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georgehifi,
What are we buying in that it weights only 1.5 KG?
Don't things like heavy duty supplies, etc. matter in DACs or does this start to get into the law of diminishing returns as you pay for big power supplies, etc.?
Just asking as I like my Theta ProBasic III, which weighs in at 25 plus pounds; but keep wondering what I might be missing by not trying a light weight DAC.
Thanks for listening,
Dsper |
Georgehifi,
Okay, a new Soekris DAC 1421 arrived at my house yesterday. Right out of the box it was ugly - thin, one dimensional, and bright.
Twenty hours later and I am starting to be impressed compared to my old Theta ProBasic III. More detail across the whole audible range, I think, is translating into better ambience, soundstage, imaging, and liquidity.
So now that you have helped me to upend my apple cart; should I quit thinking about an end game DAC (for my price range) like a Bricasti, Metrum, Mojo Audio, or Schitt?😉
Dsper |
Conrad Johnson 17LS2 preamp.
I think, along with some Amperex butt ulglies from Brent Jesse, it adds a musicality to my system.
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Okay, FWIW.
I am going from Soekris DAC direct to DNA-500 to Thiel CS5i's. No separate preamp.
Listened to John Hiatt "Walk On", Adele "19", and Grant Green "Idle Moments".
Not sure how accurate this is with Google Play Store "Sound Meter":
Soekris volume control set at -22 and Sound Meter is measuring hi 70 to low 80 Dbls.
Soekris volume control set at -27 and Sound Meter is measuring hi 60 to low 70 Dbls.
Soekris volume control set at -29 and Sound Meter is measuring hi 50 to low 60 Dbls.
Soekris volume control set at -31 and Sound Meter is measuring low 50 to hi 50 Dbls.
Initial thoughts about the sound I am hearing
without the CJ 17LS2 preamp:
Almost/definitely uncomfortable at higher volumes
More detail
More contrast between highest and lowest notes
More ambient information - deeper soundstage, maybe?
Feel like I am listening to more sound but less music?
Maybe I have to get used to it and then go back to preamp or preamp/old DAC to really tell what sounds better to me.
First World Problem, I guess.
FWIW.
Thanks for listening,
Dsper
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Okay, I think the affair
is over
with the Soekris direct into the amp .
Reinserted the CJ preamp and the I like the sound better this way.
I still have the detail without the brightness. The texture and the liquidity/solidarity of the sound is back. More musical to me. |
You may be right, I will give it more time! |
George,
Not to drive you nuts but I have questions that reflect my ignorance and would appreciate your further explanation:
The Soekris DAC digital volume control specification is -90 dbl to +10 dbl. It also says the line outout is 2 volts.
In the Control volume with DAC or Preamp? you commented "...Unless there’s some problem, the lowest noise is always achieved if you use all or most of what the source has to offer..." So is that at 0 on the DAC volume control or somewhere else? Or does it not matter?
If I am hell bent on hearing some "tube magic" with a solid state amp, I need to use a tube preamp. In that case, where should I set the volume on the DAC? Is it the same answer as above?
I am switching back and forth with the preamp in or out of my system and want to maximze the best quality signal from the DAC with the preamp in to give the best comparison.
Or does this just get down to what I think sounds the best?
Thanks for listening,
Dsper |
Okay,
After rereading the manual, I found that there is a "Clip" light that must not show red so you turn down the volume until the red light does not flash.
Ends up at plus 2 for me. |
Well in my system, I have not had a delta sigma that has sounded good.
Just too bright and thin.
More noise, less music.
YMMV.
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One item to consider if you are thibking about running a DAC direct to your amp.
Consider if the DAC has a remote control for the volume.
If that does not matter, consider how the volume is incremented on the DAC and how large the volume control is for yuor hand.
One annoyance is that Soekris DAC volume control knob is very small and it is easy go under/over shoot where you want to set it.
A larger volume control knob is easier to control.
Of course, not the end of the world.
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I have the Soekris running straight to the amp this morning.
Listening to Bill Evans "Another Time". Eddie Gomez' bass is sounding the best I have heard it with my setup.
Yesterday, I had the preamp in and that sounded good, too. Not better or worse than today, just different....
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Okay...
My intent was to listen to a less than $1000 DAC to see if that could make me happy. I found the Soekris DAC 1421 to be an improvement from my Theta ProBasic III as I have shared in earlier posts.
However...I had been reading about the Mojo Audio Mystique V3 along with other roughly $5,000 DACs. With all the recent press about the new EVO version from Mojo Audio, a couple of V3's have come on the used market. I pulled the trigger on one last week even though it was like four times the price of the Soekris. This is a lot of money so it was not a decision I made lightly.
My early listening results are astounding me. While I could debate how much better the Soekris was to the Theta, there is no doubt about the Mystique being substantially better sounding than the Soekris in my system.
The bass is better and I can hear the 25 HZ test sound on the Stereophile Test CD - 2. Instruments and vocals are more fleshed out combined with a much better sense of ambient space. Imaging is improved such that I can look directly at a speaker and "see" instruments in front of the speaker. That has never happened before.
Its like my Thiel CS5i speakers have come alive. They have sparkle and are not so polite. You may have noticed that I have been active on a couple of speaker threads as I was/am contemplating a move to higher efficiency speakers and tube amps. That is now officially on hold for at least a while.
Now, I have to admit that I have been playing with speaker placement, including toe in and distance. I will be reinserting the Theta in my system to hear what happens but am finding it hard to accept that speaker adjustments are making such a difference. I am pretty sure it is the Mystique...
More to come and your thoughts and ideas are welcomed.
Thanks for listening,
Dsper
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