[paradoxper]

More and more!

Y'all deserve it. CFA3 deserves it.

 

[littlej0e]

Ah he wanted a bit of a twist

Let's just say I was looking for best performance humanly possible with a dash of custom aesthetics. I'll leave it there until Dukei decides to do the big reveal

 

[littlej0e]

Posted this on Susvara thread, but it definitely belongs here. Still on its way to me, can’t wait to get it. Thanks @Dukei !! I believe this is identical with @littlej0e ’s CFA3.

Congrats! This is absolutely gorgeous! Let me (and everyone else) know how it sounds! I'm quite excited to hear your impressions...

 

[decur]

Posted this on Susvara thread, but it definitely belongs here. Still on its way to me, can’t wait to get it. Thanks @Dukei !! I believe this is identical with @littlej0e ’s CFA3.

Mine should look the same,minus the speaker taps
parts are on order
im glad dukei was able to find a motorized remote volume control small eneough to fit inside the case.

 

[decur]

Im curious which dac’s you guys are using with your cfa3’s out there,synergy?

 

[normie610]

Let's just say I was looking for best performance humanly possible with a dash of custom aesthetics. I'll leave it there until Dukei decides to do the big reveal

Dang, I’m really curious now on how it will look

 

[normie610]

Congrats! This is absolutely gorgeous! Let me (and everyone else) know how it sounds! I'm quite excited to hear your impressions...

Too bad the TC is still a few weeks away. I was really looking forward to hear it with CFA3, but for now Susvara & SR1a will do.

 

[Bhk1004]

Im curious which dac’s you guys are using with your cfa3’s out there,synergy?

I've been using ygg a2 for awhile and recently swapped to the audiobyte stack. Both very good but very different.

 

[decur]

I've been using ygg a2 for awhile and recently swapped to the audiobyte stack. Both very good but very different.

I have 2 dacs i use, XI audio sagra dac and totaldac d1 direct
i wonder if anyone has tried holo may with cfa3

 

[Benny-x]

I've been using ygg a2 for awhile and recently swapped to the audiobyte stack. Both very good but very different.

Can you share how you're feeling about the Hydra stack? And which parts of the Hydra stack you have, because there were supposed to be a couple different configurations. I have always been very interested in it since I'm a Rockna fan.

I have 2 dacs i use, XI audio sagra dac and totaldac d1 direct
i wonder if anyone has tried holo may with cfa3

I haven't heard many people with the Sagra that also have a good system and a great other DAC, can you share any comments on the Sagra and D1 Direct, and on what the CFA3 brings to the game that you weren't getting some other way?

 

[decur]

Can you share how you're feeling about the Hydra stack? And which parts of the Hydra stack you have, because there were supposed to be a couple different configurations. I have always been very interested in it since I'm a Rockna fan.


I haven't heard many people with the Sagra that also have a good system and a great other DAC, can you share any comments on the Sagra and D1 Direct, and on what the CFA3 brings to the game that you weren't getting some other way?

So,lets start with the cfa3, it was a toss up between flux audio volot and cfa3.
in my mind,it came down to the reputation of kevin gilmore as a designer and dukei as the builder.
years ago,i had a cavalli amp burn up,on me,and a major issue with a singlepower amp.
there was an issue with a fellow headfier on a flux volot that he had recieved,and i do not know enough about flux labs to feel comfortable with their product.
all this being said, i currently have a pathos inpol ear hybrid amp that i use with my susvara’s & abyss 1266tc.
i really like this amp ALOT,wonderfull mids,very fast amp,hybrid tube/ solid state-all around great amp.
Well,as we all know,no amp is perfect. What im missing from my pathos,especially on my abyss tc,is a vise like grip on its driver,
that only a high current solid state amp can deliver. Im looking to rock out with my 1266tc,and i want to feel the tight grip bass slam,that i beleave
the cfa3 will deliver.
the inpol ear has nice bass,and solid effort at bridging the gap between solid state and tubes,but in the end,does fall a little short.
Ok,my dacs,as you can see,i am a r2r ladder dac fan.i like my music to be organic,lively,and sound like a great turntable.
the problem i have with most delta sigma dacs,is that they generally sound homogenized,and filtered out,and tend to sound artificial to my ears.
like there is a glass sheen to the sound.
the XI sagra is a great value dac,to my ears,very neutral,musical,analog sounding,very well balanced,dead black back ground,large soundstage,but not huge in this department. Where the totaldac d1 direct pulls ahead,is in its midrange.it has all of the sagra,but,
the d1 direct will bring tears to your eyes,it brings emotion to the music,unlike any dac that i have heard.
its soundstage is also larger….
hope this helps..

 

[ken6217]

So,lets start with the cfa3, it was a toss up between flux audio volot and cfa3.
in my mind,it came down to the reputation of kevin gilmore as a designer and dukei as the builder.
years ago,i had a cavalli amp burn up,on me,and a major issue with a singlepower amp.
there was an issue with a fellow headfier on a flux volot that he had recieved,and i do not know enough about flux labs to feel comfortable with their product.
all this being said, i currently have a pathos inpol ear hybrid amp that i use with my susvara’s & abyss 1266tc.
i really like this amp ALOT,wonderfull mids,very fast amp,hybrid tube/ solid state-all around great amp.
Well,as we all know,no amp is perfect. What im missing from my pathos,especially on my abyss tc,is a vise like grip on its driver,
that only a high current solid state amp can deliver. Im looking to rock out with my 1266tc,and i want to feel the tight grip bass slam,that i beleave
the cfa3 will deliver.
the inpol ear has nice bass,and solid effort at bridging the gap between solid state and tubes,but in the end,does fall a little short.
Ok,my dacs,as you can see,i am a r2r ladder dac fan.i like my music to be organic,lively,and sound like a great turntable.
the problem i have with most delta sigma dacs,is that they generally sound homogenized,and filtered out,and tend to sound artificial to my ears.
like there is a glass sheen to the sound.
the XI sagra is a great value dac,to my ears,very neutral,musical,analog sounding,very well balanced,dead black back ground,large soundstage,but not huge in this department. Where the totaldac d1 direct pulls ahead,is in its midrange.it has all of the sagra,but,
the d1 direct will bring tears to your eyes,it brings emotion to the music,unlike any dac that i have heard.
its soundstage is also larger….
hope this helps..

Which level d1 do you have?

 

[Bhk1004]

Can you share how you're feeling about the Hydra stack? And which parts of the Hydra stack you have, because there were supposed to be a couple different configurations. I have always been very interested in it since I'm a Rockna fan.


I haven't heard many people with the Sagra that also have a good system and a great other DAC, can you share any comments on the Sagra and D1 Direct, and on what the CFA3 brings to the game that you weren't getting some other way?

Currently I have the Hydra Zap + Vox. The hub hasnt been released to customer hands yet, I believe dealers are still awaiting shipment from Audiobyte.

Sonic wise based on my listening for the past few weeks.
The ygg a2 has a "thicker" sound with the hydra coming in sounding leaner. hydra also has a bit "blacker" of a background.
The hydra stack out resolves the ygg a2.
The ygg a2 is a bit more romantic sounding? also very easy to listen to, the hydra has a little bit more of an analytical sound but it is not harsh.
The stage is probably the biggest difference between these 2 dacs for me. The hydra is slightly wider with a significantly deeper stage. So this allows more depth perception of the stage while listening to music, and at times almost feels like the placement is completely different. So things that sounded sometimes almost next to each other in the ygg a2 now sounds like its coming from a different place because its pushed further back or a little bit closer. This creates a better separation of instruments and sounds. This is all a bit more noticeable on speakers vs headphones. Also with the deeper stage of the Hydra, the vocals are a tiny step more forward, and the instruments that are behind are a step further behind, or it could be just a the perception due to the slightly forward vocals.
Also just a note, the App remote on the Hydra is basically useless so far for me. I hope that it will eventually become more useable. Also the 3 different sound signature firmwares havent been released yet, currently there is only 1.

Still love my ygg a2, and would recommend it to anyone. The differences I guess are to be expected with Rockna's reputations, and the almost 2x price difference.

 

[decur]

Which level d1 do you have?

As far as i know,there is only 1 level totaldac d1 direct.
i purchased mine from vincent early 2020, there are add ons like streamer option and power supply.
I ordered the “live” upgraded power supply

 

[ken6217]

I’ll have to check but I’m pretty sure when I looked at the website a while ago there was more than one level. Is yours tubed base?