New Audio-gd R-7, R-7HE R-8, R-27, R-27HE, R-28 Flagship Resistor Ladder DACs and DAC/amps

[FredA]

Got the concentus clock cable as.well a week ago. I highly recommend it too.

 

[bodiebill2]

After some internet reading I decided on the somewhat more affordable Audiolund I2S cable. Built as a brick and the first impressions are very good.

 

[slazhx]

Got the concentus clock cable as.well a week ago. I highly recommend it too.

How would you rate this cable among others you have tried so far? (If price is & is no concern)

 

[FredA]

How would you rate this cable among others you have tried so far? (If price is & is no concern)

It combines the strengths of all the other ones. My dac redoes the timing from scratch. Why it works so well is not a matter of data integrity or jitter (not directly). It is most likely that it has a very low noise floor.

The Concentus is organic and clean at once. It stages better, has better resolution and bass depth. It is also smoother. It is very expensive but it's justified. With it, the di20he has more of an impact i would say. Given it is a very silent transport, the Concentus helps preserving this silence.

Sound quality is for a big part about minimizing noise. It is crazy how much you can improve a setup by making noise reduction moves.

If you own a very well tuned setup includng an excellent dac and ddc, this cable is sort of a must.

 

[slazhx]

It is very expensive but it's justified. With it, the di20he has more of an impact i would say.

It is very tempting to hear that. I have Argentus I2S and very happy with it. The upgrade in SQ is not subtle. I believe Concentus must be another level for both I2S and clock cables. Time to save money again ...

Thanks for sharing this.

 

[FredA]

It is very tempting to hear that. I have Argentus I2S and very happy with it. The upgrade in SQ is not subtle. I believe Concentus must be another level for both I2S and clock cables. Time to save money again ...

Thanks for sharing this.

My pleasure. Yep air cores and the whole design seems great. I have been told by someone who owned both that the Argentus was more round and that the Concentus is worth the extra money.

 

[LegatoB]

Wow. So I've been comparing Topping D90SE to the Audio GD HE-7 using the ampsandsound Nautilus. I prefer the Audio GD HE-7 by a lot right now. The Nautilus certainly powers the holographic signature of the HE-7 very well. Such a pure sound that is more warmer and doesn't shy away in bass. Big soundstage detailed highs too. The bass extends very nicely as well.

Apologies this is the for the R2R product page. I was just surprised because I thought I had preferred the Topping D90SE but maybe it's a pairing thing.

 

[Presence]

Also, has anyone tried and assessed the latest Amanero USB FW?

I just did the USB FW update. It's nice after having driven around the block a few times that the USB FW update is less intimidating to me....
Other than the burden of having to disassemble my unit to short out the pads [I soldered two 4" wires to the pads that are easy to touch together] the process only took about ten minutes.

In the context of my system using Mutec Ref10 - SE120 10MHz timing source for both SingXer SU-2 DDI [with original FW] to IIS as well as for the R8HE, I found the previous USB FW update to be an improvement over its predecessor in terms of system imaging, holography and sense of organic-ness but, I still preferred the preciseness and tight image specificity and space between instruments of the IIS. I characterized the USB feed to the R8HE as more spacious, but also "vague" when A/B'ing to the very precise IIS presentation.
For Amanero's latest update, it comes down to the same thing however the step up in organic-ness leaves me with the sense that the IIS from the SU-2 is now sounding comparatively thin and dry to me. Bass presentation from the USB feed is more rounded and plump in a positive way than IIS in my setup as both standup and electric bass and even sub 41Hz from a 5-string bass or bass pedals is the next level of well defined and controlled with more meat on the bone.
Vocal harmonies are harmonically richer with USB vs. [SingXer] IIS.
The take away is that the latest Amanero FW update is improved and very good and worth the time to explore. Personal preference in system context is the deciding factor.

P.S. After an hour of listening, I've ultimately decided to stay on IIS.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I just did the USB FW update. It's nice after having driven around the block a few times that the USB FW update is less intimidating to me....
Other than the burden of having to disassemble my unit to short out the pads [I soldered two 4" wires to the pads that are easy to touch together] the process only took about ten minutes.

In the context of my system using Mutec Ref10 - SE120 10MHz timing source for both SingXer SU-2 DDI [with original FW] to IIS as well as for the R8HE, I found the previous USB FW update to be an improvement over its predecessor in terms of system imaging, holography and sense of organic-ness but, I still preferred the preciseness and tight image specificity and space between instruments of the IIS. I characterized the USB feed to the R8HE as more spacious, but also "vague" when A/B'ing to the very precise IIS presentation.
For Amanero's latest update, it comes down to the same thing however the step up in organic-ness leaves me with the sense that the IIS from the SU-2 is now sounding comparatively thin and dry to me. Bass presentation from the USB feed is more rounded and plump in a positive way than IIS in my setup as both standup and electric bass and even sub 41Hz from a 5-string bass or bass pedals is the next level of well defined and controlled with more meat on the bone.
Vocal harmonies are harmonically richer with USB vs. [SingXer] IIS.
The take away is that the latest Amanero FW update is improved and very good and worth the time to explore. Personal preference in system context is the deciding factor.

I don't know what devices you have, but the device firmware is usually more important than Amanero. USB has been known for a long time, there is not much to do there. But Kingwa has made some very important upgrades to the DI-20/HE firmware for example.

 

[AudioAlex]

I just did the USB FW update.

Judging by the description where you disassembled a device I take it you updated Amanero FW in your R8HE.. I did the same in both my R8HE Mk2 and DI20HE and heard improvements (bigger soundstage, a bit more resolution).. In my opinion it is definitely worth the effort..

 

[bodiebill2]

Judging by the description where you disassembled a device I take it you updated Amanero FW in your R8HE.. I did the same in both my R8HE Mk2 and DI20HE and heard improvements (bigger soundstage, a bit more resolution).. In my opinion it is definitely worth the effort..

Which FW version?

 

[AudioAlex]

Which FW version?

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/audio-gd-di-20.918123/page-174

 

[OCC7N]

Wow. So I've been comparing Topping D90SE to the Audio GD HE-7 using the ampsandsound Nautilus. I prefer the Audio GD HE-7 by a lot right now. The Nautilus certainly powers the holographic signature of the HE-7 very well. Such a pure sound that is more warmer and doesn't shy away in bass. Big soundstage detailed highs too. The bass extends very nicely as well.

Apologies this is the for the R2R product page. I was just surprised because I thought I had preferred the Topping D90SE but maybe it's a pairing thing.

Glad you say this. There are a lot of people that hear with there eyes(measurements) instead of their ears.

 

[bodiebill2]

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/audio-gd-di-20.918123/page-174

Thanks. These are 2020 posts. Maybe I misunderstood that a new FW version came out just recently.

 

[bodiebill2]

Recently I bought a LessLoss 640X Firewall for AC second hand and experimented with different locations to place it. I tried before my power distributor (so that everything can benefit), before the reference clock (benefitting EtherRegen, streamer, DI20HE and R8HE Mk2), and just before the DAC. To my surprise the latter gave the best improvement. I say surprise, as this DAC has a regenerative power supply, so one might expect that such a filter would have less or no effect. But no, it does!
Any similar experiences here?

P S I As I liked the result so much, I also bought LessLoss DIY Firewall modules and am now making a power distributor with three Schuko outlets with them.