[OneEyedHito]

My Spring 3 KTE arrived. The Susvara sounds like a better version of itsself. It's impressive. Do i need to check for firmware updates / download any specific drivers? I didn't found anything on their website. I will only use it in NOS and mostly 44.1 .

https://www.kitsunehifi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/holo_gen2_1_enhanced_3144-updated.zip

 

[incredulousity]

My Spring 3 KTE arrived. The Susvara sounds like a better version of itsself. It's impressive. Do i need to check for firmware updates / download any specific drivers? I didn't found anything on their website. I will only use it in NOS and mostly 44.1 .

There is the Holo Audio ASIO driver, which you should use, if using a Windows PC. You can find it linked on the May and Spring pages of Kitsune HiFi. MacOS needs no driver.

 

[Exekuhtor]

Nice, i already have the 31.44 version.
I guess now the long burn in process starts

 

[idairyou]

My Spring 3 KTE arrived. The Susvara sounds like a better version of itsself. It's impressive. Do i need to check for firmware updates / download any specific drivers? I didn't found anything on their website. I will only use it in NOS and mostly 44.1 .

Congrats, I'm still waiting, I'm at week 5. I think mine may get delayed past the 6 weeks, because I ordered mine on Jan. 27th a couple of weeks before the lunar new year.

 

[Exekuhtor]

I ordered at Magnahifi, the EU dealer. They are very friendly, i had to wait ~3 weeks.

 

[rickles]

If anyone is interested I'm going to be parting with my original Spring 3 KTE, as well as my Singxer SU-1 KTE.
I'll also be parting with my Sonore ulrtaRendu along with a Swagman Special Edition LPS.

Is this a Spring KTE or a Spring 3 KTE? Appears to be the former?

 

[joseph69]

This is the original Spring KTE which in conversation was often referred to the L3 adding confusion to its original name when it was released.
There was a lot of confusion when the Spring DAC was released, and people were calling the KTE model the Level 3 which was incorrect.

Leve 1
Level 2
KTE

 

[Viszla]

I ordered at Magnahifi, the EU dealer. They are very friendly, i had to wait ~3 weeks.

Servus. Can you compare Spring with RME?
Thanks

 

[Exekuhtor]

Zzzzz, here we go.
I kinda don't want to do this, there are a lot of audio reviewers on youtube that do serious DAC reviews with comparisons. Wavetheory, Soundnews, Goldensound, Currawong etc. Just don't check Zeos' May review (i guess we all know that one).
Comparing DAC's is hard for me since i have to switch the DAC in windows and reopen the music player...
I don't want to claim i have more knowledge than these guys. Also i'm at hour 8 out of ~500 for the burn in.
First and foremost: I really don't think that it makes a difference in cheaper headphones (or IEM's, i will keep the RME for that reason), i mostly used the Susvara and that boi is scaling up like nothing else. Even the Utopia seems to not care that much like the Susvara. My 1266 is not a TC, i might upgrade to one, i don't know. It still sounds fantastic on the Spring and Ferrum stack.
I would say: better spatial presentation. Imaging is better. The music is more holographic (i kinda hate that word). It also sounds more "musical". Bass is tighter and more present. I will never do a proper DAC review, also i will 99,9% not buy another DAC, this is my endgame. I will use it in NOS only with 44.1 & 48Khz.
If you ask yourself: Is it worth? Well, do you have a Susvara / 1266 TC / something that is on that tier or higher (you can use a Spring / May for the HE-1 / Aperio etc)...
Have you checked out enough other headphones and you have nothing more to upgrade / sidegrade in terms of headphones? Do you have a really good amp and want to get the last 5-10% difference? Are you all "set in stone" so to speak and want the last piece for the puzzle? Then get an R2R DAC. I've not heard a different one before. Yes, it sounds better than a chip DAC, i also didn't hear a Chord FPGA DAC (it was between that or an R2R for me, in the end i chose the Spring). I don't know how something cheaper like the Gustard R26 sounds, i don't care, the Spring is fantastic and i will keep it probably forever.
I hope that helped a bit, if not, i don't know what to tell you.

 

[OneEyedHito]

Zzzzz, here we go.
I kinda don't want to do this, there are a lot of audio reviewers on youtube that to serious DAC reviews with comparisons. Wavetheory, Soundnews, Goldensound, Currawong etc. Just don't check Zeos' May review (i guess we all know that one).
Comparing DAC's is hard for me since i have to switch the DAC in windows and reopen the music player...
I don't want to claim i have more knowledge than these guys. Also i'm at hour 8 out of ~500 for the burn in.
First and foremost: I really don't think that it makes a difference in cheaper headphones (or IEM's, i will keep the RME for that reason), i mostly used the Susvara and that boi is scaling up like nothing else. Even the Utopia seems to not care that much like the Susvara. My 1266 is not a TC, i might upgrade to one, i don't know. It still sounds fantastic on the Spring and Ferrum stack.
I would say: better spatial presentation. Imaging is better. The music is more holographic (i kinda hate that word). It also sounds more "musical". Bass is tighter and more present. I will never do a proper DAC review, also i will 99,9% not buy another DAC, this is my endgame. I will use it in NOS only with 44.1 & 48Khz.
If you ask yourself: Is it worth? Well, do you have a Susvara / 1266 TC / something that is on that tier or higher (you can use a Spring / May for the HE-1 / Aperio etc)...
Have you checked out enough other headphones and you have nothing more to upgrade / sidegrade in terms of headphones? Do you have a really good amp and want to get the last 5-10% difference? Are you all "set in stone" so to speak and want the last piece for the puzzle? Then get an R2R DAC. I've not heard a different one before. Yes, it sounds better than a chip DAC, i also didn't hear a Chord FPGA DAC (it was between that or an R2R for me, in the end i chose the Spring). I don't know how something cheaper like the Gustard R26 sounds, i don't care, the Spring is fantastic and i will keep it probably forever.
I hope that helped a bit, if not, i don't know what to tell you.

Great write up. Very succinct and to the point. I had same experience with RME vs Holo Audio gear. My first HA DAC was the Spring 2 KTE while I had the RME and I can concur. The better comparison might be the Holo Audio Cyan I had since it’s a desktop unit. It compares very similarly to the RME to my ears. Mid-Tier Headphones were fine on RME. Stepping up to Abyss Diana for instance showed a difference in the presentation between HA and RME. RME sounded more flat without eq, that is likely intentional from RME. Not bad necessarily just different.

I’d add that the Holo Audio gear doesn’t go to market like most traditional companies in the sense of distribution network, sales channels, and marketing spend. If they did we’d all be comparing the Holo Audio DAC’s, Amps, Pre’s and Streamer/DDC to items at 2X or more the consumer cost.

The May would be $10K+ alone if it had the infrastructure costs of a DCS product for instance.

Economies of scale can’t overcome high cogs in a boutique industry. So from a performance level comparison the Holo gear should be compared according to it’s counterparts which is made up of it’s engineering, design, components, power supply type and implementation also, and sound presentation.

The RME is a great desktop unit. The Spring 3 is a rack style unit that can form the centerpiece of a hifi system from all of the qualifiers I mentioned.

Also if we want to enjoy these parts at these reasonable prices we should also recognize that it’s important these new-style business model companies keep their overhead low for our benefit not just theirs.

 

[rickles]

Hi all- I have a Spring 3 KTE on the way, and am thinking I could also use a wireless streamer. I've typically been using:

Roon Nucleus > Wireless > iPad > DAC

I'd like to do something like:

Roon Nucleus > Wireless > Streamer (possible i2s?) > DAC

Has anyone figured out anything great? I do a mix of DSD/DXD, Tidal, and Qobuz via the Roon.

 

[borkenarrou]

Hi all- I have a Spring 3 KTE on the way, and am thinking I could also use a wireless streamer. I've typically been using:

Roon Nucleus > Wireless > iPad > DAC

I'd like to do something like:

Roon Nucleus > Wireless > Streamer (possible i2s?) > DAC

Has anyone figured out anything great? I do a mix of DSD/DXD, Tidal, and Qobuz via the Roon.

I was also looking for a streamer but eventually went with a mini pc like below for 1 reason, unlike a decent pc most streamers don't have the horsepower for 1.5 million taps oversampling which the Spring 3 support, then you can use HQPlayer oversampling with Spring 3 just like Mscaler ($5000) with a Chord DAC, also USB in spring 3 KTE is measurably equal to I2S so no benefits here, however if more digital output is required a streamer or ddc will still be preferable.

https://www.amazon.com/Beelink-Computers-5600H-32GB-500GB/dp/B0B82HHF5R/

 

[ro7939]

Greetings music and audio fans!

I respectfully request to know the maximum V and output impedance for the RCA and XLR outputs. I found only "200-ohms" in a Google hit but the link has nada; ditto the OEM site.

 

[OneEyedHito]

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[OneEyedHito]

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