[joseph69]

  Still waiting for the Spring, should be here next week. I'll take it easy in listening and comparing when I get it. As I hinted, I got it as a placebo for the pain from my broken right shoulder (not totally kidding) but by the time it arrives, it's placebo services may be not that much needed, recovery has gone very well so far. The Yggy in my speaker system really works well, and I can't imagine parting with it. But curiosity about a very well reviewed pure NOS DAC (it has upsampling and DSD too, but not planning to use that) got the better of me. Thinking that it might end up as the new foundation of my office headphone system if it really measures up.

I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
Relax, enjoy it, and get well while doing so.

 

[music1st]

  Still waiting for the Spring, should be here next week. I'll take it easy in listening and comparing when I get it. As I hinted, I got it as a placebo for the pain from my broken right shoulder (not totally kidding) but by the time it arrives, it's placebo services may be not that much needed, recovery has gone very well so far. The Yggy in my speaker system really works well, and I can't imagine parting with it. But curiosity about a very well reviewed pure NOS DAC (it has upsampling and DSD too, but not planning to use that) got the better of me. Thinking that it might end up as the new foundation of my office headphone system if it really measures up.

Earnie
 
If you're like myself and so many here. you've poured over threads on the Spring DAC.  I'm assuming your going for the L3 Kitsune Tuned edition?  Did you order the Singxer SU-1 or the Intona high speed USB Isolator?

 

[earnmyturns]

  Earnie
 
If you're like myself and so many here. you've poured over threads on the Spring DAC.  I'm assuming your going for the L3 Kitsune Tuned edition?  Did you order the Singxer SU-1 or the Intona high speed USB Isolator?

SU-1>I2S>L3 KTE

 

[wink]

There are opinions around that Yggy is better than Dave if you look hard enough. But that's what they are. Opinions.

In the "upper echelon of DACs" differences become so fine that what we hear becomes even more subjective, and personal preference the primary determinant.

IMHO, YMMV, of course!

http://www.head-fi.org/t/804153/life-after-yggdrasil    Enjoy....

 

[Torq]

  http://www.head-fi.org/t/804153/life-after-yggdrasil    Enjoy....

 
Oh ... lots has changed, impressions wise, since I last did anything with that here.
 
I've bought, and sold, both Auralic Vega and DirectStream Junior ... my longer experiences with which would reduce the rating I'd give the DSJ.
 
I've been offered a DAVE for $6,500, twice, and passed on it both times.
 
The write-up I did here makes it sound like it's a much bigger difference than it is - and in reality the differences are extremely small and are exaggerated in writing up the comparison.
 
I've heard a least one unit now that beats everything else I've auditioned.
 
I still have a pair of Yggdrasil's and a Spring DAC (L3/KTE).  The vast majority of my listening time is with Yggdrasil.

 

[TJ Max]

Has anyone ordered a Yggdrasil in the last few weeks and received it this week? shipments are supposed to ship the week of 21st.

 

[hifimckinney]

   
 
 
I've heard a least one unit now that beats everything else I've auditioned.
 
 

And, that is?

 

[joseph69]

  I still have a pair of Yggdrasil's and a Spring DAC (L3/KTE).  The vast majority of my listening time is with Yggdrasil.

 
Is it personal preference for the Yggy which vastly brings you to listen to it over the KTE? Thanks.

 

[jfrocke]

Torq,
 
May I ask why you marked the Aqua Hifi "La Scala" in red?  Just wondering as technically this one sounds interesting at least.

 

[Torq]

   
Is it personal preference for the Yggy which vastly brings you to listen to it over the KTE? Thanks.

 
What else would it be?
 
Anyone's decision to buy/use one DAC over another is, fundamentally, down to personal preference (and, I suppose, system synergy).
 
Their presentations are rather different, as will be the case when comparing any NOS DAC to an OS DAC - even without considering other factors.
 
As it stands they were getting about a 60/40 split in my listening time, and now it's closer to 90/10 in favor of Yggdrasil.  This is slanted, a bit, by the fact that among my three serious listening rigs two of them include Yggdrasils (one of which has also has the Spring DAC in it).  But, still, if I had to choose just one DAC around this level right now it'd be Yggdrasil.

 

[Torq]

  Torq,
 
May I ask why you marked the Aqua Hifi "La Scala" in red?  Just wondering as technically this one sounds interesting at least.

 
Initially it was going to be easy to get for audition - the logistics and requirements around that changed when it came time to do it.
 
That coincided with me a) being somewhat burned out on this whole process, b) not being willing to deal with the hassle to get the audition unit and c) there was a pending upgrade on the unit (Optologic) anyway.  So I elected to punt on it.
 
It's not a reflection on the unit itself - in reality, I punted the entire rest of the list as well.  I've been spending my audition time refining my portable and vinyl rigs.  That'll probably be the case for the rest of the year (though I'm about done on the portable side of things).  We'll see where the DAC world is in a few months ...

 

[jfrocke]

Thanks Torq.  It is specifically the Optologic version that seems especially interesting to me from a technical perspective.

 

[joseph69]

   
What else would it be?
 
Anyone's decision to buy/use one DAC over another is, fundamentally, down to personal preference (and, I suppose, system synergy).
 
Their presentations are rather different, as will be the case when comparing any NOS DAC to an OS DAC - even without considering other factors.
 
As it stands they were getting about a 60/40 split in my listening time, and now it's closer to 90/10 in favor of Yggdrasil.  This is slanted, a bit, by the fact that among my three serious listening rigs two of them include Yggdrasils (one of which has also has the Spring DAC in it).  But, still, if I had to choose just one DAC around this level right now it'd be Yggdrasil.

Yes, I know this. I should have just asked why.
Surprised listening went from 90/10 in favor of the Yggy which is a huge difference from your prior comparisons.

 

[Torq]

 
Yes, I know this. I should have just asked why.
Surprised listening went from 90/10 in favor of the Yggy which is a huge difference from your prior comparisons.

 
In the case of the Spring DAC it's not really a change in my comparison.  In fact the only statement I would change in my original review of the Spring DAC is that it wouldn't be as hard for me to choose just one DAC if the choice was down to the Spring DAC and Yggdrasil.  Pretty much everything else in that review remains the same.
 
To clarify:
 

• I have no intention of selling my Spring DAC.
• The Spring DAC remains the best NOS DAC I've heard to date*.
• The Spring DAC remains the best discrete R2R DAC I've heard to date*.
• The Spring DAC does the best job with DSD content that I've heard so far.
• I find the Spring DAC to be an excellent complement to Yggdrasil.  If I didn't already have the Spring DAC, and I heard one, I'd still buy one for the things it does well/better.

 
My "big" headphone listening rigs are setup where one has Yggdrasil + Spring DAC, one is just an Yggdrasil, one is just a Gungnir MB.  I have more opportunity to listen with Yggdrasil ... at once location that's ALL I can listen with (portable stuff excepted).  So that slants things somewhat.  But, yes, I do listen more with Yggdrasil than anything else to a significant degree.  And it's simply because, for the broadest array of my listening, I find it does the best, most musical, involving and emotive job overall.  Hence, if I was limited to a single DAC, Yggdrasil would be the one I would pick.
 
--
 
*My comparisons there are, however, not back-to-back with the Pavane ... they are triangulated/from memory, so who knows what would happen if I put the Pavane, especialy the latest upgraded version, back-to-back with the Spring DAC or any of the others.

 

[joseph69]

 

 
Thanks for the clarification.
I now have a much better understanding that your opinion of the KTE remains the same.