[zakazak]

The DS2 Ultra is an AKM-based DAC like the non-multibit Schiits.

So that means a Multibit Bifrost would be superior to the DS2 Ultra?

And then its kinda like Head Box DS2 B vs Ragnarok

 

[Left Channel]

So that means a Multibit Bifrost would be superior to the DS2 Ultra?

If your ears find the multibit superior. Everyone's ears are different. I'm all non-multibit Modi and Magni here now, plus some of the warmer NuPrime products.

And then its kinda like Head Box DS2 B vs Ragnarok

Kinda sorta. More like Head Box DS2 B + Amp Box DS2 vs. the Ragnarok headphone/speaker amp.

Not having heard them I don't know what to tell you, and I find the AKM chip in the DS2 Ultra very intruiging. But in general German and Austrian audio equipment is cooler and more resolving, French warmer and more forgiving, and American warm but loud and powerful. Or so a Taiwanese product manager once posted somewhere. He also said Chinese designs are warmer, Japanese more neutral/cool. But there are always exceptions.

 

[Tex Irie]

Pro-Ject and Schiit products all offer good sound quality. The difference is in sound signature. In general the Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital and the Pro-Ject Amp Box S2 are very different from Schiit products, with the former being more neutral and resolving, the latter smoother and more forgiving though the multibit DACs are less so.

The Pro-Ject DS2 line, which I have not heard, may be closer to Schiit in sound signature. I suspect the Felix tube amp is warm and forgiving too, simply because of the tubes and because many French products simply sound warmer than most, but I have not heard it either. I'm just a random person posting opinions on the Internet, after all.

Overall Pro-Ject has a good reputation, but you should do further research as some of their DACs have firmware bugs that have not yet been fixed. I do like their modern industrial design. Feel free to ask more questions about the S2D or any other specific model.

That is a great synopsis @Left Channel. I'm not really sure what kind of secret sauce Happens between the bimby and Jotunheim. But it sounds nothing like any of the previous DACs I had. It is A mesmerizing combination paired with a Planar Magnetic like the Hifiman HE560v2. So, thought it would be an interesting experiment to pair Pro-ject Prebox S2 Digital with the rest of my gear. I may just pick one up and document my findings.

 

[Left Channel]

That is a great synopsis @Left Channel. I'm not really sure what kind of secret sauce Happens between the bimby and Jotunheim. But it sounds nothing like any of the previous DACs I had. It is A mesmerizing combination paired with a Planar Magnetic like the Hifiman HE560v2. So, thought it would be an interesting experiment to pair Pro-ject Prebox S2 Digital with the rest of my gear. I may just pick one up and document my findings.

Looking forward to hearing your report! The Pro-Ject really is a different animal, not only in sound but also all the additional and highly un-Schitty tech: remote control, information display, filters, and support for DSD, MQA, and ultra-high PCM resolutions. If you do pick one up, see the summary of helpful hints in the Google Doc maintained by @Mark Dirac.

 

[Tex Irie]

Sweet! Greatly appreciated @Left Channel.

 

[Tex Irie]

Looking forward to hearing your report! The Pro-Ject really is a different animal, not only in sound but also all the additional and highly un-Schitty tech: remote control, information display, filters, and support for DSD, MQA, and ultra-high PCM resolutions. If you do pick one up, see the summary of helpful hints in the Google Doc maintained by @Mark Dirac.

Alright, so I just unboxed the S2 and hooked it up... This DAC is comically small in comparison to the scale of pictures online. Installing the drivers and I will test with the Schiit Jotunheim Amp and Hifiman Ananda's.

 

[Left Channel]

Alright, so I just unboxed the S2 and hooked it up... This DAC is comically small in comparison to the scale of pictures online. Installing the drivers and I will test with the Schiit Jotunheim Amp and Hifiman Ananda's.

Too bad you didn't see my photo! Here it is next to a Magni and Modi. Looking forward to your impressions.

First impression: this is small! Second impression: it works! Third impression (and more) still to come.

 

[Tex Irie]

Too bad you didn't see my photo! Here it is next to a Magni and Modi. Looking forward to your impressions.

Do you actually hear a noticeable sound improvement when using the power supply unit that comes with the S2 versus USB power alone?

 

[Left Channel]

Do you actually hear a noticeable sound improvement when using the power supply unit that comes with the S2 versus USB power alone?

Yes, I do hear an improvement! I also tried replacing that PSU with a linear PSU as recommended by the designer of this product, but heard no further improvement even though many others do. That may be because (a) I used a cheap linear wall wart or (b) the power in my recently constructed home is much cleaner than most.

More information:

[Edit: I've come back to this post three months later to update it so it remains useful.]

A note on external vs. USB power

The manual says we should use the included switching power supply for coaxial and optical input only, and when connected via USB we should not use the external supply.

In October 2017 the designer of this product, John Westlake, privately encouraged us to ignore that part of the manual and experiment with using external power adapters while connected via USB, for better sound quality. When an external adapter is connected, the device auto-switches from USB power to the adapter. All or most of us have found this improves the sound. This improvement has been greater than that provided by USB anti-jitter and/or USB power accessories.

In December 2017, he stated that we should do this only with a linear or battery power supply, to avoid possible noise from earth leakage currents. A number of users commented that they are seeing improvements and no problems using switching power supplies, including the stock adapter and the iFi iPower. However most of us are now using linear power supplies, ranging from cheap linear wall warts and phone battery packs to the UpTone LPS-1 and beyond.

In January 2018 Pro-Ject introduced two new products that meet those requirements: a battery PSU called the AccuBox S2 USB, and a linear supply called the PowerBox S2.

 

[ebjarrell]

I'm not sure if this question has been asked so I'll post it. With USB-C connections becoming more popular, will/does the S2D support USB-C connection?

 

[Left Channel]

I'm not sure if this question has been asked so I'll post it. With USB-C connections becoming more popular, will/does the S2D support USB-C connection?

To connect my phone to the S2D, I used a USB-C to USB-A adapter, then my usual USB A to B cable from there to the S2D. So in that sense the S2D already supports a USB-C connection.

I don't know if Pro-Ject will introduce future models of this or any DAC with a USB-C jack instead of USB-B. USB-C is more common in fully portable devices.

Having said that, I should point out that the new Schiit Modi 3, though a desktop device, now sports a USB-C input/power jack.

 

[ebjarrell]

@Left Channel ,I may buy one of these https://www.harveynorman.ie/tvs-hea...n-2.0-usb-c-to-usb-b-printer-cable-black.html just to experiment.

 

[Tex Irie]

Alright, So after a partial day of testing The S2/ Jotunheim Amp & Bimby/ Jotunheim Amp Stack combinations with the Hifiman Ananda... I can say the S2 Digital can hold its own against the Schiit Bifrost Multibit. The Bimby has a slight edge on sound stage and detail retrieval. Still testing with a variety of familiar songs across several genres. I like what I'm hearing so far. The only issue I encountered was the music stopping when I played MP3 or FLAC files from Windows Media Player. I believe someone mentioned a similar issue earlier in this thread. Has this issue been resolved. If so what was the remediation procedure?

 

[Tex Irie]

Also, I didn't reboot after installing my S2 Digital Drivers immediately. I encountered some difficulty rebooting and unplugged the USB cables I added recently. The S2 Digital was the culprit.

 

[Tex Irie]

Also, The S2 I didn't reboot after installing my S2 Digital Drivers immediately. I encountered some difficulty rebooting and unplugged the USB cables I added recently. The S2 Digital was the culprit.

I'm sure, I resolved my own issue by doing this. Brain burn in is real.. This little box is impressive when paired with the Jotunheim and a Planar Magnetic Headphone. Now to test the Optical input with my TV and gaming console.