[barbas]

@barbas Let us know the result. Glad I did one upgrade at a time. The DA7 V2s take a while to really smooth out. I think mine are still maturing.

I know it's gonna be quite odd all those changes at once (Asy firmware, DA7 V2 and Accusillicon clocks) and will need several hours to settle, but I cannot afford making all changes step by step, need to do everything together.

 

[anroj]

I just loaded V3A and sounds really good on the R7. TDA Asy sounds good with Redbook CD material but high sampling rates sound better with V3A.

And you are power cycling after installing firmware? I get no sound after fresh programming without power cycle. The R8 sure seems to have inherent issue of not playing at times.

Hi DACLadder, I just ordered an R8 (should be shipped on 5/21). I'm curious about your issue of the R8 not playing at times. Can you describe this issue more? Is Kingwa aware of it?

 

[DACLadder]

@anroj Congrats on your R8! I do not own an R8 (only R7 and S7 DACs). It was others recently reporting operational issues with the R8. The R7 and S7 work OK. There are hardware differences between the R8 and R7 design and they require separate firmware builds to operate. I assume Kingwa is aware of any issues with R8.

 

[anroj]

@anroj Congrats on your R8! I do not own an R8 (only R7 and S7 DACs). It was others recently reporting operational issues with the R8. The R7 and S7 work OK. There are hardware differences between the R8 and R7 design and they require separate firmware builds to operate. I assume Kingwa is aware of any issues with R8.

Got it. Thank you for the response. I'm excited to get my R8. Hopefully, Kingwa is aware of the issue and since mine is still being burned in, I won't have any issues.

 

[Toni-Mang]

Congratulation, the R8 is a very fine DAC for the price! I Love it...and NO issues with V3A on I2S (In4 - PSA PWT or U16)...and the Accusilicon clocks are so great...what a mod!
I had issues with TDAasy and I2S from the PSA PWT, Kingwa is already looking for the Transport.

 

[anroj]

Congratulation, the R8 is a very fine DAC for the price! I Love it...and NO issues with V3A on I2S (In4 - PSA PWT or U16)...and the Accusilicon clocks are so great...what a mod!
I had issues with TDAasy and I2S from the PSA PWT, Kingwa is already looking for the Transport.

Thank you. Hopefully it will arrive by next Friday. I ordered the "Full Upgrade" version with the accusilicons and crystek upgrades. I have a GustardU16 that I ordered in anticipation of getting the R8 and have been using that via AES with my Topping Dx7s. It has made a huge difference with that DAC so I'm anxious to pair it with the R8.
I see a lot on here about the firmware versions. What has your experience been with the firmware and what are your preferred settings. Also, do you use a USB Blaster for the firmware upgrades?

 

[FredA]

As for me, my dac will be shipped to audio-gd by the end of the month to have the Accusilicons and the new da-7s installed. No rush as the sound is already excellent.

My new m3 is still evolving. Bass control is better than with the nc500, just can't believe it! The only weak point is it's still a little soft at times. But it seems like the macrodynamics are improving. Imaging and timbres are also top notch.

 

[anroj]

Hi FredA, I'm new to Audio-GD ownership, but I see a ton of enthusiasm on this site for their products, and I love the fact that you can upgrade to keep making SQ enhancements as Kingwa comes out with new modules/firmware. I should get my R8 next week and I'm anxious to see how it sounds in my current system. I have a McIntosh MC402 amp that I have had since new and was thinking about the M3 as a replacement. It should be a fun time burning in the R8 and evaluating my system.

 

[ItsAllInMyHead]

Thank you. Hopefully it will arrive by next Friday. I ordered the "Full Upgrade" version with the accusilicons and crystek upgrades. I have a GustardU16 that I ordered in anticipation of getting the R8 and have been using that via AES with my Topping Dx7s. It has made a huge difference with that DAC so I'm anxious to pair it with the R8.
I see a lot on here about the firmware versions. What has your experience been with the firmware and what are your preferred settings. Also, do you use a USB Blaster for the firmware upgrades?

Hi FredA, I'm new to Audio-GD ownership, but I see a ton of enthusiasm on this site for their products, and I love the fact that you can upgrade to keep making SQ enhancements as Kingwa comes out with new modules/firmware. I should get my R8 next week and I'm anxious to see how it sounds in my current system. I have a McIntosh MC402 amp that I have had since new and was thinking about the M3 as a replacement. It should be a fun time burning in the R8 and evaluating my system.

Hi Anroj -

Congratulations! I have an R8 and and M3, and love them both. I also have a few other pieces (R2R-11, NFB 11.38, R-1, and NFB-1AMP) I love them all. I use them all. My enthusiasm comes from the same place - an almost constant level of kind and generous support for new and existing products. I was fortunate to meet Kingwa and visit his factory. His personal warmth, engineering curiosity, and love for music are things to be admired. I am in the process of getting my upgrades done to the new Accusilicons and the new DA boards. I made a bit of an error with the attempt to do it myself, and I stopped to allow a professional to complete the work. I can't wait to hear it based on other's impressions.

re: USB blasters. There are two types. One is for the DSP / aka main FPGA - the Altera one. The other is for the FPGAs on each of the DA-7 boards. Yes, I use them. However, you may never ever need them. I used them b/c Kingwa allowed the flexibility in his options, which I love. I can also 100% admire those that can use the factory installed firmware and enjoy the music exactly as it is (gorgeous) and tune it using the pre-existing options available. I've enjoyed reading other folks impressions of the DAC settings with various firmwares, but with rare exceptions my preferences differ to those of others. I also like different settings based on the source I am using. i.e. I use one set of settings for a source through optical and another set of settings for a source through HDMI / I2S. My best advice here as a complete stranger on the internet - is ENJOY finding which one YOU like best. I also use different settings on the R-1 (but it has a different build and firmwares although they are similar).

Welcome, and enjoy!

 

[FredA]

Hi FredA, I'm new to Audio-GD ownership, but I see a ton of enthusiasm on this site for their products, and I love the fact that you can upgrade to keep making SQ enhancements as Kingwa comes out with new modules/firmware. I should get my R8 next week and I'm anxious to see how it sounds in my current system. I have a McIntosh MC402 amp that I have had since new and was thinking about the M3 as a replacement. It should be a fun time burning in the R8 and evaluating my system.

By patient. The full burn-in can take up go 6 months. But you wil see the light come through way before that. If you like a fluid dac that can do it all, you should be a happy new owner. The nfb output stages and class-a psus are something very special. If you chose to get the amanero clock upgrade, the usb intput should do a very fine job.

I doubt you will regret it.

As for the m3, i reserve my final word for later. It is still maturing. It is meant to be used with very revealing speakers IMO.

 

[anroj]

Thank you for the awesome response. I am glad that you are enjoying all of your Audio-GD gear. I did a lot of research before making the decision to invest in Audio-GD. I have owned iFi, McIntosh, Mytek, and now the Topping DAC, and wanted a DAC that can be upgraded and is customizable.

I asked about the USB Blaster because I see here where people are downloading various firmware versions to try on their DACs. It sounds like there is a lot to discover with the factory firmware that will be installed on the R8. I think I will try it "as-is" with the existing setup before trying different firmware. It is good to know that that is an option. For your source settings, are those available from the front panel buttons?

 

[anroj]

I have heard that burn-in takes quite a while. It will be a fun journey. What is the Amanero clock upgrade? I think I got that, but not sure.

 

[FredA]

Thank you for the awesome response. I am glad that you are enjoying all of your Audio-GD gear. I did a lot of research before making the decision to invest in Audio-GD. I have owned iFi, McIntosh, Mytek, and now the Topping DAC, and wanted a DAC that can be upgraded and is customizable.

I asked about the USB Blaster because I see here where people are downloading various firmware versions to try on their DACs. It sounds like there is a lot to discover with the factory firmware that will be installed on the R8. I think I will try it "as-is" with the existing setup before trying different firmware. It is good to know that that is an option. For your source settings, are those available from the front panel buttons?

My pleasure.

Yes you have settings on the front panel. A bit tricky to use at first but easy once you know the sequence to follow.

I would of course suggest you try the accurate version at some point. While burning the dac or depending on your setup, you could prefer the smooth version too.

The amanero board can be fitted with Crystek oscillators for an extra. If you took any but the cheapest version, you have it.

However, using an excellent external ddc, you will beat the Amanero by a small margin according to Kingwa. That means the Amanero is still very good option and that it is not mandatory to get an external ddc. Investing in a clean usb transport could provide a greater sound quality upgrade.

 

[anroj]

I’m certainly glad there are people like yourself on this site that have figured things out. Getting to know your gear is a fun part of this hobby.

I will definitely be experimenting with the various settings to see how they sound in my system. I’m pretty sure there will be some late nights figuring out the R8.

According to my order, I do have the upgraded Amanero board. I bought a DDC to pair with the R8 so I’m eager to try that combination.

 

[FredA]

I’m certainly glad there are people like yourself on this site that have figured things out. Getting to know your gear is a fun part of this hobby.

I will definitely be experimenting with the various settings to see how they sound in my system. I’m pretty sure there will be some late nights figuring out the R8.

According to my order, I do have the upgraded Amanero board. I bought a DDC to pair with the R8 so I’m eager to try that combination.

With a u16 or a su-6, you should beat the amanero. So it's not wasted money. A well clocked and clean usb signal also helps, most likely by minimizing the interaction between the ddc and the usb transport. Some think that reducing this back and forth will minimize noise in the ddc and allow it to output a cleaner signal. My experience with the usbridge tells me it works. Unfortunately, i have operational issues using it with the u16 which i don't have using a rasberry pi. But the rpi does not sound as good so i tolerate these issues with the usbridge.

Another point is despite popular belief, there is no error correction in the usb audio protocol, even the asynch variation. So transmission errors will have an impact on sound quality. This also explains perceived differences between usb cables.