If the Stellar Gold DAC is ESS based give it a good 200+ hours before making any adjustments and if it is those are the standard ESS filter settings and an explanation of them should be on their website.
Thanks for the further thoughts. As I told you in another message, Iâm still having some trouble in comparing the Gold to the really round and warmer soundstage I get from my Schiit Lyr DAC/headphone amp. I think itâs a âtube-yâ sound I really like and thatâs exactly why I bought the Schiit to begin with - its tube output. I did experiment a lot yesterday with the Goldâs filters and I believe the Apodizing (makes me hungry) one is the closest to that sound. Iâve passed my 30-day trial period, so I guess Iâm going to have to trust better ears than mine and maybe those âedgierâ sounds and âthinnerâ soundstage will smooth out over time.
I think the PSA gear just needs enough time running and the magic will come. Another thing that reduced the edginess and warmed up the sound for me was this Matrix Audio thingy. You probably donât want to spend any more money but this box is money well spent for me.
When my Oppo UDP-205 was in operation I used * Corrected Mini Phase Fast â (Low dispersion, Harmonic Sound)
I had a Wyred 4 Sound DAC 2 DSD SE that used an ESS chip that had the same filters. They are built into the chip and as others have commented did not do anything exciting. Differences were very subtle and questionably audible at all.
Hey, if you want a REALLY DEEP discussion of DAC filtering - why is is, what it does, check this out. Yeah, I ended up skipping a lot, but it sure makes a lot of sense.
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Thank you JLawry.
From PS, all I wanted was a 1page explanation of how each filter affects the sound. Apparently, not gonna happen. This is over 30 pages of in-depth, thoughtful analysis, from Addicted to Audio, Australia. A lot of work. A lot more than I was looking for, but having finished, for the next 1.5 hours I can almost explain it. The important thing is at the conclusion you understand what each filter does, Dawsonâs opinions, and can make your own decisions after listening.
Hey, I honestly feel bad for posting that article - of COURSE you didnât have to read it, but of COURSE your being into audio, you couldnât resist. Iâm with you - fascinating and well-written/researched, but in the end? Listen for yourself.
I do have a bit of an update on the Stellar Gold. About a day after I read the advice to give it some time to âsettle in,â the new DAC seems to have settled in. Either that or I took a look at all the work I did running new ethernet cables, drilling holes, fitting the components into my rack, etc. and just told my ears, âSETTLE IN dammit.â Seriously, once I found the âAppodizing - Fastâ filter, the vocal edginess seems to have disappeared. Still working on getting as rich (hopefully richer) depth of soundstage as my previous DAC, but I think itâs coming.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this topic.
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Hello JLawry,
Donât feel bad; it was actually pretty âbreezyâ compared to a lot of reports and white papers I have tried to read. I can identify with the middle section of what you wrote. Sounds like me!
Dawsonâs conclusions are the opposite of the default used in the StellarGold DAC. When you switched to Apodize, you came more in line with Dawsonâs conclusions at the end of his report. Enjoy and let us know where you wind up in another week.
-JAS
Hey JAS. By the way, I am SO jealous you have Chrisâ Jazz Cafe there in Philly. Some of my favorite artists play there regularly, like Emmet Cohen and Sasha Berlin. My best friend lives in the Baltimore area, so on one of these visits, Iâm going to Chrisâs joint for sure.
Update on the DAC - it seems to be settling in nicely. The âbrightnessâ seems to have settled in and Iâm really getting a deep and full soundstage. You might get a kick out of this: last night I was listening to a recording from the âJazz at the Pawnshopâ series and getting a fantastic soundstage and realism, then thought, âYeah, that DAC is incredibleâŚâ until I remembered I was playing a vinyl LP. And I donât even drink. So hell, maybe it IS my ears that have changed to justify the DAC expense⌠but I donât care as long as itâs better.
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