Audio-gd S19 technical measurements

Discussion in 'Source Measurements' started by atomicbob, Apr 25, 2017.

  1. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Well, the reason I say that is I believe the HM801 used a 1704 and was either non-oversampling or had some sort of very slow roll-off digital filter. The few FR measurements I could find for it had that sort of NOS droop in the treble. @Mshenay said he preferred the clarity of his other gear, which I'm sure used a more standard OS implementation with more...I dunno, stereotypical sounding DAC chips (i.e. not 1704 sound).

    The Holo has that sharpness and blackness to it. It sounds detailed and clear but I think covers up some of the nuances and lowest level resolution compared to the better Metrum stuff or Schiit gear on extended listening. But the Metrum stuff isn't the sharpest sounding around even at the top of their product line, but can be quite clear and detailed if you have mega bucks to spend. (Holo in OS mode also isn't great. It's like...why? Just get Schiit for OS.)

    I know the Schiit stuff can be a little grey sounding, so to speak, but in terms of resolution, details, clarity (above the grey floor), separation, blah blah, sounds like that would be up his alley. You will find compromises in any case, but for his preferences, I think the Gungnir Multibit/Yggdrasil best capture that R2R + Moffat filter magic while sounding most similar to the gear he said he did prefer.

    Again, a good SPDIF input is key on the Gungnir Multibit at least. Yggdrasil has better USB but still shines with a very good SPDIF/AES source.

    I could also be totally wrong. @Mshenay, you might love the Holo Spring, Metrum Pavane, and hate the Schiit gear!
     
  2. a44100Hz

    a44100Hz Friend

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    @Mshenay I'll make this simple for you. The Gungnir Multibit is awesome and future upgradable. It does balanced; it does SE. It is top tier even without being at the top tier of pricing. Get it and never worry about having a sub par DAC again. Done!
     
  3. Mshenay

    Mshenay Barred from loaner program. DON'T SEND ME GEAR.

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    Yea I took me a good bit of work to get the USB out on my PC cleaner, so I can imagine switching over to Spdif with a usb transport would be worthwhile when I'm ready to go that route. An I've heard a NOS Dac before, my HM801 was my only dac for a while and I liked it... then choose to switch to ESS based dacs. Non the less, I'd imagine I may dip back into them when I'm ready to spend $2-3k on my dac an amp.

    For now I think I'll stick to a second hand Gungnir Multibit with a good usb->spdif transport

    @a44100Hz yea the Gungnir Multibit seems like the happy median! I'm sure in 4-5 years when I'm ready to upgrade from IT there will be something new and game changing hopefully

    the question is which transport is worth having? A quick google search would have me believe Berkeley Audio Designs Alpha USB, is worth getting. But at $700 might as well get a better dac right... or no
     
    Last edited: Jun 29, 2017
  4. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    I say just get that Singxer SU-1. USB isn't worth spending tons of money on, IMO. Non-USB sources will require a more in depth discussion for you.
     
  5. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    The BADA USB was one of the best in class, five years ago. Since then, a lot of USB to SPDIF solutions have caught up or gotten very close at much lower prices.

    The upgradeability of the Schiit DACs should not be discounted. The Yggdrasil and Gungnir Multibit have been out for a while, and you look at the track record of Schiit (and Theta before that), upgrades should be on their way sooner or later. I'd argue that Schiit might even be slightly overdue given that it's been two and a half years now; and lots more R2R/2R DACs are now on the market.

    The Yggdrasil / Gungnir Multibit criticisms have been about their slightly greyish blackground, but given my experiments with directly wiring up the chip outputs to the Freya's JFET buffer, I know it's easy for Schiit to fix this. Theta also did a lot of funky shit back in the day with their Gen V, like moving to expensive teflon boards, which did bring incremental performance gains.

    The downside is you have to be patient. Most people get bored and want to move on.
     
  6. Azteca

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    Or get Breeze DU-8 for 1/4 the price.
     
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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  8. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    But the Breeze DU-8 is "Department for Social Development" approved!

    [​IMG]
     
  9. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    @Mshenay - SU-1 or DU-8 + Gungnir MB and then spend a lot of time with your library. If you want to move away from USB then look at unDAES-O or Rednet RN3 or a really good CD transport.
     
  10. Mshenay

    Mshenay Barred from loaner program. DON'T SEND ME GEAR.

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    Ahh the Du8 looks nice enough, I know there is a "blue cap" upgrade or something. That was linked here a recently. But that and a Gungnir Multibit will more than likely be my next move. I don't intend to move away from my Digital Library just yet...
     

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