to hear what the Spring DAC can do through our extremely transparent amplifiers and top-of-the-line headphones!

 
That's cool, can I have a plane ticket too please?

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Subscribed, thanks to a "heads up" from Trevor at Norne, looking forward to learning more!

 

[lukeap69]

I have ordered one from HK but it seems it make take a while before the Jensen caps will be available. I hope to receive it soon...

 

[bimmer100]

Nice review, thanks. Which are your other DACs that you've compared it to, out of interest?

What maximum PCM/DSD rates are you able to get using either:

Mac > SU-1 > Holo
Mac > Holo

And on a completely superficial note... does anyone else hate the gold buttons and case-sides? Maybe it's just me, I have a thing against gold anything.

The colors may be off on your screen possibly? But the color in real life is to appear "copper"
Not gold. I don't care for gold either.

Another guy on here, hi phi, has a dark star amp and it's clearly gold when set next to the spring DAC.
The spring definitely is like a satin finish copper. hope this helps clarify