DAC to the Future

[Fretless]

Thankfully, most of my DAC's are relatively simple and don't have adjustable filters. The only exceptions are the Denfrips Ares that can be set on NOS or Sharp/Soft OS, and the Cambridge DacMagic Plus (linear/minimum/steep).

Me, I just go with the setting that sounds best and leave it.

[CN211276]

Had a bit of a DAC-shuffle here. For a while I have been using the Teradak V4.1 (NOS, 8x TDA1543 chips and external PSU) for my office setup. Running solely via USB from Foobar on the PC. but for some annoying reason Windows 10 doesn't like this DAC and regularly breaks the USB connection which then remains unstable.

This was just too irritating and finally I have swapped the Teradak (which sounded really good - when it was running) for the slightly lesser Cambridge DacMagic 100 & SBooster PSU. This isn't a bad DAC at all - certainly good enough for background-music-while-you-work. AND the USB connection is stable - also it is easily switched between USB and SPDIF inputs, which the Teradak units are not - if a USB connection is active then they give that priority override.

To make life even easier I had a Sonos Connect lying around spare and have inserted that in-between the network ethernet-link to the PC and run a digital coax to the DacMagic 100. This means that music playback is now independent from the PC but can be controlled via the online user interface.

Snowing outside - bizarre.

[CN211276]

Thought I would drop a photo of this very simple rig as it is proving really enjoyable. The Sonos Connect is a very pleasant-sounding unit and works in an easy, idiot-proof fashion. The little Cambridge DacMagic 100 is just fine for this, but put it in a more transparent system and you can hear its shortcomings - powered by an LPSU, however, it certainly ain't bad.

I chose the Sonos here, rather than a Pi, as the Connect has 2 ethernet sockets and can sit inbetween the LAN link to the PC, which is more convenient. Doesn't affect the performance of the PC at all. Those of a delicate disposition will be glad to note that the Connect and messy cabling are usually concealed behind a stack of folders.

Cabling (for completist freaks): Audioquest Carbon USB, Supra Trico digital coax. Audioquest Alpha Snake RCA.

Groovy!

[CN211276]

Something to put on your Xmas list. The all-new Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt. Micro-sized USB DAC and headphone amp. Better chips, improved design (higher price). Plays everything from MP3 to MQA.

https://www.audioquest.com/dacs/dragonf ... fly-cobalt

Have been reading quite a bit about it but I am not convinced that it would be a big enough improvement over my Dragonfly Red to justify the extra cost. All the more so as it would be used out and about in often noisy environments. I use the Chord Mojo at home and in the garden.

When my DF Red went on the blink and my spare DF Black not being in the same league, it was now the time to pull the trigger on the Cobalt after finding a good deal on Amazon.

Partnered with my Samsum Galaxy and Beyerdynamic headphones I find the Cobalt to be a significant upgrade on the DF Red on its own. The situation is not so clear cut with the DF Red connected to the Jitterbug. I have a slight preference for the Cobalt's slightly sharper presentation, but others might not. What was apparent is that the JB degraded the SQ of the Cobalt, introducing a thinness to the sound. It seemed as if a duplication of functions was producing this negative effect.

My conclusion is that the Cobalt justifies the extra cost over the DF Red because it is cancelled out by the lack of need for a JB and also the inclusion of a AQ Carbon Dragontail, with USB C phone connection, in the package. JB aside, it is also smaller than the DF Red. The discarded JB FMJ has now replaced the old standard JB in the second system. I am struggling to hear a difference, the MicroRendu being far better at eliminating nasties than a phone.

[slinger]

With the ebbing and flowing of life in all of its its mysterious ways I am now returning to digital systems after a 2-year vinyl fixation.

The re-exposure to LPs has altered my listening habits in some way and I don't seem to anymore want the sonic character that I preferred in pre-Covid times.

Analogue is analogue, can't beat it, can't compete. I had been trying to get my digital rigs to sound like LPs - but with 2 excellent-sounding turntables. what's the point? So, strange idea, why not just accept the DACs and streamers for what they do and get the best out of them?

Discovery 1) the Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus sounds absolutely great for a 10-year old, pre-DSD unit. Even better with a chunky LPSU powering it. This was always a 'B' choice DAC up to now but I have two of of them in very revealing systems and they are both impressing the hell out of me. This is an 'upsampling' DAC that resamples the incoming data stream to 384KHz. The result is a refined and extremely musical performance.

Discovery 2) Volumio 3. Now this is an operating system of downloadable software that you can install on a range of computers to turn them into high-performance audio streamers, of which I have an arsenal here: Raspberry Pi's, Asus Tinkerboard and a couple of ex-Windows desktop PC's.
Volumio version 3 is a major improvement on the previous edition and I have found that for ultimate SQ what you need to do is adjust the upsampling feature so it sends the digital feed along at the maximum sampling rate that the DAC can accept, usually 24bit/192KHz.
This really sends the audio quality onto a complete new level of dynamics and detail.

Discovery 3) Digital filters. The new Sabaj DAC has 7 levels and the DacMagic Plus only 3. What these do is adjust the waveform preferences for how the analogue audio signals are created from digital information, the effects are subtle but there is a definite influence on the character of the musical reproduction. Adjust these for your own tastes.

Changes, changes. Analogue is analogue and digital is digital, giving me the option to choose which I prefer as the mood takes me.

[George Hincapie]

DAC swapping.



Trying the Sabaj A10a-2022 in the upstairs rig. The USB output from the Tinkerboard means I can play around with higher resampling rates and Native DSD.

To be continued ....

[George Hincapie]

That turntable is going nowhere is it? OMG at that platform!

[George Hincapie]

That turntable is going nowhere is it? OMG at that platform!

That is 20Kg of marble paving-slab there - and it is necessary as the suspended wooden floor upstairs transmits speaker vibration like nobody's business. The Pro-Ject 1.2 is a basic (but well-made) TT and benefits enormously from this treatment.



Hit a minor snag with the Sabaj DAC as the USB input is a small USB-C socket rather that the more standard USB-B. So this has necessitated a quick scan on Amazon and the ordering of an AudioQuest Cinnamon cable with the correct connectors.

For now I am making do with a short, high-capacity smartphone data cable that is certainly revealing the possibilities of the DAC but there is 'something' about the playback that gives me a slight headache. Could be jitter-related and we'll see if an audio-grade lead sorts that out.

All the Sabaj gear together does look rather cool.



Specially for GH, his old DacMagic Plus paired with the Monolith THX headphone amp - also looking cool and sounding great. Nice thing about the Cambridge is that it also has balanced XLR output to the amp.

[George Hincapie]

20KG! Wowzers! I love that. I must progress adding my own TT during this forthcoming year.

Glad the DAC is doing good service

[George Hincapie]

Ha! Remembered that the A10a DAC came with remote control so I can adjust my volume in the lazy way.

Getting that out of the box I spotted a nice, solid USB lead that was supplied with the DAC. Putting that in place has rounded out the sound and taken off the unpleasant edge I heard this morning.

Another thought struck me today. The two main systems I run are sounding less and less like each other. Downstairs is effectively the same rig I had in the mid 80's with TT/arm and speakers unchanged, run by NVA amps. The sound is rich, full and eminently musical.
Upstairs is now a 'contemporary' Hifi installation based around ChiFi components. Extremely dynamic and detailed.

I'm starting to fall in love with the little Class D monoblocks which are still running-in and improving.