[Lolito]

Thanks again for the explanations. The interaction with the knob is crucial. When you are into the music, the device has to disapear, and volume needs to be able to be adjusted without even looking. The hand should find the way easily without looking. And yes, the knob needs to be large to be able to facilitate this.

Why do you say not to do that when you are actually doing it? It will really depend on how deep is the set screw, and if it allows to be separated enough from the front plate not to scratch it, and that is really hard to know before you have the knob in your hand, since it is not specified really... But your knob is perfect really, now it is a Luxman knob, not an aliexpress one LOL. I like it silver, contrast looks great, like in Schiit stuff.

Some I found on aliexpress:


https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000123852606.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.0.0.51a0654bkidDtM&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreThisSeller&scm=1007.13339.169870.0&scm_id=1007.13339.169870.0&scm-url=1007.13339.169870.0&pvid=26c200c3-d109-4ead-9eaa-4fcc008c27e4&_t=gps-idcDetailBottomMoreThisSeller,scm-url:1007.13339.169870.0,pvid:26c200c3-d109-4ead-9eaa-4fcc008c27e4,tpp_buckets:668#0#131923#77_668#0#131923#77_668#888#3325#1_668#888#3325#1_668#2846#8107#1934_668#2717#7565#702_668#1000022185#1000066058#0_668#3468#15609#253_668#2846#8107#1934_668#2717#7565#702_668#3164#9976#203_668#3468#15609#253

38x28 is this one. Very very like yours.

Another ones:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/330...9#342_4452#5108#23442#993_4452#3564#16062#700

this one is available in 34 and 38:

 

[Lolito]

More. 30x25, aluminium full body, this would be like a schiit knob for this I guess, very deep at 25mm, good price, simple aesthetics:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/329...earchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_



And again that luxman like knob, measuring 38x28mm deep

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/329...7565#702_668#3164#9976#203_668#3468#15609#253

 

[Pharmaboy]

I got around to A/B'ing the E30 and the Ares II. The chain was Windows 10 PC Amazon Music HD app ->Ares II (OS)/E30 (both via USB) ->SA-1 (E30 via RCA and Ares II via XLR) -> Arya. The SA-1 was set to Low Z/low gain and the volume pot was at 2'o clock, which is my comfortable listening level. Amazon Music was set to exclusive mode, which gives direct control of sound to the app by bypassing OS level control. While listening to tracks that emphasize various frequencies, I toggled between E30 and Ares II by using the switch in the front. The process of switching the DAC source on the PC then flipping the switch on the SA-1 was less than a second process. Between the two inputs, there wasn't an obvious volume difference.

Being able to switch the DAC source this quickly, the sound difference between the E30 and Ares II is pretty dramatic and it would be hard to believe that anyone with healthy hearing wouldn't be able to notice. With regard to the sound, the E30 sounds slightly V shaped relative to the Ares II. The bass impact feels more noticeable and the treble is definitely hotter. Furthermore, the E30 sounds more compressed and the sound has a more noticeable "edge" to them.

The Ares II in comparison sounds clearly warmer with mid frequencies being more audible and the treble being tamed without sounding rolled off or losing detail. The sound from Ares II had less of that "edge" heard in the E30 and therefore sounded smoother overall. Because of this smoothing effect, the drum hits feel less punchy. The Ares II also sounds less compressed and more dynamic (I mean dynamic range), which imparts a sense of better spacing. Interestingly, the sound stage didn't seem to change much. Overall, the Ares II sound is warmer, softer, and feels more sophisticated due to better dynamic range.

This was actually a uh,.,,,ear-opening experience. I went into this biased that there will be a negligible difference, thereby confirming my initial impression. But with the benefit of A/B'ing directly and perhaps with a more revealing headphone (my initial impression of was made mostly with Sundara and HD6XX), the difference is dramatic. Keep in mind that by no means the E30 is a bad DAC and I can see E30 performing better than Ares II with certain genres/setups. The differences I noted here are relative to the two DACs.

You do everyone here a real service with this post. The hardest thing in audio is to rise above one's sonic assumptions & preferences and use the ears to truly compare 2 things--keeping an open mind re whatever is heard. That's a rare thing.

I never compared DACs in the way you did (ingenious, really)--but can report that my entire relationship with digital audio changed when I started using NOS and/or multibit DACs instead of delta/sigma designs. My troubled relationship w/digital (that began in '87) had always stopped me from loving its sound--or at least, no longer being conscious of digital sound due to sonic nasties that came with it. With NOS & multibit, I no longer think about digital vs analog & just enjoy the sound of my ripped .wav or .flac files.

Kudos for an excellent post...

 

[Lolito]

Music is an outburst of the soul.

What a beautiful sentence. Music is all. What dacs do you use or recommend?

 

[Pharmaboy]

Music is an outburst of the soul.

What a beautiful sentence. Music is all. What dacs do you use or recommend?

Frederick Delius is one of my top 2-3 favorite composers. He was described as a pretty horrible man in certain ways; so it's kind of odd that his music & written sentiments would be so exalted.

I don't have room on my desktop for some of the DAC designs that most interest me (Holo "May"; Denafrips Pontus; Gustard X26 Pro). The 3rd one is delta-sigma but its sound is so much praised that I'd love to hear it IMS. But they're all so big...

I have 2 audio systems ~6 ft. apart in home office:

• The big/complicated desktop system (speakers, sub, electronic crossover, DAC, 2 HP amps at any given time). My DAC in that system is the MHDT Labs Orchid, an NOS design w/a tube buffer. I ordered mine modded by addition of a 2nd RCA output pair (that's how I get 2 HP amps at any given time). I love the sound of this DAC, and its compact form factor makes it very useful IMS;
• And the side system, which is headphone only. There I use an Audio GD DAC-19 with a constantly rotating cast of headphone amps, whatever pleases me that day. Another very good sounding DAC, though fairly large.

I'm not a DAC expert by any means. I can only tell you that NOS and/or multibit designs really work for me. My local head-fi pal Anthony has a Schiit Bifrost 2 (multibit) that he really likes. That one sounds pretty good to me, too.

 

[Chamade]

Thanks! Currently reviewing those + more Stay tuned

Hey, what made you get rid of the Arya? You mentioned that you really likem them in a review.

You do everyone here a real service with this post. The hardest thing in audio is to rise above one's sonic assumptions & preferences and use the ears to truly compare 2 things--keeping an open mind re whatever is heard. That's a rare thing.

I never compared DACs in the way you did (ingenious, really)--but can report that my entire relationship with digital audio changed when I started using NOS and/or multibit DACs instead of delta/sigma designs. My troubled relationship w/digital (that began in '87) had always stopped me from loving its sound--or at least, no longer being conscious of digital sound due to sonic nasties that came with it. With NOS & multibit, I no longer think about digital vs analog & just enjoy the sound of my ripped .wav or .flac files.

Kudos for an excellent post...

What is NOS? I may need some NOS in my life.

 

[Pharmaboy]

NOS = non-oversampling

NOS DACs are multibit DACs that are designed to not oversample the signal; in other words, they don't use oversampling as a way to nail the sound (they use other means to do that). To my ears, a really good NOS DAC sounds like a solid multibit DAC that's a little bit better in all the ways multibit DACs improve on the sound of delta-sigma digital.

Hard to explain, though. Here's a better explanation than I could do:
https://sw1xad.co.uk/technology_post/delta-sigma-vs-non-oversampling-r2r-dac-designs/

 

[Lolito]

Thanks for the explanation, I will look at those DACS you mention, at least to learn something. I will also look for that music. Some dacs allow to choose between NOS and oversampling, but not sure in what category type those dacs would fall... Denafrips ARES 2 dac you can change from NOS to OS, you can not adjust volume though. It's a fixed volume dac, unless you change volume via software, or the pre amp, of course.

Schiit Bifrost 2 multibit is praised from a lot of people. Doesnt measure as good as a proper delta sigma dac, but sounds more pleasent, more "musical". But there are other options in the market now, like audio GD stuff, ARES 2, soakris...

 

[Chamade]

Thanks for the explanation, I will look at those DACS you mention, at least to learn something. I will also look for that music. Some dacs allow to choose between NOS and oversampling, but not sure in what category type those dacs would fall... Denafrips ARES 2 dac you can change from NOS to OS, you can not adjust volume though. It's a fixed volume dac, unless you change volume via software, or the pre amp, of course.

Schiit Bifrost 2 multibit is praised from a lot of people. Doesnt measure as good as a proper delta sigma dac, but sounds more pleasent, more "musical". But there are other options in the market now, like audio GD stuff, ARES 2, soakris...

The Gustard X26 Pro is receiving a lot of praise for sounding very musical/warm and detailed. That one is a delta sigma DAC I believe...hmm.

 

[Lolito]

The Gustard X26 Pro is receiving a lot of praise for sounding very musical/warm and detailed. That one is a sigma delta DAC I believe...hmm.

That one has a price over 1000€, iI bet it sounds like Jesus Christ tears mixed with unicorn blood. But it is still just a very polished delta sigma, with dual toroidal power supply and what not. I have not used it though, but it should trickle down in price if it's good. ARES2 much cheaper and different typology.

 

[Pharmaboy]

iI bet it sounds like Jesus Christ tears mixed with unicorn blood

Not the stock X26--only the "SE" (special edition) sounds like that...

 

[NascentAP]

Thanks again, it is really helpful. My current speakers maybe lack a bit on that, mids are a tiny bit behind treble and bass. I can adjust the speakers... but then treble detail is gone... I think, as far as today, SA-1+ARES-2 it's a superb "musical" combo, at the level of GSX Mini, almost, paired with an affordable great sounding R2R dac. Then about headphones, that's a longer journey.

No problem. I'm glad it was able to help a fellow human being with the same hobby. I was somewhat curious myself and now came away more enlightened.

You do everyone here a real service with this post. The hardest thing in audio is to rise above one's sonic assumptions & preferences and use the ears to truly compare 2 things--keeping an open mind re whatever is heard. That's a rare thing.

I never compared DACs in the way you did (ingenious, really)--but can report that my entire relationship with digital audio changed when I started using NOS and/or multibit DACs instead of delta/sigma designs. My troubled relationship w/digital (that began in '87) had always stopped me from loving its sound--or at least, no longer being conscious of digital sound due to sonic nasties that came with it. With NOS & multibit, I no longer think about digital vs analog & just enjoy the sound of my ripped .wav or .flac files.

Kudos for an excellent post...

Thank you for your kind words. Biomedical research is my day job so bias is something I pay close attention to. As mentioned earlier, I did not expect this obvious difference but I suspect that this is mainly due to being able to A/B quickly. Without this, I probably would not be able to identify what DAC is producing the sound. Nonetheless, however small absolute differences in the sound might be between the E30 and Ares II, just the knowledge that there are discernable relative differences between the two will reinforce the perceived listening experience with the individual DACs.

 

[Fly2High]

I was not expecting this amp to be able to pass the balanced XLR input out to RCA output, but it does!

OK, yeah, that is expected when you talk about a preamp but with so many HP amps only having pass through and many sound like they can only pass out what comes in, I ordered a full set of RCA and XLR for my Gustard X16. I am running this amp to also send signal to a pair of Edifier R1850DB active speakers. I love that I now have a single volume control , on the SA-1, which will control the volume of either the headphones and my active speakers.

It wasn't so obvious to me that this unit would work that way and be able to send SE out when only XLR in is provided. I actually think the speakers sound better that they did before. I think I hear more highs and maybe a little more detail (maybe) where as when they were SPDIF(optical) connected to the computer I thought they lacked some highs which I felt they needed. Now this amp makes me even happier. Also think the speakers are a little louder than before.

Also, when switching between XLR and RCA inputs, there is absolutely no change in volume. They made the change between the inputs absolutely perfect. I only have SE cables for my HPs so I am not talking about volume changes on the HP output. Only toggling the input switch on the front.

I am sure several of you already knew this but as you can tell I was expecting a difference experience and am so happy with the results.

 

[quawn0418]

I was not expecting this amp to be able to pass the balanced XLR input out to RCA output, but it does!

OK, yeah, that is expected when you talk about a preamp but with so many HP amps only having pass through and many sound like they can only pass out what comes in, I ordered a full set of RCA and XLR for my Gustard X16. I am running this amp to also send signal to a pair of Edifier R1850DB active speakers. I love that I now have a single volume control , on the SA-1, which will control the volume of either the headphones and my active speakers.

It wasn't so obvious to me that this unit would work that way and be able to send SE out when only XLR in is provided. I actually think the speakers sound better that they did before. I think I hear more highs and maybe a little more detail (maybe) where as when they were SPDIF(optical) connected to the computer I thought they lacked some highs which I felt they needed. Now this amp makes me even happier. Also think the speakers are a little louder than before.

Also, when switching between XLR and RCA inputs, there is absolutely no change in volume. They made the change between the inputs absolutely perfect. I only have SE cables for my HPs so I am not talking about volume changes on the HP output. Only toggling the input switch on the front.

I am sure several of you already knew this but as you can tell I was expecting a difference experience and am so happy with the results.

There’s something weird about the inputs and outputs with this amp, my dac outputs twice the voltage from the balanced out compared to the rca out and this amp plays back each input at the same volume when switching back and forth, I don’t know what to make of that but I’ve never seen that before, if I’m getting twice the power from the balanced input i’d expect more gain than what I’m getting from the single ended input

but nope, not with the sa-1...shrugs

 

[ra990]

There’s something weird about the inputs and outputs with this amp, my dac outputs twice the voltage from the balanced out compared to the rca out and this amp plays back each input at the same volume when switching back and forth, I don’t know what to make of that but I’ve never seen that before, if I’m getting twice the power from the balanced input i’d expect more gain than what I’m getting from the single ended input

but nope, not with the sa-1...shrugs

This is not unusual for amps, I think the Liquid Platinum does the same as do a few others I've come across. Basically, the single ended is converted to balanced signal before the balanced amp stage, so what you're hearing is the converted single ended (which becomes as loud as the balanced when converted).