[Currawong]

Hi guys.

Could not resist, pulled the trigger. After some back and forth, Kingwa answered all the questions i had, especially about turning the pll off, which can still be done but has less effect because of the better firmware since V7, if i understood correctly.

Also, about the ladder, i tought Kingwa was using a magic trick to reduce the sign magnitude ladder to 72 resistors. The thing is there are 100 more resistors per ladder on the other side of the board! So nearly 700 in total. Kingwa is very positive about his new baby and he was able to convince me it was a better dac than my current M7 with latest firmware.

I can't tell you the number of times I've underestimated Kingwa only for him to pull something out that totally surprises me.

I have a Master 9 here now too, and I wish I'd gotten one far earlier, as it brought out even more out of the DACs.

 

[DACLadder]

Interesting.... Come to think about it when I received my S7 in late February I believe I had occasional HDMI I2S drop outs using the Singxer SU-1. I knew nothing about high exact mode and thought I had a signaling issues which is probably true with better knowledge. I removed the AGD supplied HDMI I2S module and substituted one of my designs with short cables internally and a 0.3m Wireworld HDMI cable on the outside instead of a generic 0.5m cable. The AGD HDMI I2S modules are the same exact design as what I built so maybe shorter cables cleaned it up enough to function reliably. And has work great without any problems in the last four months.

All Singularity inputs sound more consistent compared to the old Master 7 especially the SPDIF inputs. There is little variation in sound. But I still prefer HDMI I2S input in high exact mode over Amanero USB for ultimate sound experience. Not any glaring differences except HDMI I2S seems to have an edge. Someone else's system may be different. With new knowledge about high exact mode I need to get the latest firmware loaded and re-evalutate HDMI I2S and Amanero USB inputs.

 

[FredA]

I can't tell you the number of times I've underestimated Kingwa only for him to pull something out that totally surprises me.

I have a Master 9 here now too, and I wish I'd gotten one far earlier, as it brought out even more out of the DACs.

Yes. Same for me. First the new re-written firmware from a guy who had not done DSP software before, than the Singularity digital board design, then the da-m1, than the dual 9038 and other 9038 dacs, and finally, out of nowhere, an r2r board design that seems as elaborate as the best out there. This is something.

I have a master-1 as pre and i must say, if you like neutral, transparent, dynamic, detailed, natural sounding preamps, this is it.

 

[FredA]

Hi,

@ FredA: -I think You not will regret this even if I know it's a struggle to love the present thing for a possible better upgrade. Everything that's new don't always have to be better. We all have our own preferences.....But I am pretty sure that Kingwa has acheived a superior dac this time.
Personally, I think this R2R-dac "has it all" featurewise. I have pretty much DSD-material and this dac also has this ability. Good luck and let us hear Your verdicts later on.

I think i won't. I was checking other r2r dacs but frankly, i did not want to loose the ACSS connectivity. It is more transparent and i am used to having it. From doing much a to b, i prefer it without hesitation to balanced.

Love he fact the r2r 7 comes with both hdmi and rj45 i2s input and still keeps the usb. Never used AES on my M7.

 

[FredA]

Interesting.... Come to think about it when I received my S7 in late February I believe I had occasional HDMI I2S drop outs using the Singxer SU-1. I knew nothing about high exact mode and thought I had a signaling issues which is probably true with better knowledge. I removed the AGD supplied HDMI I2S module and substituted one of my designs with short cables internally and a 0.3m Wireworld HDMI cable on the outside instead of a generic 0.5m cable. The AGD HDMI I2S modules are the same exact design as what I built so maybe shorter cables cleaned it up enough to function reliably. And has work great without any problems in the last four months.

All Singularity inputs sound more consistent compared to the old Master 7 especially the SPDIF inputs. There is little variation in sound. But I still prefer HDMI I2S input in high exact mode over Amanero USB for ultimate sound experience. Not any glaring differences except HDMI I2S seems to have an edge. Someone else's system may be different. With new knowledge about high exact mode I need to get the latest firmware loaded and re-evalutate HDMI I2S and Amanero USB inputs.

So the pll is very tight it seems.

 

[DACLadder]

So the pll is very tight it seems.

Yes, very high bandwidth PLL means its lock range is narrower and tighter. Lowering bandwidth increases the lock range but with more jittery output as a consequence. These are the trade offs in PLL theory.

 

[FredA]

Yes, very high bandwidth PLL means its lock range is narrower and tighter. Lowering bandwidth increases the lock range but with more jitter output as a consequence. These are the trade offs in PLL theory.

I should be OK with that short a cable. My other concern was to avoid the double conversion from balanced hdmi to/from single-ended rj45.

 

[Fatdoi]

Hi Amos, how will you compare between R2R 7 to NFB 7.77?

 

[Currawong]

I wont.

 

[DACLadder]

Thanks. This explains much! To my surprise, I faced some accidental dropouts (once in several hours) with my HE7S HDMI at default settings (never had them with my M7). But there are no dropouts with Bypass ON so far and I really like the sound with bypass ON better. According to your info, it is strange and the opposite should be the case. It is time to find out what was causing that dropouts in my setup. They were very rare but I faced them so something was wrong before the signal came to the HE7S or SU-1. I suspect my cables or PC (and Intona not blocking all the PC noise coming to my SU-1 and DAC).

Interesting you prefer BYPASS = On. On my system the effect was High Exact mode sounded a little more focused. I did not spend a great amount of time comparing as I was initally just trying to understand HDMI I2S operation with the Singularity DSP board and get HDMI I2S to work without drop outs and noise. But I need to load up the latest May 2017 firmware and re-evaluate.

 

[mourip]

...what's the point if I can buy Soekris DAC1541, which costs less than half the price and comes with a balanced headphone amp and a digital preamp, and is also fully balanced, sign magnitude R2R with propietary DAC ladders, and made in Denmark, not China?

Uses SMPS?

 

[darren700]

Hello All,
I am seriously considering replacing my aging Yulong DA8 II with this R2R 7.
Definitely seems to be a giant killer, I am very excited to read everyone's impressions of it once their orders are received, and I cant wait for Currawong's review!
Would be amazing if someone did a comparison of the R2R 7 and the NFB 7.77 as they seem to be direct competitors, but that would take a lot of coin!

One quick question for users of Audio-GD I2S; do the Audio-gd DAC's use the "PS Audio" Pinout standard for the HDMI Port?
and for those of you with Audio-GD DAC's and Singxer SU-1's was it as simple as connecting a short HDMI Cable between the SU-1 and your DAC and pushing the "BYPASS" Pin on?
Im trying to figure out if a SU-1 would be beneficial enough to warrant the extra cash spent vs just using the Amanero USB input with my Uptone ISO Regen (LPS-1 Powered)

Thanks

 

[DACLadder]

One quick question for users of Audio-GD I2S; do the Audio-gd DAC's use the "PS Audio" Pinout standard for the HDMI Port?
and for those of you with Audio-GD DAC's and Singxer SU-1's was it as simple as connecting a short HDMI Cable between the SU-1 and your DAC and pushing the "BYPASS" Pin on?
Im trying to figure out if a SU-1 would be beneficial enough to warrant the extra cash spent vs just using the Amanero USB input with my Uptone ISO Regen (LPS-1 Powered)

Yes, AGD HDMI I2S input follows the "PS Audio" pinouts and signal polarity. The Singxer SU-1 is great as it has switches that let you adjust HDMI I2S signals on its output. My SU-1 just happened to be set correctly for PS Audio HDMI I2S when it arrived. Comparisons of HDMI I2S, High Exact, and Amanero USB are still to come. We need to get more Singularity DACs with latest firmware into hands of users. With less variation in sound between the inputs on Singularity DACs some will probably prefer one input/ DSP setting versus another user. There may not be definitive adjustments or inputs but more like what do you like best with your sound equipment. So it is early but stay tuned and check back often. You may or may not need to push the BYPASS pin on. Just depends if you have dropouts/ noise or prefer the I2S sound with BYPASS on.

But I will say the Amanero USB modules are nice. I installed three of them - S7, M7, and Ref 5 - and work wonderfully and sound great. If I was ordering a R2R DAC I would include both the Amanero and HDMI I2S input as the HDMI option is not a lot of money.

 

[FredA]

Yes, AGD HDMI I2S input follows the "PS Audio" pinouts and signal polarity. The Singxer SU-1 is great as it has switches that let you adjust HDMI I2S signals on its output. My SU-1 just happened to be set correctly for PS Audio HDMI I2S when it arrived. Comparisons of HDMI I2S, High Exact, and Amanero USB are still to come. We need to get more Singularity DACs with latest firmware into hands of users. With less variation in sound between the inputs on Singularity DACs some will probably prefer one input/ DSP setting versus another user. There may not be definitive adjustments or inputs but more like what do you like best with your sound equipment. So it is early but stay tuned and check back often. You may or may not need to push the BYPASS pin on. Just depends if you have dropouts/ noise or prefer the I2S sound with BYPASS on.

But I will say the Amanero USB modules are nice. I installed three of them - S7, M7, and Ref 5 - and work wonderfully and sound great. If I was ordering a R2R DAC I would include both the Amanero and HDMI I2S input as the HDMI option is not a lot of money.

The r2r 7 comes standard with amanero, hdmi and rj45 hdmi. They dropped the balanced AES input.

I will compare amaro to rj45 i2s when i receive my DAC. Could be within 2 weeks but i am not in a hurry. My M7 sounds great.

 

[DACLadder]

The r2r 7 comes standard with amanero, hdmi and rj45 hdmi. They dropped the balanced AES input.
I will compare amaro to rj45 i2s when i receive my DAC. Could be within 2 weeks but i am not in a hurry. My M7 sounds great.

That's great! I received notice today that my SIngularity digital/ DSP board replacement for my old M7 has shipped.