The best DAC I’ve ever heard is the dCS Vivaldi. It’s been around 7 years and I’m note sure it has serious competition. The 24-but Ring DAC at its core has now reached its 30 year anniversary, and its 24/96 A/D and D/A dates back 25 years. OK, it’s quite expensive, but there are cheaper versions that are still fantastic. I’m totally happy with Devialet Expert, which offers fantastic value. The 140 model has a state of the art streamer, phono stage, DAC, 140w amplifier, speaker-matching DSP and multiple programmable inputs and outputs and it’s Roon Ready. In the UK it costs the same as a DSD DAC after the DSD DAC’s current 25% discount. It also comes in a solid aluminium and copper casing, which PS Audio said would roughly double the cost of their units. They had the advantage of starting with a blank sheet, resulting in highly automated production that is dramatically cheaper than most premium hifi and a much cheaper distribution model. There are an increasing number of similar products and I just do not accept that the standalone products often with duplicated functions and hardware connected by wires are inherently better than integrated components like Devialet Expert and KiiThree, where multiple activies are under common control and work together.
My last post within this topic was #26 where I described a digital active system that I’ve put together which uses three Directstreams as the dacs. There have been several other posts since then so I’ll make some bullet points in comment:
1 - my system is digital throughout until each DSD that drives bass/mid/treble and uses very powerful amps with high damping factors
2 - the Australian DEQX software corrects each driver for impulse response before crossing over and facilitating parametric EQ of the overall response to cater for the room (and with the huge amount of damping I need to be able to fiddle with EQ). A microphone is placed about 3’ in front of each driver for the software to assess the impulse response of each driver
3 - the claimed frequency response of the PMC bass transmission line cabinets is -3db @ 17hz - I only have subwoofing for the .1 channel for Home Theatre use
4 - someone asked why I have only one sub. I actually built two sealed MDF boxes each with two 15" low res gauss drivers in each and powered by a powerful Crown amp. When I saw a Velodyne DD18 Plus for sale I snapped it up - it is servo controlled and when combined with the other four drivers is quite enough to power the room (in fact the last film I watched I ended up with a nose bleed which must have been due to the pummelling I experienced)
5 - before digital crossovers I used analogue crossovers which were very difficult to set. I then went to digital crossovers that also provided EQ but when I came across the DEQX unit with its impulse response correction as well as crossover and EQ I knew that with enough effort I’d be able to build a great system especially as it provided the facility to output three digital streams so that I could use my choice of dac. Whenever I visit friends’ houses and play music I know I realise how much better my system is - it’s been that way for 25 years regardless of what equipment they have
6 - since I put the latest system together about six years ago, Ted has done wonders with Directstream decoding. Melco have improved their software as well and recently Chord came out with M-Scaler (which is another gamechanger). I also discovered the benefits of standalone reclockers in spite of the best efforts of Melco and DEQX to minimise jitter
7 - when the Devialet amps came out I was impressed but they convert everything to digital - I like the fact that I can choose my own dacs and power amps (the Crown I use for the PMC bass drivers produces 1800w into 2 ohms with great control). I’ve been impressed by the kii as well but need my massive PMC drivers in my large room (the dynamics of the system are astonishing). I’m not sure that the correction that Devialet and others can apply for different speakers will ever be as good as a system calibrated by DEQX (or possibly Dirac)
8 - I’m disappointed that so many vinyl lovers are unprepared to accept that my ultraclean digital system is way better than anything they will ever achieve because every function is separately controllable. One of these days I might try Dirac as another digital pre-processor prior to the DEQX (it places the mic at the listening position to measure overall response) just in case it can improve the effect of room nodes further than I can do within the DEQX.
Dan.
Hi, did you purchase the 8341 x 2 + 7360 x 2 ?
I’ve long been thinking about this as a purchase (including the pair of subs).
How did you find GLM? Can you share a photo/screenshot of the kind of room EQ it applied? Just to have a look at what it spits out.
What’s your AES3 source feeding it? Have you got some kind of interface that can accept USB, optical etc and can output AES3?
And is there any notable sound/picture lag when watching TV ? (if you have a TV connected).
A pair of Devialet Phantom Golds also interests me - combined with Dirac Live room EQ feeding the speakers.
First priority should be education, recommend Floyd Toole’s “Sound Reproduction”, 3rd edition as an excellent starting point. Then speakers (mains plus multiple subs - reading Toole will explain why multiple subs are essential for in-room listening). Next is the room (again read Toole), size/shape first, followed by acoustic isolation, and then treatment, and finally DSP tweaking. Without all this, the DAC discussion is meaningless (in-room response can be +/- 20dB and noise floor 30+ dB higher).
The best DSP software is Room Eq Wizard (REW). It’s free but requires a certified USB mike. Dirac Live is easier to use but less powerful and isn’t free. Also requires a certified USB microphone. DSP software requires the use of all digital sources, versus DSP hardware that can also handle analog. Without a certified mike, forget about it.
Yes, active speakers can use analog crossovers. 18 years ago auditioned Paradigm Studio 20 v.2 (800/pair 2-way passive monitors) vs. Paradigm Active 20 ($1600/pair, same cabinet/drivers). It was no comparison!! The Actives were way more dynamic, frequency response was flatter, imaging was better, and the bass was gobsmackingly deep and room filling. No DAC could ever make such a difference, period.
Now you may continue to quibble about D/A conversions.
That’s a really good question and I cannot imagine it would be worth the trade off being proposed.
I feel m y system is better than analog as well. If I didn’t I would go back to vinyl.
Did I hear someone calling me?
I am! She tolerates the 2 channel setup because she really enjoys music but the HT has its LCR quite compromised by a GoldenEar passive soundbar but Anthem ARC makes it and the subs blend quite well. Stark difference with and without.
An aside, I like Darko. He shares his impression, he doesn’t tell me what I should like or not like. I like what I like. You like what you like. They may or may not be the same. We all smile.
Although, he is Australian!
I thinks he’s English but he lived in Australia for a while.