[FredA]

Not related to the r7 topic, but i just ordered the he9 mkii. It should bring me closer to the he1 and still allow me to listen on headphones.

My main interest was the fact that it is now more neutral and more analog. Also, it runs cooler. Quite happy with eventually improving my setup further. My he9 will be up for sale within a month. No slouch and excellent if you need the added warmth on the pre out, as i did before making some cable changes.

 

[slazhx]

Not related to the r7 topic, but i just ordered the he9 mkii. It should bring me closer to the he1 and still allow me to listen on headphones.

My main interest was the fact that it is now more neutral and more analog. Also, it runs cooler. Quite happy with eventually improving my setup further. My he9 will be up for sale within a month. No slouch and excellent if you need the added warmth on the pre out, as i did before making some cable changes.

I also own HE9 and would love to hear your impression about HE9 MK II, Fred. Steven mentioned on his listing that Kingwa said the new model has nice improvements, especially on the preamp. Please share your thought once you try.

 

[FredA]

I also own HE9 and would love to hear your impression about HE9 MK II, Fred. Steven mentioned on his listing that Kingwa said the new model has nice improvements, especially on the preamp. Please share your thought once you try.

I sure will on the he9 thread. Indeed there are now added transitors to handle the pre function if i am not mistaken, such that the power transistors are not involved.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I found that length didn't matter anymore after Kingwa introduced the latest HDMI boards with the 2021 model. Now all my 0.3m, 0.5m, 1m and 1.5m cables sound like 0m cables.

You can't go wrong with Ultraviolet 7 if you're running internal clock, probably my favourite before the Afterdark external clock.

Thanks, this is great news! I could probably get by with a .75M cable, but all they had was either Chroma 7 15M long or the Ultraviolet 1M. I'm using the internal clock, mine's the R8 MK2 without clock input.

 

[XavierP56]

Got my Pearl 48 0.5 hdmi cable. It might be a little better than the basic HDMI but not by much.
The USB still provides more trebble but I like the more downward sound of the HDMI cable in fact
Not sure that be able to say which is best in fact...

 

[tonedeafmelomaniac]

Even in NOS Mode? To me, the new R2R-11 is more like a super RU6. The R27HE, at least in OS mode, doesn‘t sound like either of those. NOS mode might be a bit closer, but I’ve not compared directly.

And what about R2R-11 mk2 as a dac vs R-1 in NOS mode, do they sound similar?

 

[tonedeafmelomaniac]

And one more question. Are rca outputs in R-1, R-8 and other balanced Audio-gd dacs inferior to xlr ones in terms of sound quality?

 

[gimmeheadroom]

For example http://audio-gd.com/R2R/R8mk2/R8mk2EN_Specs.htm

There is no indication that the specs vary depending on which output, other than voltage/current. Certainly, balanced over XLR is superior to RCA in several ways, if your other gear supports that.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

The Wireworld cable arrived in one day from Slovakia, sale and shipment were handled very well. Disregard the price

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Well this was fun. The Wireworld cables come with instructions that say they're directional. I didn't see the tiny instruction sheet when I unpacked the cable, so I got to play twist and shout a 2nd time.

And, the R8 MK2 and HE have upside down HDMI jacks, unlike the R7s. FYI if you're buying a thick HDMI cable, make sure you get one long enough to twist it gently, or find one with plugs that don't require you to twist the cable. Not sure if there is such a cable.

 

[Currawong]

And what about R2R-11 mk2 as a dac vs R-1 in NOS mode, do they sound similar?

No idea.

And one more question. Are rca outputs in R-1, R-8 and other balanced Audio-gd dacs inferior to xlr ones in terms of sound quality?

Yes, because they are just the + of the balanced output and the ground, so you’re only using half the device.

 

[DACLadder]

And one more question. Are rca outputs in R-1, R-8 and other balanced Audio-gd dacs inferior to xlr ones in terms of sound quality?

Single ended is not inferior to balanced as far as sound quality. Kingwa explained to me on the old Master 7 that the analog channels are balanced until the output driver stage where the two channels of D/A are summed at the output driver stage. The output driver stage then forms the (+) and inverted compliment (-) signals to drive the cables.

So the DAC analog stages are not true balanced all the way through. Kingwa said summing the +/- analog channels at the output stage has the same advantage of balanced DAC but prevents distortion in a true balanced design if both +/- signals gains are not very strictly matched. He said think of the output stages as only cable drivers.

Used both singled ended and balanced and sound great. Balanced output still has the advantage common mode rejection of noise in the cable. I would not recommend using both balanced and single ended simultaneously as the RCA output is just the balanced (+) signal. Not isolated.

 

[AudioAlex]

What would be your personal ideal pairing in terms of headphones for the combo of R7HE Mk2 + HE9 Mk2?

 

[slazhx]

What would be your personal ideal pairing in terms of headphones for the combo of R7HE Mk2 + HE9 Mk2?

This is a very broad question since synergy is not just about DAC/Amp but also interconnects and players. Anyway, it would be nice to see what people would share experiences on this combo!

 

[gimmeheadroom]

This is a very broad question since synergy is not just about DAC/Amp but also interconnects and players. Anyway, it would be nice to see what people would share experiences on this combo!

And choice of music. Etc.