You got it, but don’t hold your breath waiting.
Yes I do, it is a fantastic transport, and it sounds amazing with the May.
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Curious as to why you feel the need to also stream, etc. when you have one of the best transports out there ??
Tom
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Good question.
Two reasons: I have a lot of music on a hard drive, and I like to discover new music with Qobuz. For example, the music recommendations in Stereophile, TAS and HI Fi News. Roon radio and the daily Roon playlists are also nice ways to discover music.
I also use Spotify Connect on the Lumin.
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…and Tidal…
It is the best of both worlds.
Curious as to whether you find files or discs to sound better in general though…
It is close to a toss up for me these days, depending on the recording but I sill give files on my home network a slight edge. Consistently best sound in my DS Sr.-based rig is, “best” to “worst”:
- Ripped and downloaded files on my hard drive (iMac) Wi-Fi to Ethernet to DS via Bridge II and JRiver Media Center (renderer)
- Spinning discs on the PSA DMP transport to DS via I2S connection (w/ Pink Faun Ethernet cable
- Ripped and downloaded files as well as Qobuz and Tidal Wi-Fi to Ethernet to DS via Bridge II and Roon (renderer)
That said, again, options 1 and 2 are often a toss up depending on the recordings.
Have you noted a clear winner as between your options for getting the bits to the DS?
Cheers.
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I haven’t checked recently which is better: a cd in the ps audio pst or a file or a stream. I will check and revert.
PS: I am not using the DS any more, it’s for sale and I have bought the Holo May KTE.
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Ok how about the sound.
Which do you feel gives the better sound.
Your transport or streaming ?
Tom
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They both sound really good, I would say about the same.
But I have made a lot of changes recently in my streaming setup, with additional vibration isolation (Isoacoustics and Townshend), hdmi cables (AQ Dragon vs RAL), switches (Silent Angel, SOtM, Melco).
I have not had a chance to compare them recently on identical material.
I will experiment and report when I am back from my two weeks in Alsace (France).
But for now, it’s good French food and wine, culture and relaxation.
A tough job but someone has to do it 
.
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Enjoy!
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God Bless you !!
Have fun and glass for me.
Can’t wait for your finding on identical songs comparison between the Ps transport and your streaming gear.
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I will report soon, but now it’s time to go to bed.
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If you take a look at the goldensound review of the may on YouTube, he compares the KTE to the L2.
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Holo Audio takes a much different approach with the May than Ted does. Holo Audio uses R2R ladder circuitry to handle PCM and their own custom designed discreet circuit to handle DSD. The May is really intended to be used in non-oversampling (NOS) mode though it does have a DAC chip to handle the oversampling (OS) modes.
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Here’s a very interesting article about the lack of ringing artifacts in NOS ladder dacs:
I have read that the only function of their FPGAs is to improve the precision of the ladder network.
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Sure it is answering your question…you just don’t see it.
Ted uses the FPGA to do the upsampling/filtering/noise shaping. Holo Audio uses an R2R ladder circuit with PCM and a separate and discreet Dual Resistor Ladder network for DSD. The FPGA chips (there are several) are used for various control functions in the DAC. One of those functions is controlling the linear compensation of the ladders.
If you look at the measurements of the DAC, you would see that there really isn’t anything to be done to lower the noise floor or increase the resolution of the DAC.
The available upsampling filters are present in DAC chip.
So, no, upgrading the FPGA is far less likely to improve the sound of the DAC unless they find that some of the FPGA is doing something wrong. However, based on well the DAC measures, that is not likely.
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I had a thought but it passed.
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In simple terms, an R-2R dac has an array of resistors arranged so that they operate in a stepped increase in values, first creating a value of R, them 2R, then 3R, etc. Each step is similar to the rung of a ladder, so they call it an R-2R ladder array. All the circuits I have seen pictures of also have the resistors arranged on the circuit board in rows, and each row resembles a small ladder with closely spaced rungs. I hope this translates well into French for you, and I’m sorry that others have given you a difficult time about this. Translators can sometimes fail to help our understanding, especially in the discussions using technological terms.
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Sigh… I’ll do work for you.
Google “ladder DAC” and the fourth image is this:
Can you see the ladder?
It’s a bunch of resistors that are oriented in a way that makes them look like a ladder.
Each resistor “set” or “step of the ladder” is responsible for one of the bits of the digital signal from 1bit to 24 bit (when the ladder has 24 steps - the diagram above does not show the full ladder).
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3 posts were merged into an existing topic: Holo Audio Spring 3 DAC Impressions