Steve, since your still prototyping then a linear power supply test might not be a bad idea as a comparison. I'm sure it's quite an investment in time and parts but the rewards, to your loyal customer base, justify the barriers.
I'm happy to help with your testing and offer auditions/opinions on different designs. With my new room and a bit of an upgrade on my gear (to be shortly announced) I think my system will be rather resolving and show the finesse needed to identify the subtle differences and improvements you are trying to achieve.
Cheers! |
Yes, I agree, Mattnshilp would be a great beta-tester indeed, he has proven it here on this thread, he has used his money to be a tester for himself and all of us, the man has reported all his finding's, how many people do you know would take the time and money to do this?, yes, someone should sponser MattNshilp. |
Steve, If both are implemented to a very high level will a linear power supply sound better than a SMPS? Your new DAC is an all out effort so I realize every aspect matters. I know that power supplies are a crucial factor.
Best of luck,
Charles. |
I had the good fortune of hearing the Computer Audio Design (CAD) which I think is a USB DAC - whereby you rip cd's to a computer first. Scott Berry also makes a kind of player/ripping device. I am not entirely sure ass to connectivity with your front end, but it was utterly brilliant - very natural, no glare, no hash, it was to all intents and purposes just right - I have never heard digital that 'right'. I've heard DCS which is fabulous but as a sort of CD High Res sound to it, Burmester has a certain luxury, MBL I recall had a Burmestereque luxury as well. But the CAD - that was something else - effortless correctness |
Oh yes
Can I just add that I remember hearing a very impressive DAC from the Chord Company |
Matt - actually, if I modify a couple of Dynamo supplies, I can try this right away for +12V digital and +18V anaolog supplies. I don't have any -18V linear to try for the third supply, but this voltage is less critical. I can just use the Substation for this.
CharlesD - A linear will have less noise I think, even using the same regulator.
Steve N.
Empirical Audio |
12-20-14: Lohanimal
I had the good fortune of hearing the Computer Audio Design (CAD) which I think is a USB DAC - whereby you rip cd's to a computer first. Scott Berry also makes a kind of player/ripping device. I am not entirely sure ass to connectivity with your front end, but it was utterly brilliant - very natural, no glare, no hash, it was to all intents and purposes just right - I have never heard digital that 'right'. I've heard DCS which is fabulous but as a sort of CD High Res sound to it, Burmester has a certain luxury, MBL I recall had a Burmestereque luxury as well. But the CAD - that was something else - effortless correctness Was this at the Warsaw show? Sounds very promising... |
How about some gerbils in wheels connected to generators?!?!?
Direct DC generation and Totally off the grid....
There are, of course, some kinks to work out. But think of all the mods we could implement. Higher efficiency generators, titanium light weight wheels, upgraded flywheels, gerbil sneakers (Air Gerbil), genetically altered gerbils for more consistent power generation... Oh the possibilities!!! |
Actually, some Japanese audiophiles did something in the same vein with bright lights and solar panels... discussed here:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-source/142562-microsd-memory-card-transport-project-13.html#post3569285
Greg in Mississippi |
Matt. If you could arrange a lampizator seven, ModWright's Elyse tube dac alone with the allnic, this would give readers a good base comparison regarding tube dacs to empirical. |
There is a barely new Esoteric K-01X on auction at Audiogon now. Current bid is 10k but below reserve price. May be an opportunity to get this on the "cheap". |
Trinity DAC
Any thoughts? I have recently had a chance to compare the Trinity DAC to the Vivaldi stack in friend's system. To our surprise we both prefered the Trinity DAC, which had a better PRaT, overall sounded more transparent and - for lack of a better word - less processed. He is complementing selling his Vivaldi and getting the Trinity DAC instead. The problem is the Trinity transport is not as robust as the Vivaldi transport (the Trinity PC Drive is basicly a computer in a matching case) so he may end up keeping the Vivaldi transport. I read the Trinity sounds even better via the USB, but we didn't have a chance to try this input. |
I had the good fortune of hearing the Computer Audio Design (CAD) which I think is a USB DAC - whereby you rip cd's to a computer first. Scott Berry also makes a kind of player/ripping device. I am not entirely sure ass to connectivity with your front end, but it was utterly brilliant - very natural, no glare, no hash, it was to all intents and purposes just right - I have never heard digital that 'right'. I've heard DCS which is fabulous but as a sort of CD High Res sound to it, Burmester has a certain luxury, MBL I recall had a Burmestereque luxury as well. But the CAD - that was something else - effortless correctness Thank you Lohanimal! Best Regards, Scott Berry www.computeraudiodesign.com |
Whitewind,
Trinity vs Vivaldi - this is absolute top tier stuff. Please tell us more about the comparison setting - preamp or no preamp, power amp, speakers, etc.
Thanks in advance. J. |
Hi Scott,
Nice of you to drop by. I have read the rave review of your product in HiFi+. The transport currently does not have a direct input for usb thumbdrive, SD card or solid state hard drive. Would you consider this in your future designs for those of us who may not want to do streaming or have a computer near our audio rig? If not, could you tell us whether such a provision would compromise sound quality in any way?
Thanks in advance.
J. |
Hi Jon,
The CAD Audio Transport (CAT) is built with any music storage the customer wants. We can install SSD or HDD.
You can also use a NAS over Ethernet, USB thumb drive, etc. You can have multiple music storage locations if you wish. The CAT will see them all as one library.
So yes, there is a direct input for a USB thumbdrive on the CAT.
We recommend using internal SSD storage for music because in my opinion it gives the best sound quality of any option available.
Along with an internal SSD you can also connect up to a NAS via Ethernet if you wish.
Most customers choose a 1TB SSD, enough space for at least 1500 ripped CDs, which costs about £350 at the moment.
Best Regards,
Scott
www.computeraudiodesign.com |
Hi Scott,
All that you have said is indeed music to my ears, so to speak. If I do get the CAD transport, it would be solely for hi-res material. 1 TB of internal SSD is more than enough to hold my current hi-res collection. Can the transport output DSD or 24/192 data via spdif, either RCA or XLR, to any other hi-res DSD DAC?
I ask this because I have quite a number of such files but I note from your website that the CAD DAC is neither DSD nor 24/192 capable. Do you have any plans to incorporate such capability in the near future?
Many thanks. J. |
Hi Jon,
The CAT is designed to output via a USB connection or Ethernet connection. The CAT does not have S/PDIF, RCA or XLR connections.
The CAT will play back any format at any bit rate and any resolution available.
The 1543 DAC will "natively" playback up to 176.4Khz. If you connect the 1543 DAC to the CAT it will playback DSD via DSD over PCM (DoP).
I have no plans to make the 1543 DAC accept DSD natively. I have had customers concerned about this and my suggestion is to please go to any of our dealers with some of your DSD files and have a listen to the CAT and 1543 DAC.
The bulk of our customers are people that have been involved in audio for many years and have a large collection of CDs and possibly a CD player that has a few years on it. I am personally also a big vinyl nut and I have tried to get the sound of the 1543 DAC and CAT to be a bit more like that and less like many digital components out there that have "sort of CD High Res sound to it" as Lohanimal mentions.
The CAT and 1543 DAC combination will playback any file currently available.
Best Regards,
Scott |
Hi Scott - only stating the truth - I wasn't looking to flatter. |
Hi Agear,
Yes, CAD was at the Warsaw show this year. We were in the Tulip room with the 1543 DAC, CAT and CAD USB Cable along with Boenicke W8 speakers and Purist Audio Design interconnects.
http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatures/poland2014/11.html
Best Regards,
Scott
www.computeraudiodesign.com |
Scott,
I'm not familiar with your product. Any interest in getting one to me for an audition/comparison. Wanna throw your boxer into my ring? ;) |
Hi Mattnshilp,
All our products are sold with a 30 day money back guarantee. If you are interested please contact me through our website:
http://www.computeraudiodesign.com/contact/
Best Regards,
Scott
www.computeraudiodesign.com |
Scott, is it your opinion that the internall SSD sounds better than an SDxc card? I was told otherwise, but have no direct experience.
The thing is that a 500GB SDXC card in now about GBP400 and in a year or 2, 1 TB will likely cost that amount. That means that one can hace one's ENTIRE library in the top pocket with say 5 to 6 1TB SDXC cards and these cards are not constantly shifting data around for efficiency sake like HDDs and SSDs and are ligtning fast, as evidenced by their use in hi-speed photography.
Your considered opinion is welcome. |
Matt,
How can you NOT know CAD? They are a top quality British digital audio player. LoL |
Thanks, Scott, for your very informative reply.
Please correct if I am wrong - for 24/192 data, the transport can transmit this to the DAC which then downsamples to 24/96?
|
Scott, is it your opinion that the internall SSD sounds better than an SDxc card? I was told otherwise, but have no direct experience.
The thing is that a 500GB SDXC card in now about GBP400 and in a year or 2, 1 TB will likely cost that amount. That means that one can hace one's ENTIRE library in the top pocket with say 5 to 6 1TB SDXC cards and these cards are not constantly shifting data around for efficiency sake like HDDs and SSDs and are ligtning fast, as evidenced by their use in hi-speed photography. Hi Wisnon, In my experience an SDXC card does sound better than a standard SSD, but is more expensive. As you said for the price of a 500GB SDXC card you can now get a 1TB SSD. But the question I have spent a lot of time on is: Why does it sound better? I feel I have found the reasons and have implemented that technology into the CAT. Best Regards, Scott www.computeraudiodesign.com |
Please correct if I am wrong - for 24/192 data, the transport can transmit this to the DAC which then downsamples to 24/96? Hi Jon, The 1543 DAC has no capabilities to upsample, downsample or filter. The CAT can be set up to take 24/192 data and output 24/96 or anything else you would like. Best Regards, Scott www.computeraudiodesign.com |
Hi Scott,
1. What happens to 24/192 data after transmission from the CAT to the DAC which supports sampling rates up to the maximum of 176.4?
2. Can the CAT output to any other dac or is it, by virtue of its single output which is usb, limited only to the CAD DAC?
3. My conclusion is that the CAT cannot function as a stand-alone transport without the DAC. Is this correct?
Best regards. J. |
Thanks for the comment Scott.
For me, the beauty of the card solution is the non-shifting data, the ability to handle data rapidly and most importantly, the ability to travel with your ENTIRE music collection in your wallet. Ultimate MOBILITY!
Price? just give it 2 years….
The tech is reminiscent or the Porzilli "Memory Player".
Keep on making your good stuff. Knowledgeable people (in the industry) have given your products the thumbs up. |
Hi Scott,
1. What happens to 24/192 data after transmission from the CAT to the DAC which supports sampling rates up to the maximum of 176.4?
2. Can the CAT output to any other dac or is it, by virtue of its single output which is usb, limited only to the CAD DAC?
3. My conclusion is that the CAT cannot function as a stand-alone transport without the DAC. Is this correct? 1) The CAT will downsample the 192KHz to 176.4Khz (or any other frequency you would like) 2) The CAT can be used with any USB DAC. We also have some people using it as a high quality audio / CD ripper Ethernet server. Any digital device that uses Ethernet streaming can use the CAT. So you could use one CAT to connect up to both a USB DAC and another "streamer". 3) Correct. There is no Digital to Analog converter inside the CAT Best Regards, Scott www.computeraudiodesign.com |
Thanks, Scott; for clearing the air.
Your answer to Q2 makes the CAT more desirable now.
Cheers! J. |
Have you guys read this? : http://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/528-devialet-400-mono-integrated-amplifier-dacs
He even likes the $6500 one better than anything he has heard on his Magicos. A DAC, a preamp, an amp...all in one.
Why would you not try it if you could afford to? Never heard it myself but I certainly would try it if I had the money. |
Ricevs, the amp section on the French piece appears to be SOTA, but the digital implementation falls short in many people's eyes. Spend on time on the Devaliet forums, and they are screwing around with Totaldac servers and whatnot trying to get better SQ. Who knows. I would love to try one. Speaker selection seems to be very important.... |
I have the Devialet 200.. And I'm very happy with it.. |
I heard Devaliet with Totem Elemental Metal speakers at the NY show and it was a winning combo. |
The amps are not SOTA, as they essentially use the Threshold STASIS tech, which was an adaptation of current dumping. Class a voltage combined with class D current. The older techs used class B current.
The complaint about Devialet is that they dont work that well with very hard to drive speakers. Their SAM tech does make them a flawless matchup to normal speajkers that have been SAM optimized though.
This is great turnkey stuff, but you have to buy into the Devialet eco-system, which currenly means no DSD and even if it comes later could likely NOT be pure DSD.
Get Devialet and one can just forget about Nervosa. |
@Agear,
It's not the sound quality of the digital section that has folks (also me) trying different renderers and servers, it's Devialet's current built in streamer AIR. AIR sounds outstanding and works pretty good with the occasional hiccup, but it needs to have a computer running on the network.. no upnp built in..
But wait there's more :-) Devialet just announced their Dialog device and Spark control point, which looks as if it'll add upnp and streaming capabilities without the need for a computer running on the network..It's supposed to sell for $400.00 and if it does what it's supposed to do (I expect it will) Bam! Home Run Baby :-)
And DSD will most likely become available around the Munich show this year..
All in all it's an awesome turnkey product that punches way above it's weight and really helps one to get off the audio merry go round and just sit back and enjoy the music.. |
01-01-15: Wisnon
The amps are not SOTA, as they essentially use the Threshold STASIS tech, which was an adaptation of current dumping. Class a voltage combined with class D current. The older techs used class B current. Norman, you have been making that argument since 2012 (or most likely someone else fed you that argument...Goldmund maybe?). People obviously disagree with you on the factuality of it: http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/index.php?/topic/47092-finally-an-interesting-class-d-amp/page-4 Erik, for your perusal: http://devialetchat.com/Thread-Mac-AIR-v-MiND-180-v-Auralic-ARIES-v-totaldac-d1-server?page=7 |
I got it from actual listening at Shows and from persuing forums like A-Asylum. There is a huge current dumping thread there.
I was interested in getting a Nakamishi Stasis amp once upon a time, as I know of Nelson Pass accomplishment with Stasis power. A UK audio industry buddy also told me about the hybrid amp tech and how they developed it.
BTW, I did not even visit Goldmund until mid-2013, so you are barking up the wrong tree. What would they know about Current Dumping anyway?
I also resent your implication that I cant think for myself and apply critical reasoning. Methinks you are the one swayed here by bling. |
Andrew, did you read post 135?
Those people were wrong. Cant see the forest for the trees. Class A voltage, Class B or Class D current drive. Simples.
All the engineering egghead speak cant get away from that helicopter view.
Been there, done that, bought the T shirt. |
01-03-15: Wisnon
I got it from actual listening at Shows and from persuing forums like A-Asylum. There is a huge current dumping thread there.
I was interested in getting a Nakamishi Stasis amp once upon a time, as I know of Nelson Pass accomplishment with Stasis power. A UK audio industry buddy also told me about the hybrid amp tech and how they developed it.
BTW, I did not even visit Goldmund until mid-2013, so you are barking up the wrong tree. What would they know about Current Dumping anyway?
I also resent your implication that I cant think for myself and apply critical reasoning. Methinks you are the one swayed here by bling.
Wisnon (Answers | This Thread)
01-03-15: Wisnon
Andrew, did you read post 135?
Those people were wrong. Cant see the forest for the trees. Class A voltage, Class B or Class D current drive. Simples.
All the engineering egghead speak cant get away from that helicopter view.
Been there, done that, bought the T shirt. Audio posting is riddled with derivate information due to the lack of a true technical background for many of us and we all recycle it endlessly. Nothing new there (and thus the Godlmund guess). Posts 108 and 9 said it all. Case closed. Start another thread if you still desire to flesh out your hypothesis. I do not own Devaliet, but there appears to be actual innovation (and the patents behind it). I am most intrigued by the Phantom project. Devaliet apparently had a team of 40 engineers fiddling on it. That's in stark contrast to what we are used to seeing in hi end audio (lone audio mystic tweaking a 1950s tube circuit through the alchemy of better parts) and trumpeting that as innovation. They both have their place, but Devaliet and companies like it are dragging things forward and people will naturally resist that or be cynical (or jealous if you are a manufacturer like your friend in the UK Norman). I have been waiting for something like the Phantom since the early 2000s and its here for better and for worse. I would love to hear the Devaliet in my system. I would love even more to hear the Phantom speakers and either use them for a second system or possibly a sick HT system. I showed wifey images of them, and she was enthralled. She told me to dump all my archaic junk, buy a nice credenza and some phantoms for my dedicated room. It would make for some absurd, existential style theater....:) Matt, an industry guy who is fairly picky also heard the Devaliet/Totem system at the NY show and was impressed as well. |
@agear.. I've been following that dev chat thread for a while now.. Seems that everyone that's heard the Totaldac server is in love with it and that the Moon a Mind is great too except the control point for it sucks. The Aries seems to not fair as well but I'm happy with mine.
What I'm looking forward to is the new Devialet Dialog.. $400.00 and supposedly their Spark control point is killer.. Like Sonos good. If the Dialog sounds killer then the combo could be a real game changer. |
How can there be a guess from them, when I didnt meet the people till a year later and I dont even know the technical people there? The tread clearly shows a 2012 discussion.
Quit while you are ahead, you are spreading misinformation. It seems you cant see the Forest for the trees either.
No one said Devialet does not sound good…I heard it since 2012 and I do agree that Phantom is true break thru stuff, if it sounds as good as they say. The hybrid amplification is not, its just evolutionary and it does have problems driving hard to drive speakers, hence then going for more power in the 400.
Dont care what Matt or the wifey says, it does not change reality. Sorry. |
Nelson Pass developed STASIS Power for Threshold from the 1990s, and licensed the tech to Nakamishi. Those vintage amps still command a good price as the tech is well proven. Class A voltage to sweeten the sound, class B or now Class D current drive. Great marriage of SQ while having efficient grunt. Clearly Class D is significantly more efficient than Class B. Evolutionary, not revolutionary.
Having patents does not necessarily mean true breakthru, it just means you do things slightly differently than what has been patened before. Many ways to skin a cat. |
"Don't care what Matt or the wifey says, it does not change reality."
What'd I say????? I can change reality?!?!? Can I turn grass into Gummy Bears???? I always wished I could do that..... |
|
Not sure where to even post this, but this seemed like a good place. Thoughts on the Lumin T1 server/DAC??? I want a server based system. Should I be waiting? That DAC doesn't have a hookup for my Sat/TV box, but it looks good. Never heard it. What other servers out there that don't cost an arm and leg, lol...I'm thinking I may want to keep my DAC and server separate as I can upgrade as new stuff comes up. Thoughts? |
CTsooner- I'm in same boat. Lumin and a few others ( Aurender, CAD, Total DAC, Antipodes, YFS, Auralic, Meridian and more coming every day) pique my interest. I want server separate from DAC.
Some think dedicated audiophile grade server is clearly better, others say a dedicated computer is the way to go....
I'm waiting for now. I think there is a transition happening with more use of Ethernet and USB and a move away from SPDIF as server source replaces Transport. It's interesting to watch but I'm not ready to jump on the train just yet. Especially with the kind of performance and convenience I'm getting from my Mac Mini.
Is there better? No doubt! But I'll watch for a bit unless a killer deal offers itself. |
Hey Matt. Is that the new SOTA dedicated *DeWalt* server I see in your new room build? Let's us know how that works out for you... LOL! |
Matt, we are in total agreement. I need to start ripping and i have an older Macbook Pro (Late 2008). I will go to Johnny's and get the top AQ digital cable to use for ripping. I"ll most probably get the Synology NAS. SS or HHD? Anyone??? Then I can at least start to rip and save my many CD's. After than I"m hoping that a ton of new servers will be unveiled today at CES. Do I throw Bryston into this mix? Looks like the Aria for 1500 could be a great buy.
My biggest problem with going with this Lumin or some of the other companies who are new to the dance is that there won't be support if something fails in a few years (i.e. so many newer companies or hobbyists just don't make it. See Meadowlark speakers). It's a fact. I know that so many of the products (especially digital) are awesome and almost affordable for me right now, but I'm scared of the support. I think that's why I go to Audio Connections and listen to John. He knows what he's talking about and what goes best with MY system. I've had two others I've dealt with over the years who I felt the same about..Bruce at Stereo Unlimited in San Diego in the 80's and then Bruce Kutin of now defunct Ocean State Audio in Prov, RI.
I read this amazing thread and see guys from Empirical Audio and read about how great his products are, but they are probably out of my league and I don't want so many boxes in my system. I"m serious about my music and will have a 25k system or so when it's done. Maybe even more eventually, but afraid to just hop on right now.
Please pick apart my fears, lol. |
