[mcullinan]

What USB cables are you guys using? Mine should arrive next week some time.
 
I think its perceived too that without a big torroidal/transformer in the DAC box, the bass or meat of the music is light. Is that true of the Concero?
 
I also like the idea that I could use this as a low jitter feeder for future DACs.

 

[Nick Dangerous]

Quote:

What USB cables are you guys using? Mine should arrive next week some time.
 
I think its perceived too that without a big torroidal/transformer in the DAC box, the bass or meat of the music is light. Is that true of the Concero?
 
I also like the idea that I could use this as a low jitter feeder for future DACs.

 
I'm using the USB cable it arrived with.
 
I don't detect a lack of bass. It's neither weighty nor light. I rolled my tubes to finesse the lower frequencies from my rig.

 

[bjh00]

Sorry if this has been covered and somehow missed it but, does the Concero have an 'update' facility (via driver update perhaps) for the enhancements (e.g. DSD) that are being released for its big brother ([size=14.399999618530273px]Invicta)?[/size]

 

[Nick Dangerous]

Quote:

Sorry if this has been covered and somehow missed it but, does the Concero have an 'update' facility (via driver update perhaps) for the enhancements (e.g. DSD) that are being released for its big brother ([size=14.399999618530273px]Invicta)?[/size]

 
I don't know. I'd ask Mark about this (use the contact form).

 

[mcullinan]

Let us know what he says... it would be cool to be able to do DSD.. not that I have any yet.

 

[project86]

Quote:

Let us know what he says... it would be cool to be able to do DSD.. not that I have any yet.

 
I don't think the ES9023 is capable of handling DSD. In fact I'm certain it does not. They would have to release a new model with different hardware in order to make that happen. 

 

[bjh00]

"[size=small]Bryston BDA-1[/size]
[size=small] The Bryston, at its best, is very similar sounding to the Concero. The catch is that it takes very careful transport matching to get to that level - when using a mediocre source, it sounds merely good but not great. My Cambridge 840C is a prime example - using it as a transport, the BDA-1 doesn't really sound much better than the Cambridge's internal DAC. Different, yes, but not decisively better. Using my JF Digital HDM-03S music server brings things up several notches and shows the Bryston as having some real potential. The absolute best I've heard from it? Being fed by the Concero as DDC using the apodizing filter. "[/size]
[size=small]  [/size]
[size=small] That bit from the review hit me like a brick, a sort of "Ah Ha!, something really important being said here about selecting a DAC!", namely it seems to imply that given a "mediocre source" the result (sound quality) will be to a great degree depend upon the DAC selected. One particular DAC might perform up to, or close to, its best even with the "mediocre source", another DAC might not even hint at its potential.[/size]
[size=small]  [/size]
[size=small] That seems like a huge differentiating factor for DACs in general. Say I'm considering getting a DAC and planing to use my existing CD Player as transport. I have no idea if the CD Player as transport makes for a  mediocre source or an excellent source. Or maybe I was planning on selling a pricey CD Player (to help purchase the DAC) and replacing it with a cheap second hand CD (or DVD, or DB)  player as transport.[/size]
[size=small]  [/size]
[size=small] Problem is, in general, how would you know? ... how to qualify a DAC as a design that doesn't (v. does)  require a high quality transport.[/size]
[size=small]  [/size]

 

[Nick Dangerous]

Transport? CD? Are these things like VCR tapes?
 
I'm 100% computer based so I only have my laptop & HQ FLAC files to compare with. But it seems to yield consistent results when comparing DACs.

 

[bjh00]

LOL ... well a Cambridge 840C was mentioned so I assumed the comment was regarding the S/PDIF input.  

 

[mcullinan]

I had the BDA-1 and it is an excellent DAC. I always noticed a slight grain in the upper mids. I had the Dac for 2.5 years and replaced it with a Eximus DP-1.
My Concero ships today, for my upstairs system. Good to hear that a $600 Dac can reach BDA levels. Hopefully sans grain.

 

[Nick Dangerous]

Quote:

I had the BDA-1 and it is an excellent DAC. I always noticed a slight grain in the upper mids. I had the Dac for 2.5 years and replaced it with a Eximus DP-1.
My Concero ships today, for my upstairs system. Good to hear that a $600 Dac can reach BDA levels. Hopefully sans grain.

 
The Bifrost is grainy. Pretty obvious to my ears within 5 seconds of listening. No grain with the Concero. The signature has been described by many as sounding "clean", which I'd agree with.
 
Looking forward to your impressions.

 

[burnspbesq]

Quote:

What USB cables are you guys using? Mine should arrive next week some time.
 

WireWorld Starlight at home, Audioquest Evergreen at the office.  Love the WireWorld, but I have a long cable run at the office, so the more affordable Audioquest will have to do for now.

 

[project86]

Quote:

What USB cables are you guys using? Mine should arrive next week some time.
 
 

 
I normally use a Charleston Cable Company Auric USB but have also had good results from the budget NuForce Impulse. Honestly I wouldn't spend a ton on a USB cable. That's just me though. 
 
Quote:

[size=small] Problem is, in general, how would you know? ... how to qualify a DAC as a design that doesn't (v. does)  require a high quality transport.[/size]
[size=small]  [/size]

 
By listening to it? Seriously, that's not meant to be a snarky answer - just listen for a while and see what you think. You can obviously take some clues from general specs of the transport though: a $150 Blu-Ray player is clearly not geared towards high-quality, low jitter output. But it doesn't take thousands of dollars to get a good transport either - check Audiogon for a good (possibly older) CD player and that will usually do the trick. I currently see a bunch for reasonable prices that are likely to be nice - Creek, Marantz, Cambridge, Rega, Music Hall, Arcam, Quad, Rotel, etc. 
 
Quote:

I had the BDA-1 and it is an excellent DAC. I always noticed a slight grain in the upper mids. I had the Dac for 2.5 years and replaced it with a Eximus DP-1.
My Concero ships today, for my upstairs system. Good to hear that a $600 Dac can reach BDA levels. Hopefully sans grain.

 
I felt the Eximus was a bit on the darker side, and the Bryston was closer to neutral. So perhaps it's just a difference in the way we hear things. But still, Concero could be just the thing for you. Don't let my comparison ruin it for you - you might get it and think it sounds nothing like the Bryston. 

 

[Maxvla]

I got my Rotel cd transport from Audiogon for $150. It is about 10-15 years old and works great. Even reads cdr no problem.

 

[mcullinan]

Eximus is definitely a darker sound. The Bryston is more neutral but still in the warm sounding camp. It's a big mixture of whatever you have in your system. I have/ had both the Bryston and Eximus in an all tube system. Manley Mahi amps. Supratek preamp with Merlin VSM mx speakers that are fairly romantic sounding. So my system is far from neutral, but not so colored, like old school tubes might do. My second system is more neutral. The Concero shipped last Thursday should get it Tuesday I hope! Psyched.