[Whitigir]

Of course Intel's 14nm is more than enough. I'm just using manufacturing process as a justification to "throttle" my upgrade procurement cycle.
My server/audio/tv computers are all 14nm. I remember a time when I'd wait for 2 die shrinks.
Another reason to wait is I want to see if the thin mini-ITX form factor is really dead. If it is I'll spend $95 on this and combine it with a regular mini-ITX.


Upgrading to that 400watt ATX LPS is too much of a luxury for me.

Oh, I see! For me,I have not been building a computer for like a decade LOL! So everywhere I look now , thing is Marvelous!

Also, for me, Power Supply is the most important things before all things. For HD Plex to be able to Pump out a 400W LPS, it is Amazing, and at this price, it is unbelievable. I really can’t wait to see what the nowadays technologies can bring.

Take a look at those $16,000 server computers or streamers and see

 

[DACLadder]

I've heard good things about the Pink Faun PCIe board. It's performance is supposed to be very good.

What has been bugging me for many years is with external I2S there is no galvanic isolation (that I have seen). You must directly connect GND between the two boxes for the HDMI receiver to properly function - at the very least on the I2S Tx/ Rx signal interface. Could be elaborate ways to isolate but not with the simple HDMI receiver board supplied by AGD. However, may or may not be any problem in your system. Best I can do is use a common AC power source and keep the HDMI cable as short as practical. Does the Pink Faun address this issue at the HDMI I2S transmit interface?

 

[Wynnytsky]

For HD Plex to be able to Pump out a 400W LPS, it is Amazing

It's true the jump from the 100watt HDPlex to 200watt was audible when just using the 19.5v tap. So I'm sure another doubling would be special

 

[Whitigir]

It's true the jump from the 100watt HDPlex to 200watt was audible when just using the 19.5v tap. So I'm sure another doubling would be special

Well, To produce high power with LPS and keep it at minimum noises is a really hard thing to do. Especially Fan-less!

It is always better to have room for power in reserves and on tap. The minimum would be 20% headroom. Though recommended is 30-40%. But it never hurt to have more, just more electric to pay LoL! The components draw power as it needed, but it is up to the PSU to pr

 

[FredA]

Heads up: there is a new, very comprehensive review of the r2r 7, in Polish, telling us what i already knew and claimed: the r2r 7 is great: a real high-end performer. They put it up against the NADAC (over 10k) and it kept pace with it.

What's also interesting is they use the Allo Digione as a transport, which would indicate to me that this small transport is something really special. The review is all very postive and informative, especially the listening impressions. They rate the spdif better than the optical and usb. They did not try i2s.

Congratutions, @Kingwa! This is another very well deserved accolade.

http://wstereo.pl/test-audio-gd-r2r-7-tak-sie-robi-swietny-dac/2/

 

[FredA]

I just need to add, my r2r 7 has been sounding so perfecly those last few weeks, after my last power cable swap and after proper burning of the silver xlr interconnect i got a couple of month ago. Plus the zerozone linear supply to feed the f-1. I cannot recommend the xlr cable enough, it's just a total steal. I highly recommend the zerozone lps too.

The soundstage is just like the real thing.

 

[Whitigir]

Yeah, Coax is something very special on the R2R7, and I would recommend it every time . I can’t wait to try out the Pinkfaun I2S !

 

[FredA]

Another thing that went under the radar is the nfb1.28/38 has beed discontinued and replaced by the D-57/77 with dual sable chip and dsp. Seems like a high-value offering.

I am sure at some point Kingwa will add the headphone amp/pre function to the r2r 2/r2r 1. He just needs a taller chassis. Just a guess but really, i am sure this would well sell like cupcakes.

 

[DACLadder]

Singxer F1 received and working OK. The F1 is much smaller than previously imagined. The F1's S/PDIF RCA jack removed to allow easy access to the DSP JTAG programming header and jumpers. Supplied +5V from the Singularity board IN6 connector after adjusting power supply from 3.3V to 5V. Mounting method is to drill two screw holes in the divider wall and adding standoffs to bolt the F1 down to the divider.

Sounds better than the Amanero USB (crisper). Sound is similar to SU-1 HDMI I2S with maybe slightly less grain. Hard to really tell at this point but very promising. Awaiting 3.3V LDO regulator to modify the HDMI I2S daughter board to work with 5V power. So the big comparison will have to wait a few more days.

The Singxer F1 USB driver is the same as the SU-1. My WIndows 10 machine only detects one device - either F1 or SU-1 - if both are connected. Would like to eventually have both connected with music exclusive on one USB port and WIndows soundmapper junk on the other. Soundmapper causes minor glitches on music playback when the USB port is taken over by exclusive wasapi playback.

 

[FredA]

Singxer F1 received and working OK. The F1 is much smaller than previously imagined. The F1's S/PDIF RCA jack removed to allow easy access to the DSP JTAG programming header and jumpers. Supplied +5V from the Singularity board IN6 connector after adjusting power supply from 3.3V to 5V. Mounting method is to drill two screw holes in the divider wall and adding standoffs to bolt the F1 down to the divider.

Sounds better than the Amanero USB (crisper). Sound is similar to SU-1 HDMI I2S with maybe slightly less grain. Hard to really tell at this point but very promising. Awaiting 3.3V LDO regulator to modify the HDMI I2S daughter board to work with 5V power. So the big comparison will have to wait a few more days.

The Singxer F1 USB driver is the same as the SU-1. My WIndows 10 machine only detects one device - either F1 or SU-1 - if both are connected. Would like to eventually have both connected with music exclusive on one USB port and WIndows soundmapper junk on the other. Soundmapper causes minor glitches on music playback when the USB port is taken over by exclusive wasapi playback.

Nice job. This board needs some burn in. Especillay the oscillators.

 

[Ricey20]

I'm still rocking an AGD Ref7 dac. Anyone heard both the Ref 7 and R2R 7 and can compare the differences?

 

[FredA]

I'm still rocking an AGD Ref7 dac. Anyone heard both the Ref 7 and R2R 7 and can compare the differences?

I have compared with the old M7. The r2r 7 is more resolved and less euphonic, to make a short story. It is still forgiving with bad records, but not as much as these older gen. It beats the old gen hands down for soundstaging. It way more configurable as well. It does not need a pricy transport to sound good, but ultimately, the transport will help extracting the last bit of sound quality out of it.

 

[bballas]

I'm still rocking an AGD Ref7 dac. Anyone heard both the Ref 7 and R2R 7 and can compare the differences?

sold my nos7,new owner step up Ref7 - nos7.very happy with it.

 

[DACLadder]

The Singxer F1 internal vs SU-1 HDMI I2S with the M7S is a wash at this early stage. They sound identical (excellent) at this point with the 3-day old F1 and 18 mo. SU-1. Both are the best inputs on the DAC. The M7S HDMI I2S input adapter board modified to add 3.3V LDO power regulator to be compatible with the cranked up (+3.3V to +5V) I/O voltage. The LDO is a great mod in its own right. In my system both the F1 and SU-1 XMOS chips are powered by the same linear power supply on the USB side and fed USB signals by the always excellent dual-channel JCAT PCIe USB adapter board. Same type/ length USB cables. Apples and apples comparison as much as possible. Also Inputs #5 and #6 sound the same when swapping I2S connections at the Singularity board.

Windows 10 is behaving and can see both XMOS chips in hardware manager. So for sound comparison it is easy to switch by selecting either input #5 for the SU-1 or Input #6 for the F1.

Cost: I have $225 invested in the F1 and about $465 in the SU-1 with external main +5V power capability and HDMI input board cost. If I were to buy a new DAC I would seriously consider the internal F1 especially modding my own F1 at approx. $175 (save $100 as well without Amanero USB board if that is possible when negotiating with AGD for price). But if you already have the SU-1 rest assured you are getting great sound with the Singxer solution over HDMI I2S.

With additional run-in time the F1 may triumph. Time will tell. I have my eyes on another AGD DAC so the F1 purchase will not go to waste. And was a great learning experience in tuning up the I/O voltage to +5V plus getting familiar with the F1 hardware..

 

[FredA]

The Singxer F1 internal vs SU-1 HDMI I2S with the M7S is a wash at this early stage. They sound identical (excellent) at this point with the 3-day old F1 and 18 mo. SU-1. Both are the best inputs on the DAC. The M7S HDMI I2S input adapter board modified to add 3.3V LDO power regulator to be compatible with the cranked up (+3.3V to +5V) I/O voltage. The LDO is a great mod in its own right. In my system both the F1 and SU-1 XMOS chips are powered by the same linear power supply on the USB side and fed USB signals by the always excellent dual-channel JCAT PCIe USB adapter board. Same type/ length USB cables. Apples and apples comparison as much as possible. Also Inputs #5 and #6 sound the same when swapping I2S connections at the Singularity board.

Windows 10 is behaving and can see both XMOS chips in hardware manager. So for sound comparison it is easy to switch by selecting either input #5 for the SU-1 or Input #6 for the F1.

Cost: I have $225 invested in the F1 and about $465 in the SU-1 with external main +5V power capability and HDMI input board cost. If I were to buy a new DAC I would seriously consider the internal F1 especially modding my own F1 at approx. $175 (save $100 as well without Amanero USB board if that is possible when negotiating with AGD for price). But if you already have the SU-1 rest assured you are getting great sound with the Singxer solution over HDMI I2S.

With additional run-in time the F1 may triumph. Time will tell. I have my eyes on another AGD DAC so the F1 purchase will not go to waste. And was a great learning experience in tuning up the I/O voltage to +5V plus getting familiar with the F1 hardware..

What did you use as LDO?