I am also going to grab another digital SPDIF cable, just to help me get a read on my Kimber D-60's, which I really, really like. So far I've only compared the D-60 to a cheap-O amazon cable, which was obviously clobbered by the Kimber.
New denafrips DDC (Iris and Gaia)
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JayRocks92
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After lots of researching, I'm also planning to go with the Wireworld HDMI... Glad to see other find it "amazing"
Hello!
Would like to know, found digital bnc cables with 75ohms and 50ohms, which cable is used to connect gaia to tplus?
Would like to know, found digital bnc cables with 75ohms and 50ohms, which cable is used to connect gaia to tplus?
An update: I swapped in a Stealth Audio spdif for the Kimber D-60 spdif, and this confirmed to me that the quality of the clock cables matter. The Stealth cable was a definite upgrade to the Kimber- the increased transparency/clarity is amazing, but it should be as it is significantly more expensive. Having said this, I still highly recommend the Kimber D-60.
To be clear, expensive cables are not required as the combo sounds very good with even cheap basic cables. Things just improve as you move up the cable food chain.
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The Revelation Audio Labs Prophecy CryoSilver Reference HDMI showed up today. Let the burn-in begin. I was planning to burn it in on my television for a couple of weeks, then install it in my audio system but it won't work. Apparently it is audio only. Just like my Tubulus Argentus HDMI.
Lol coincidence, my tubulus argentus arrived yesterday too. Looks well made, and not as stiff as I thought it was. Have placed it in my system (phasure lush^2 out) and am running it in 24/7.
Looks nice, can't wait for your review of RAL vs Tubulus
The Revelation Audio Labs Prophecy CryoSilver Reference HDMI showed up today. Let the burn-in begin. I was planning to burn it in on my television for a couple of weeks, then install it in my audio system but it won't work. Apparently it is audio only. Just like my Tubulus Argentus HDMI.
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It's fest time, Phasure, RAL & TUbulus are all in my consideration.Lol coincidence, my tubulus argentus arrived yesterday too. Looks well made, and not as stiff as I thought it was. Have placed it in my system (phasure lush^2 out) and am running it in 24/7.
Can't wait for your review
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Sage Encore
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Pop corn ready. Let the burn in begin. Woooohoooo. Do you think nuking the cables will help Blake and Roasty? LOL. Have fun guys. Congrats.
JayRocks92
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Try Ghent Audio... I’ve bought dozens of various cables from him... can’t go wrong. If you don’t see exactly what you need, just send him a message. If wanting to stay Stateside, try Bluejeans cable.
JayRocks92
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Oh... connecting Gaia to Terminator, go with HDMI via I2S... look at WireWorld for a great value audiophile HDMI.
I was initially considering getting the TP+ and GAIA to join my Benchmark DAC3B. However, the review by Steve Guttenburg made me change my mind. I got the impression that the TP+ had a similar sound signature as the DAC3B. I am not saying the DAC3B is a better DAC than the TP+ all I am saying is that the difference in signature is not enough for me to have both DACs at the same time.
My second choice in a DAC to compliment my DAC3B is the Audio Mirror Tubadour III. It is an R2R NOS DAC. Some folks have sold their Terminator (not plus) DACs for this unit as stated by reviewer Terry London on Audiogon. The Tubadour also has an I2S input compatible with the PS Audio type. This DAC will be much different sounding than my DAC3B so I want to give it a try. I need a way to get my bits from my computer to the Tubadour. For my DAC3B I use a Sonore microRendu. I could buy a opticalRendu for 1 or the DACs and have 2 Rendu's, everything solved.
My question is whether a Denafrips GAIA makes sense in my scenario. In this case, I could use the microRendu to connect to the GAIA by USB and then connect by I2S to the Tubadour and Coaxial to the DAC3B.
Has anyone added the GAIA to a non-Denafrips DAC? If so, was it a good move?
Anyone have any opinion on me getting a GAIA for my situation scenario?
Both DACs will be connected to a Benchmark HPA4 + Meze Empyrean or Benchmark AHB2 + KEF LS50s (for now)
My second choice in a DAC to compliment my DAC3B is the Audio Mirror Tubadour III. It is an R2R NOS DAC. Some folks have sold their Terminator (not plus) DACs for this unit as stated by reviewer Terry London on Audiogon. The Tubadour also has an I2S input compatible with the PS Audio type. This DAC will be much different sounding than my DAC3B so I want to give it a try. I need a way to get my bits from my computer to the Tubadour. For my DAC3B I use a Sonore microRendu. I could buy a opticalRendu for 1 or the DACs and have 2 Rendu's, everything solved.
My question is whether a Denafrips GAIA makes sense in my scenario. In this case, I could use the microRendu to connect to the GAIA by USB and then connect by I2S to the Tubadour and Coaxial to the DAC3B.
Has anyone added the GAIA to a non-Denafrips DAC? If so, was it a good move?
Anyone have any opinion on me getting a GAIA for my situation scenario?
Both DACs will be connected to a Benchmark HPA4 + Meze Empyrean or Benchmark AHB2 + KEF LS50s (for now)
I enjoy Steve's videos and he is a good guy with a lot of experience. What I have learned, is that Steve doesn't place transparency/detail/sound staging very high on his list of sonic priorities. Take a look at Steve's (regular) Terminator review as well. See a pattern? Most everyone thought the new DSP board was better than the original board, in that it provided better transparency/detail/sound staging, while still sounding very organic and natural. Not Steve, he liked the old board.
Again, no problem at all. We all have our preferences. Me? If it is on the recording, I want to hear it. For many of us, that is what hifi is about. Steve is more about what sounds subjectively pleasing to him.
I absolutely detest any gear that sounds bright, hard, fatiguing or sterile. I will ditch that stuff in a heart beat. Steve was somewhat vague but he seemed to imply the TPlus may be too much transparency for some listeners- i.e. possibly fatiguing. He didn't use those words, but some may read that into his comments. That isn't even remotely the case.
For Benchmark, I only heard an old model (DAC-1?), and I found it to be sterile and fatiguing, night and day different than Denafrips. I am sure the newer Benchmark DAC's are far superior but I wouldn't know.
Finally, while I think the TPlus/Gaia combo is a world beater, we all have different preferences. The hard part is finding your sonic nirvana as brick and mortar shops are rapidly becoming a thing of the past and not many manufacturers allow demos. You do your homework, roll the dice and hope you made the right choice. If not, flip it and move on, hopefully without losing too much money.
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I used to own the DAC1 and it was only listenable with a warmish Balanced Audio VK-42SE preamp. All the other preamps I used were too bright so I know what you are saying about the DAC1. The DAC2 and DAC3 are so much more smoother than the DAC1. If something is on a recording you will hear it with the DAC2 and DAC3. It can be fatiguing with bad recordings but the majority of my listening is with decent recordings so I have a very good time with the DAC3B. Steve is describing a sound of the TP+ that seems like what I hear with the DAC3B. I do not need 2 of the same sound signature. In fact my current system is a transparency champion. The Benchmark DAC3B + HPA4 + AHB2 + Benchmark StarQuad XLR's + Benchmark speaker cable. I am looking to add a bit of flavor to this mix with a second DAC that sounds different.
I was about to press the buy button on Alvin's web store to buy the GAIA but I will hold out a little longer to see what others have to say about the GAIA and non-Denafrips DACs.
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