[T Bone]

  I am still on the DAC hunt  ...snip...  I am looking for something with great clarity, but not a harsh bite.

 
Quote:

  The Spring has excellent detail/clarity, yet remains smooth and musical without any shrillness. 
It is definitely not syrupy in any way. Take your time to make the right decision for yourself. I will say this as well…if I needed another DAC tomorrow, I'd buy the spring without hesitation, and I sincerely mean what I'm saying.

@ufospls2- I'll second @joseph69's comments.  The Spring is a very detailed DAC.  The NOS mode feels very natural - no syrup.  
The Spring really shines when paired with a Singxer SU-1.  The combination takes the already good Spring DAC and bumps the performance up a notch.   

 

[Tboooe]

 
The Spring has excellent detail/clarity, yet remains smooth and musical without any shrillness. 
It is definitely not syrupy in any way. Take your time to make the right decision for yourself. I will say this as well…if I needed another DAC tomorrow, I'd buy the spring without hesitation, and I sincerely mean what I'm saying.

I also purchased the Spring "blind" as well.  I have done this before with other components with mixed results.  However, I am very very happy with the Spring.  @joseph69 description of the Spring mirrors my experience as well.  The Spring is detailed yet smooth sounding.  I am a wannabe tube guy in that I prefer a slightly warmer sound.  The Spring gives me this but at the same time it is detailed.  I know this sounds contradictory but this is what makes the Spring so great to my ears.  I am not sure if this is a reflection of R2R dacs in general but I am very happy.

 

[ZGojira]

 
 


 
 
 
- Denafrips dac-68
- Holo Spring (from Wildism Audio HK, Jensen Caps + Silver Transformer)
 
Impressions coming soon

 

 
Impressions posted here:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/833690/denafrips-ares-r2r-discrete-ladder-dac-close-up-view/585#post_13364291

 

[MacedonianHero]

   
Man, I wish I could hear one. Everyone seems to love the Spring DAC. Do you find the Spring has really good clarity? I'm still not sure exactly what sound signature I'm looking for in a DAC. I'm pretty sure I don't want warm and syrupy, as my amp is on the warmer side of things and I don't want to go overkill on the warmth and lose detail. I was doing some A/B'ing between my Mojo and GO2A, and I think that the Geek Out actually works better with my amp than the Mojo. Brings a bit more clarity and treble detail to the table. Its because of this that I don't want to rule out a sabre DAC, but as you say, its all about the implementation. There are too many options on the market!
 

Stunning clarity and truly impressive sound staging. 

 

 

[thyname]

I finally took the plunge and got myself a used Level 3. Exciting times!

Due to space constraints, I may need to stack the components. Would I be able to stack my Schiit Mjolnir 2 Amp on top of Holo Spring? MJ2 does run a bit hot. Thanks!

 

[joseph69]

I finally took the plunge and got myself a used Level 3. Exciting times!

Due to space constraints, I may need to stack the components. Would I be able to stack my Schiit Mjolnir 2 Amp on top of Holo Spring? MJ2 does run a bit hot. Thanks!

Congratulations, you won't be disappointed! As far as stacking the Mjolnir on top of the Spring which does run nice and warrn in "standby" mode, but I wouldn't see it being a problem if you must do this being heat rises.

 

[thyname]

 
Congratulations, you won't be disappointed! As far as stacking the Mjolnir on top of the Spring which does run nice and warrn in "standby" mode, but I wouldn't see it being a problem if you must do this being heat rises.

 
Thanks!
 
So, no, it's not advisable?

 

[joseph69]

   
Thanks!
 
So, no, it's not advisable?

I'm not saying it not advisable, but the Spring runs warm (not hot by any means) so I don't know if you would want all that heat? But then again, the heat from the Mjolnir will rise, so I don't think it would be an issue. The Spring is quite thin, so maybe when you get it you can configure your components a different way if your worried?

 

[thyname]

 
I'm not saying it not advisable, but the Spring runs warm (not hot by any means) so I don't know if you would want all that heat? But then again, the heat from the Mjolnir will rise, so I don't think it would be an issue. The Spring is quite thin, so maybe when you get it you can configure your components a different way if your worried?

I will have them in a side table on living room. There is light fixture there as well, so there is not enough space to put them side by side (not stacked). Maybe I buy longer connectors, and place the Holo at the bottom of the table, but then, the gorgeous looking Holo would be hidden ....

 

[joseph69]

  I will have them in a side table on living room. There is light fixture there as well, so there is not enough space to put them side by side (not stacked). Maybe I buy longer connectors, and place the Holo at the bottom of the table, but then, the gorgeous looking Holo would be hidden ....

I wouldn't hide it either!
I think you'll be fine with the Mjolnir on top.

 

[TimeLord]

thyname I hope it's not my fault you got the Spring. :evil:
You're going to love its sound.

When I first got the Spring I too was thinking of stacking it, with the Liquid Gold. But all that heat coming off of the Gold worked me too much, so I got a small shelf to put on the desk and I can separate the Spring from the Gold and still have them "stacked." It works really well to keep the Spring at its own temperature.

 

[thyname]

@thyname I hope it's not my fault you got the Spring.

 

Yes, it is YOUR fault 

 
Thanks for the advise on stacking them, definitely something that had not crossed my mind. I now have to figure out how to separate them and have them "stacked" at the same time.

 

[jcn3]

  Yes, it is YOUR fault 

 
Thanks for the advise on stacking them, definitely something that had not crossed my mind. I now have to figure out how to separate them and have them "stacked" at the same time.

just get some little feet to put a bit of distance -- doesn't have to be fancy. 3/4" or so should be plenty.

 

[joseph69]

  Yes, it is YOUR fault 

 
Thanks for the advise on stacking them, definitely something that had not crossed my mind. I now have to figure out how to separate them and have them "stacked" at the same time.

But you're stacking the Mjolnir on top of the Spring…not underneath (you can't obviously) so you should be fine. 

 

[Energy]

It's okay if the Mjolnir is stacked over the Spring.

Heat rises so you'd want the hotter equipment on top (the Mjolnir). If you want to go further, buy some rubber feets or something similar to distance out the two vertically.

I had my Beta 22 stacked on top of my Spring when I had it. Works fine as long as you don't get any hum.