[Chopin75]

The DA7 V2 DAC modules make a positive difference in the older R2R 7. In PCM mode the V2's bring less grain in the upper mid-range/ lower trebles while mid-range instruments like cellos, woody electric guitars, and saxophones, etc come right through with full harmonic texture and detail. Highs are silky/ detailed. Bass is firm and solid. Super wide sound stage but with much more depth. Vocals are outstanding with not only the right amount of silibance but correct timing and enunciation. Very dynamic/ balanced and the R7 is no longer 'shouty'. I can listen at high volume levels no problem. And would say, yes, much more transparency and less distortion with the V2 DAC swap. With all the recent changes the precision and detail increases dramatically. An amazing transformation in just about 6 weeks.

The R7 sounds nothing like it did about 10 months ago when received. In the beginning it was a struggle to balance the R7 in my system. Endless cables, power conditioning, DSP firmware/ settings etc. to minimize glare and grain. The R7 is now much more pleasing to the ear and everything just sounds better. All reviews of the R7 need to be redone with these mods.

The Accusilicon XOs have a larger affect on overall sound but the DA7 V2s shine brilliantly and are icing on the cake. And the V2s are relatively easy to install.

TDA Asy OS 8x, Accusilicons, and DA7 V2s are a great combination with a lot of synergy. Highly recommended!

I ordered a Singxer SU-6 yesterday. I am tired of the Gustard U16's operational issues. The Singxer F1 sounds OK but the U16 adds some dynamics and more extended range.. Hopefully the SU-6 will perform better than the F1/SU-1 with my AGD DACs.

My burning question is would there be DSD noise with the new DA7 V2 board, using my old V2 or V3 firmware, using the F1 board. What exactly is this Xlinix FW ? Gustard vs F-1 board or Singeur SU1 playing DSD, would that make a difference to the noise ? If Gustard actually eliminates the noise compared with the Singxur then perhaps it is worth getting that, though if DA7 V2 does the trick then it won''t matter

 

[DACLadder]

My burning question is would there be DSD noise with the new DA7 V2 board, using my old V2 or V3 firmware, using the F1 board. What exactly is this Xlinix FW ? Gustard vs F-1 board or Singeur SU1 playing DSD, would that make a difference to the noise ? If Gustard actually eliminates the noise compared with the Singxur then perhaps it is worth getting that, though if DA7 V2 does the trick then it won''t matter

The Xilinx (four of them) are on the DA7 modules. They appear to format the incoming data stream and Xilinx upgrades in the past helped with PCM clicks and pops. Maybe the question of how V2 works with DSD is better answered by someone who has been using DSD for the past 6 months.

The F1 played DSD256 OK with the older set of V1 boards. My U16 issue was gross static noise at DSD256 (not the faint ‘birdies’ in the background).

But since you purchased your R2R 7 from Magna Hifi and plan on sending it back to them for upgrades I would complain that you have a warranty issue and don’t send back the unit until DSD is thoroughly tested and checked out with the installed Singxer F1.

I will try DSD with the F1 tomorrow.

 

[DACLadder]

@JaMo. I sent Kingwa a note yesterday thanking him for continued support of the older products. My DACs get refreshed every few years and sound better as the years rack up. And have replaced three PCs and about five DDCs since first purchasing the Master 7. So the M7 has been very good value for the money spent.

 

[FredA]

The DA7 V2 DAC modules make a positive difference in the older R2R 7. In PCM mode the V2's bring less grain in the upper mid-range/ lower trebles while mid-range instruments like cellos, woody electric guitars, and saxophones, etc come right through with full harmonic texture and detail. Highs are silky/ detailed. Bass is firm and solid. Super wide sound stage but with much more depth. Vocals are outstanding with not only the right amount of silibance but correct timing and enunciation. Very dynamic/ balanced and the R7 is no longer 'shouty'. I can listen at high volume levels no problem. And would say, yes, much more transparency and less distortion with the V2 DAC swap. With all the recent changes the precision and detail increases dramatically. An amazing transformation in just about 6 weeks.

The R7 sounds nothing like it did about 10 months ago when received. In the beginning it was a struggle to balance the R7 in my system. Endless cables, power conditioning, DSP firmware/ settings etc. to minimize glare and grain. The R7 is now much more pleasing to the ear and everything just sounds better. All reviews of the R7 need to be redone with these mods.

The Accusilicon XOs have a larger affect on overall sound but the DA7 V2s shine brilliantly and are icing on the cake. And the V2s are relatively easy to install.

TDA Asy OS 8x, Accusilicons, and DA7 V2s are a great combination with a lot of synergy. Highly recommended!

I ordered a Singxer SU-6 yesterday. I am tired of the Gustard U16's operational issues. The Singxer F1 sounds OK but the U16 adds some dynamics and more extended range.. Hopefully the SU-6 will perform better than the F1/SU-1 with my AGD DACs.

Hi Scott ( @DACLadder ), you make me want to send my r-7 in for a full update.

 

[anroj]

Hi Scott ( @DACLadder ), you make me want to send my r-7 in for a full update.

Hi all, I got a quote from Kingwa and will be ordering a D8 next week. My question is do the new DACs come with the upgrades being discussed here? I have gotten a quote to upgrade to the Accusilicons and Amanero USB input, but don't see any options for what upgrades are being discussed on the forum. Just wanting to make sure there are no other options that I should order while the R8 is being built.

 

[FredA]

Hi all, I got a quote from Kingwa and will be ordering a D8 next week. My question is do the new DACs come with the upgrades being discussed here? I have gotten a quote to upgrade to the Accusilicons and Amanero USB input, but don't see any options for what upgrades are being discussed on the forum. Just wanting to make sure there are no other options that I should order while the R8 is being built.

Normally, the dac ships with the latest da-7 revision since a few months ago. You should get a fantastic music machine.

 

[FredA]

Hi all, I got a quote from Kingwa and will be ordering a D8 next week. My question is do the new DACs come with the upgrades being discussed here? I have gotten a quote to upgrade to the Accusilicons and Amanero USB input, but don't see any options for what upgrades are being discussed on the forum. Just wanting to make sure there are no other options that I should order while the R8 is being built.

Guess you mean a r-8?

 

[anroj]

Normally, the dac ships with the latest da-7 revision since a few months ago. You should get a fantastic music machine.

Thank you. I'm very excited.

 

[DACLadder]

I have alot to look forward to, it seems.. I think I may be more lucky than others here using the U16. No flaws at all. Also the lack of DSD-noise figures when You, Scott mensioned it did appear with the pop-removal fw for the DA7-boards. In my case my ordered programmer never showed up and when I started to use the U16 the pops dissapeared so I never tried to get another one too hard.

I believe the Gustard U16 issues are system/ user dependent. I always have the same three issues and just simply stop and restart playback to remedy. It is a minor annoyance as the issues are understood. But the U16 sounds great 99% of the time! I bet though if I used my U16 with another PC it would behave differently.

The Xilinx firmware that worked with DSD/ V1 DACs/ Singxer F1 is the one from summer 2018 that addressed PCM pops and clicks on file start/ stops. About one month ago Kingwa sent me new Xilinx ‘DSD fix’ firmware to try. It made the ‘birdy’ problem appear in my R7 so Kingwa said I should go back to the older version. Have no idea want the Xilinx firmware is on the V2 DA7 boards.

 

[Tango Sierra]

Oh, thank goodness. Someone is going to be the SU-6 guinea pig for me before I have to drop $650 on the table.

 

[DACLadder]

Hi Scott ( @DACLadder ), you make me want to send my r-7 in for a full update.

As a friend and fellow early adopter I highly recommend the total package. You already have the Gustard U16. The parts are cheap. Shipping to Asia from N. America will be expensive. Is it cheaper to send to Magna Hifi?

 

[FredA]

As a friend and fellow early adopter I highly recommend the total package. You already have the Gustard U16. The parts are cheap. Shipping to Asia from N. America will be expensive. Is it cheaper to send to Magna Hifi?

Most likely, shipping to China will cost over 300CAD. I don't mind. The mod and shipping back should be raisonable. I will wait until my next vacation trip. Thanks for all this highly valuable feedback! Much appreciated.

And the contribution of the usbrdige cannot be neglected in my setup. A significant notch more focused, and with quite a better bass than the rpi3b+. Just not as robust. Still have the playback stalling issues upon skipping... Even with a brand new sparky board. But i found out i can reboot using the remote. It did not seem like it worked but i just have to be patient and wait for 3-4 minutes.
The m3 is still not done with breaking in. It still sounds too soft half of the time. But not now.

 

[DACLadder]

The DA7 V2 DAC modules have been shipping since Dec. 7, 2018. The R7 and R8 DACs both use the same DA7 DAC module.

When ordering just remember to upgrade to Accusilicon XOs!!

Have a great weekend!

 

[PLGA]

Thank you Scott (@DACLadder) for your contribution to this thread!
I've ordered the V2 DA modules and the Accusilicons.
I will post my impressions ASAP.

 

[Chopin75]

Hi all, I got a quote from Kingwa and will be ordering a D8 next week. My question is do the new DACs come with the upgrades being discussed here? I have gotten a quote to upgrade to the Accusilicons and Amanero USB input, but don't see any options for what upgrades are being discussed on the forum. Just wanting to make sure there are no other options that I should order while the R8 is being built.

You could perhaps use the F-1 board (Xmos) instead of the Amanero. It has a slightly better clock than the Amanero. But only Magna has that option. Kingwa can do that too but you would need to ask him to order that board and you pay a little bit more than for the Amanero. Not sure if it is worth the trouble, esp if you are ordering with the upgraded XO clock.