[hmorneau]

Thanks for the response. Really. Some of this stuff is still very greek to me. So, basically I need a DAC with balanced XLR outs, yeah?

I'm looking at...hell, I don't know how much cash, but finding the right DAC, that's transparent enough - not colored too much - detailed enough - will be a search on its own. * sigh * Maybe I'll just send all of this stuff back, because my Aune T1 rocks! I just don't think I'm getting all I can get from my cans with it.

Yeah, sorry I edited my reply while you were replying. I was still doing more research and I found some of my assumption were wrong/incomplete. But I'm basically saying that it's worst then I first expected, and it doesn't solve your issue.
 
I did drive the auditor with my sound card when I got it, but the result was poor, and the sound quality was exactly like when my headphone were connected directly to the computer (which is logical, since an amp should only amplify what is there, nothing more, nothing less), and it was not very loud (like what you experiment). The only improvement was maybe in the bass, where the sound card was distording under the load, the SPL fixed that (since the input of an amp use way less current then the headphone themself and the SPL have way more power on tap) Then I got a DAC with XLR output and a big change.
 
Now I have read a bit more about DAC, and I start to believe that there is not much difference between them. A transparent DAC don't need to be expensive. If some DAC sound warmer then other, it's because they colour the sound instead of simply converting digital to analog. But still, a DAC with XLR output are pretty expensive (probably since less common, more complex and they come with lot of input and output type that add to the complexity as well, so to the cost). Anyway, I went with the lower costing one I could find, and at that time it was a W4S DAC2 that I found for sale on the forum (got it for $1000 but with shipping and duty tax since I'm from Canada it was more like $1200). 
 
Does it worth it? Yes, if you want a transparent sound, but with your headphone (who are very transparent as well) I don't think you will be pleased, with my LCD-3F it sound amazing. They sound crystal clear on all the frequency spectrum at any listening volume. 

 

[HaVoC-28]

Okay, I got my Auditor today. Gave it a listen, driving my HD800s...and it doesn't DRIVE!

Volume is very low. In fact, cranking it up all the way doesn't get there.

Now, previously I had been going from my computer to Aune T1 USB DAC, with gain on 20db and I could barely go past 12 'o clock with the volume. On my PC I'm sending all 0s and 1s through WASAPI bit perfect, using J river or Foobar. Sounds nice...and I'm going 24/96 wav and flac (for what it's worth).

So, now with the Auditor I'm using the same setup, but this time going from the RCA of my DAC into dual male XLR on the Auditor. Yes, it is still dead quiet with the Auditor. No kooky noises. It is unbalanced, sure, but from my understanding, the difference between balanced and unbalanced is only 10 db on the Auditor. It's set to 115v, plugged right into the wall socket. Never a problem with the socket.

But wait! There's more! Now I go from the 3.5mm LO on my IBasso DX90 to dual XLR and the same thing. Even with the DX90 cranked to max. Same low sound.

In both cases it is bypassing the internal amps. The longest cable is 6ft.

Could it be that I am using single RCA to XLR cables, instead of a one-piece Y cable? I wouldn't think so. Any ideas?

 
 
Something is wrong . when i used SPL Auditor with onboard sound card wich line out output was 1.7vrms on my Beyer DT-880 600 the knob was around -19dB and i reduced the volume also in foobar beetween -18 dB to 0db depending on the track .  With the ODAC at 2.0 vrms it was around -24 dB . A-GD NFB-17.32  = -35dB (XLR) .
 
Yes with XLR it get louder but ...you should have plenty of volume even with RCA or jack 3.5 .

 

[EVOLVIST]

   
 
Something is wrong . when i used SPL Auditor with onboard sound card wich line out output was 1.7vrms on my Beyer DT-880 600 the knob was around -19dB and i reduced the volume also in foobar beetween -18 dB to 0db depending on the track .  With the ODAC at 2.0 vrms it was around -24 dB . A-GD NFB-17.32  = -35dB (XLR) .
 
Yes with XLR it get louder but ...you should have plenty of volume even with RCA or jack 3.5 .

 
Yeah, I don't know what's up. I've been reading and reading...and of course the stuff that hmorneau posted. What both of you are saying is in conflict with one another. Ha. I emailed the seller, but I've not gotten a response from him yet.
 
Honestly this experience is making me fall in love with my Aune T1 again.  And just a listen to the Auditor again (and I don't know if it's because something is wrong with my connection), but I put on the Beatles "Getting Better," and it was the thinnest piece of music I ever heard.  I know the Beatles aren't "audiophile," and that the Auditor really "audits" the music, but I also find it hard to believe that George Martin let this product out into the world. "Five Years," by David Bowie sounded a little better, but there was also something a lot funky about the sound.
 
Either my connections are very, very terrible, I have a bad unit, or maybe music was not meant to be viewed under such a strict microscope with HD800s and a SPL Auditor.

 

[EVOLVIST]

Last report (at least I THINK it is):

I auditioned a Cambridge DM+ with my Auditor, because the specs on the DACmagic beat the pants on almost any other DAC with dual Wolfsons (sorry, the sabres sound too "slick" to me, so I'm in the Wolfson or Burr-Brown camp). I went XLR to XLR, balanced - and I've never heard anything so beautiful through this set up and my HD800s.

Plenty of volume and drive for my cans!

While listening, I made sure to disable the pre-amp on the DM+, so that I got pure signal. Wow!

Much to the Auditor's credit, when I used the built in amp on the DM+, plugging right into its jack, the DM+ sounded squeezed, yet still pretty transparent. The Auditor is what really makes a difference! What came in was what was going out, within a reasonable degree of coloration, given the chip set. The music was layered. Open. Soundstage for miles! No sibalance or mud, unless it was in the original recording.

I think I might have reached my end game, all because the Auditor made me seek out other kit, and what the Auditor can do once you feed it what it likes.

I'll tell you what, though, all of the original mono recordings I fed through the Auditor sounded flatter than I've ever heard mono before. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. Previous mono recordings that sounded like they had a little punch, now sound very weak. I wonder what causes that, when the stereo tracks are so wide and spacious. The DM+ wasn't the only DAC I auditioned today, and mono sounded the same on them all. When I get my DM+ next week I'll have to audition Steve Hoffman's remaster (a very flat transfer) of the Beach Boy's "Pet Sounds" to see what kind of response this gives me.

Anyway, another happy Auditor story? Yep! I'll sing its praises!

(But if anyone has an idea why mono might sound this way, please let me know)

 

[hmorneau]

I'm glad you like it, the Auditor is really made to be feed by an XLR output.
 
As I said, it's a pro audio gear, it will amplify what is there, nothing more, nothing less. Feed it with crap and you will get crap. I think most people who feed it with an RCA adapter or audio jack don't know what they are missing. 
 
I'm happy for you
 
Bit curious, I guess your setup is very transparent?

 

[HaVoC-28]

  I'm glad you like it, the Auditor is really made to be feed by an XLR output.
 
As I said, it's a pro audio gear, it will amplify what is there, nothing more, nothing less. Feed it with crap and you will get crap. I think most people who feed it with an RCA adapter or audio jack don't know what they are missing. 

 
They don't miss anything , read the manual about how to connect Auditor depending your source connections .
 
http://spl.info/fileadmin/user_upload/anleitungen/english/Auditor_2911_BA_E.pdf
 
 
It's great that EVOLVIST solved his issue but something was wrong on his others devices , nothing to do about RCA or Jack   . Peraphs wrong adaptaters or badly configured cables .
 
Send a mail to SPL ^^ if you want to know more about it , but the manual is quite clear , cables should be configured according to the diagram published in the manual, something wrong in this sector and it will end up as bad sounding , or others issues as experienced by EVOLVIST .
 
Let's quote a reply that i got from SPL  two years ago .

  I am no native english speaker, too … so let's have fun with this strange language
 
Balanced wiring grants best connection as it eliminates interferences. Can be established with XLR and bal. Jack (TRS) connectors. We recommend to establish bal. connections wherever possible, however, the HIFI world rarely allows to do so. But you are right anyway - with short cable lengths and good installation conditions, an unbalanced wiring can sound just as good as an balanced one. Check the manual sections on I/Os and connections, we have some more infos an that in there …
 
Any further questions, let me know.

 

 
 
Peraphs you want the full mail conversation ?

 
 
 
Auditor is a tool aimed at pros , so they use the Pro standards => XLR => connectors are more robusts , less prone to unwanted deconnections (their is a lock system) , much more immune to interferences , and lengh cable can be much more longer without problem etc
 
SPL is a neutral and transparent amp , if the source is good enough , it will not care if it is coming from XLR , Jack or RCA . (With rightly configured câbles of course) .

 

[hmorneau]

J'imagine que tu as raison si SPL le disent eux-même.
 
I guess my own setup was wrong too when I first got the SPL. Anyway, XLR should be standard on every "audiophile" dac at the price they sell them.

 

[EVOLVIST]

 
I'm glad you like it, the Auditor is really made to be feed by an XLR output.


 


As I said, it's a pro audio gear, it will amplify what is there, nothing more, nothing less. Feed it with crap and you will get crap. I think most people who feed it with an RCA adapter or audio jack don't know what they are missing. 


 


I'm happy for you


 


Bit curious, I guess your setup is very transparent?

 


I would say pretty darn transparent, yeah. I mean, as much as anything can be non-discolored as we play with digital audio. Every DAC has filters to make the chip work, so you get a bit of loss, ringing and/or discoloration there; still, we try for the best (if transparency is our game).


 


With the DM+ going into the SPL Auditor, through some custom 1ft XLR cables, and straight into my HD800s, I'm working on it. I'm going WASAPI bit-perfect from my PC using Jriver or Foobar, bypassing my soundcard.


 


All sound is manipulation, to some degree or another, whether it's all an all analog source, digital, or a combination of the two.  All of our ears different.  All of our tastes dissimilar. Short of having the master tape and the gear to play it on, I'm working on it.

 

[EVOLVIST]

   
They don't miss anything , read the manual about how to connect Auditor depending your source connections .
 
http://spl.info/fileadmin/user_upload/anleitungen/english/Auditor_2911_BA_E.pdf
 
 
It's great that EVOLVIST solved his issue but something was wrong on his others devices , nothing to do about RCA or Jack   . Peraphs wrong adaptaters or badly configured cables .
 
Send a mail to SPL ^^ if you want to know more about it , but the manual is quite clear , cables should be configured according to the diagram published in the manual, something wrong in this sector and it will end up as bad sounding , or others issues as experienced by EVOLVIST .
 
Let's quote a reply that i got from SPL  two years ago .
 
 
Peraphs you want the full mail conversation ?

 
 
 
Auditor is a tool aimed at pros , so they use the Pro standards => XLR => connectors are more robusts , less prone to unwanted deconnections (their is a lock system) , much more immune to interferences , and lengh cable can be much more longer without problem etc
 
SPL is a neutral and transparent amp , if the source is good enough , it will not care if it is coming from XLR , Jack or RCA . (With rightly configured câbles of course) .

 
Interesting quote.  But - if I may ask - why don't you have your Auditor anymore?

 

[HaVoC-28]

  J'imagine que tu as raison si SPL le disent eux-même.
 
I guess my own setup was wrong too when I first got the SPL. Anyway, XLR should be standard on every "audiophile" dac at the price they sell them.

 
Peraphs , the important is that you can now enjoy the Auditor ^^ .
 
Hum ya , for the price of many "audiophile" DAC , they could use balanced out .  The thing with symetric/balanced , is that you have to double a lot of the components , it complexify the disign , and could let to more difficulties to get the most of it .  So sometimes , it's preferable to have a more simple path .
 
 

   
Interesting quote.  But - if I may ask - why don't you have your Auditor anymore?

 
Two  years ago i started to get a much more nomade life style , so Auditor was not very convenient for this purpose . Even if now i settled again , i am quite happy with O² so  don't feel the need to uprade for now .
 
But i still highly regard the Auditor , and if would want to upgrade , i think it will be an amp from SPL

.

 

[EVOLVIST]

I'm glad you like it, the Auditor is really made to be feed by an XLR output.

As I said, it's a pro audio gear, it will amplify what is there, nothing more, nothing less. Feed it with crap and you will get crap. I think most people who feed it with an RCA adapter or audio jack don't know what they are missing. 

I'm happy for you

Bit curious, I guess your setup is very transparent?

Hey, I wanted to ask you then, but I guess I forgot: You have the W4S DAC-2 plus the Auditor. How is that working out for you? I've been thinking about the DAC-2, and I know you have the T1s, and I have HD800s...any harshness, distortion, anything that you rather not like?

With my DM+ -> Auditor -> HD800s I find a lot of older recordings from the 60s and 70s have some harsh sounds, while more music from the 80s until today sound fuller.

I've been thinking about adding a tube pre-amp to the chain, right before the Auditor, not for all the time, but just when I want that tube feel.