Resonessence Labs Concero discussion/review thead

[MacedonianHero]

  I am about to purchase the concero HP for my PS1000e. Is there no usb latency? I plan on watching movies/gaming with it.
Also do you think i may consider some other dac/amp or dac+amp which isn't very hard to move from a room to a room?

 
Excellent!
 
Absolutely zero USB latency with mine. 

 

[GustavMahler]

Great!
I just bought one for 490$. I can't wait to hear it!

 

[WCDchee]

New device by Resonessence Labs via twitter

I think it's the new battery powered dac amp, an addition to the Herus line that ark told me about

 

[Uberzone]

It's Ethernet in USB Audio host out, just plugged inline with Invicta and had a Streamer - answer on twitter

 

[GustavMahler]

Can the iBasso DX90 be used as a source for the Concero HP, Or i'll have to use my laptop?

 

[JWahl]

double post.

 

[JWahl]

Can the iBasso DX90 be used as a source for the Concero HP, Or i'll have to use my laptop?

Only If it has a coax digital output. The Concero coax can be used as an input if it is connected to usb power only

 

[GustavMahler]

Yes, It does have a coax out. The problem is i don't know if i can supply power to the Concero with the DX90's micro USB.
Can it power the Concero HP? This USB is used to connect the DX90 to the PC and also for using the DX90 as a DAC.
Thanks

 

[JWahl]

Yes, It does have a coax out. The problem is i don't know if i can supply power to the Concero with the DX90's micro USB.
Can it power the Concero HP? This USB is used to connect the DX90 to the PC and also for using the DX90 as a DAC.
Thanks

You would need a USB cable running from the Concero to a wall adapter like those used to charge phones, to power the Concero while using it's coax input. I don't think the dx90 usb would power it but I can't say for sure. It may even attempt to recognize its usb as a data input and disable the coax input. I think there is a way to bypass that but I can't remember. You'd have to check the manuals on their website.

 

[project86]

  It's Ethernet in USB Audio host out, just plugged inline with Invicta and had a Streamer - answer on twitter

 
 
Bingo! Not sure how far along they are with it, but this thing has tons of potential. Feeding USB out to a DAC is often the best possible way (as opposed to SPDIF which plenty of streamers do). SOtM had a similar product called SMS-100 but it was just discontinued because they could no longer source the motherboards for it. I imagine Resonessence Labs is probably building everything in-house so it may be a higher end device than the SMS-100 was. We'll see. 

 

[GustavMahler]

Can the CONCERO HP give enogh juice to the HD800?

 

[MacedonianHero]

  Can the CONCERO HP give enogh juice to the HD800?

 
It's not the be all and end all amp solution for the HD800s, but I find it does an admirable job with them.

 

[JWahl]

  Can the CONCERO HP give enogh juice to the HD800?

As I've posted earlier, I was quite surprised how well it matches with the HD800 for what it is.  I've heard them sound much worse.  Mostly the tonal balance, low level details, and transients out of the the Concero HP are great.  The amp drives it decently with surprising dynamics in classical music, but the strength is more in the DAC section, and the HD800 is especially critical of source.  I'm only selling mine because I have a very nice tube amp which should be repaired soon, and I'd rather have a DAC with RCA outputs to drive it.
 
Right now the Marantz HD-DAC1 is high on my curiosity list, but I'll be honestly surprised if it outright surpasses the Concero HP and isn't more of a lateral move.  If anyone happens to have compared the two, or owned a similar level Marantz SA/NA8005 and a Concero Model, comparisons would be greatly appreciated 

   My immediate assumption is a warmer signature with the Marantz but if can it least keep up in low level detail and sense of air and space, I'll be happy.
 
I've honestly ignored the Marantz sources for a long time because I used to focus too much on DAC chips and parts rather than engineering and implementation.  And the CS4398 hasn't exactly been FotM in a while.  But if anything, owning 2 Conceros has taught me what can be achieved with superior engineering working within a limited frame of size and parts.

 

[darknation]

Hey guys,
 
I recently purchased a Concero HP. Solid build quality and everything, but I'm experiencing weird - for lack of a better word - noise issues.
 
This isn't the usual background hiss that I get from my MacBook Air's DAC, which is quiet and constant, increasing or decreasing in volume when I change settings. What I'm hearing is noise that presents itself in intervals that become shorter (faster) when I change filters via the unit. It also doesn't become softer or louder with a volume change. And it doesn't go away when I mute the device through software.
 
The noise is very audible on softer tracks (e.g. classical piano) but disappears with most louder tracks.
 
I'm out of options. I will appreciate any advice.
 
Thanks.

 

[tomscy2000]

  This isn't the usual background hiss that I get from my MacBook Air's DAC, which is quiet and constant, increasing or decreasing in volume when I change settings. What I'm hearing is noise that presents itself in intervals that become shorter (faster) when I change filters via the unit. It also doesn't become softer or louder with a volume change. And it doesn't go away when I mute the device through software. The noise is very audible on softer tracks (e.g. classical piano) but disappears with most louder tracks.

 
Very audible? Strange. You may want to contact R-Labs. The HP does have periodic noise that seems like transformer noise, but it's ultra-faint (audible only with very sensitive IEMs when not playing any music), and I've never experienced it getting faster or slower in frequency. Do you have really, really sensitive hearing?