The All Purpose Advice Thread

I´ve just joined SBAF and overhasty asked a question in my introduction:
http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...ers-introduce-yourself.17/page-98#post-137892
I better aks here, before i overhasty by a R/2R DAC. I´m used to ΣΔ modulation and know R/2R DACs only in theory. I love the concept. And it can be realized in a dicrete manner as a ladder composed of resistors through that the bitstream passes. Easy to see, like here:
http://armature.audio/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/DAC-R2R-prise-de-haut.jpg

But if a see that is beneath this PCB, i loose my faith in this DAC. It´s a a Denafrips Ares-look alike with over 50 capicators. Capicators burnt-out quite fast and who can repair a PCB with dozens of capicators? To that comes the issue that R/2R DACs want to stay on al the time, so that the resistance of the resistors don´t change.

I know it can be made better. In a dac1321 from Soekris i see only 4 capicators. But building over 50 capicators might have a reason. Now i ask me if a should by a R/2R DAC right now or better wait some years until better R/2R designs are developed. Have one here has maybe experiences with the longlifity and practicallity of contemporary R/2R DAC?

 

How about the Torpedo III that's up for sale here?

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/torpedo-3-all-beezar-upgrades-built-by-local-head-fier.847048/

 

I have definitely considered it. I'm not ready to buy yet but I have heard good things about a maxed out T3.

 

Are you using an IEMatch or software volume attenuation with the Andros?

Zout is almost zero straight out of both SE and balanced outputs. What's the Zout of the source you usually use with the Andros?

 

hmmm I have actually never heard about meier, I think I have to look into their things and see how good they are. One thing is for sure I am not a big fan of their design, but if they offer a good amount of power ans sound good then the design doesn't matter.

 

Meier's stuff is solid, and he's located in Germany which may make obtaining one easier than other options. His work on crossfeed is also quite highly regarded, and while he was not the originator of it, I think it would be fair to say that he was one of the early pioneers of its use.

The casework on Meier's amps used to be a lot more interesting, but years ago he switched to having his amps assembled in China with plain looking cases to reduce costs.

 

There is nothing in a reasonably built R2R dac that will have high probability of failure, even if it's switched on for 10 years straight.
Brand electrolytics will last a very long time in a design where ripple current is low and temperatures never rise over 45 deg C.
Personally I have punished the shit out of the DIY Soekris board and it still works fine. Hell, I will say that it's my favorite dac (for sound quality) that I have tried so far.

 

Hmm I do not like that they don't really show any power information at a given ohm rating. There is a guy that I have chatted with and he says that meier is rather meh, but he also only buys gear that cost quite a bit more (1k gear or more). The things they list do look quite solid for the price.

TBH my biggest concern is the DAC and how long it would last, it is close to 11 years old and uses a 100-120€ tube. It would really suck if I buy it for 400€ and then two months later a part fries or something like that.

 

Unless you're pumping things like the HE-6, power ratings are largely irrelevant these days. Considering that Meier also sells a decent selection of headphones, it would be safe to assume that he has tested them all for adequate power. You can always email him directly and ask.

If you really like to drool over data and charts, take a look at the Neurochrome HP-1 (outside your budget I believe, but there are some very nice data points in there)

 

I will get HE 500's and HD 800's this year, but yeah power ratings are basically irrelevant unless we look at really low-end gear that offers so little power.
Prob gonna contact him and ask him about what he would get for planar headphones. Then again, the amp isn't really my biggest concern that would be the DAC and the 400€ the seller wants for it.

 

Yes close to 0, sound is slightly bassier versus my LG V20 which is, I guess, around 5 ohms output.

 

OK, a Mobi 2 MB doesn´t suck to much power, so i can run it 24/7 even in the summer. I seen only for the (non MB)Modi2 the draw of 0.6 watts on Schiit homepage, but the Modi 2 MB wount be more than 10 times. I fear only the lag of 2 second if the Moby 2 MB scans for the input (USB, TOSlink, coxial S/PDIF). Have many people problems with this?

I would like a Soekris dac1321, ´cause i´m not experienced with builing a DAC with a DIY dam1021 board. Schiit´s product ar 50% more expensive in Europe, that´s makes a Soekris dac1321 a good alternitive. Do you find your DIY Soekris board better than a Schiit Modi 12 MB?
Has anything thoughts on a Soekris dac1321?

 

No they aren't, they are "only" cost about 20-35% more in EU, depending on the product you want. Generally the higher you go the smaller the percentage becomes.

 

GoldPoint XLR switches run hundreds of dollars. Emotiva has this doodad for 13 bucks. OK so, yes, you need one per channel...26 bucks.

If I wanted to take balanced out from a DAC to two inputs like a preamp and a headamp, what is the downside of something like this? Impedance issues? Understood you probably want to be able to power down the preamp/headamp you're not using. A pain...but 26 bucks vs a few hundred.

What's the catch?

 

I haven't used the product, and the webpage doesn't provide a ton of info, so take this for what it's worth, but my guess is that this is a splitter, as opposed to a switch. A splitter runs two outputs simultaneously, while a switch runs one output at a time. Because it is a passive splitter, the power for each output is cut in half when compared to the original input signal.

 

Cool - yeah, I get it's a splitter. They key question for me is: if the output (DAC in my example) is not driving a load like headphones but is rather a signal input into two amplifiers, should I theoretically see insignificant current draw and have accurate reference voltage at both amps (even if they are driving loads)? IE can I happily split a signal from Gungnir Multibit and run that to a Jotunheim and a Freya?

 

Gotcha. I'll have to defer to others on this question. This one's above my pay grade.

 

or the unreleased Soekris1321 (€575 incl. VAT etc plus shipping)

That´s right for a Bitfrost MB (€660):
http://schiit.eu.com/dacs/bifrost-multi-bit

THe Modi MB costs here €325, that´s 50%:
http://schiit.eu.com/dacs/modi-multibit
I don´t know if there also a Mobi 2 MB exists like the Mobi 2 or Mobi 2 Uber.
Anyway a "better deal" would be or a Bitfrost MB (€660) or the unreleased Soekris1321 (€575 incl. VAT etc plus shipping).
Will were be big differences in quality of the DAC?

 

Modi MB is €299 http://www.schiit-europe.com/index.php/producten/dacs/modi-multibit.html
In the U.S. it's $249 which is about €230. I don't know how you get that to be 50% ?
Is that German percent?