Measurements: Mid-Fi DAC/Amp Comb Units (Grace, Schiit, iFi, LH, JDS, etc.)

Discussion in 'Portable and Other Gear Measurements' started by purr1n, Nov 1, 2015.

  1. T.Rainman

    T.Rainman Acquaintance

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    Why not quick test the Grace (1kHz test) with a few USB cables you may have floating about ?
     
  2. m8o

    m8o Acquaintance

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    Always wondered if those ferrite things did anything. Great to have emperical evidence they can. (Assuming this better performance isn't solely due to the power supply?)
     
  3. JayC

    JayC Resident Crash Test Dummy

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    it would be interesting to see that beefier ferrite cable's effect on the other gear too - the element and nano for example
     
  4. JakiCHan

    JakiCHan New

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    Well, maybe they'll bring it back. Some of the data here kept me from pulling the trigger, but now I would. :(
     
  5. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Subjectively there was still no difference. Also, I doubt the spurs would have been audible in the first place given that they were so low in level.

    The deal will come back. Trust me on that. And as with anything else, some used ones will go on sale.
     
  6. m8o

    m8o Acquaintance

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    Btw, is this the USB cable between the computer and grace, or between the 2amp ps and the grace?

    -thanx
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 14, 2015
  7. drfindley

    drfindley Secretly lives in the Analog Room - Friend

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    What I'm learning is if you can, always buy on a deal or buy used. Used stuff is usually pretty solid and well taken care of and can be significantly discounted in price. There are of course exceptions and be careful and such, but overall being patient saves big money.
     
  8. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Just the combined USB data / power cable. Not the optional power cable (which doesn't make a difference measurement-wise or sound-quality-wise with HD650).
     
  9. m8o

    m8o Acquaintance

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    Thank you. I actually assumed the opposite. I now have to question the USB cable I use to feed my McIntosh MHA100 I had not 2nd guessed previously.:confused:
     
  10. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I used a decent quality cable with a ferrite bead on the Schiit uber stack and iFi nano. The cable provided to me in the Grace box (the first one) was a thin diameter USB cable with no ferrite. I don't recall the USB cable in the Element. The Element sounds no better than the output of say a $79 Auzentech sound card from five years ago, so not going to revisit that. It's back in the box being shipping out anyways.

    Finally, I'd like to re-emphasize that the measurements were largely academic, at least for me there were. I think only the iFi had measurement numbers that would maybe hit the threshold of human hearing. The subjective results are here: http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...s-grace-schiit-ifi-lh-jds-etc.401/#post-11101

    Pick your poison.
     
    Last edited: Nov 14, 2015
  11. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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  12. m8o

    m8o Acquaintance

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    I would not have concluded that given the spider chart and commentary.
     
  13. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    The sound similar in nature. The audio card outs (Auzen, Asus, etc.) generally had good power but no finesse / nuance and exhibited glare. LOL, maybe I need to be less polite in future commentaries.
     
  14. m8o

    m8o Acquaintance

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    I did get it got unpleasantly grating and 'shouty'. Just not equal to a cheap pc sound card kind of grating. ;)

    I appreciate all the time you put into this!
     
  15. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Well, the Auzen and Asus cards with the dedicated chip driven headphone outs really weren't that bad. Just not quite up to entry level audiophile standards. Think prosumer.
     
  16. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    So Grace M9XX vs the Schiit uber stack? For the Grace, I'm probably not going to use the the euphonic filters as those don't tend to sound very good with metal in my experience but the second jack and being an all in one unit is very useful. How much better is the volume pot?
     
  17. JayC

    JayC Resident Crash Test Dummy

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    the element comes with a non ferrite cable as well, which is why i figured youd be interested in checking what happens - the measurements being academic and all.
    (opinions are always subjective ofcourse)
     
  18. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    The volume knob on the M9XX has detents when you turn it. The steps are discrete, but very fine, considering that I was at 72 or so for normal listening levels on the HD650. The volume control on the Magni 2U is inconvenient (especially for people who are right handed) since the knob is tiny and the jack is just to the right of it.
     
  19. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    72/99 for quieter well mastered recordings or compressed pop (DR5, RMS -5 or so)? Not as powerful as the Schiits I guess but better volume knob.
     
  20. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    The tap to mute is nice on the Grace too. Handy when wife walks in and wants to talk.
     

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