@stuartk you’re comparing a dedicated tube DAC to an integrated amp solid state onboard DAC. Most likely the Hegel DAC will sound leaner. What RCA cables are using from Aqua into Hegel? What power cord is on the Aqua? You might want to experiment with interconnects between Aqua and Hegel. Try XLRs, something more transparent than your current cables. I’m pretty sure Hegel has a nice DAC but not sure it would be an improvement over a dedicated DAC. You might also want to spend some more time with the Hegel integrated DAC before drawing any final. conclusions.
Hegel H390 DAC
I hesitate to add yet another DAC related thread but I haven't seen this particular question asked before, so....
After owing an H390 for a year, I just got around to listening to it's onboard DAC. What? Huh? Why? I was biased -- convinced I wouldn't like because it wasn't described by reviewers as overtly"warm", like my Aqua La Voce S2.
As someone who always advocates making buying decisions based on listening, I feel quite sheepish making this confession but as this is an audio forum, not group therapy, I'll move on to the main point.
I was shocked to discover I actually prefer the Hegel's DAC to the Aqua. In my system, in my room, it is more transparent, smoother and more effortless. And, to my surprise, it conveys more emotion.
The only downside is that the Hegel's DAC is somewhat leaner in the mids than I'd prefer.
Question: which outboard DACs have a similar but more fleshed-out sonic profile under 7K, new?
Showing 21 responses by audphile1
I wouldn’t expect an old cd player in the league of the jolida to beat a modern cd transport like the Jays CDT2MkIII. Better power supplies, better clock…it’s in a different category. You really have few options to improve your sound, IMO - 1. Try XLR interconnects from DAC to Hegel (cheapest option). Get out of your full cable loom mindset and try what works best 2. Upgrade DAC - much bigger yield than cable upgrade but also more costly As far as DACs are concerned, you have a lot of options but I would say look for $5,000 + retail price DACs. Figure out the sound signature you want and you can narrow down the list of candidates |
Interesting. So you are planning on feeding a digital signal to Hegel then Hegel digital out to Aqua and XLR from Aqua to Hegel XLR in? If I am not mistaking, the clock in Jays CDT2MkIII is supposed to be insanely good. The digital signal that comes out of that transport is as good as you can get for the money. You’re passing that to Hegel for its most likely subpar clock to pass it over to Aqua. I’m probably misunderstanding this but I’m struggling with the objective of this test. What problem are you trying to solve? What noise is there with Aqua?? If you don’t like the sound of Aqua, nothing will change it. |
Got it. And thanks for that explanation! So from my experience….I’ve had interconnects that caused fatigue. I’ve had power cords that caused fatigue as well. |
@stuartk interesting. What cables are you thinking of trying? |
Thanks! I wouldn’t rush to swap for pass. Hegel is good. Different but good.
what you’re hearing is due to higher output via XLR outs of your dac and that gives your lower noise and the more weight you’re hearing in the presentation is your dac driving the amp better. I always use XLR where possible. |
If the transport is the root cause of the sibilance, you have to try a few things. 2. try different digital cables. Doesn’t have to be expensive but must be either 75ohm coax or 110ohm AES. Using regular balanced or rca cable can cause sonic degradation. The impedance of the cable is critical. If the sibilance is just as nasty with the DVD player as transport into the Aqua but there’s no sibilance with hegel inbuilt dac, your dac is the issue. Let us know. |
@stuartk so you’ve pretty much narrowed it down to DAC. I wouldn’t worry about silver in digital cable. It won’t impact the sound the same way the silver in analog cables would. At this point no amount of vibration control, tweaks or cables will fix this issue. At best it would provide a temporary bandaid. Probably time to try a new DAC or a new amp. Room dampening might help as well if you can add some. |
I never heard any difference in my system that was influenced by how close to each other the cables are or their geometric orientation in relation to each other. Never have I heard even a slightest difference in sound between a speaker cable that was coiled or stretched out. |
@stuartk I had the PSM-156 and sold it. You can definitely try the Puritan. I highly doubt it’s your problem though. If you’re determined to make it work I would think that both the transport and the dac have to be looked at as a pairing or individually, given the fact that the Simaudio transport didn’t exhibit this sonic trait you’re trying to remediate. |
@stuartk that’s cool. Just enjoy the music and take your time in solving this puzzle. When you borrow a dac and a transport you will most likely figure out where the root cause is. It’s odd that the Simaudio transport with your Aqua DAC didn’t have the sibilance as pronounced as your Jays transport. As to power conditioning…looking at the power supplies in the Aqua and Jays… unless you live in an apartment building in the city something like that lower end puritan is a waste of space and money. It may actually introduce other nuisance like power cord upgrades for it, restricted dynamics, etc.
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