[FredA]

@Il Cuffiotto actually, with the 300 hours done at the factory, your dac has 350 hours. 650 to go to 1000.

 

[Il Cuffiotto]

@Il Cuffiotto actually, with the 300 hours done at the factory, your dac has 350 hours. 650 to go to 1000.

I'm slowly going on the way, discovering every day something new from my cd's or files, considering that on here this July is horribly hot! But I'm happy coz next winter I will sensibly reduce the use of the home heat system, lol...
Before I can even just consider to add a Gustard u16 or Singxer, I need to be totally used to Agd way to sound...

 

[DACLadder]

The V2 R7-DA DAC boards are still slowly maturing and sounding better as time passes. The R7 is very transparent and the V2 DAC modules have better balance and lower grain than the V1 predecessor. Very obvious now. Couple the V2 DAC boards with the Accusilicon XOs/ TDA Asy firmware and the combo is a winner!

Plus the Singxer SU-6 DDC (HDMI I2S PCM) is sounding great as well. Equally great sounding Gustard U16 has a slightly different presentation that is hard to pinpoint. Both the SU-6 and U16 sound better than Singxer F1/SU-1. The transients are smeared slightly with the lesser F1/SU-1s. And comparisons are using TDA Asy firmware.

The modded R7 warms up quickly. I had it turned off last week and took no time to sound great when reconnected.

Another R7-HE plus an R7 shipped from Audio GD this week. Congrats!

(Note: "V2" DAC boards have been shipping from Audio GD since Dec. 2018. On new orders just remember to specify Accusilicon XOs as an upgrade. Highly recommended if you want the ultimate experience.)

 

[FredA]

The V2 R7-DA DAC boards are still slowly maturing and sounding better as time passes. The R7 is very transparent and the V2 DAC modules have better balance and lower grain than the V1 predecessor. Very obvious now. Couple the V2 DAC boards with the Accusilicon XOs/ TDA Asy firmware and the combo is a winner!

Plus the Singxer SU-6 DDC (HDMI I2S PCM) is sounding great as well. Equally great sounding Gustard U16 has a slightly different presentation that is hard to pinpoint. Both the SU-6 and U16 sound better than Singxer F1/SU-1. The transients are smeared slightly with the lessor F1/SU-1s. And comparisons are using TDA Asy firmware.

The modded R7 warms up quickly. I had it turned off last week and took no time to sound great when reconnected.

Another R7-HE plus an R7 shipped from Audio GD this week. Congrats!

(Note: "V2" DAC boards have been shipping from Audio GD since Dec. 2018. On new orders just remember to specify Accusilicon XOs as an upgrade. Highly recommended if you want the ultimate experience.)

Thanks Scott. Useful info on the ddcs!

I notice the same thing with the HE. Takes no time at all to sound optimally. Kingwa must have added thermo-coupling to the pcbs. This by itself is a great improvment and sort of mandatory with the He version since it runs so hot.

As mentioned, my HE had a down period last week. Was break-in, i take for granted. Sounds a little bit better than before now.

Got my non terminated ic from valab sooner than anticipated. Now waiting on the Neutriks to come in. Quite exciting, i just love this cable and am looking forward to hearing it as ACSS.

 

[barbas]

50 days with the DA V2 boards/TDA Asy now. Clearly improvement from day 1 and getting better and better over time.

Acussilicon XOs just arrived and installed!

Just a few hours of listening but again, improvements can be clearly noticed even with XOs not burned in yet. This is a fantastic journey indeed! I'm really enjoying all this new upgrades.

 

[DACLadder]

@barbas Excellent! Finally! Good job on installation!

 

[manishex]

With all these new updates, I wonder how the R7 compares to the Master 7. I love the PCM1704UK sound and can't demo audio-gd gear

 

[FredA]

With all these new updates, I wonder how the R7 compares to the Master 7. I love the PCM1704UK sound and can't demo audio-gd gear

The m7 is still a great dac. Not so far if you use i2s out of a femto clock transport. The m7 has a very expressive mid range and is very musical. The r-7 is more accurate, with smoother treble and it images better. I really loved my m7. Without the latest improvments, i would have been happy with either. With the new DA boards and Accusilicons, the treble has got more accurate and smoother. The bass is also better, the mids even richer ( could also be the regenerative psu on my r7-he in part).

One thing you could do is getting the new digital board (singularity) fitted with the Accusillicons.. MagnaHfi can do the mod for you. With this, you would keep the 1704k sound and get a substantial upgrade.

 

[FredA]

The r-8 is briefly compared in a 15k australian speaker review online with a Bricasti M1 (10000 euros). Bass and mids are better with the r-8, the treble is better with the m1. The r8 again appears like a great value.

 

[FredA]

I am having a blast with the he tonight. The mid bass level has increased, i really like the punch it brings. The overall balance is excellent. As some noted, with the latest improvements, you can crank up the volume and the sound remains very smooth. Such a great dac already.

 

[Jackula]

Not to sidetrack - I love the M3. It's a stunning value IMO particularly when used with a full Audio-Gd ACSS chain from DAC to the amp. If you have the space and the $ for the M2H get those. They are better. If you're curious re: his Class A. Ask if it's coming out and where he thinks it fits in the line. I trust Kingwa. Whnen I was looking for another amp, I asked Kingwa if he'd consider making me a pair of Class A monoblocks, and he politely declined. I definitely wouldn't have waited, but hearing the rumors now makes me very curious... I know I'd love to hear them if they're not an urban myth. Have fun! You really can't make a poor choice IMO.

Thanks for your response, I'm also interested in his HE2 monoblocks, although the additional monies I have to spend can almost afford me a PSAudio PowerPlant P12. Definitely would be interested in a pair of Kingwa's class A monoblocks, instead of his pseudo-class A monoblocks. Luckily I have time on my side since my wallet is still recovering from a recent speaker upgrade, and it seems the longer I wait the better his products become.

My room isn't huge, 19 x 14ft, I wish it was bigger but at the time I was budget constrained since I just made a large deposit on an investment. I have demoed a pair of very large Osborn Monuments in this room recently while looking for a speaker upgrade and they sounded great without much effort.

Talking to Kingwa, all he needs is 1.5ft between the speakers and monoblocks, and in between monoblocks for them to perform their best. I've measured everything and I have those distances, barely.

Other than the power amps, I'm pretty set on the R7HE and already have the HE9.

 

[FredA]

Thanks for your response, I'm also interested in his HE2 monoblocks, although the additional monies I have to spend can almost afford me a PSAudio PowerPlant P12. Definitely would be interested in a pair of Kingwa's class A monoblocks, instead of his pseudo-class A monoblocks. Luckily I have time on my side since my wallet is still recovering from a recent speaker upgrade, and it seems the longer I wait the better his products become.

My room isn't huge, 19 x 14ft, I wish it was bigger but at the time I was budget constrained since I just made a large deposit on an investment. I have demoed a pair of very large Osborn Monuments in this room recently while looking for a speaker upgrade and they sounded great without much effort.

Talking to Kingwa, all he needs is 1.5ft between the speakers and monoblocks, and in between monoblocks for them to perform their best. I've measured everything and I have those distances, barely.

Other than the power amps, I'm pretty set on the R7HE and already have the HE9.

The r7-he is just awesome. And i am at over 1000 hours with the m3 and i believe it is still improving.

The m3 really needs at least 300 hours in addition to the 300 done at the factory to acquire some punch. You think it will never come along. From there, it will improve slowly up until 1000 hours, and i think it's not done yet. The Osborn Eclipses are easy to drive so it delays the progression.

Which speakers did you get, let me guess, the Dukes?

 

[Jabba]

Thanks for your response, I'm also interested in his HE2 monoblocks, although the additional monies I have to spend can almost afford me a PSAudio PowerPlant P12. Definitely would be interested in a pair of Kingwa's class A monoblocks, instead of his pseudo-class A monoblocks. Luckily I have time on my side since my wallet is still recovering from a recent speaker upgrade, and it seems the longer I wait the better his products become.

My room isn't huge, 19 x 14ft, I wish it was bigger but at the time I was budget constrained since I just made a large deposit on an investment. I have demoed a pair of very large Osborn Monuments in this room recently while looking for a speaker upgrade and they sounded great without much effort.

Talking to Kingwa, all he needs is 1.5ft between the speakers and monoblocks, and in between monoblocks for them to perform their best. I've measured everything and I have those distances, barely.

Other than the power amps, I'm pretty set on the R7HE and already have the HE9.

How is your room and speakers location compared to placement og listing position?
Since you say you barely have room?

And I would definitely go with class A, generally it gives some tube magic, with nice midrange and great frequency response/control.

 

[Jackula]

The r7-he is just awesome. And i am at over 1000 hours with the m3 and i believe it is still improving.

The m3 really needs at least 300 hours in addition to the 300 done at the factory to acquire some punch. You think it will never come along. From there, it will improve slowly up until 1000 hours, and i think it's not done yet. The Osborn Eclipses are easy to drive so it delays the progression.

Which speakers did you get, let me guess, the Dukes?

How'd you know? Let me guess, you've talked to Kingwa or been reading his forums?

Greg's speakers are very easy to drive, I probably would've just stayed with my tube amp if I went with the Monument.

1000 hours would take me about a year! 300 sounds much more reasonable and from what I've read it's also the time it takes to burn-in the Dukes.

 

[Jackula]

How is your room and speakers location compared to placement og listing position?
Since you say you barely have room?

All within optimal per recommended measurements from the manufacturer. Speakers will be 9' to listening position and speakers 3-4' from the front and side walls. I've calculated room modes and my listening position should theoretically have the best response.