[FredA]

I get what you mean @FredA, but do we not always have a little dc offset on our mains power? How much dc offset would you say our most sensitive audio devices can handle without adversely affecting audio?

If you hear no hum, i would say all if fine. Here, we have 0.1v at the moment. Seems benign.

In fact, more like 35mV using my better meter.

 

[FredA]

Kingwa has announced a new product variation. The R-8HE MK2.
http://www.audio-gd.com/HE/R8HEMK2/R8HE_MK2EN.htm

Nice. Very affordable.

 

[motberg]

Nice. Very affordable.

"Customer can order the R8HE MK2 ship with the EC firmware that can allow the IN2 input become the 75 ohm external clock input , that is free."
.....seems a "no-brainer"

 

[FredA]

"Customer can order the R8HE MK2 ship with the EC firmware that can allow the IN2 input become the 75 ohm external clock input , that is free."
.....seems a "no-brainer"

Yeah. Indeed. And it will not run hot. Just warm.

 

[WindowsX]

Any member compared between R7HE 2021 and mk2 version? I have a friend who uses R7HE mk2 version and I wonder about sonic differences between our units.

 

[XavierP56]

Any member compared between R7HE 2021 and mk2 version? I have a friend who uses R7HE mk2 version and I wonder about sonic differences between our units.

Kingwa told me that difference is really minor. The mk2 is just easier for Kingwa to build but from a sonic point of view they are similar.

 

[WindowsX]

Kingwa told me that difference is really minor. The mk2 is just easier for Kingwa to build but from a sonic point of view they are similar.

Sounds like 2021 will sound better. No wonder why my friend wasn't quite pleased with it and bought $10k DAC after that. Meanwhile I found 2021 pretty worthwhile for its price. I kinda hope some people here will do side by side shootout and share their findings.

 

[tumpux]

What kind of logic is that..
We all have our own expectations when it comes to gears.

 

[FredA]

Sounds like 2021 will sound better. No wonder why my friend wasn't quite pleased with it and bought $10k DAC after that. Meanwhile I found 2021 pretty worthwhile for its price. I kinda hope some people here will do side by side shootout and share their findings.

Have to give the mkii around 800h of burn-in, excluding the 300h done at the factory. According to Kingwa, the 2021 and mkii are real close, the mkii being a little better. I trust Kingwa on this, he's got the setup to compare them and he is honest.

 

[WindowsX]

To be fair I haven't heard mk2 myself but mk2 seems to be cost reduction model with easier to build design. Saying it's real close and newer one is little better for $4k DAC is understandable. At the end of the day, neither of us have direct comparison to share our findings.

And to be clear on this, it's just opinion not fact. No need to get so worked up if I feel 2021 is better than mk2 from design's perspectives based on my experience with $20-30k DACs.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Well, @FredA and several other guys here have a crapton of experience with Audio-gd gear and Kingwa is very forthcoming about facts in email. As @FredA said, if Kingwa says something, we rely on it. And there is a very good reason for that

And more more thing we know, Kingwa doesn't put out new models that aren't better than the previous ones. A quick look at his website will reveal marketing is not his thing. A quick listen to his gear (I have several pieces) will reveal music and top quality gear are his thing.

 

[WindowsX]

Well, @FredA and several other guys here have a crapton of experience with Audio-gd gear and Kingwa is very forthcoming about facts in email. As @FredA said, if Kingwa says something, we rely on it. And there is a very good reason for that

And more more thing we know, Kingwa doesn't put out new models that aren't better than the previous ones. A quick look at his website will reveal marketing is not his thing. A quick listen to his gear (I have several pieces) will reveal music and top quality gear are his thing.

And I heard crapton of several DACs that cost 10 times more than Kingwa's. And it's not just money or marketing. He may build better performing DACs than some other $4k DACs but it's no where close to most $10k well known DACs in market today. For example, Rockna Wavedream DAC will clearly outperform all DACs under $5k in market today, period.

Please, it's just my opinion that feels 2021 is more seriously built with more passionate design than mk2. I already explained my thoughts behind that last year so you can scroll back to read if you're interested. What made me curious is why my friends decided to target Wavedream DAC after this one when I feel it's not that far apart.

Then again, I have my own design of 10MHz Rubidium clock module connecting to R7HE 2021 which should have production higher than DAC itself so it maybe something that make me feel satisfied enough consider it's comparable to $10k DAC performance with that. I'll get my $40k Esoteric K1X later in this month and maybe I'll bring R7HE 2021 to one of my friend's place to compare with mk2 later.

 

[FredA]

To be fair I haven't heard mk2 myself but mk2 seems to be cost reduction model with easier to build design. Saying it's real close and newer one is little better for $4k DAC is understandable. At the end of the day, neither of us have direct comparison to share our findings.

And to be clear on this, it's just opinion not fact. No need to get so worked up if I feel 2021 is better than mk2 from design's perspectives based on my experience with $20-30k DACs.

I had the 2019 r7he. Without an external clock, it is the very much the same as the 2021, except for the hdmi isolator. On the internal clock, the mkii is better. In part because of the hdmi isolator, the mkii is a significant step forward. The 2019 was a great dac nonetheless. I think that appling opamp-based psus to digital was a good move by Kingwa. Lower noise floor therefore less jitter, and less heat.

The r11 mkii applies the same psu design on digital. It is a great piece of equipement for the money. These new digital psus are a step forward for it too.

That said,. I am a big fan of the pcm1704k. I would like to own the he7 mkii too...

 

[WindowsX]

I had the 2019 r7he. Without an external clock, it is the very much the same as the 2021, except for the hdmi isolator. On the internal clock, the mkii is better. In part because of the hdmi isolator, the mkii is a significant step forward. The 2019 was a great dac nonetheless. I think that appling opamp-based psus to digital was a good move by Kingwa. Lower noise floor therefore less jitter, and less heat.

The r11 mkii applies the same psu design on digital. It is a great piece of equipement for the money. These new digital psus are a step forward for it too.

That said,. I am a big fan of the pcm1704k. I would like to own the he7 mkii too...

That's not very much the same. For manufacturer's perspectives, even the same parts from different years can sound different. And Kingwa may have other internal adjustments and optimizations for 2021 version besides isolator.

Surely some changes on mk2 version will be improvements on Mr. Kingwa's perspectives but among them some will be compromise to address issues in 2021 version like being too hot for example and change some regulators to lower temp.

Having better internal clock is fine although it won't matter much with external clock configuration. However, changing to opamp based is debatable. Some people like like me will prefer older pure class A design for more analogue sounding although it will have more noise or jitter but also more musical that way. Kingwa wouldn't have decided this without comparing to opamp design at that time first too.

And if you're a big fan of PCM1704K, I recommend you to find Esoteric D-01VU which is the world's best DAC with PCM1704.

 

[FredA]

That's not very much the same. For manufacturer's perspectives, even the same parts from different years can sound different. And Kingwa may have other internal adjustments and optimizations for 2021 version besides isolator.

Surely some changes on mk2 version will be improvements on Mr. Kingwa's perspectives but among them some will be compromise to address issues in 2021 version like being too hot for example and change some regulators to lower temp.

Having better internal clock is fine although it won't matter much with external clock configuration. However, changing to opamp based is debatable. Some people like like me will prefer older pure class A design for more analogue sounding although it will have more noise or jitter but also more musical that way. Kingwa wouldn't have decided this without comparing to opamp design at that time first too.

And if you're a big fan of PCM1704K, I recommend you to find Esoteric D-01VU which is the world's best DAC with PCM1704.

These is always a matter of tastes. You should consider using an ocxo instead of a rubidium clock, you would get lower jitter.