Owners are probably just enjoying music instead of coming here, it’s what happens with good discrete R2R multibit dacs. They stop the merry-go-round dac search.
Cheers George
Holo Audio May DAC
Just read a very nice review of this in Stereophile this month and after doing some research it looks like this one could be a very nice option for me.
https://kitsunehifi.com/product/holo-audio-may-dac/
It's made in China I think (or could be Taiwan?, and yes, I am very well aware that these are two very different countries. ;)), and employs a direct to consumer model to keep the price as low as possible. This does not worry me after purchasing a Jay's Audio transport from Vinshine Audio and having zero issues.
Just curious if anyone here has heard one or purchased? I'm very intrigued. I know the Denafrips Terminator is another highly regarded DAC with a similar ordering model, but costs a couple grand more than this one. Considering that one as well.
Thanks
https://kitsunehifi.com/product/holo-audio-may-dac/
It's made in China I think (or could be Taiwan?, and yes, I am very well aware that these are two very different countries. ;)), and employs a direct to consumer model to keep the price as low as possible. This does not worry me after purchasing a Jay's Audio transport from Vinshine Audio and having zero issues.
Just curious if anyone here has heard one or purchased? I'm very intrigued. I know the Denafrips Terminator is another highly regarded DAC with a similar ordering model, but costs a couple grand more than this one. Considering that one as well.
Thanks
Showing 13 responses by georgehifi
May absolutely trounced the Direct Stream in almost every way. Frankly I was shocked at the magnitude of the change. I initially purchased the May just to check it out knowing the demand was high I could easily sell after re-affirming the Direct Stream... but the May trumped the DS. That is the difference when converting PCM recordings 16/44, 24/96 or DXD via R2R Mulitibit conversion vs Delta Sigma conversion. R2R will convert it "bit perfect" where Delta Sigma can only give a "facsimile" of it. Great video BTW https://youtu.be/Wa3sOSRa-U0 Cheers George |
nquery72 posts I think I could be wrong here. Just found this pic (beautifully made btw) which shows the Holo May "may" have the correct amount of R2R resistors per channels (red) to be balanced from the R2R dacs to outputs, but there seems still to be many opamps between it and the outputs, I count 6 per channel. Uses a 1uf coupling cap which maybe for the SE output? = -3db at 3hz with even down to 20k load, -3db at 6hz with 10k load https://ibb.co/3yyqzV2 The balanced output "may" also be direct coupled and uses one of those opamps as a dc servo. While I’m at it, here the power supply no switchmode (smp) rubbish here. https://ibb.co/JymQ9Mc Cheers George |
SE will probably sound better, because I don’t believe Holo use "dual" discrete banks of R2R resistors per channel to get true balanced. I think they are single bank of R2R resistors per channel for the SE output, then probably a SE to balanced opamp to get pseudo balanced output. So far the only one I know that uses dual R2R banks for true balanced out put is MSB flagship models and Soekris top models Soekris models True balanced dual R2R resistor banks per chanel https://ibb.co/bFCR0pY Single Ended R2R resistor banks per chanel https://ibb.co/LQQ0dBJ Cheers George |
The May is extremely clean and extended with great tonality across the frequency range. It paints an amazingly tall and wide picture across my soundstage. The AM-T3SE is a little less even handed, but provides more body and "meat on the bones." It shrinks the soundstage more between the speakers, but also draws more depth and 3-dimensionality. It’s obvious to me that both are superb dacs.Was this done with both in NOS mode or OS mode? If both, was the outcome the same, as for me the borrowed Holo Sping L2 in NOS was richer perhaps not as microscopic than OS mode. Cheers George |
break-in is going to take a whileI think break in is a valid exercise for mechanical things, like phono cartridge suspension, speakers roll-surrounds, maybe even laser suspension etc etc. But with electronic devices dac, pre, amps etc I believe if your not getting "off on it" after 10hrs, which by then even the most stubborn of caps have polarized/formed properly, then your only going to talk your self into it waiting for 500hrs. BTW: Also, nothing will measure any different from 10hrs to 500hrs. But compliance in the mechanical things above do. Cheers George |
Take that with a grain of salt. Not that much in it, balanced is slightly better below -130db!!! and looking at all the noise makers in the background tubes, laptops, screens, test gear etc etc with SMP buzzing their brain out, it’s no wonder the balanced look a little better. My linear Tektronix scope make noise if it’s close to any source gear too. Cheers George |
My theory is that some people (and systems) are particularly sensitive to phase coherency and that something about the DSD’s processing is influencing phase. Whatever it is, that product sounds like it puts the music into a blender to my ears. I was so happy to find a R2R dac (the Audio Mirror T3-SE) that eliminated whatever was happening and just sounded so much more natural to my ears.When doing PCM (Redbook 14/44, 24/96, DXD) Probably has something to do as Mojo Music states, that R2R Multibit conversion when done right is "Bit Perfect". Where DS (Delta Sigma converters) can only give a "facsimile" of it. But DS can do DSD, and now the some of the later discrete R2R Multibit dacs can too!! MoJo Music. "When a PCM file is played on a native DSD Delta Sigma single-bit converter, the single-bit DAC chip has to convert the PCM to DSD in real-time. This is one of the major reasons people claim DSD sounds better than PCM, when in fact, it is just that the chip in most modern Delta Sigma single-bit DACs do a poor job of decoding PCM." Cheers George |
redwoodaudioProbably just showing up the recording equipment of that era, as the they changed from Germanium transistors (yuk) to early Silicon not much better. "Silicon transistor was made commercially available by Fairchild Semiconductor in 1958".Cheers George |
denafrips dacs are excellent, but a little bright amongst the r2r crowd, and according to my research, so is the holo springs unit (based on that i have ruled it out for my own use)Never found that with a borrowed Holo Spring L2 in NOS, when it was switched to DSD or OS it did get slightly less body to the mids, but still not bright. Cheers George |