[frahengeo]

   
The Police – Mother (24b/96kHz): Psycho-carnival Sting at his best! Love how this DAC takes the song by the balls and dissects it…  makes it sound like it was remastered yesterday. The effects on his vocals have never sounded so good! Could it be because I entered 24bit music territory?
 

Thorough and informative review.  This DAC is definitely on my radar for sure.
 
Not trying to nitpick here, but Mother was written/sung by Andy Summers of The Police.

 

[tripmeister]

This DAC is my favorit. I just waiting for gapless playback.
 
I hope Oppo make in the near future a update with the feature.

 

[bestcoast127]

Alrighty then! Got the Bifrost right out of the box and I listened to it for the last 30 minutes. Same songs as before. I have the Sonica hooked up to source #1 on the Woo Audio WA2 and the Bifrost to source #2. Both running the same file - FLAC out of MusicBee. Switching is a click in MusicBee to change output and 1 switch position over on the WA2 so maybe .1 seconds between switching. Sonica is on bypass mode so exact same volume as the Bifrost. Only difference is Bifrost is on USB and Sonica is on Toslink.
 
First impression: WOW they sound so alike! Without A/Bing them I wouldn't be able to tell which was on after a break from listening unless I picked a song where the I knew the Bifrost was missing something. I had to listen to a FEW songs to find all the differences. The Sonica has better high and low extension. The Bifrost rolls off the highs at 15kHZ and the Sonica is flat to 20kHz. And the Bifrost doesn't have anything below 40Hz where the Sonica disappears below the human hearing range with hefty bass. The Sonica is more forward throughout the freq range and the Bifrost is a little tiny bit veiled but also has a mid bloom the Sonica doesn't. They both pick up the same amount of detail in the frequency range they share but the extra detail from the Sonica in the high and low extension makes it more crisp. Both do are great job with vocal and instrument timbre. Can't declare a timbre winner yet.
 
If had never heard the Sonica I would be totally happy with the Bifrost. It's a really impressive DAC. But having A/B'ed them the Sonica wins by about 15% in my book. BUT... I remember the Sonica sounding shrill in certain songs 3 days ago so I'll give the Bifrost some burn in time and see if that helps the three main areas of concern right now; the missing ultra highs, the missing ultra lows and the veil/mid bloom. I wouldn't say the Bifrost is warmer. The dynamics over most of the hearing range is very similar. I guess that says a lot for Sabre taking the glare out of their new DACs...
 
EDIT #1: Still listening... The Sonica pressurizes my SennHD600s more than the Bifrost. I can FEEL the bass drum hits on my ear drums with the Sonica. With the Bifrost I can hear... not feel. At the same volume level (normal volume up but not cranked) I should add. Crank it and the Bifrost will blow your eardrums too. 
 
EDIT#2: 10 hours later... Bifrost has been running while I was at work. Same results really. I did, however, find a Massive Attack song where the bass extension on the Sonica masked the vocals some. Found another song that had the same effect. Seems to happen with EDM because I haven't heard it elsewhere yet. The Bifrost is starting to sound "warm". Hate that word because there are no "cold" DACs. My tube main system is "warm". The Bifrost has a way of getting the vocals out front of the music the same way tube amps do. I'll guess that's where the "warm" came from. Basically saying I found a couple songs where the vocals & instrumentals weren't balanced right with the Sonica. Could be the headphones though because there're (no pedantic judgments allowed) only 8 things in the signal path and 256 combinations. Sigh... Basically, liking the Bifrost for Massive Attack!!!
 
EDIT#3: Game changer: Did a comparison watching Youtube videos, movies with x264 and x265 compression, and tv shows in various file formats. The Sonica straight up owned the Bimby. Painted it blue and stuck it on its front porch. Too bad for the Bifrost. It's pretty much broken in and does excel in bass heavy music no matter what the bitrate is. With certain headphones I'm sure it's the better choice. But my Senn HD600s sound amazing with the WA2 and the Sonica. Probably even found the end game for the cans. Also, swapped the Toslink and USB between both a few times and compared then on Tidal. Exact same results no matter what input was used.
 
EDIT#4: Can't get the Bifrost to play well with a few apps. VLC is one. Youtube over Toslink wouldn't play at all either. It clicks a few times like it's trying to do its job but nothing comes out. The Sonica hasn't had a single hiccup. 
 
Final thought: I have some new tubes coming to tube roll the WA2 with the Sonica as my permanent DAC. If I chose the Bifrost there is no way I could regain the lost ultra highs/lows. And the extra detail would be gone forever. I can always soften the sound but it's a one-way street.

 

[dawktah2]

Alrighty then! Got the Bifrost right out of the box and I listened to it for the last 30 minutes. Same songs as before. I have the Sonica hooked up to source #1 on the Woo Audio WA2 and the Bifrost to source #2. Both running the same file - FLAC out of MusicBee. Switching is a click in MusicBee to change output and 1 switch position over on the WA2 so maybe .1 seconds between switching. Sonica is on bypass mode so exact same volume as the Bifrost. Only difference is Bifrost is on USB and Sonica is on Toslink.
 
First impression: WOW they sound so alike! Without A/Bing them I wouldn't be able to tell which was on after a break from listening unless I picked a song where the I knew the Bifrost was missing something. I had to listen to a FEW songs to find all the differences. The Sonica has better high and low extension. The Bifrost rolls off the highs at 15kHZ and the Sonica is flat to 20kHz. And the Bifrost doesn't have anything below 40Hz where the Sonica disappears below the human hearing range with hefty bass. The Sonica is more forward throughout the freq range and the Bifrost is a little tiny bit veiled but also has a mid bloom the Sonica doesn't. They both pick up the same amount of detail in the frequency range they share but the extra detail from the Sonica in the high and low extension makes it more crisp. Both do are great job with vocal and instrument timbre. Can't declare a timbre winner yet.
 
If had never heard the Sonica I would be totally happy with the Bifrost. It's a really impressive DAC. But having A/B'ed them the Sonica wins by about 15% in my book. BUT... I remember the Sonica sounding shrill in certain songs 3 days ago so I'll give the Bifrost some burn in time and see if that helps the three main areas of concern right now; the missing ultra highs, the missing ultra lows and the veil/mid bloom. I wouldn't say the Bifrost is warmer. The dynamics over most of the hearing range is very similar. I guess that says a lot for Sabre taking the glare out of their new DACs...
 
EDIT #1: Still listening... The Sonica pressurizes my SennHD600s more than the Bifrost. I can FEEL the bass drum hits on my ear drums with the Sonica. With the Bifrost I can hear... not feel. At the same volume level (normal volume up but not cranked) I should add. Crank it and the Bifrost will blow your eardrums too. 
 
EDIT#2: 10 hours later... Bifrost has been running while I was at work. Same results really. I did, however, find a Massive Attack song where the bass extension on the Sonica masked the vocals some. Found another song that had the same effect. Seems to happen with EDM because I haven't heard it elsewhere yet. The Bifrost is starting to sound "warm". Hate that word because there are no "cold" DACs. My tube main system is "warm". The Bifrost has a way of getting the vocals out front of the music the same way tube amps do. I'll guess that's where the "warm" came from. Basically saying I found a couple songs where the vocals & instrumentals weren't balanced right with the Sonica. Could be the headphones though because there're (no pedantic judgments allowed) only 8 things in the signal path and 256 combinations. Sigh... Basically, liking the Bifrost for Massive Attack!!!
 
EDIT#3: Game changer: Did a comparison watching Youtube videos, movies with x264 and x265 compression, and tv shows in various file formats. The Sonica straight up owned the Bimby. Painted it blue and stuck it on its front porch. Too bad for the Bifrost. It's pretty much broken in and does excel in bass heavy music no matter what the bitrate is. With certain headphones I'm sure it's the better choice. But my Senn HD600s sound amazing with the WA2 and the Sonica. Probably even found the end game for the cans. Also, swapped the Toslink and USB between both a few times and compared then on Tidal. Exact same results no matter what input was used.
 
EDIT#4: Can't get the Bifrost to play well with a few apps. VLC is one. Youtube over Toslink wouldn't play at all either. It clicks a few times like it's trying to do its job but nothing comes out. The Sonica hasn't had a single hiccup. 
 
Final thought: I have some new tubes coming to tube roll the WA2 with the Sonica as my permanent DAC. If I chose the Bifrost there is no way I could regain the lost ultra highs/lows. And the extra detail would be gone forever. I can always soften the sound but it's a one-way street.

Very good to hear; considering Sonica DAC and WA22. We have one Sonica speaker probably will get one for our bedroom before I pick up the DAC.

Anyone have one of the speakers connected, have an app question?

Sent from my Galaxy S6 Edge using Tapatalk

 

[bugeyed]

Update coming soon.

 

[Megalith]

Is there a significant difference between the output of the Sonica with the HA-1's pre-out? I just remember people saying that Oppo made compromises with the HA-1's non-headphone output.

 

[nhtran1]

Those are  budget dacs in my book...just like the Cambridge Audio 851D and Wadia 121 that I also own.
 
At the end of the day the Oppo, 121 and 851D just don't sound as good w/ redbook as my Wadia 830.  There's a 'metallic sheen' in the high frequencies when compared to the 830, which (dare I say it) sounds more natural, analogue-like w/o loss of detail.  Only downside to the 830 is it's limited to 48K Hz sampling rate...hi-rez files need not apply.  Understandable given this CD player / dac is almost 20 yrs old.

 

[bugeyed]

I've had the Sonica running continuously in my system for a little less than a week now.  It's still breaking-in, but I think I'm getting a handle on the sound.  Some initial comments:


 


1. Great features/functionality for price.  The unit replaces a dedicated PC and USB dac.  The Sonica is truly an all-in-one wireless media player.  I using it to play files stored on a NAS and attached USB drive directly...no PC/Mac needed.  Have the ability to find music by artist/album/file folder and create playlists thru the app.  Also have the ability to stream Tidal thru the unit directly (albeit w/o MQA decoding).


 


2.  Soundwise it's comparable to a budget, entry-level dac.  For comparison I've recently used Wadia 121, Cambridge Audio 851C and a 20 year-old Wadia 830.  The Sonica appears to have a very low noise-floor...hearing new details on well-worn tracks.  Hi-rez files sound really good...red-book files are a mixed bag (poorly recorded tracks from the 80's sound like ass).  


 


3.  If you're looking for a euphonic or forgiving dac...look elsewhere.  The Sonica is similar to 1st generation Benchmark dac (neutral to some, bright/unforgiving to others).


 


Ultimately, the value in the Sonica is it's ability to act as a media-streamer + dac. If you want a simple USB dac (i.e., a separate PC/Mac/Media streamer + DAC), there are likely better sounding options (e.g., multi-bit Bifrost).

 


Just curious what are you listening to the SDAC through. Headphones or speakers, amps, file types etc? I ask because I don't hear any 'metallic sheen' in the high frequencies" with my setup, but I don't have much of anything to compare it to. I just know when I hear a system that does things mostly right & I am very pleased with what I hear.

kev

 

[nhtran1]

 

  I've had the Sonica running continuously in my system for a little less than a week now.  It's still breaking-in, but I think I'm getting a handle on the sound.  Some initial comments:
   
  1. Great features/functionality for price.  The unit replaces a dedicated PC and USB dac.  The Sonica is truly an all-in-one wireless media player.  I using it to play files stored on a NAS and attached USB drive directly...no PC/Mac needed.  Have the ability to find music by artist/album/file folder and create playlists thru the app.  Also have the ability to stream Tidal thru the unit directly (albeit w/o MQA decoding).
   
  2.  Soundwise it's comparable to a budget, entry-level dac.  For comparison I've recently used Wadia 121, Cambridge Audio 851C and a 20 year-old Wadia 830.  The Sonica appears to have a very low noise-floor...hearing new details on well-worn tracks.  Hi-rez files sound really good...red-book files are a mixed bag (poorly recorded tracks from the 80's sound like ass).  
   
  3.  If you're looking for a euphonic or forgiving dac...look elsewhere.  The Sonica is similar to 1st generation Benchmark dac (neutral to some, bright/unforgiving to others).
   
  Ultimately, the value in the Sonica is it's ability to act as a media-streamer + dac. If you want a simple USB dac (i.e., a separate PC/Mac/Media streamer + DAC), there are likely better sounding options (e.g., multi-bit Bifrost).

 


Just curious what are you listening to the SDAC through. Headphones or speakers, amps, file types etc? I ask because I don't hear any 'metallic sheen' in the high frequencies" with my setup, but I don't have much of anything to compare it to. I just know when I hear a system that does things mostly right & I am very pleased with what I hear.

kev

 
SDAC driving Balanced Audio Technology VK250 directly, which in turn power Magnepan 1.7s.  I used Nordost Blue Heaven XLR and speaker cables with the Wadia 830...had to swap those out for warmer sounding Cardas cables after the SDAC was installed.  I'm still experimenting with different cable combinations to see if I can tweak the sound to my liking.
 
Music files are a combination of redbook/hi-rez files from USB harddrive and Tidal lossless streaming.
 
Before the SDAC, I used a headless Mac Mini w/ Audirvana + USB-to-SPDIF converter to feed the Wadia 830.  The $800 SDAC essentially replaces $4K (total MSRP when available) worth of equipment, so it's not a fair comparison.  But hey, I never said the SDAC was overpriced or sounded bad...just that while it had great functionality, it sounded not all that dissimilar to other DACs in the $1K range.

 

[bestcoast127]

I hooked the Sonica up to my Tandberg pre/amp set and it was like sticking hot ice picks in my ears. Tried it with my Manley Stingray tube integrated and still too detail oriented and a little shrill. Just bought some 1957 NIB NOS Sylvania 12AT7WA tubes to try in the Manley with the Sonica. Won't get them for 2 more days but I'll post on my findings. I don't think I'd try the Sonica with any solid state I've ever owned except my old vintage 70s Marantz reciever. Unless you have some really warm speakers that beg for detail.

 

[bugeyed]

 
SDAC driving Balanced Audio Technology VK250 directly, which in turn power Magnepan 1.7s.  I used Nordost Blue Heaven XLR and speaker cables with the Wadia 830...had to swap those out for warmer sounding Cardas cables after the SDAC was installed.  I'm still experimenting with different cable combinations to see if I can tweak the sound to my liking.
 
Music files are a combination of redbook/hi-rez files from USB harddrive and Tidal lossless streaming.
 
Before the SDAC, I used a headless Mac Mini w/ Audirvana + USB-to-SPDIF converter to feed the Wadia 830.  The $800 SDAC essentially replaces $4K (total MSRP when available) worth of equipment, so it's not a fair comparison.  But hey, I never said the SDAC was overpriced or sounded bad...just that while it had great functionality, it sounded not all that dissimilar to other DACs in the $1K range.

 


So you are using the Sonica volume control? I have mine in bypass mode. Using a Sonus Faber Musica integrated amp driving Sonus Faber Cremona speakers & I am having a very different experience than bestcoast127 had ("it was like sticking hot ice picks in my ears"). Interconnects are all Audioquest Water & speaker cables are AQ Castlerock. Music is Redbook & various Hi Res flac files. It sounds very balanced, detailed & warm to me.

kev

 

[bestcoast127]

Kevin I forgot to mention that my main has Energy Veritas 1.8 speakers. These are notorious for being uber analytical. So when using my Tandbergs I am running a DAC, and preamp, an amp, and speakers that are all super detail oriented. Comes off with shrill highs using that combo. My Manley Stingray still has stock tubes. It (according to Manley) was built to be dynamic and detail oriented. I'm certain with the Sylvania tubes it will be either perfect or tube rolled too far into the warm zone as those Sylvania are nicknamedoing the "1939 Bing Crosby" of tubes. So the shrillness is not the fault of the Sonica but the synergy of the components. Systems with warm SS amps and/or speakers would benefit greatly from the Sonica. Just can't say I've owned much warm SS gear!

I'm using the Sonica for my headphone set up and I think it's all the way broken in. Sounds amazing and glad I kept it! Still waiting for Schiit to let me return the Bifrost Multibit so I took it out today to give it another listen before it goes back. Sonica is the far better choice to my ears...

Oh and with my set up the bypass mode is the best but only once it broke in. At first it had almost metallic highs. In variable volume it lost a tiny bit of highs and detail. So I used that for the first 2 days. Still has the same effect but now that she's broken in bypass all the way.

 

[nhtran1]

 

   
SDAC driving Balanced Audio Technology VK250 directly, which in turn power Magnepan 1.7s.  I used Nordost Blue Heaven XLR and speaker cables with the Wadia 830...had to swap those out for warmer sounding Cardas cables after the SDAC was installed.  I'm still experimenting with different cable combinations to see if I can tweak the sound to my liking.
 
Music files are a combination of redbook/hi-rez files from USB harddrive and Tidal lossless streaming.
 
Before the SDAC, I used a headless Mac Mini w/ Audirvana + USB-to-SPDIF converter to feed the Wadia 830.  The $800 SDAC essentially replaces $4K (total MSRP when available) worth of equipment, so it's not a fair comparison.  But hey, I never said the SDAC was overpriced or sounded bad...just that while it had great functionality, it sounded not all that dissimilar to other DACs in the $1K range.

 


So you are using the Sonica volume control? I have mine in bypass mode. Using a Sonus Faber Musica integrated amp driving Sonus Faber Cremona speakers & I am having a very different experience than bestcoast127 had ("it was like sticking hot ice picks in my ears"). Interconnects are all Audioquest Water & speaker cables are AQ Castlerock. Music is Redbook & various Hi Res flac files. It sounds very balanced, detailed & warm to me.

kev

Yes on volume control.  Not too worried about bit-shedding since the volume is normally w/i 75% of full gain.  Plus I like the simplicity...fewer boxes, cables and power cords to deal with (obsess over).
 
Love the Cremona's (both the floor standers and the Auditors).  A used pair would be at the top of my list if I went back to 'box'/dynamic speakers.  While Sonus Faber's current offerings are pleasant enough, they just don't quite capture the magic of the speakers developed when Franco Serblin ran the company.

 

[bugeyed]

Yes on volume control.  Not too worried about bit-shedding since the volume is normally w/i 75% of full gain.  Plus I like the simplicity...fewer boxes, cables and power cords to deal with (obsess over).
 
Love the Cremona's (both the floor standers and the Auditors).  A used pair would be at the top of my list if I went back to 'box'/dynamic speakers.  While Sonus Faber's current offerings are pleasant enough, they just don't quite capture the magic of the speakers developed when Franco Serblin ran the company.

 


Indeed, Franco was a special gift to the audio industry & those who enjoy the hobby. I could listen to the Cremonas all day without tiring & adding the Musica to the mix made for a magical combo. I feel like I should have a portrait of Mr. Serblin prominently displayed in the room. I plan to add a tube buffer into the system in the near future, but right now I just want to listen to this setup.
I'm a big planar fan. My first "real" speakers were Magnaplaner MG2a. Later had some M.L. SL3's, but the original Cremonas are keepers. Actually, I still have the Maggies. Had them rebuilt in the mid 90's. Last replacement panel Magnepan had.
At this stage of my hobby I am all for simplicity, hence the Musica integrated. I also just replaced all the wires & plan to add more robust power conditioning. It's all in the details now.
I am thinking about just getting a larger USB drive & ditch the DLNA media server 'cause I am having issues with the media server disconnecting from the Sonica app. Oppo engineer is working with me & it may be a Windows 10 thing. Actually, I have always resented having Windows be an element in my 2 channel system as well as WiFi, so local USB drive may make me feel better.

Regards,
kev

 

[fa02]

Support the SDAC finally gapless playback ? Has OPPO fixed this ?