[twsmith]

   
 
Not at the moment. I imagine the Resonessence team could enable this if demand was there. It's an interesting idea, but probably best for people who connect a monitor to their system. Browsing through a 128GB SD card is tricky enough on the OLED display - a 2TB hard drive would take ages. 

I use SD cards exclusively on my Invicta and find them quite convenient to use.  However I would agree that browsing using the OLED display can be cumbersome in large capacity cards (presently I use only 64GB cards), but have managed to deal with this fairly effectively by creating subfolders.  It has been said the 2TB SD cards could in theory be produced, although it's unclear if or when this would actually happen.  My greatest concern with using a very high capacity SD-type card (greater than 128GB) would be the possibility of card instability or failure.  I've never experienced this with the SD cards I use with my Invicta, however I did have this problem in an DSLR camera.  I have been curious about the possibility of using an external hard drive via the USB input on the Invicta/Mirus, and it would be an option that I might want to consider at some point (maybe).  Using sub and sub-subdirectories, I think I could fairly easily navigate 1-2TB of files even on the OLED display.   I would probably prefer that option over using a very high capacity SD card but presently I really have no problems at all using multiple smaller SD cards.   

 

[bmichels]

Not at the moment. I imagine the Resonessence team could enable this if demand was there. It's an interesting idea, but probably best for people who connect a monitor to their system. Browsing through a 128GB SD card is tricky enough on the OLED display - a 2TB hard drive would take ages. 

So best will be an iPad app to manage the playing from the SD ( or HD).

With those 256Gb SD Card available now, this will be a welcome BIG upgrade ( this will need a Bluetooth dongle on the USB port on the back). )

 

[Yoga]

Apologies if this has been asked before (it's a long thread!).
 
How does this pair with LCD-3Fs?

 

[project86]

Back when I had the original Invicta around (v1, non-Mirus) I was using it with adaptor for balanced headphone out, powering an LCD-3 non-Fazor. It sounded quite good indeed. By the time LCD-3F came around I no longer had that Invicta but I imagine the result would not be far off. 
 
I now use the Invicta Mirus feeding one of my amps which then powers the LCD-3F, and it's even better. But for an all in one compact solution I suspect the non-Mirus would be very satisfying - especially in balanced mode. 

 

[Yoga]

  Back when I had the original Invicta around (v1, non-Mirus) I was using it with adaptor for balanced headphone out, powering an LCD-3 non-Fazor. It sounded quite good indeed. By the time LCD-3F came around I no longer had that Invicta but I imagine the result would not be far off. 
 
I now use the Invicta Mirus feeding one of my amps which then powers the LCD-3F, and it's even better. But for an all in one compact solution I suspect the non-Mirus would be very satisfying - especially in balanced mode. 

Thank you! Always valued your experience and opinion.

I've opted for the Schiit Ragnarok for the amp, it'll drive LDC-3Fs and HD800s exceedingly well (balanced), but also my KEF LS50s. A rather versatile (and relatively cheap) machine. So that gives me wiggle room for the DAC. I have the Hugo at the moment, but am tempted by the Yggy (however it is spelt) and the Mirus.

 

[project86]

All good choices, you can't really go wrong there.

I personally think the Hugo, amazing little bugger that it is, can be bested by some of the better desktop units out here. Hugo is excellent and sounds amazing for the size but to my ears it is not a miracle device. Mirus, to me, is a significant step above, and I would not be at all surprised if the Yggy end up being superior as well.

 

[Yoga]

All good choices, you can't really go wrong there.

I personally think the Hugo, amazing little bugger that it is, can be bested by some of the better desktop units out here. Hugo is excellent and sounds amazing for the size but to my ears it is not a miracle device. Mirus, to me, is a significant step above, and I would not be at all surprised if the Yggy end up being superior as well.

 
The Hugo will be returned for sure. Yggy is the top contender, it's obviously built to partner the Rag. Thanks again!

 

[bmichels]

Dear All, 
 
I am in the final stage of choosing a DAC to replace my HUGO to feed my Eddie Curent 445 tube headphone AMP.  
 
I have TH900, ED5 and soon LCD-X (which is amazing with my 445)
 
The EC445 do not really have a Tube signature, but rather something between tube & SS.  But it is VERY precise and resolving. So, I need to find a DAC that will bring some warm & silk to it WITHOUT loosing the precision/resolution of the EC445.
 
For this reason I was looking at several R2R dacs like the TotalDac D1 or Yggy  (HUGO is very precise but do not bring any "life & warm" IMO)
 
 
So I was about to buy ARIES or AURENDER + TotalDAC D1 when I remembered this Resonessence invicta & saw this AK500 !
 
Indeed.... I am tempted by a "transportable" solution (from rooms to rooms & to the WK house) like the Invicta or ...the AK500n, but I do not want this at the price of inferior SQ:  I will use it stand alone on the go, or feeded by a streamer (Auralic/Aurender) and driving my tube amp at home.
 
 
So, my questions :
 
- Does the Invicta offer a "warm but resolving" type of sound signature to match my EC445 ?  ESS is not always known for this  and my HUGO is too dry !
 
- Does the increased SQ on the Mirus worth loosing the headphone out ? (No rumors of a "super invicta" with double ESS chip & Headphone out ?  

 
- IS it really a BIG setp-up from the HUGO.
 
- IS is it a...step down from a TotalDAC D1 or Yggy or MSB Analog DAC ?
 
 
thanks for your advice
 
 
 
  +  ?

 

[project86]

Good questions! Let's see....
 
*"Warm but resolving" is difficult to define, as your version of "warm" may not be the same as mine. All I can say is that the Mirus seems (again, to my ears) like the closest approximation to live music I've encountered. The experience of real instruments played in the room with you is NOT the thin, ethereal, wispy sound we in audiophile land sometimes make it out to be. An uber detailed, analytical, sterile system (maybe with an HD800 involved) might be interesting but for me, it's not viable long term.... and is not necessarily realistic. Mirus has more meat, a more fleshy tone to it, which seems to better capture the nuances I look for as being "real". All this without skewing response too far to the warm side.
 
*If you want to use a nice outboard amp - and your 445 certainly qualifies - I see no reason to not go Mirus. The built-in headphone amp is excellent but when you have a $1k+ external amp sitting there I can't see why you wouldn't use it. Obviously this changes if you intend to have an all-in-one setup, or use a really colored amp and want the internal version to have as a more neutral alternative. But I don't think that applies to you, unless that's what you mean when you mentioned having a transportable system. 
 
*BIG step up from Hugo? "Big" is again hard to define. But I think I hear the Hugo similar to the way you hear it, and I prefer the Invicta by a clear margin. Especially for longer term listening. 
 
*Unfortunately I have not heard the D1 or the MSB Analog. And the Schiit is not really available yet, despite beta products that people have heard (not me). I did compare Mirus to the MSB Platinum DAC III and thought the Invicta was very obviously superior. But I don't know how the (slightly older) Platinum DAC III compares to the Analog. I will say the Mirus stacks up well to other, more expensive DACs from Esoteric, MBL, Calyx, and Meitner to name just a few. 
 
Ultimately I'd say you should really find some way of trying it out in your own system. That's the only way to know for sure. 
 
I don't know much about that AK500N other than the price seems suspiciously high for what it is. Aurender, Lumin, etc offer a lot more bang for the buck, unless I'm missing something. 

 

[bmichels]

  Good questions! Let's see....
 
*"Warm but resolving" is difficult to define, as your version of "warm" may not be the same as mine. All I can say is that the Mirus seems (again, to my ears) like the closest approximation to live music I've encountered. The experience of real instruments played in the room with you is NOT the thin, ethereal, wispy sound we in audiophile land sometimes make it out to be. An uber detailed, analytical, sterile system (maybe with an HD800 involved) might be interesting but for me, it's not viable long term.... and is not necessarily realistic. Mirus has more meat, a more fleshy tone to it, which seems to better capture the nuances I look for as being "real". All this without skewing response too far to the warm side.
 
*If you want to use a nice outboard amp - and your 445 certainly qualifies - I see no reason to not go Mirus. The built-in headphone amp is excellent but when you have a $1k+ external amp sitting there I can't see why you wouldn't use it. Obviously this changes if you intend to have an all-in-one setup, or use a really colored amp and want the internal version to have as a more neutral alternative. But I don't think that applies to you, unless that's what you mean when you mentioned having a transportable system. 
 
*BIG step up from Hugo? "Big" is again hard to define. But I think I hear the Hugo similar to the way you hear it, and I prefer the Invicta by a clear margin. Especially for longer term listening. 
 
*Unfortunately I have not heard the D1 or the MSB Analog. And the Schiit is not really available yet, despite beta products that people have heard (not me). I did compare Mirus to the MSB Platinum DAC III and thought the Invicta was very obviously superior. But I don't know how the (slightly older) Platinum DAC III compares to the Analog. I will say the Mirus stacks up well to other, more expensive DACs from Esoteric, MBL, Calyx, and Meitner to name just a few. 
 
Ultimately I'd say you should really find some way of trying it out in your own system. That's the only way to know for sure. 
 
I don't know much about that AK500N other than the price seems suspiciously high for what it is. Aurender, Lumin, etc offer a lot more bang for the buck, unless I'm missing something. 

 
thanks for your detailled answer.
 
It is funny how people have different perceptions of what they hear: obviously you find the Invicta very "realistic & musical", while I read others find it "too digital".  But may be they are influenced by the reputation of the ESS chip when it is poorly implemented  ? 
 
It is increadible that you feel the Invicta is better than a $ 20.000 MSB Platinium solution ! This is quite an achievement ! 

 
Now, Re Mirus or not, what I ment is that it will be a big "plus" for me to ALSO be able to take the Invicta + my LCD-X in a suitcase and have a complete portable solution to carry to my Week-End's house or hotel (or in another room).   When I am near my ED445 I will of course use it for sure.
 
but...as you say, now I need to find a way to hear it.  All the rest is just theory & assumptions based on other's perceptions & ears which may differ from mine 

 
 
 
 
BTW, have you heard the Abbingdon Music Research DP-777 ? With it's tubes and his dual DAC chip (one for reedbook and one for High-res) it seems to be very "musical" in the way I like ?  and they will come "soon" with an improved SE version.

 

[twsmith]

 
Now, Re Mirus or not, what I ment is that it will be a big "plus" for me to ALSO be able to take the Invicta + my LCD-X in a suitcase and have a complete portable solution to carry to my Week-End's house or hotel (or in another room).   When I am near my ED445 I will of course use it for sure.
 

 
Since you would like to have the option of using your dac as a portable device, I think the Invicta rather Mirus is definitely the way to go -- this way you get the best of both.  For what it's worth, I have a first generation Invicta (with internal headphone amp), and am presently using it to feed an external amp with fantastic results.   I always thought the internal HP amp was pretty darn good but using a really good external amp does make a difference.  The output of the Invicta, even thought it lacks the dual ES9018 dac chips of the Mirus, is good enough that for a lot of folks, it may be difficult to hear a difference between the Invicta and Mirus feeding an external amp.   

 

[bmichels]

   
Since you would like to have the option of using your dac as a portable device, I think the Invicta rather Mirus is definitely the way to go -- this way you get the best of both.  For what it's worth, I have a first generation Invicta (with internal headphone amp), and am presently using it to feed an external amp with fantastic results.   I always thought the internal HP amp was pretty darn good but using a really good external amp does make a difference.  The output of the Invicta, even thought it lacks the dual ES9018 dac chips of the Mirus, is good enough that for a lot of folks, it may be difficult to hear a difference between the Invicta and Mirus feeding an external amp.   

 
thanks for this answer.  I also believe that most people (at least me will not easily hear a difference between invicta & mirus in "normal" listening conditions.
 
little question: are the ALAC (apple loosless) files supported for SD Card playback, or only FLAC ?  (80% of my library is ALAC)
 
and, like "project86", do you feel that the sound signature of the Invicta is NOT "too digital" like many people seems to believe ? will you define it as analytical or instead rather lay-back/musical
 
thanks

 

[arnaud]

   
thanks for this answer.  I also believe that most people (at least me will not easily hear a difference between invicta & mirus in "normal" listening conditions.
 
little question: are the ALAC (apple loosless) files supported for SD Card playback, or only FLAC ?  (80% of my library is ALAC)
 
and, like "project86", do you feel that the sound signature of the Invicta is NOT "too digital" like many people seems to believe ? will you define it as analytical or instead rather lay-back/musical
 
thanks

If you can hold on the purchase for another few weeks, I may be able to compare the D1-dual to Invicta. We're trying to organise a meet locally to compare stat gear (BHSE / Electra / KGST, SR007/009) and one of us has an Invicta, I would have the D1-dual.
 
 
All I can say is that there's no way you'd get disappointed by the D1 and I did like the Invicta from the few occasions I heard it. The D1 is special though, very special, starting from the price 

 

[bmichels]

 
If you can hold on the purchase for another few weeks, I may be able to compare the D1-dual to Invicta. We're trying to organise a meet locally to compare stat gear (BHSE / Electra / KGST, SR007/009) and one of us has an Invicta, I would have the D1-dual.
 
 
All I can say is that there's no way you'd get disappointed by the D1 and I did like the Invicta from the few occasions I heard it. The D1 is special though, very special, starting from the price 

 
For sure, I will be very interested in your testing.   Don't want to held your meet in Belgium ? 

 
in the mean time, do you know if  ALAC is supported for SD playback ? 
 
 
Also, I hope to be able to hear soon Abbingdon Music Research's  AMR DP-777 (the NEW SE edition). This one also should be "smooth" with ut's tubes and it's 2 DAC chips (a 16 bits Philips for redboow and another for high-res files)

 

[project86]

   
thanks for your detailled answer.
 
It is funny how people have different perceptions of what they hear: obviously you find the Invicta very "realistic & musical", while I read others find it "too digital".  But may be they are influenced by the reputation of the ESS chip when it is poorly implemented  ? 
 
It is increadible that you feel the Invicta is better than a $ 20.000 MSB Platinium solution ! This is quite an achievement ! 

 
Now, Re Mirus or not, what I ment is that it will be a big "plus" for me to ALSO be able to take the Invicta + my LCD-X in a suitcase and have a complete portable solution to carry to my Week-End's house or hotel (or in another room).   When I am near my ED445 I will of course use it for sure.
 
but...as you say, now I need to find a way to hear it.  All the rest is just theory & assumptions based on other's perceptions & ears which may differ from mine 

 
 
 
 
BTW, have you heard the Abbingdon Music Research DP-777 ? With it's tubes and his dual DAC chip (one for reedbook and one for High-res) it seems to be very "musical" in the way I like ?  and they will come "soon" with an improved SE version.

 
 
Yes, lots of factors go into our opinions (mine included). Some people have a special "thing" for the ESS chips, being overly positive or overly negative based on reputation. I recall similar for Wolfson not long ago - "Wolfson is always smooth" said the masses, not realizing how many other factors go into determining the final sound sig. Before that it was Burr-Brown having a certain sound no matter what. I typically dismiss anyone who thinks like that as being too inexperienced to have a worthwhile opinion. 
 
I have not heard the DP-777. It's been one of several devices on my "want to try" list for a while now. Just so busy with other stuff that I haven't had time left over. I know a few people who swear by it. 
 
 

   
Since you would like to have the option of using your dac as a portable device, I think the Invicta rather Mirus is definitely the way to go -- this way you get the best of both.  For what it's worth, I have a first generation Invicta (with internal headphone amp), and am presently using it to feed an external amp with fantastic results.   I always thought the internal HP amp was pretty darn good but using a really good external amp does make a difference.  The output of the Invicta, even thought it lacks the dual ES9018 dac chips of the Mirus, is good enough that for a lot of folks, it may be difficult to hear a difference between the Invicta and Mirus feeding an external amp.   

 
 
This does seem a reasonable approach, despite what I said earlier. If you'll use the internal amp on a somewhat regular basis, then definitely get that version. It still sound sublime. 
 
 

 
If you can hold on the purchase for another few weeks, I may be able to compare the D1-dual to Invicta. We're trying to organise a meet locally to compare stat gear (BHSE / Electra / KGST, SR007/009) and one of us has an Invicta, I would have the D1-dual.
 
 
All I can say is that there's no way you'd get disappointed by the D1 and I did like the Invicta from the few occasions I heard it. The D1 is special though, very special, starting from the price 

 
 
Sounds fun! I look forward to hearing the results. In cases like these I suspect there are no hard and fast "winners" or "losers", only different flavors. I recently compared my KGSShv to a KGST and came away impressed, but still happy that I went the direction I did. If I preferred the SR-009 rather than my 007 and 4070 I might feel differently.