Hi, a friend of mine loaned me his DSD MK1 DAC as he is selling it. My son is considering buying it.
It has the latest and last software package but my son finds it too forward and in your face and midbass is lacking compared to his Chord Qutest DAC. However, the DSD is better in every single other parameter. I agree with him. The DSD takes the sound to an audiophile level with the amount of micro details, air and transparency as well as space between instruments. This is a deal breaker for him if he can’t find a software that corrects these issues.
My question is, what software package gives the best bass but still maintains detail, wide sound stage, some warmth and is not in your face forward?
The rest of his gear is a Cary 300.2d Integrated amp which is 450 wpc at 4 ohms. This is such a fabulous sounding amp. Other gear is a Rythmik F12se subwoofer, Wharfedale Evo 4.4 speakers, Thorens TD-145 TT with a Nagaoka MP-200 cartridge and a Vista Audio Phono 2 phono preamp.
Thanks for any replies. This is a fabulous DAC and better than my Luxman DA-06 is many respects.
He is using a dedicated computer that we built as a music server with 9 tb of music. It is Windows 10 with a JCat usb card. Music players are Audirvana and Bug Head which he uses for critical listening.
I think that he is going to try Windom and Snowmass V3 software packages. We also need to turn the gain on the DAC down which we will try tonight. It is way too high and in your face almost to the point of being shouty on some source material. We will also try a Wire World Starlight Platinum usb cable that I have laying around. I use one with my Luxman DAC and it was a game changer for that DAC. I do not expect that it will fix the midbass problem but it may make other improvements or not change the sound in the least.
Somewhere between 86 and 96 on the DAC should tone it down and then when he finds the level he likes lock it in with the fixed setting so it stays that way. I stuck with the latest one but some people prefer the one before. Easy to try them until he finds the one he likes. One thing about the DS DACs are their tweakability.
We are doing a direct comparison in the same system but we are volume matching and everything else is the same. But it is night and day difference between the chord DAC and the DSD. We installed the Windom and it is a little better. But what we did find out in the processes is that the guy that wants to sell it to us said that he installed the latest software but it was Snowmass that was actually installed, so we are going to install the proper software and see.
Its not like there is no bass but there was more with the Chord DAC. Turning the gain down on the DAC resolved the in your face issue but did not help with the bass as expected. If my son does not like the bass, his options are to turn up the crossover and volume on his Rythmik sub or not buy the DAC which would be a travesty given how much better the DSD dac sounds otherwise. And if I hadn’t just upgraded my TT to a Pro-ject Classic Evo and a Gold Note PH-10 phono preamp to the tune of $4K, I would buy it and give my Luxman to my son. The Luxman has a lot of bass and midbass bloom to go with its warmer sound.
Personally, I have never found the MK I to be light in the mid-bass, but I have never heard the Chord. I hope you find the latest firmware more to your liking.
Also, given the otherwise excellent resolution of the MK I, it might be worth your while to play with the settings and positioning of the subwoofer.
Have fun in any event.
Cheers.
PS, spend some time with the volume/gain of the MK I at 92. I have found that to be the sweet spot. FWIW.
Few things I would try. One a DDC for the MK1 is a must. Especially coming from a computer. Get a used Matrix DDC. Then flip from USB to I2S input on the MK1.
You mentioned what software, using roon there are multiple ways to fix and pump up the bass where he wants. PEQ or the harder way with Convolution filter. Its another cost to bear for the subscription, the matrix is pretty cheap used. Cable depends which one you buy. RAL is very good for the price. Not sure if those two pieces of software have a built in PEQ or now. You def want to see if you can fix before the DAC with some sort of filter. HQPlayer is another many here have raved about. I have not used it. I use a convolution filter to flat, and found it flat and boosted the bass with PEQ filter. I posted it in another chat recently here.
Thanks for the suggestions. Roon is out of the question due to cost. My son just graduated Nuclear Medicine school and has student loans. He uses Audirvana, Bug Head Emperor Infinity Blade. We have also used HQ player and I use it occasionally as it sounds better than Roon and so does Bug Head. He also has JRiver but that is midfi sounding at best.
I am not sure what a DCC is. We will have to borrow an I2s cable from the seller.
He would like to keep things simple and I certainly understand that as in 2 years I will be retiring early and I will be down sizing to a tube Integrated amp, probably an Ayon and I will sell my Pass X250 amp and BAT VK51se tube preamp along with my Magnepan speakers. I want minimal cables and gear. My son had separates and sold them so he could buy the Cary Integrated amp and simplify things.
I find it pretty amazing at how bad the DAC sounds at 100% volume. I am not sure why PSA made it that way, We have it set to 92 and the difference is night and day.
Back to the midbass. I may buy a used Kimber Hero Interconnect for him as reviews states that it has prominent bass and midbass. His current IC’s are Beldon 8402 and Cardas Parsec XLR’s along with some Blue Jeans LC1’s that are not being used.
I have to admit that I really like the DSD DAC but the Chord is definitely more musical, just not as detailed.
I think that the answer is going to be to install an equalizer plug in on Audirvana. That may fix the problem.
The DDC is a digital to digital converter. with the MKI USB in introduces noise into the system and pretty much everyone says the I2S input works better. Computers introduce noise as well. its computer via usb → DDC via I2S → MKI pretty simple setup and isolates the DAC for improved sound. Yes 92 from 100 most like better too. I did as well. This would be for any software. HIGHLY Recommended from this forum to do this.
Audirvana has PEQ plug ins as well. Not sure about convolution filter. But if he just wants a boost in a range PEQ is quick and easy.
We are going to try a parametric equalizer plug in. That is the simplest solution. I will report back.
We did back the gain down to 92. And if he keeps the dac and uses XLR he will lower the gain even more. If he does not keep the DAC, he is considering a Yggdrasil. I had it and the DSD in my system as some audiophile friends brought them over together. Both sounded great but the difference between the two (and I will probably catch hell here for saying this) was not that great. Yes the DSD sounded better but the Yggy was not that far behind. The Unison Yggy was a little more musical and the DSD had more detail and resolution. Or he could look for a used Luxman DA-06 DAC which I have. Compared to the DSD it is way more musical but the sound is colored to the warm side which I like. It just does not have the detail that the DSD has. The Luxman also sounds different with different usb cables.
Don’t underestimate the DDC. Maybe a lock audiophile can let you borrow.
If you end up keeping it check out the modding DSD thread. It’s a mile long but so many other things can be done to modify it. Including expensive send in to JK to be modded with nickel transformers.
He is looking at $1600. This DAC is from an Audiophile who is a local friend. He is also an electrical engineer who now fixes audio gear since he retired. The DAC has been well taken care of. I am lucky, as I have several local audiophile friends and we get together a few times a year, swap gear to audition. I also had a relationship with Frank Van Alstine from AVAHiFi and I would do reviews of his gear on the Audio Circle forum. Unfortunately, Frank has passed away but I still have a relationship with the new owners.
I thought that I would tell a little about myself. My gear is a Pass X250 amp, BAT Vk 51se tube preamp, Luxman DA-06 DAC, Pro-ject Classic Evo TT, Gold Note PH-10 phono preamp, Magnepan 1.6 speakers, dual Martin Logan subs. WW Starlight 7 platinum usb cable, interconnects are Belden 8402 XLR’s.
My son is a budding Audiophile and his gear is a Cary SI 300.2d Integrated amp (this amp is wonderful sounding), Chord Qutest DAC, Thorens TD-145 vintage TT, Vista Phono 2 phono preamp,Nagaoka MP-200 cartridge, interconnects are Belden 8402 RCA’s. Wharfedale Evo 4.4 speakers and a Rythmik F12se sub.
Sorry for being off topic and long winded. By the way, we live in the Twin Cities. If there are others here that live in the area, let me know if you are interested in joining our group of audiophiles that get together for food, drink, and good music. Most of us are in our 40’s, 50’s and 60’s with an occasional 30 year old.
I will post our findings with the Parametric Equalizer. I need to find one that won’t degrade the sound.
The DS Mk I is still a very good DAC even at this point. I have owned one since 2017 and it’s still in use in the Family Room A/V system. In the main system I moved one about 4 years ago. A couple of thoughts if you decide you want to stick with the DS. Using balanced IC’s with that unit is almost mandatory due to the low output voltage from the SE outputs and the fact that it is a balanced design. Secondly if your audio friend/ repair man is comfortable with it I would replace the factory transformers with the higher model Edcor’s that Ted spec’d for the DAC to start with and the the bean counters downgraded. Makes a pretty significant difference and when I did mine four years ago they were about $80 a pair. As to other DAC’s in that price range I would look into the Holo Cyan or the new Laiv uDAC. With the Laiv priced at $994 I would invest in an LPS from one of the usual suspects. I have not heard the Cyan though I have owned the Spring 3 KTE and May KTE and from reviews it appears the Cyan is voiced the same. Same appears to be true with the two Laiv DACs the Harmony and the uDAC, same warm sound signature which as an owner of the Harmony I find just right. On the Cyan, Nick at AC has had one for about a year so you can reach out to him about it. I bought the uDAC just as an experiment and it has been burning in now 24/7 for eight days. Though I haven’t sat down with it for a full listen, listening to brief snippets through the break-in process leads me to believe the sound is much the same in a smaller less costly package.
I have heard the Holo May and did not really care for it. The friend of mine who bought it sold it and bought the Aqua La Scala which IMHO blows it out of the water. If you have never heard this DAC, you should give one a listen if possible. I have 2 friends that own it plus the Aqua Link that takes it to another level of refinement. Supposedly, it is modular so it can be upgraded.
If my son buys this DAC he will do the transformer upgrade. Does anyone know how it changes the sound?
By the way Jack, are you the same Jack from the old Audio Review Forum?
Thanks for the suggestions, I really appreciate it.
Thats great. I hope that some people respond as it is a lot of fun when we get together at my house or my friends who has about $50K worth of gear.
Pass XP22 preamp, XA100.5 monoblocks, La Scala DAC, Revel Studio 2 speakers and dual subs.
Yes, and also Audiocircle and AudioShark. I’ve owned an Aqua La Voce S3 for about 6 years and have a friend with Acora SRC-1’s who has the latest La Scala so have heard two of their three DACs. We tried both Aqua’s in his system with the SET 400 and W4S STP-SE and I preferred the La Voce and he the La Scala. Both were fed by the Aries G2. For over 4 years I was running 6 different systems in two houses in two states so a lot of gear accumulated. In the last year some has been disposed of but some extras still hanging around. With the tariffs my period of experimentation is going to stop for a while.