[Zanth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drosera /img/forum/go_quote.gif Welcome to the world of Audio-gd! Can we look forward to a comparison of your modified Shanling cd-player and the Reference One? I hope so.

Definitely

It is nice that the Shanling has coax digital output!

 

[les_garten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanth /img/forum/go_quote.gif For a very very long time, I have searched for the perfect dac/amp combo to use at work. My Macbook Pro is um...lackluster at best. Anyhow, reading the problems about the Meier Audio top of the line Symphony combo and the price/performance of the Headroom Maxed out desktop stuff, I simply was not thrilled. Benchmark was about the only one I was seriously considering until this little gem came up. I've followed the thread very closely and really want to applaud Currawong for his excellent impressions and organizing and keeping track of the changes in the first post. Well, I'm convinced and ordered up a Compass for work and a Reference One for home/main system. The One will arrive late April once I convince my boss I need a bonus The Compass should be here early April. I'll be writing up some reviews for both. I can't wait!

Nice Combo Order! You can use the analytical ability of your new PS-1000s to help us analyze these gadgets. What amp for the REF1?

.

 

[Zanth]

I will have 2 major amps on hand: EAR HP4 and the Melos SHA-X. I won't have any top shelf all solid state amps, though perhaps I could request someone loan me a really good solid state amp as I review the Dacs.

 

[Pricklely Peete]

Where are you located Zanth (generally speaking of course) ? I may be able to help you out with that SS amp question.

Peete.

 

[Zanth]

Hey Peete,

I'm in Ottawa. I'd pay insured shipping both ways. This would be greatly appreciated.

 

[drummer1985]

hi all,what is the super mode button do to the sound quality? i have read in their website but unsure what it's describing there. thank you.

 

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dBs /img/forum/go_quote.gif 59 Hours of burn in so far and the bass has DEFINITELY toned down. It is sounding more neutral and balanced in weight (despite being Soft 2). Only a little bit of bass emphasis still lingering, right where I would like it to be honestly. Now the goal is to replicate the sound at this point in time I would say, as far as the bass is concerned.

Thats good to know. I'm getting too much bass out of my sr60's with the moon opamp in. Better then not enough bass though hehe.

Biggie.

 

[Zanth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by drummer1985 /img/forum/go_quote.gif hi all,what is the super mode button do to the sound quality? i have read in their website but unsure what it's describing there. thank you.

Is super mode the bypass of the amp so the Dac can be used alone feeding an outside amp or preamp?

 

[dBs]

Super effectively splits the DAC and amp portions so that they can be used independently of one another (at the same time even).

 

[Pricklely Peete]

The Compass and the HDAM will be all over the place in the first 350 hours so make a note of that fellow Compass owners. It all evens out after 400+ hours with quite good sound staging and other improvements well into the 500+ hour range.

Peete.

PS Zanth....I'll have to think about it. I'll contact you via PM.

 

[Sganzerla]

Once I tried to see if there is a difference between coaxial from my motherboard and USB so I played coaxial via Foobar and USB with Winamp the song at the same time so I could hear the differences. Maybe by a very little margin the coaxial was better.

But... if you try both via Winamp the difference in sound volume is huge, more like what MDB said sometime ago after going to MediaMonkey. So one begin to think what the hell is going on as both are (should be?) bit perfect.

In this case I have no preference yet, but looks like coaxial has more extension on highs and tighter bass. The difference in volume don't help.
Edit: Coaxial has more soundstage too.

My experience with Earth said it never lost bass, only got stronger with time, the opposite was true with highs.

Edit:Happy to know PP, I'm still writing about the difference in HDAMs with time, both have 400 hours now.

 

[renegade732]

Quote:

Originally Posted by les_garten /img/forum/go_quote.gif Maybe his buttons are rewired and it's the Gain switch instead? .

I just did a quick check and that is definitely what has happened. Preamp and gain are switched.

 

[theBigD]

hey peete, when do we get the next installment of your epic review? i got a chance to listen to my roommates compass last night and it sounds very good. i put the sun in my ef1 amp and really like it. will have to see what happens when it burns in more.

 

[dBs]

Ive hit the 97 hour mark of burn in. I honestly havent heard much change since the 48 hour mark. I think at the most it continued its tapered progression of refinement of the lower end to a nice balanced point. The trebles continued their increased presence to the current balanced state. All of this is, as stated before, with the Soft 2 setting (so as to burn all parts of the Compass). Im really quite curious what Neutral or Bright would sound like since its current state sounds neutral and balanced to me. Unless the Compass plateaus its burn in for a while and then starts another sharp burst of change down the road, I believe I may have hit the burned in state.

If this is the case, I am thinking that some modification is in order, I really want to play with the different HDAMs and jumper settings. The soundstage has slightly increased since its first day but nothing significant as far as I have been able to decipher, which is why I want to hear the soundstage of the Moon =O

If any of the original 18 have any insight into this possible burn in plateau that indicate that I shouldnt modify yet, please let me know =D

 

[les_garten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by renegade732 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just did a quick check and that is definitely what has happened. Preamp and gain are switched.

I'll bet that was confusing!!

.