DeBilbao
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 20, 2003
- Posts
- 149
- Likes
- 185
I'm a hardcore fan of the Sennheiser HD 650's and I like a lot how they present the sound, and the combination with my Rega EAR MKII headphone amplifier is pure music to my ears. Both are keepers in my setup, but the DAC chapter is something that I've been trying to improve lately, with the acquisition of a Topping DX7 Pro to improve my all-rounder iFi nano iDSD.
The Topping DX7 Pro is spectacular and the amount of detail and microdetail you can retrieve from the recordings is amazing, but this amount of detail is excessive to my taste, as I'm also fan of a full-bodied sound, more analog-like.
A friend said to me: "maybe you're a fan of the Rega sound", and I got a Rega DAC-R borrowed to make a test and a full comparison with my DAC devices, adding even the Asus Xonar Essence STX that I use with my Audioengine A2 active speakers.
After taking a lot of notes during a thorough testing that last a few days, changing DACs and listening to my favourite albums with the Rega EAR MKII and the Sennheiser HD 650's , my results were conclusive: the Rega DAC won the competition (9/10), followed by the Asus Xonar Essence (8,5/10), the Topping DX7 Pro (7,5/10) and the iFi nano iDSD (5/10).
I'm 100% sure that if I ask a bunch of people to do the same, the Topping DX7 Pro will go first for almost anyone, even with more than 9 points out of 10, but this are my ears and my taste.
So knowing that I'm a Rega fan, I've started looking for a Rega DAC to have my system complete. I've found it and I can't be happier with the combination, which stays as definitive on my desk. I will leave my iDSD nano as a backup, but the Topping DX7 Pro will be on sale and it will be a good opportunity for whoever wants to get one.
If you want to go to the market for a Rega DAC, you must know that Rega has had three types of DACs in their product line: the original Rega DAC, an identical Rega DAC but with an IEC connector and the larger box so it would be the same size as the Rega Brio amplifier it complemented, and the Rega DAC-R which has the same large box size and basically adds a USB input that supports signals up to 24bit/192kHz and a remote control.
Second-hand market prices for the Rega DAC-R are much higher than those of the Rega DAC, and finally I've decided to buy a unit of the first model, with the shorter box, which it's not only cheaper, but notably smaller and looks much better on my desk.
The sound offered by the USB input of this Rega DAC is superb, and although I don't have the Rega DAC-R that I borrowed, I would say that it is even better than the one I have in my recent memory, although I could be wrong. It is designed for 16bit and 44.1kHz signals, which is the standard for the classical Red Book CD format and what I have as 99.9% of my music collection.
It doesn't offer ASIO support, and has to be configured via WASAPi and with a depth of 16bits in the output. With both foobar2000 and MusicBee the result of the DAC + amplifier set is fabulous. I guess the synergy between both makes sense since they are from the same manufacturer.
To be able to listen to the few high resolution albums in my music library or enjoy the Tidal "Masters" that normally go to 24/96, I use the coaxial digital input with a USB to SPDIF adapter from m2Tech, the hiFace model that had such a good reputation a few years ago. It only goes up to 24/192 but that's the limit of the Rega DAC so it fits perfectly. It's simple and only does what I need to do, transport the signal it receives from the USB port to the digital domain of the SPDIF interface, which is terminated on an RCA connector and which I have connected with a 75ohm coaxial cable.
The sound of the coaxial digital input with the hiFace is very, very good, and it doesn't have ASIO support either, having to use WASAPI to achieve bit-perfect reproduction. Also, I tried using ASIO4ALL and was able to configure both the hiFace and the Rega DAC USB input with ASIO instead of WASAPI without any problems.
With the hiFace I've found two problems: the first is that if when I use it with TIDAL, it uses the Windows 10 internal WASAPI drivers and if I configure it in exclusive mode I get a nice blue screen. If I leave it in a shared mode it works perfectly, but it's not the right thing. I've checked it and it seems to be a problem of WASAPI implementation in Windows 10, a bit buggy. Another problem is related with macOS, as m2tech does not have drivers for the hiFace supporting macOS Catalina and I can't use it with my MacBook Pro. Not a problem because this rig will be connected to my main PC with Windows 10 and not with macOS.
All the tests I've done have left me with a big smile, knowing that you've got it right and that you're finally finding that sound you like.
Rega DAC > Rega EAR MKII > Sennheiser HD 650... and enjoy the music!
My last session revisiting the album "The Street Swingers" has been incredible. Originally recorded in 1957 and released on vinyl in 1963 by Kimberly, and later re-released in 2009 on CD by Lone Hill Jazz with the addition of a bonus album entitled "The Dual Role of Brookmeyer", it has a great sound and wonderfully harmonious performances. Bob Brookmeyer's valve trombone sounds sweet and Jim Hall and Jimmy Raney's guitars are improvising non-stop, accompanied by Bill Crow's bass and Osie Johnson's drumsticks as a perfect rhythm section.
You can concentrate on the tune, or you can focus on the interpretation of each one, because the layers are very clear and there is a lot of air and space between instruments, presented with good texture, realistic timbre and good tonal balance. Credit goes to the recording session, but undoubtly the Rega combination is capable of presenting everything with impressive realism and smoothness.
The Topping DX7 Pro is spectacular and the amount of detail and microdetail you can retrieve from the recordings is amazing, but this amount of detail is excessive to my taste, as I'm also fan of a full-bodied sound, more analog-like.
A friend said to me: "maybe you're a fan of the Rega sound", and I got a Rega DAC-R borrowed to make a test and a full comparison with my DAC devices, adding even the Asus Xonar Essence STX that I use with my Audioengine A2 active speakers.
After taking a lot of notes during a thorough testing that last a few days, changing DACs and listening to my favourite albums with the Rega EAR MKII and the Sennheiser HD 650's , my results were conclusive: the Rega DAC won the competition (9/10), followed by the Asus Xonar Essence (8,5/10), the Topping DX7 Pro (7,5/10) and the iFi nano iDSD (5/10).
I'm 100% sure that if I ask a bunch of people to do the same, the Topping DX7 Pro will go first for almost anyone, even with more than 9 points out of 10, but this are my ears and my taste.
So knowing that I'm a Rega fan, I've started looking for a Rega DAC to have my system complete. I've found it and I can't be happier with the combination, which stays as definitive on my desk. I will leave my iDSD nano as a backup, but the Topping DX7 Pro will be on sale and it will be a good opportunity for whoever wants to get one.
If you want to go to the market for a Rega DAC, you must know that Rega has had three types of DACs in their product line: the original Rega DAC, an identical Rega DAC but with an IEC connector and the larger box so it would be the same size as the Rega Brio amplifier it complemented, and the Rega DAC-R which has the same large box size and basically adds a USB input that supports signals up to 24bit/192kHz and a remote control.
Second-hand market prices for the Rega DAC-R are much higher than those of the Rega DAC, and finally I've decided to buy a unit of the first model, with the shorter box, which it's not only cheaper, but notably smaller and looks much better on my desk.
The sound offered by the USB input of this Rega DAC is superb, and although I don't have the Rega DAC-R that I borrowed, I would say that it is even better than the one I have in my recent memory, although I could be wrong. It is designed for 16bit and 44.1kHz signals, which is the standard for the classical Red Book CD format and what I have as 99.9% of my music collection.
It doesn't offer ASIO support, and has to be configured via WASAPi and with a depth of 16bits in the output. With both foobar2000 and MusicBee the result of the DAC + amplifier set is fabulous. I guess the synergy between both makes sense since they are from the same manufacturer.
To be able to listen to the few high resolution albums in my music library or enjoy the Tidal "Masters" that normally go to 24/96, I use the coaxial digital input with a USB to SPDIF adapter from m2Tech, the hiFace model that had such a good reputation a few years ago. It only goes up to 24/192 but that's the limit of the Rega DAC so it fits perfectly. It's simple and only does what I need to do, transport the signal it receives from the USB port to the digital domain of the SPDIF interface, which is terminated on an RCA connector and which I have connected with a 75ohm coaxial cable.
The sound of the coaxial digital input with the hiFace is very, very good, and it doesn't have ASIO support either, having to use WASAPI to achieve bit-perfect reproduction. Also, I tried using ASIO4ALL and was able to configure both the hiFace and the Rega DAC USB input with ASIO instead of WASAPI without any problems.
With the hiFace I've found two problems: the first is that if when I use it with TIDAL, it uses the Windows 10 internal WASAPI drivers and if I configure it in exclusive mode I get a nice blue screen. If I leave it in a shared mode it works perfectly, but it's not the right thing. I've checked it and it seems to be a problem of WASAPI implementation in Windows 10, a bit buggy. Another problem is related with macOS, as m2tech does not have drivers for the hiFace supporting macOS Catalina and I can't use it with my MacBook Pro. Not a problem because this rig will be connected to my main PC with Windows 10 and not with macOS.
All the tests I've done have left me with a big smile, knowing that you've got it right and that you're finally finding that sound you like.
Rega DAC > Rega EAR MKII > Sennheiser HD 650... and enjoy the music!
My last session revisiting the album "The Street Swingers" has been incredible. Originally recorded in 1957 and released on vinyl in 1963 by Kimberly, and later re-released in 2009 on CD by Lone Hill Jazz with the addition of a bonus album entitled "The Dual Role of Brookmeyer", it has a great sound and wonderfully harmonious performances. Bob Brookmeyer's valve trombone sounds sweet and Jim Hall and Jimmy Raney's guitars are improvising non-stop, accompanied by Bill Crow's bass and Osie Johnson's drumsticks as a perfect rhythm section.
You can concentrate on the tune, or you can focus on the interpretation of each one, because the layers are very clear and there is a lot of air and space between instruments, presented with good texture, realistic timbre and good tonal balance. Credit goes to the recording session, but undoubtly the Rega combination is capable of presenting everything with impressive realism and smoothness.
