That would mean they’ve run into a parts shortage to complete any more units for now. Maybe it won’t last long.
Because PSA laid hands on it! 
Not likely, a completely different build type.
I’m pretty sure my Red arrived today. I had the dhl shipment arrive but we also had company arrive at the same time so I haven’t been able I open the box. Looking forward to comparing this to my Aries G.2.
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Now that’s a comparison I’d like to hear about!
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Looks like I still going to have to wait for the Red. To my surprise the Bliss got shipped prior to the Red. The Bliss sounds absolutely amazing with the LCD-5.
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Got my Holo Red 3 days ago - from what others are saying about arrival times, seems they ship them in batches. Mine took 7 weeks to arrive from the order date, so pretty much as promised.
I’ve got a Roon Rock NUC12 w/LPS, which I connected to my DS MKII via Inakustik USB. Very good, I would say, but not awesome - my vinyl rig is just more fun and deeply engaging to listen to. My hope would be the Red would lift my digital kit to somewhat equal status…using the Red as I would an AirLens, if I had one.
And just like about everyone else’s experience, ya gotta say the Holo Red manual needs a lot of improvement. It provides clues, but is essentially a trial and error setup process.
My 1st issue was understanding the microSHDC card - it comes sealed in what appears to be new packaging. Led me to believe the OS would need to be installed. But taking it out and popping it into a card reader on my Mac revealed the OS and other files were already loaded. OK, good trick on that one. So I popped the card in the rear slot and connected the Red to power, ethernet, and a new WW Platinum Starlight 8 HDMI cable to the DS MKII I2S. Oh, and I did set the DIP switch to 1-off, 2+3 on, and 4-off - thanks to all the previous comments on this thread about what to set!!, as I did not understand the cryptic info in the manual.
My next problem was trying to find the IP address on my browser for the Red. Tried a couple of scanner apps to no avail - just wasn’t showing up. Powered the Red off and then on again - nothing. Then I tried ‘red.local’ and bam! it immediately showed up! Thank goodness for this forum!!
I then went through the software updates a couple of times to bring the OS up to the current version. After that, I selected ‘DSD Native’ and turned off all the Audio options except ‘Roon Bridge’. I was unclear about whether the USB Redirector option should be on or off, so trial and error said it should be off.
Then to Roon and the Red was listed as an output device - yes! Finally, music was playing!!
To get an initial impression of SQ improvements using the Red vs USB straight from the Rock, I left the Rock plugged into the DS MKII and grouped the Red and the Rock together. Playing reference tracks I use all the time, I could simply change the MKII remote from I2S to USB to make comparisons. There was a volume level difference between the two that made it a little difficult to compare, but did get an initial impression.
At this point it is subtle, but the Red did make a SQ improvement. Backgrounds were a little darker, and instruments were more sharply defined in tone and space. Overall, I think it is a winner. Complicating this is moving from USB to I2S, and quite different cables (BTW, while waiting for the Red to show up, I did try a WW Platinum Starlight 8 USB cable, and the Inakustik blew it out of the water). Both the Red and the new cable need burn-in time, hopefully there is further improvement.
And this morning, my IP Scanner shows the Red online! ?? As far as build quality goes, the little box is solid and massive, and the paint job is perfect. The LED on the front panel is a little dim, but that’s good for listening at night.
Digital as good as my vinyl rig now? Not yet. But getting closer. Gonna be interesting to try an AirLens…
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Nice write up. Thanks!
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I thought the same thing but after pulling at package a few diff ways I did see a small slice in the package where they removed and put back in for safe shipping.
Well, that was quite a journey. Reading the forum is such a big help. Go Team!
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Same here. The little slice of blue tape once I noticed it was a bit of a clue.
As @lanetim suggests I find the Red I2S into the Mk2 vs. the Nucleus+ USB via an ISO Regen into the Mk2 to be very close, with the Red–subjectively at least–to sound just a tad louder, and a bit more open and incisive.
USB from the Nucleus+ again via the ISO Regen sounded a bit softer, more relaxed and warmer–dare I say more analog sounding?–in comparison.
With my Mk1 I clearly preferred I2s via a Matrix DDC over USB direct.
The USB implementation in the Mk2 is so good (thanks Ted!) that I took the Matrix out of the chain and ordered the Red in the hopes that it would provide a clear improvement as a Roon Endpoint over the Nucleus+ via USB. In my system. At this point I can’t decisively say that it does.
Which leaves many of us with the open question of whether the AirLens will be of further benefit over other implementations…
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I agree - it is very close! One thing I discovered in testing 4 different USB cables from my Roon Rock > DS MKII was the particular USB cable made a huge difference in SQ. I started with a cheap Supra (awful), then a Cardas Clear high speed USB (better, but disappointing, and I’m a big Cardas fan), then a WW Platinum Starlight 8 (maybe a tad better than the Cardas, but still meh, to finally the Inakustik, which I bought used for $250 - really an excellent cable.
Which makes me wonder if the Red > DS MKII via HDMI/I2S is equally sensitive. I’ve only got the above mentioned WW Platinum Starlight 8 at this point - sounds pretty good, and hoping it will open up further with burn-in.
Any comments from anyone who has tested different HDMI cables between the Red and the DS MKII?
Many thanks! 
Holo Red new firmware update
Os Release 2023.04.15
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Any idea what it does? They don’t seem to post release notes.
No idea. I don’t see anywhere where they put the changes.
My Red console never offered any updates. It is still on 2022.12.10. I suspect it is because my router is blocking connectivity to China IP addresses.
I need to find a site from which to do a manual download.
Interesting. I have geoblocked China (and several other countries, sorry N. Korea) and I saw the last update. I will poke at this either tonight or over the weekend.
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I did update said it was failed and the. Rebooted and said it was there