[FredA]

Not to my ears, my friend. It has helleluva dosage of bass, boom, bang and warmth.

My LKS-004 is ways more neutral and flat in comparison, and even so, the lks-004 is already a *very little warm sounding.

Must be the lack of break-in time. I have dead neutral speakers, except for a lack upper bass, power amps that give a little more upper bass to compensate, dead neutral cables, and a master-1 which is very close to neutral as well. Overall, i get neutral to slightly bright sound with the r2r 7. It's through the i2s input which is very similar to the usb.

Let it burn for at least 2 weeks non stop and tell me again about it. When i mentioned over 1000 hours are required overall, i was not joking. That means 7 weeks or so, 24/7. The tonal balance changes a lot at the begining, if my memory is not playing tricks on me.

It's the same for a brand new interconnect. There can be not very subtle changes with tonal balance within the first 40-80 hours.

If still not satisfied after that, get the accurate fw. It's brighter.

 

[Chopin75]

As remoss mentioned, the r2r 7 sounds relatively flat. No need to change the transfos.

Just to confirm the audio-GD DACs have R core transformers ? Or it is only in the R2R7 or other more expensive DACs?

 

[FredA]

Just to confirm the audio-GD DACs have R core transformers ? Or it is only in the R2R7 or other more expensive DACs?

All of their dacs and combos, except the 2 cheapest offerings (r2r 11 and nfb-11.28) use exclusively r-cores.

 

[Whitigir]

Well, I am not sure what people is telling me “burning-in” this and that. But using my lks-004 sound signature. The 004 is ways more transparent and neutral with much better treble extensions and details. Using Silver XLR interconnect into my Stax SR-009 system. My SR009 treble is always beautiful with trebles presentations Using silver all around it. Then I tried using UPOCC Litz XLR interconnect, and the LKS-004 became bossy and boomy, similar to R2R7, but the r2r7 has this effect further

Therefore, my attentions are focuses toward the internal chassis wirings. Yes, not only the R2r7 (the 7) is using OCC copper, but also very small Awg sizes in comparison to the holes that can fit it. So, I am in this Hobby for audio performances. Then I put my skills to work since a few days ago. So mind you that I could not tolerate what r2r7 was out of the box for 24 hours (basshead level with warmth, boom and bang)

Step 1: XLR output wirings from the Analog boards:

Using Solid Silver of 18AWG size, which fit right into the holes, and soldering top down was a piece of cake. No need to take out the board assembly and so on.

Improvements: If going from OS mode toward Old-NOS mode helped the sound to tighten the bass and control it, giving it more balanced signature was 30%. These 2 wires (hot-cold) going to the XLR output on each channel improvements is 70%. The congested details and veiled resolutions are now improved, still really warm overall with bass slamming hard still. Increased speed in the low spectrum which helps the bass to be more defined and separated the sub-low-mid-upper bass more vividly

*however* the more I notice is that there are some “random faint hissing” in EDM genres, carefully listening to the LKS-004 revealed that these are very “fine treble plays” at great speed




Step 2: Output wirings from the DAC boards into the analog boards

So, I took this step a little further, knowing how copper interconnect could greatly affect my LKS-004 performances into my stax SR-009. Also, my taste with Sr009 is that I love this neutrality, clarity, transparency. I listened to lks-004 with copper litz XLR wires for a while and comeback to the r2r7 with Silver XLR, so that I could tell if R2R7 has the potential and capable if I further invade it internal wirings. Yes!! It has the potentials

The improvements are similar to step 1, but now is only 30% improvements. Bass is more controlled, more articulated, sub bass, mid bass, upper bass is no longer glued back to back from one another. Now sub bass is slamming and linger on only when needed. Mid bass is energetic, punching strongly with defined speed and vivid resolution of it fidelity is further enhanced *Bingo* more balanced overall. Not to mention that these speed and airs give ways to better transparency and clarity accross the board, the faint hissing is now appeared to be trebles play, faintly, but is definitely there as a play (burn-in needed, sure). The R2R7 has now been transformed into a true high-end DAC. I was about to leave the rest as is. But one thing come accross my mind, what if I use these Solid-Silver to further enhance the signals conductivity into the processing board ? Yes, usb cables pose real improvements of different (flavors) depends on materials.



Step 3: all wirings from Ladder DAC boards into the processing main board

So, there are about 7 more wires running from DAC boards into the main processing boards. Why waste the opportunity on an excellent designed piece of beautiful equipment ?

I went ahead and replaced these guys. It was a bit more works as the original was designed so that these boards can easily be worked on. Solid silver means carefully flipping and switching otherwise damages could occur. I honestly didn’t expect the improvements to be further observed

Improvement: soundstage ! Depth has increased, width and spatial spaces are improved. The whole rendered spatial space with all the benefit of speed overall, the bass, the mid, the highs are now vividly presenting. That beautiful Soundstage, up until this point I was comparing back to back with lks004 to tell as point of references. Now the soundstage on r2r7 is far ahead of the game. The depth which was thought to be deeper than lks004 out of the box is now even deeper, but the resolution, fidelity are vastly improved, the music is now blissful.



All of these 3 steps were conducted because :

1/ the r2r7 is awesomely designed from my point of view
2/ I compared back to back to lks004 using UPOcC litz XLR interconect and was able to tell that r2r7 could improve

I could only think of 1 reason why it is like this. The lks004 is 1 single board of PCB, and so it was tuned that way originally to begin with, and produced that exact way. The R2r7 is designed somehow (not sure) to be a well performer. However, the device is then split into separated boards with the use of easy to solder and work on occ internal wires for ease of production. When I reached the scale of this level of audio performances on SR009 and T2, I was able to easily tell the differences from what can change the sound performances. Together with the #2, and that I could no longer tolerate the signature this way. I went ahead and replaced these wires

**Now** I am very happy sitting here, enjoying the r2r7 and don’t mind however thousand hours it could take to further improve it performances. One thing for sure that I have known all along too well in a very capable device and system, Silver always bring that sweet detailed beautiful treble, but it could be harshness for *incapable system. My system is a top of the top tier quality of headphones. So, R2R-7, burn-in ! I love your performance now, burn in and prove to me that at this moment you are worth 2X of the LkS004 (**please mind the diminishing return**), you will be further up ahead with those 10X performers!

To any people who can not work on soldering and limited electrical knowledge, I can only say that the r2r7 is warmer sounding than the lks004, and that the lks004 would pose a better buy, and it can hugely be effected by XLR interconnect Cables, usb Cables, and so on, but it potentials stop right there. R2R 7 has the potentials to go further, but it requires invasive process. The R2R-7 is also less effected by XLR interconnect in comparison, until the mods

*this r2r7* May be the best purchase for high performances equipment for my taste because I can work all this out. I do justify it to be the best purchase. How else could I afford a 4 R2R ladder boards of DAC in a beefy supply like this ? Rockna is about $10,000 and MSB is about $20,000. Dave ? Never mind

Also, I wouldn’t worry about losing all this slamming bass and warmth. After all, using XLR upocc litz Interconnect cables brought it back jackpot!

Picture lks-004 vs r2r7 for references: that is UPOcC litz large AWG interconnect XLR cables

 

[Asgo]

I confirm the R2R-7 is no warmth but really neutral.
There is no bump bass or something like this.

I use 6moons settings + smooth fw.

 

[FredA]

Well, I am not sure what people is telling me “burning-in” this and that. But using my lks-004 sound signature. The 004 is ways more transparent and neutral with much better treble extensions and details. Using Silver XLR interconnect into my Stax SR-009 system. My SR009 treble is always beautiful with trebles presentations Using silver all around it. Then I tried using UPOCC Litz XLR interconnect, and the LKS-004 became bossy and boomy, similar to R2R7, but the r2r7 has this effect further

Therefore, my attentions are focuses toward the internal chassis wirings. Yes, not only the R2r7 (the 7) is using OCC copper, but also very small Awg sizes in comparison to the holes that can fit it. So, I am in this Hobby for audio performances. Then I put my skills to work since a few days ago. So mind you that I could not tolerate what r2r7 was out of the box for 24 hours (basshead level with warmth, boom and bang)

Step 1: XLR output wirings from the Analog boards:

Using Solid Silver of 18AWG size, which fit right into the holes, and soldering top down was a piece of cake. No need to take out the board assembly and so on.

Improvements: If going from OS mode toward Old-NOS mode helped the sound to tighten the bass and control it, giving it more balanced signature was 30%. These 2 wires (hot-cold) going to the XLR output on each channel improvements is 70%. The congested details and veiled resolutions are now improved, still really warm overall with bass slamming hard still. Increased speed in the low spectrum which helps the bass to be more defined and separated the sub-low-mid-upper bass more vividly

*however* the more I notice is that there are some “random faint hissing” in EDM genres, carefully listening to the LKS-004 revealed that these are very “fine treble plays” at great speed




Step 2: Output wirings from the DAC boards into the analog boards

So, I took this step a little further, knowing how copper interconnect could greatly affect my LKS-004 performances into my stax SR-009. Also, my taste with Sr009 is that I love this neutrality, clarity, transparency. I listened to lks-004 with copper litz XLR wires for a while and comeback to the r2r7 with Silver XLR, so that I could tell if R2R7 has the potential and capable if I further invade it internal wirings. Yes!! It has the potentials

The improvements are similar to step 1, but now is only 30% improvements. Bass is more controlled, more articulated, sub bass, mid bass, upper bass is no longer glued back to back from one another. Now sub bass is slamming and linger on only when needed. Mid bass is energetic, punching strongly with defined speed and vivid resolution of it fidelity is further enhanced *Bingo* more balanced overall. Not to mention that these speed and airs give ways to better transparency and clarity accross the board, the faint hissing is now appeared to be trebles play, faintly, but is definitely there as a play (burn-in needed, sure). The R2R7 has now been transformed into a true high-end DAC. I was about to leave the rest as is. But one thing come accross my mind, what if I use these Solid-Silver to further enhance the signals conductivity into the processing board ? Yes, usb cables pose real improvements of different (flavors) depends on materials.



Step 3: all wirings from Ladder DAC boards into the processing main board

So, there are about 7 more wires running from DAC boards into the main processing boards. Why waste the opportunity on an excellent designed piece of beautiful equipment ?

I went ahead and replaced these guys. It was a bit more works as the original was designed so that these boards can easily be worked on. Solid silver means carefully flipping and switching otherwise damages could occur. I honestly didn’t expect the improvements to be further observed

Improvement: soundstage ! Depth has increased, width and spatial spaces are improved. The whole rendered spatial space with all the benefit of speed overall, the bass, the mid, the highs are now vividly presenting. That beautiful Soundstage, up until this point I was comparing back to back with lks004 to tell as point of references. Now the soundstage on r2r7 is far ahead of the game. The depth which was thought to be deeper than lks004 out of the box is now even deeper, but the resolution, fidelity are vastly improved, the music is now blissful.



All of these 3 steps were conducted because :

1/ the r2r7 is awesomely designed from my point of view
2/ I compared back to back to lks004 using UPOcC litz XLR interconect and was able to tell that r2r7 could improve

I could only think of 1 reason why it is like this. The lks004 is 1 single board of PCB, and so it was tuned that way originally to begin with, and produced that exact way. The R2r7 is designed somehow (not sure) to be a well performer. However, the device is then split into separated boards with the use of easy to solder and work on occ internal wires for ease of production. When I reached the scale of this level of audio performances on SR009 and T2, I was able to easily tell the differences from what can change the sound performances. Together with the #2, and that I could no longer tolerate the signature this way. I went ahead and replaced these wires

**Now** I am very happy sitting here, enjoying the r2r7 and don’t mind however thousand hours it could take to further improve it performances. One thing for sure that I have known all along too well in a very capable device and system, Silver always bring that sweet detailed beautiful treble, but it could be harshness for *incapable system. My system is a top of the top tier quality of headphones. So, R2R-7, burn-in ! I love your performance now, burn in and prove to me that at this moment you are worth 2X of the LkS004 (**please mind the diminishing return**), you will be further up ahead with those 10X performers!

To any people who can not work on soldering and limited electrical knowledge, I can only say that the r2r7 is warmer sounding than the lks004, and that the lks004 would pose a better buy, and it can hugely be effected by XLR interconnect Cables, usb Cables, and so on, but it potentials stop right there. R2R 7 has the potentials to go further, but it requires invasive process

*this r2r7* May be the best purchase for high performances equipment for my taste because I can work all this out. I do justify it to be the best purchase. How else could I afford a 4 R2R ladder boards of DAC in a beefy supply like this ? Rockna is about $10,000 and MSB is about $20,000. Dave ? Never mind

Also, I wouldn’t worry about losing all this slamming bass and warmth. After all, using XLR upocc litz Interconnect cables brought it back jackpot!

Picture lks-004 vs r2r7 for references: that is UPOcC litz large AWG interconnect XLR cables

Tell us about it in 8 weeks. You may end up finding it too bright. And yes, bass cleans up a lot during burn in. You won't know the real signature before the mandatory 300 hours.

 

[Whitigir]

Tell us about it in 8 weeks. You may end up finding it too bright. And yes, bass cleans up a lot during burn in. You won't know the real signature before the mandatory 300 hours.

It will never get bright enough for me, you can trust me on that. Even if it does, my interconnect will just simply swap out and enjoy warmer signature easily. Internal wirings are more important. Superior conductivity and larger sizes are improvements, period. Every other flavor can be done outside the box. Only internal wirings are harder to do .

Ofcourse I will update my impressions later. Also to my ears, Silver is not “bright”, it is “neutrality, clarity, transparency” it is only bright and harsh when one or more than a piece in your system is incapable.

 

[FredA]

It will never get bright enough for me, you can trust me on that. Even if it does, my interconnect will just simply swap out and enjoy warmer signature easily. Internal wirings are more important. Superior conductivity and larger sizes are improvements, period. Every other flavor can be done outside the box. Only internal wirings are harder to do .

Ofcourse I will update my impressions later. Also to my ears, Silver is not “bright”, it is “neutrality, clarity, transparency” it is only bright and harsh when one or more than a piece in your system is incapable.

Depends a lot on the cable design. More so than on the fact of using silver, i agree. My current silver xlr cable is smoother and more resolved, even has richer mids, than my litz up-occ copper cables.

But from my old posts, expect the bass to improve up to the 700 hours mark, counting the 300s done at the factory.

The r2r 7 will improve drastically within those 400 addtional hours, not just the bass but also the highs. In the mean time, it will litterally sound like crap at times. That is just normal for this dac. Your mods could be welcome in the end but don't be mistaken, it is perfectly normal that the r2r 7 be beaten by cheaper dacs, even easily so by the r2r 11, before it reaches it peak.

 

[Whitigir]

I am loving the Sub-bass of the R2R-7. It has it own smoothness, the tonal body of every plays carry the “analog” feeling. The feeling of “energy continuously flowing” within it timbres. I don’t even know how to describe this feelings. The best I can put it is that in comparison to any other Delta-sigma, let’s say every one of them timbres feels “grainy”, and the R2R feels like “jelly”....this is the first time I hear R2R. I guess this is the magical solutions that people are claiming that differentiate the R2R from delta sigma. I dig! Now give me that Energetic vibratos within this flows! I can see it potentials over string instruments. Burn-in my boy! Burn-in !

*speaking of this* I just listened to a song from my collection that is full of organic instruments...it is alive and is biting my soul, that it leaves goose bumps on my body...no hypes, but I never heard this song like this before... I thought to myself “what in the actual ****!”

This vibratos kinds are the hardest to reproduce , the resonated energies that makes the instruments sound by itself, define it, and gives it life. Compare to this, singers vibratos are child plays. That said, the Vocal on R2R-7 is dreamy smooth and very emotional

I wouldn’t mind if the R2R-7 poor out more details. In fact, details are still surfacing as I keep on listening. At least everything sounds right ! So right that I smile like a maniac and enjoy this analog feeling. The gigantic soundstage presentation.

By the way what is the 6moon setting called ? I don’t even see it in the manual ?

 

[FredA]

Depends a lot on the cable design. More so than on the fact of using silver, i agree. My current silver xlr cable is smoother and more resolved, even has richer mids, than my litz up-occ copper cables.

But from my old posts, expect the bass to improve up to the 700 hours mark, counting the 300s done at the factory

I am loving the Sub-bass of the R2R-7. It has it own smoothness, the tonal body of every plays carry the “analog” feeling. The feeling of “energy continuously flowing” within it timbres. I don’t even know how to describe this feelings. The best I can put it is that in comparison to any other Delta-sigma, let’s say every one of them timbres feels “grainy”, and the R2R feels like “jelly”....this is the first time I hear R2R. I guess this is the magical solutions that people are claiming that differentiate the R2R from delta sigma. I dig! Now give me that Energetic vibratos within this flows! I can see it potentials over string instruments. Burn-in my boy! Burn-in !

*speaking of this* I just listened to a song from my collection that is full of organic instruments...it is alive and is biting my soul, that it leaves goose bumps on my body...no hypes, but I never heard this song like this before... I thought to myself “what in the actual ****!”

This vibratos kinds are the hardest to reproduce , the resonated energies that makes the instruments sound by itself, define it, and gives it life. Compare to this, singers vibratos are child plays. That said, the Vocal on R2R-7 is dreamy smooth and very emotional

I wouldn’t mind if the R2R-7 poor out more details. In fact, details are still surfacing as I keep on listening. At least everything sounds right ! So right that I smile like a maniac and enjoy this analog feeling. The gigantic soundstage presentation.

By the way what is the 6moon setting called ? I don’t even see it in the manual ?

There will be more details, don't worry. There is no official name for the 6 moons settings, some call it NOS0. It works better if you do sw upsampling with it IMO. You need 4 jumper: att0, att1, ips0 and ips1. The effect of the first two is not documented. 6 moons felt it was better with them.

Generally speaking, the r2r dacs have better timbres and dynamics. There are tonally more accurate.

 

[barbas]

I am loving the Sub-bass of the R2R-7. It has it own smoothness, the tonal body of every plays carry the “analog” feeling. The feeling of “energy continuously flowing” within it timbres. I don’t even know how to describe this feelings. The best I can put it is that in comparison to any other Delta-sigma, let’s say every one of them timbres feels “grainy”, and the R2R feels like “jelly”....this is the first time I hear R2R. I guess this is the magical solutions that people are claiming that differentiate the R2R from delta sigma. I dig! Now give me that Energetic vibratos within this flows! I can see it potentials over string instruments. Burn-in my boy! Burn-in !

*speaking of this* I just listened to a song from my collection that is full of organic instruments...it is alive and is biting my soul, that it leaves goose bumps on my body...no hypes, but I never heard this song like this before... I thought to myself “what in the actual ****!”

This vibratos kinds are the hardest to reproduce , the resonated energies that makes the instruments sound by itself, define it, and gives it life. Compare to this, singers vibratos are child plays. That said, the Vocal on R2R-7 is dreamy smooth and very emotional

I wouldn’t mind if the R2R-7 poor out more details. In fact, details are still surfacing as I keep on listening. At least everything sounds right ! So right that I smile like a maniac and enjoy this analog feeling. The gigantic soundstage presentation.

By the way what is the 6moon setting called ? I don’t even see it in the manual ?

Have you tried the NOS mode 3? I believe you're still using the 6moons setting without sw upsampling.

 

[Whitigir]

I am in NOS3 and not 6moon setting. However, I thought that hissing was gone, but it actually is only lowered since I replace the wires, it is still hissing

 

[remoss]

Youre R2R 7 must have a defect. To much bass and hissing......

 

[Whitigir]

Youre R2R 7 must have a defect. To much bass and hissing......

Well, no crap....I had another trusted friend of mine over the weekends to listen to it. He also is a very proud owner of holospring Level 3. We did both had the very same impressions which was sad

 

[remoss]

I've had a Holo Spring Level 3 dac. The R2R 7 really performs way better in my system. It has a lot to do with matching in the set is seems.