[mrtim6]

Bought my resolution audio cantata music center second hand yesterday - paired it up last night with my Mac mini, Leben CS300XS and Zu Audio Soul Superflys - fantastic un-digital sounding dac/cd player, certainly agree with the organic/analogue assessment of the sound - certainly the performance increases once warmed up.
Plan to try my Fostex TH900 with this combo later tonight
 

 

[paradoxper]

Are any of you guys using the Cantata with SS amps. Specifically headamps, and more specifically the GS-X?
 
Tari, I know you had the GS-X for a minute, do you still have your Cantata?
 
Wish this thread would revive more! 

 

[Radio_head]

Sold my Cantata a while back.  I used it with the LL and KGSSHV which were both solid state, I think the only solid state headamp I had at the time was a Headroom Max.
 
I would be very hopeful of a Cantata/GS-X pairing - the GS-X does not work well with DACs like the Invicta or Mytek which lean towards the brighter end of the spectrum.  Whether this because it is some paragon of transparency or is just leans bright itself is just a matter of how you want to spin it.  Either way, the KGSSHV worked very well with the Cantata, which is closer to the warm/dark end of the spectrum while still being very transparent.  For the used prices its going for, its a great deal (unless you inexplicably need DSD - I've had 4 DSD Dacs now and I listen to precisely zero DSD files.)

 

[paradoxper]

Quote:

Sold my Cantata a while back.  I used it with the LL and KGSSHV which were both solid state, I think the only solid state headamp I had at the time was a Headroom Max.
 
I would be very hopeful of a Cantata/GS-X pairing - the GS-X does not work well with DACs like the Invicta or Mytek which lean towards the brighter end of the spectrum.  Whether this because it is some paragon of transparency or is just leans bright itself is just a matter of how you want to spin it.  Either way, the KGSSHV worked very well with the Cantata, which is closer to the warm/dark end of the spectrum while still being very transparent.  For the used prices its going for, its a great deal (unless you inexplicably need DSD - I've had 4 DSD Dacs now and I listen to precisely zero DSD files.)

I'd rely on your experience for insight on synergy, in which, was my ultimate hope.
 
I'm also really really tempted by the Invicta for how much of a value it seems be.
But looks are equally important to me and the Invicta doesn't fit the bill.
 
And nope, no interest in DSD whatsoever. Thanks.

 

[eugenius]

This player looks great but I have to say, cheap voltage regulators, J-level dac chips and the cheap slot-in cd transport  - I presume noisy too, since they're all noisy - seem out of place at this price level. Especially since the rest of the construction is so great.  Their tag-line: multiple sources, zero compromises is misleading though. Maybe there's room for a 10000$ version.
 
What are the used prices for it?

 

[bmichels]

Is this DAC a Chip based DAC or is it a R2R DAC ? 

 

[mrtim6]

I have paired the Cantanta with my Vintage solid state Sony TA-N7 VFET power amp and the combination is sublime- however I have only speakers hooked up to this combo.

I did also pair the cantanta with my japanese bakoon HDA5210 MK3 which sounded excellent with my TH900 however I listen to speakers a bit more these days than headphones at home - so the cantanta is staying with the Sony for time being.

 

[Anda]

  Is this DAC a Chip based DAC or is it a R2R DAC ? 

 6 moons:

The MC list of parts—music center or master of ceremonies?—includes an AKM AK4113VF S/PDIF receiver and Atmel AT91 MPU; four 24/96 vintage multi-bit BB PCM1704-J converter chips; a Xilinx Spartan field-programmable gate array; a BB/TI PGA2310 digitally actuated analog volume IC; two clocks for the 44.1/48kHz sample-rate families; a 24-bit/100MHz DSP chip; two Chinese PE65612 pulse transformers; two BB INA103 6MHz opamps to sum the symmetrical DAC outputs to single-ended for analog filtering and DC suppression (the final XLR outputs get an additional re-symmetrizing stage); two Takamisawa relays; Adum 1401 chip-based digital isolators; and seven positive/negative voltage regulators from On Semiconductor's LM337T/317T range. There are also four small toroidal power transformers, the usual caps and resistors and obvious sub partitions by means of discrete bays and compartments milled out of the solid aluminium cover stock cum heatsink (the outer scalloping is fully randomized and dissimilar from deck to deck).

 

 

[ShySugarDaddy]

Hi.. I got my cantata this morning, apparently after using it for an hour, it wont turn on anymore. anyone had this issue?
talk about bad luck...

 

[4N6]

Hi.. I got my cantata this morning, apparently after using it for an hour, it wont turn on anymore. anyone had this issue?
talk about bad luck...

Sorry to hear that. Did one of the fuse's blow?

 

[reverendo]

  Sold my Cantata a while back.  I used it with the LL and KGSSHV which were both solid state, I think the only solid state headamp I had at the time was a Headroom Max.
 
I would be very hopeful of a Cantata/GS-X pairing - the GS-X does not work well with DACs like the Invicta or Mytek which lean towards the brighter end of the spectrum.  Whether this because it is some paragon of transparency or is just leans bright itself is just a matter of how you want to spin it.  Either way, the KGSSHV worked very well with the Cantata, which is closer to the warm/dark end of the spectrum while still being very transparent.  For the used prices its going for, its a great deal (unless you inexplicably need DSD - I've had 4 DSD Dacs now and I listen to precisely zero DSD files.)

I honestly wouldn't be able to classify the Cantata as anything close to "dark" unless you compare it to something that has it's tonal balance tilted upwards. I do agree, though, that it has a very liquid and very, very transparent sound. OTOH, I use it in a stereo setup which is very neutral. A very important upgrade is changing the fuse to something better. In my case I went with HifiTuning Supreme. It immediately took away my yearning for an upgrade, since it gave me more depth and, above all, made my midrange more resolved and transparent. I not necessarily a believer in fuses, but in this equipment it made a very audible difference. go figure!

  This player looks great but I have to say, cheap voltage regulators, J-level dac chips and the cheap slot-in cd transport  - I presume noisy too, since they're all noisy - seem out of place at this price level. Especially since the rest of the construction is so great.  Their tag-line: multiple sources, zero compromises is misleading though. Maybe there's room for a 10000$ version.
 
What are the used prices for it?

Transport isn't really very important here, since the Cantata stores the whole CD before playing, so you actually don't have to deal with the problems of on-the-fly reading. I wouldn't be able to talk about your other observations, but the end result is nothing short of astonishing.
 

Hi.. I got my cantata this morning, apparently after using it for an hour, it wont turn on anymore. anyone had this issue?

talk about bad luck...

Take a look at the fuse. There's only one, btw.

 

[ShySugarDaddy]

Sorry to hear that. Did one of the fuse's blow?

Nope not a fuse.. apparently after sending it back to the local store. They were able to fix it by resetting a relay?! i don't know if that is a real thing... at-least its fixed.. hopefully them opening the cantata up didn't have a permanent effect on the sound  

 

[ShySugarDaddy]

Having tested the cantata i have a few gripes with it. (which i hope is an isolated case)
- Turning it on using the remote sometimes wont turn it on. requiring a hard restart every failure.
- It has a hard time feeding on the CD
- Sometimes it won't play at 192k. Fixated at 96k.
- Already sent it back to supplier because it won't turn on at all.
 
Ayayai... 

 

[reverendo]

  Having tested the cantata i have a few gripes with it. (which i hope is an isolated case)
- Turning it on using the remote sometimes wont turn it on. requiring a hard restart every failure.
- It has a hard time feeding on the CD
- Sometimes it won't play at 192k. Fixated at 96k.
- Already sent it back to supplier because it won't turn on at all.
 
Ayayai... 

Seems like you have a fautly unit. Items 1, 2 and 4 shouldn't be happening. Item 3 might be due to setup. I'd also get in touch with Resolution Audio. They're pretty fast in answering any inquiries.
Hope it works out all right.

 

[ShySugarDaddy]

  Seems like you have a fautly unit. Items 1, 2 and 4 shouldn't be happening. Item 3 might be due to setup. I'd also get in touch with Resolution Audio. They're pretty fast in answering any inquiries.
Hope it works out all right.

I think i may have a lemon. 3 and 4 seems to be fixed. haven't happened for a while now.