Holo Audio - Spring DAC - Level 3 - "Kitsune Tuned Edition" - Impressions & Reviews

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by Torq, Nov 7, 2016.

  1. Ryu

    Ryu Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2015
    Likes Received:
    480
    Trophy Points:
    93
    I was there and can confirm that he brought it in plugged into a UPS.
     
  2. willsw

    willsw Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2016
    Likes Received:
    278
    Trophy Points:
    63
    I can confirm that DC has at least two and probably more Yggdrasil owners lugging a UPS to meets. Also, the Singxer SU-1 was the defucker Psalmanazar referred to, which sat atop the Spring and fed it i2S. I believe gandhi was going in direct via coax, though I'm not sure.
     
  3. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,771
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    Entire chains need to be qualified. Data sources contribute 25% to 40%+ to the sound of DACs.
     
  4. bazelio

    bazelio Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Nov 16, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,417
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Too many variables and peak performance is still shitworthy. 1985 was a great year... *sigh*
     
  5. gandhisfist

    gandhisfist Aurorus Audio - MoT

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    211
    Trophy Points:
    33
    Was using optical out of my DX80, surpisingly didn't sound fucked up on the spring in nos mode like i was worried it might.
     
  6. GoodEnoughGear

    GoodEnoughGear Evil Dr. Shultz‎

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,070
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Cape Town, South Africa
    Seriously? You mean the input alone, or the format? I'm assuming we're not talking lossy compression here, right?
     
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,771
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    Yes. It's DAC dependent. Some DACs react more than others.

    So many variables. My Marantz CDT sounds different from the AGD sounds different from the Theta. Even from the Theta Data III, Yggdrasil sounds different from optical, AES, coax. AES has always seemed best into Yggdrasil.

    From there a very slight change from the CD transports to the non USB audio solutions for computer. PCI bus or Ethernet.

    And then there is USB. With defuckifiers or not, sounds more similar to each other than not. But also very different from the worse to the better ones.

    The extent varies. With my old SFD1, the transport made less of a difference than with Yggdrasil. I could feed it from my old modded iRiver H140 optical out and it would still sound good.

    No, we are not talking about MP3.
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2016
  8. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

    Pyrate Slaytanic Cliff Clavin
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    5,345
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I always use the Thinkpad T400 series' one usb port that has a direct five volt line to the battery. It sounds better than the other Thinkpad ports, other laptop ports , and 90% of desktop ports not from a PCI-E card. HoloSpring DAC's USB section is just very poorly implemented. AES/EBU sounds a bit better but I have mixed experiences with SPDIF.

    Yggdrasil top end I can see described as "dry" due to the weird thing it does with tape noises. Also if you're used to wetter/warmer/thicker/more liquid with transients gear, then it is dry. I can even see Yggdrasil as ever so slightly eensy teensy bit warm in the low end, neutral to around 6-7khz, then neutral after that. That 6-7khz problem only affects noise and tapes though, not instrumental harmonics. Bringing out the tape noise floor and making it louder or as loud as the recorded noises that rises above it particularly with multi-tracked recordings is a weird Gungnir AK4399 and Yggdrasil presentation (analog stage?) thing. I read about people mentioning it with Dark Side of the Moon and Aerosmith and notice d it myself with one of the cymbals (high hat?) on Rust on Peace. The Gungnir Multibit is warmer and doesn't really do this.

    That "grey" background is even in Schiit's D-S dacs, which I don't like anymore at all due to AK4490 "Velvet Sound" bloominess, which is way worse than tube wetness; a lot of lower mid information is just not there at all in the AK4490 like it's been filtered out to make it easier for chi-fi and warmfag gear manufacturers to achieve that thick sound.
     
  9. TwoEars

    TwoEars Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2016
    Likes Received:
    2,006
    Trophy Points:
    113
    "Slight Grey Haze". Thanks for that, that's the best term I've read for describing why I didn't quite fall in love with the Gungnir Multibit. Somehow the Gen V I have know is much more "vibrant" than the Gungnir Multibit was, and I like it like that.
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2016
  10. Priidik

    Priidik MOT: Estelon

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    2,153
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Estonia
    I for one don't think Yggdrasil with usb is dry. Only noticeable deviation from neutral is the mid bass, which is beefier and sort of hits harder than it should vs other good dacs like SFD-1 and my Soekris. The gray background, if it manifests as lack of depth, then I hear it.
     
  11. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2016
    Likes Received:
    10,683
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    NOVA
    Home Page:
    just curious: what mods on the Marantz?
     
  12. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,771
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    Pulled power to unneeded circuits (D to A, analog out, headout, etc.) Bigger transformer mounted on rubber grommets, reinforced mechanism with strips of aluminum, lead, Dynamat. Additonal mass loading and Dynamat throughout chassis.
     
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2016
  13. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2016
    Likes Received:
    8,193
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    I described the Spring DAC as being "sweet" (but not euphonic) rather than "warm", and perhaps "moist" but not "wet".

    I got that impression both through my WA5-LE and my Ragnarok (and I'd say the same thing listening through the iFi Pro iCAN I was playing with this weekend).
     
  14. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,771
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    There is definitely a sweetness with Holo's treble rendering that is enticing.
     
  15. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

    Staff Member Pyrate MZR
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    12,285
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Colorado
    Home Page:
    I would agree the Spring is a surprisingly incisive sounding NOS DAC, though I'm not sure I heard it as more or less incisive than the Schiit MB DACs. If anything, NOS always sounds less incisive to me than OS. Perhaps I'm using the term in a somewhat different manner?

    I also use a Super 7 primarily, which is tuned towards a warmer sig, so a Spring pairing with that and an HD650 works rather well so long as you don't mind the redbook roll-off (which I personally don't mind).

    The Metrum Menuet and Pavane are even "sweeter" sounding and less incisive but may have slightly better micro-dynamics...maybe. They're also a hair brighter in the last octave than most NOS DACs. Otherwise they're more similar than to the Spring and are more different than better or worse, IMO.

    Source matters too, which you pointed out.

    I look forward to your thoughts as you continue to run the unit in. I didn't do "critical" listening on it for about a week with it constantly playing and to this day leave it on in standby mode to keep it warm. I'm not really sure how much it changes from this, but I take a "why not?" or "better safe than sorry" approach here.
     
  16. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,771
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    It's less incisive now than yesterday. Calmed down significantly. If the Schiit DACs have sandy "ch" sound, the Holo has a sharp "s" sound. Just tendencies and nothing annoying in the sense of delta sigma hash or glare.

    The cleaner lines of the Holo are still evident and I think helps to contribute to this "sweet" sound. Actually reminds me of the 45 tube.
     
  17. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,771
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    Weakest aspect with the Holo that doesn't seem to be improving with warm up is the micro stuff. The Gungnir Multibit just gets better and better (from experience, the Gungnir Multibit will need another 24 to 48 hours). The Holo especially lags behind.

    In terms of macrodynamics, the Holo does not lack liveliness or speed, but it fails to capture the minute up and down modulations, the waverings, the tremblings with sounds such as during vocal and piano sustains and decay. (I think the Musette may even be better in this regard. ) FWIW, using Alicia Keys Unplugged to ascertain this.

    Related to this is plankton. The Gungnir Multibit presents much more ambient information, both timbral and temporal around sounds. With an appropriate recording, the entire soundscape gets flooded with musical information. Switching back to Holo makes me strain to hear this for a while, until at least I get acclimated.
     
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2016
  18. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

    Staff Member Pyrate MZR
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    12,285
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Colorado
    Home Page:
    Re: plankton and the like, sounds like the usual NOS characteristics, IME. (or bad oversampling methods too can screw up plankton)

    There is a reason I suggest people not go into NOS blind or based on hype. It's either your thing, or it isn't. And for most, it isn't. Sacrifices to be made for other aspects that NOS "fans" look for. No free lunch. Plankton and nuances are usually the first things to be knocked down with NOS. (OTOH, for me, being able to listen without fatigue for hours is worth it.)
     
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2016
  19. bazelio

    bazelio Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Nov 16, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,417
    Trophy Points:
    113

    I shouldn't be reading this thread before receiving the loaner, but can't help it. Question - which of these plankton characteristics Gungnir Multibit vs Holo is the more natural sounding reproduction?
     
  20. Thenewerguy009

    Thenewerguy009 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2015
    Likes Received:
    385
    Trophy Points:
    63
    bimmer did say the DAC needs 400 hours break in to start sounding its best.
     

Share This Page