[Bozz_Keren]

@ironmine
yes i'm also interested in the cheap price, can u PM me the price?
thanks

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironmine /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ok. Soon DA100 will have to come to grips with my current cd-player NAD C521BEE. I do not plan to keep both of them, so only one shall survive...

Two advices before you draw your conclusion:
- Give it a decent burn in
- Get silver interconnects (budget one like Zu Gede, Grover Sc or Signal Cable Silver Resolution will do)

 

[upstateguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew_WOT /img/forum/go_quote.gif Two advices before you draw your conclusion: - Give it a decent burn in - Get silver interconnects (budget one like Zu Gede, Grover Sc or Signal Cable Silver Resolution will do)

[size=large]Andrew !!!!!!!

[/size]

 

[tj1738]

I wanted to share my experience with the Stello DA 100 and ask some questions.
My CD-player started to give problems a while ago, so I made the change to a notebook audio system about a month ago.
My setup is as follows:
External harddisk ->
Asus eeepc notebook 701 with Windows XP and Foobar2000 and ASIO ->
Stello DA 100 ->
Harman Kardon HK 680 amplifier ->
Bowers & Wilkins DM2000 speakers.
(probably not many of you will know these speakers, they're models dating from around '86, but still sound great, this is how they look : Bowers-Wilkins-DM2000)
I already had a good sound with my Sony XA30ES CD-player, but I had never expected the sound to improve so much with this Stello: better bass (not more, but even lower), better imaging and separation and more detail. I'm discovering new details in CD's I've had for years.

I have some questions though:
1) As has been mentioned the Stello indeed gets quite hot, so much so that even the input dial gets warm! I wonder: doesn't this limit its life expectancy? And would it help to attach cooling ribs or something like that? I'd rather not cool it actively with a fan because of the noise. Or is there simply no reason to worry?
2) The manual mentions it doesn't support ASIO driver, but that works for me. Because of that remark in the manual I first tried to get kernel streaming to work, but it simply wouldn't play that way. So I tried the ASIO4ALL driver and that works perfectly. Could somebody explain this?
3) I've read on some forum threads & reviews the USB input only supports 16bit/44.1KHz. However, I've played some test files and it also plays 24/44.1 files (not 24/96 though). Does that mean it can really handle these, or does it downsample to 16/44.1 and then converts it? I'm asking because some record labels are starting to release downloadable 24bit flac files and I wonder if there's a point in trying these.

Well, that's it for now, back to listening!

Theo

 

[ironmine]

Post deleted

 

[ironmine]

Small upgrade:

I did start hearing a difference between my NAD cd-player and Stello. Honestly, I do not know, what happened, but the difference is quite obvious (meaning that stello is better). Stello moves the vocal a bit to the front, i.e. closer to the listener. Also, Stello increases the height of the sound stage. Some part of the sound start coming at me from a point above my speakers. Stello emphasis the smallest details and makes them more audible. Also, bass becomes punchier and clearer, compared to NAD.

However, all these differences can be heard only if I switch between sources instantly, without leaving my listening place on the sofa.

Also, I certainly prefer the upsampling mode to the bypass mode. Looks like NOS is not my cup of tea.

 

[ironmine]

I forgot to add that I bought iRiver HP-120 and connected it to Stello via optical, and I did not find any difference between this player and PC via USB. Both sources sound the same (to me, at least). It means that Stello does not care where the digital signal is coming from.

 

[ironmine]

Hi guys
Does anybody notices, besides me, that the 192 upsampling mode defeats bass? I mean the bypassing mode has appreciably more bass on some recording. I and my friend both noticed it on the Japanese remaster of Dire Straits 1978. However, on some other records (where the quality is better), e.g., Acoustic Alchemy, this effect was not observed. Any similar experience?

Another question - when you use foobar to feed the signal to Stello via USB, does anybody use any upsampling plugins? I tried some plugins and found PPHS and Secret Rabbit Code resamplers to be particularly good, both in the bypass and upsampling modes.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironmine /img/forum/go_quote.gif Another question - when you use foobar to feed the signal to Stello via USB, does anybody use any upsampling plugins? I tried some plugins and found PPHS and Secret Rabbit Code resamplers to be particularly good, both in the bypass and upsampling modes.

It's limited to 16/48 on USB, so all your extra samples are just cut off. Upsampling to 48 should be reserved to non-bit perfect cards, which is not the case with Stello, it can handle 44.1 just fine.

 

[mellowbear]

I am interested in Stello to use with my Grado gs1000 and x-canv8, also with Anthem pre2l tube preamp, Pass labs Aleph 3 power amp and Jamo Concert 11Speakers with Arcam 9 CD, Sony jb940 24bit minidisc and Computer(I convert everything to WAV through Sony Soundforge and output through Edirol UA-1ex at 24bit 96khz) I do not ever intend to go balanced ( too costly and I am very happy with my system single ended) Can anyone give me a definitive answer as to whether the DA-100 signature sounds significantly better than the DA-100 unbalanced and if so does it in any way justify paying £650 for DA-100 signature as opposed to £495 for the DA-100, Thanks in advance.

 

[Ashirgo]

Would you be kind enough to measure DC offset of output of DA100?

 

[Cakes]

Ironmine -

I agree with you on this observation...with a slight twist. I have actually recently moved down from 192 to 96Khz sampling as I feel the 192 is a little anaemic in the bass regions. For me the 96 is the perfect middle ground between upsampled detail and the rounded, more 'organic' sound (with greater bass impact) of the bypass mode.

 

[dclancy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironmine /img/forum/go_quote.gif 1) Ask for a discount. I did and got $100 discount immediately.

What discount? You mean just ask for 100 dollars off?

 

[lmf22]

Have anyone tried the HiFi Tuning Fuse in the DA100?
I was looking through the Music Direct catalog and came across it. Seems like an interesting "tweak."

Music Direct product page
Stereophile review

 

[ironmine]

I've noticed that when I listen to my headphones (Denon D2000), I prefer the bypass mode. This way the bass is more pronounced and it is less fatiguing for me. It also seems to me that the bypass mode is more laid back compared to 192.