I heard a couple of reviewers say the May is slightly over analytical. Others think it’s better than sliced bread or the wheel, and the best DAC ever. Mileage will vary according to conditions.
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I can see how the May could be interpreted as analytical compared to the DS with XS4400 transformers.
In my system, I needed a dose of precision to balance the BHK tube front ends. I lacked details but now I feel I have them and yet still with no fatigue. I still need to finalize the bass settings but it’s fast just a tad lean.
110 hours listening in the past 4 weeks. I’m rather sensitive with my life induced hearing damage.
On an intellectual level I think the May is more precise on a processing or rather nearly complete lack of processing. Filters and modulators are exceedingly more flexible and can be much longer running on a CPU/GPU so I chose to move that function outside of the DAC allowing it to handle just the last analog output phase of the process.
I’m sure I’ll try the MkII when it’s available as I very much enjoyed 3 years with the DS.
I count my blessing everyday that I’m fortunate enough to be able to swap DACs every 3 years or even keep two but I probably won’t. I don’t have the space to store much.
I think the current bargain is a well loved DS and then swap the transformers. Sure, the FPGA is at the end of the line but there are many great choices in the OS line up to enjoy.
There is no trial with the May in US either. It’s a gamble one has to be comfortable with making. It’s exceedingly well built and I think mine with 1600 hours will be good for the long haul.
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Yes but the ds mk2 will keep getting better. Each upgrade will improve it and the Holo will stay the same, right ?
Jussi Laako of Signalyst writes the software companion, if you will, to the Holo. No, it’s not required but to get the best SINAD* out of the hardware it is.
Think of the Holo as Jussi’s hardware tool in the same way the mk2 is Ted’s hardware tool. The physical hardware doesn’t change in either case, only the software code. The software for the Holo runs on a PC instead of in an FPGA in the DS.
The Holo is a derivative of a design Jussi made publicly available ~10 years ago or so. It may have been a thesis of sorts, I don’t quite know the complete story.
Does that make sense? Simply different approaches to the same problem. We’re lucky to have great minds applying their abilities for our enjoyment. Both are right, neither is wrong.
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The U.S. website implies that it is firmware upgradable. But the site is poorly designed, so I might be wrong.
The firmware only impacts the USB board inside, allowing for higher bitrates, PCM 1.536Mhz and DSD1024, but somewhat less compatibility with non-Intel USB ports. The more compatible version tops out at PCM 768k and DSD512.
That’s the only difference between the two firmwares available.
If using one of the other inputs, the firmware is irrelevant.
Looks like Steve Deckert has a May dac and can’t stop gushing over it.
https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1587527488/41#41
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There are others on their form that also have the MAY and have started reporting on it.
I don’t know S Deckert but that is one glowing review !
May the Force keep me strong and patient enough to wait for the mk2 and comparative reviews of the May and mk2 …
@brett66 : I read somewhere that there is a 6db difference in output between pcm and dsd files, in NOS mode. Is that correct ? It would be annoying because I tend to ask Roon to shuffle through my library, so it plays a random mix of pcm and dsd. Having the volume jumping around would be annoying.
Ain’t it grand going directly from Scarlatti to Led Zep, then Lightfoot, then Coltrane, to whatever. Shuffling RULES!!
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That drives me nuts.
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Yes, DSD is 6dB lower. I don’t have much DSD so not something I’ve worried about. I would suggest converting to PCM as the May shines with PCM. DSD is a bit dull sounding.
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Uhh, not quite. Ted Smith posted in June ‘15 a response as for a reason why that sometimes happens. Ted replied:
"There isn’t - in fact DSD allows for more volume than PCM in that it can go above 0dBFS (0 dB full scale) and as we know PCM is unforgiving when music tries to go above full scale.
Some DSD material is mastered with less compression than the PCM releases. Comparing multiple SACDs which have a CD layer that matches the DSD layer is a way around this (tho not all SACDs with CD layers have the CD layer derived from the DSD layers.)
There also might be something like a volume setting somewhere in your chain that’s affecting PCM but not DSD. You might try running the Bit Perfect test to see if something is affecting the PCM’s levels. (See http://www.psaudio.com/ps_how/how-to-run-a-bit-perfect-test-with-directstream/ in the Support/How To’s part of the web site.)
You also might be accidentally converting DSD to PCM in your transport/player software - in order to deal with DSD that’s louder than 0dBFS often there is a setting for how much to lower the volume level to avoid clipping as it’s converted to PCM. Verify that when you play DSD that the display on the DSindicates DSD (or DoP.)"
I.e. there isn’t a technical reason why it should happen.
The question was regarding the May behavior. DSD is always -6dB compared to PCM with the May dac. I don’t know why or the technical details but it’s the way it is.
They didn’t plan for DSD. Since the maximum output for DSD is about 3/2 of full scale PCM, a DAC designed for DSD has to be able to go about 1/2 higher than PCM. The standard “cheat” for PCM designs is to lower DSD by something between 4dB and 6dB. Since 6dB is exactly a bit shift many choose that.
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Not a big problem for me either : DSD is less than 5% of my library, and I can’t hear a difference through the DS sr between native DSD and DSD converted by Roon to high rate PCM.
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My Holo May KTE ships today or tomorrow, I should have it in the coming days. I am very impatient to hear it in my system. I hope it lives up to all those rave reviews.
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No way it can live up to all of those accolades. Just enjoy it and look forward to it getting better over the next 500 or so hours.
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Yes it apparently takes up to 1000 or 2000 hours to burn in fully.
How do you like yours ?