[swt61]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thaddy I'd be interested in hearing how the D02A compares with the Zhaolu. Should be interesting...at least for those who own the Zhaolu with these same Ori mods. It seems like all of these units are unique because of the zillions of mods you can do. 003, look at the pictures again and see if you can spot what's hiding on his computer

Thaddy I can't can't help with the Ori Zhaolu/D02 comparison, but would love to compare the Zhaolooser101 with your Storm. I've been wanting to hear the Storm anyway, and I did miss that last meet.

Maybe a mini meet sometime soon?

 

[Thaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by swt61 Thaddy I can't can't help with the Ori Zhaolu/D02 comparison, but would love to compare the Zhaolooser101 with your Storm. I've been wanting to hear the Storm anyway, and I did miss that last meet. Maybe a mini meet sometime soon?

Hey I'm up for a meet anytime, but let's wait until the D02A gets delivered

That's the first thing I want to do when it comes in.

 

[JahJahBinks]

Could you tell me what parts were modded/replaced in the Ori Zhaolu?

 

[RogerWilco]

nice Jon L

Looks like your ready for fun now.

 

[n_maher]

How much were the "Ori" mods?

 

[Aldo_Lopez]

What is all of that stuff to the right of the headphone knob on the Zhaolu DAC? Does Ori add all of that with the mod?

 

[Thaddy]

It looks like a sticker to me.

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aldo_Lopez What is all of that stuff to the right of the headphone knob on the Zhaolu DAC? Does Ori add all of that with the mod?

That's just a silver sticker sayimg "D2 Discrete Output Stage by Oritek Audio."

As far as initial impressions, the thing that quickly becomes obvious is that Ori Modded Zhaolu ("OMZ") is extremely revealing and neutral. Greater recordings are sounding greater and poor recordings are sounding poorer. From some of the other posts, I was half-expecting a bit lean bass/midrange, but bass weight and impact is just about as close to what should be on the recording as possible, and midrange/low-midrange has ample quantity as well as stunning quality, which effortlessly presents every inflection/nuance of vocals and instruments. Treble seems to just present what's in your recording and audio chain; I can change the treble quite easily by swapping out a cable or an isolation foot ANYWHERE in the system.

The thing that will frustrate some people will be the general poor quality of recordings out there b/c they WILL sound exactly as they are recorded, which means some will sound nasty, compressed, "digital." On the positive side, recordings made with care will exhibit stunning levels of resolution, clarity, continuousness, and that 3D quality.

Another great DAC I had in my system was the Hagerman Chime DAC http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazin...logy_chime.htm
Being an all-tube design, even tube rectified, Chime is more forgiving of mass-market recordings, but it sounds a little less great on great recordings and a bit less poor on poor recordings compared to OMZ. I personally prefer the type of sound OMZ represents, which is IMO closer to what's on the master tape, but I would understand if someone else, especially if they don't have any tubes in the system, prefer the Chime.

I've got the OMZ running in 24/7 right now, and I know already I need to replace a certain power cord and possibly another cable to synergize my system. So more results to come.

 

[philodox]

Nice impressions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon L I've got the OMZ running in 24/7 right now, and I know already I need to replace a certain power cord and possibly another cable to synergize my system. So more results to come.

You may want to hook it up to a power conditioner as well. looser101 is modding swt61's Zhaoluy and has noticed that, like a lot of digital components including the Lavry Black DA10, there is a huge improvement when using the Zhaolu with a proper power conditioner.

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox Nice impressions. You may want to hook it up to a power conditioner as well. looser101 is modding swt61's Zhaoluy and has noticed that, like a lot of digital components including the Lavry Black DA10, there is a huge improvement when using the Zhaolu with a proper power conditioner.

Most definitely! I'm actually using XS Technology Strata battery-buffered "pure sine wave regenerator" for my power needs, modded by me, of course. I think the stock one cost like $1400 and is a wonderful product, but the company went belly up, unfortunately.

 

[JahJahBinks]

Why you have a variac?

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JahJahBinks Why you have a variac?

To slowly warm up my tube amp to prolong the life of my precious unobtanium tubes! Mainly, AVVT AV32B "super" 300B tube and National Union Grey Glass 6SN7GT.

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon L To slowly warm up my tube amp to prolong the life of my precious unobtanium tubes! Mainly, AVVT AV32B "super" 300B tube and National Union Grey Glass 6SN7GT.

QFT. My Melos has a warm up cycle like that, where the tubes are slowly brought up to speed. There's an LED light that blinks, and when the tubes are good to go, the LED clicks off, and the gorgeous sound kicks in!

 

[RogerWilco]

You are right on track with what i have been hearing Jon L.The right conditioner can add even more to the sound.

 

[003]

Would a conditioner even make a difference with a dac like the D02A, because it runs on battery power?