@cleopatra52 On the May (unlike the Spring), the transformers are the same copper model on all versions: "
Also each channel is individually powered by it’s dedicated Otype FLATWIRE transformer found in all three models."
Unfortunately I doubt you're likely to find many who've got experience comparing the different levels besides Kitsune and Holo themselves. It's a challenge to hear any model here in the states, let alone two versions.
Although we've got very different opinions of silver (I put solid core high purity silver wire throughout my system and find it increases the naturalness of the sound), I certainly didn't hear any thinness to the May KTE presentation. There was a touch of brightness, but I believe that would have washed away with more burn-in. |
I have followed this discussion with considerable interest and I'm close to pulling the trigger on a May. But I am hesitating over the level of the May that would be best for me in my system. The primary difference between the Level 2 and Level 3 (KTE) versions of the May is the use of silver wire and transformers in the latter and it has been assumed by most that this would make the KTE the best. However, my experience with silver cable, some very expensive, has indicated that silver has a particular sound signature quite different that copper. Although silver is certainly transparent and detailed, it can also sound quite thin and even bright (I have experienced this sonic signature in a number of top tier audio systems). The reviews of the KTE May certainly don't comment on this silver signature but, on the other hand, I have not seen any direct comparisons with the Level 2 May. Any comments on this topic would be greatly appreciated. |
Hchilcoat hang on to your Big 7 and see what the Evo Aeon brings to the table ,,I changed dacs for a couple reasons , personally I find the Holo May KTE a tremendous bang for the buck and it’s beautiful to look at too. |
@in_shore @jriggy @cal3713 THanks for the responses about the KTE being more of a lateral move from the Lampizator. The Big 7 is from 2015 so I only have DSD 128 running right now and not the latest PCM. But still sounds great. But not sure if having all the latest bells and whistles that are on the May KTE would matter especially if most of my music is with PCM, although having the option to upsample to DSD 512 or higher might be useful. I guess at some point I could try the KTE to compare and sell one of them.
Seems like the 432 Evo might have a bigger impact on sound quality than changing the DAC right now. |
Hchilcoat I wasn’t too sure about the Evo Aeon the first couple months I owned it however thinking about it I believe it was simply a sonic change just logging hours onto it along with the new interconnects .
For me playback is the best I’ve experienced in my home with well recorded music I thought I was very familiar with I now find absolutely thrilling.
With well recorded vocals there is a true living presence of timbre something I never ever heard before however I want to point out that’s not because of the May dac my previous dac with the Evo allowed me to hear this more alive / human sound .
And finally I like to point out no one with any certainty can guess what your going to hear or think you are going to hear until you have said components in your own system.
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@hchilcoat , I was going to say similar as cal; that it’d be a lateral move, with preferential differences.
Lampizator has that ‘lit from within’ character that you won’t get with Termi or the May, being ss. Also Lampizator has a vivid and alive house sound. The May might be smoother and ...mellower(?) according to descriptions.
I haven’t heard the May yet but I own a Lampizator Atlantic. Also bought the Termi, sold it, then rebought with new DSP board, sold it again. I still have the Atlantic and now also have a Bricasti M3. The Lampi’s speed and vivid presence is great for my system. I may buy the May but also do not want to live without a Lampi for either in system w/ preamp, or even more for DAC straight to amp listening. |
@hchilcoat My guess is that you're most likely to move sideways from the Lampi, regardless of the dac you try. That's not to say sideways won't end up better for your particular preferences, but I doubt anything's going to absolutely blow away the Big 7.
The thing that struck me most about the May KTE was how cleanly it reproduced every part of the frequency spectrum. If you're finding your current presentation somewhat colored, or feel that a particular part of the audio range is being over/under emphasized, the May could be a wonderful sounding solution. |
@in_shore Re: your comment that the Holo May KTE in combination with the 432 Evo Aeon have produced "by a large margin the best playback of well recorded music I have ever experienced in my home so far" - I was wondering how much of that improved sound is due to the KTE vs the Aeon. The reason I ask is that I have a 432 Evo Aeon coming for an in-home evaluation this week (currently have a Innuos Zen Mk III). I just stumbled across this thread about the Holo May KTE and now I am very intrigued about it. I'm not surprised to hear about the great playback you are getting, given the wonderful things I'm hearing about both products. I currently have a Lampizator Big 7 (about 6 years old) with DSD 256, and curious about improvements that could be gained with the May KTE. And wondering which component to prioritize for upgrading, the streamer or the DAC (Of course, in reality if I like the Aeon I'll get it and then have to consider how much more improvement I could expect with a new DAC).
Also curious on anyone's experiences or thoughts about the KTE vs Lampizator. I'm actually very happy with the sound I'm getting with my current set up but the question is "What am I missing?". I would have been blissful in my ignorance, but hard to ignore what I'm hearing about the KTE now that I've discovered it. |
@jjss49 I think he’s improved a bit. 😁 He catches himself when says something dorky or goes off script and makes light of it. I only brought him up because I know he reviewed both DACS in question back to back, so I thought it was relevant. Since I own the May, my bias may be coming into play here since he was rather blunt about the May’s DAC incredible instrumental positioning, decay, depth, and soundstage advantage over the Terminator (or any DAC for that matter) assuming your speakers aren’t against a wall and poorly setup. I do agree with his assertions.
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@jcarcopo
thank you for your post
when i had the denafrips dacs (ares thru term, still kept a pontus for fun), i also felt the treble is a little too forward for my personal tastes, even though the overall musicality was very nice
it is good to know that the may is less forward than the denafrips voicing, i will look to try one at some point
as for ron at record day, i know he tries hard, produces quite good videos and they are complete and thoughtful, but i find his videos hard to watch from start to end... reminds me a bit of some ex colleagues and friends who were randomly way too chatty and far slow to come to the point... (i know this is as much a comment on my sensibilities as his...) |
@jjss49 I’ve heard one person say the Terminator+ is a bit brighter. I think it was a person who owned both, but it may have been a reviewer. It was a while ago Ron at New Record Day on YouTube definitely preferred the Holo May KTE over the Terminator and it’s his new reference DAC. He did both reviews back to back. One of the best reviews he's ever done. https://youtu.be/HPtsWvhjLxAAs an aside, John Lavorgna added the May DAC KTE to his favorite DACS list. https://twitteringmachines.com/twittering-machines-favorite-dacs/ HoloAudio KTE May DAC ($4999.99) The two-chassis KTE May DAC from HoloAudio was built to be a statement DAC and what a statement it makes. From my review — With the Holo Audio KTE May DAC we have a digital to analog converter that pulls off that rare feat of turning data into music without imposing the fingerprints of the process, which is all too commonly found with most DACs. That it does so at this level of sophistication at its price is remarkable.
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“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. ;))”
The very different countries statement would be answered very differently depending on if you asked a Chinese or Taiwanese person. ;-) |
I have a Holo May KTE dac though my experience is what’s up stream of the dac will certainly make a difference and I’m not the only one .
Just in the past four years I’ve had PS Audio Direct Stream senior, Denafrips Terminator, Rockna Wave Dream , AudioByte Hydra Vox and now the Holo May KTE being fed by a 432 Evo Aeon server , this is by a large margin the best playback of well recorded music I have ever experienced in my home so far . |
Someone already compared these briefly, neither was necessarily better, based on the person who commented the May IIRC was more detailed and the Termy more "musical" relaxed? I might be wrong with the adjectives I did not pay too much attention whatever that meant... look on this thread or the Denafrips one
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the may certainly seems to be a unit that all love once they have them
i am curious to know if anyone with one has compared in their own system to a denafrips term or term +
similar upper tier r2r units with solid state output stage |
I’ve had my KTE for 1.5 months and love it as well. In my system, it exhibited great detail after 50 hours or so. After 100 hours, the separation, extension, transparency, weight, attack and decay were on full display. Playing with power cords has been interesting, as it doesn’t seem to like the Shunyata NR (Alpha and Sigma v1) in my system. I ended up using my Paul Kaplan HE (3 amp fuse box version) with copper connectors, and the combination is perfect. My Auralic is powered by the Sigma NR v1. |
I’m in love with mine as well. I have about 650 hours on it and it’s just amazing. A superb piece of gear
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@tarheeltraveler I'm in complete agreement with your comments. I freaking love my Holo May KTE DAC more than any other and I'll never listen to a chip based DAC again. Simply, it's a perfect piece and a daily joy.
Jon in Raleigh, NC |
I’ve had my Holo Audio May KTE for four months. This is a superb piece of gear. If it disappeared tomorrow I would replace it without reading a single review of any other DAC on the market. It is that good. With absolutely no break-in it was better than anything else I’ve ever owned. And my list of DACs includes units often mentioned on this forum. The build quality is first class. Four months later it surprises me every single day. For those of you waiting delivery, rest assured it’s worth the wait. Enjoy. |
The May and Spring2 L2 and up have remotes. |
The May has a remote, check the photos on the web page. |
I don't think the Holo Audio DACs use remotes at all. |
Anyone know if the Holo DACs support discrete IR codes for programmable remotes? |
I’ve had a DS for 3 years, fed I2S from Pink Faun endpoint. I recently upgraded the transformers and power supply and it made significant improvements to the very well behaved DS. Unfortunately, a simple mistake bumping the reset button on the external power supply zapped the analog board right channel. I’ll get it replaced but have decided based on all I’ve read to take a chance on the May KTE and sell the DS once she’s back from the mothership.
Of course the wait with Chinese New Year is going to be close to 2 months so I’ll enjoy breaking in the ’new’ DS all over again!
Thanks to all of those that have shared their experiences with the May, much appreciated.
Brett |
investment value? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
the correct verb, i think, is ’spend’... |
Hard to say about the investment value, but I personally found the May much more compelling than the PS Audio DSD. The only thing I preferred with the PSA was being able to use the Bridge II input, but that concern doesn't apply to you. |
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@snopro I'm not good at describing sound, but in this case it is not at all thin sounding. I meant to say that the music just flows effortlessly and refreshingly. As far as natural tonality, it has it in spades. I've written this before but this DAC is the closest thing to analog that I have heard, so much so that I often forget that I'm not listening to my analog rig.
@jjss49 This DAC does not function as a preamp, meaning there is no volume control feature. |
@snackeyp
quick q
does the may have the ability to adjust the volume of its analog out with its remote, so if you wanted you could run it directly into a power amp as a sole source?
or is it a 'straight' dac with fixed analog outs only? |
Hey Snackeyp,
When you say cool clear water you don’t mean thin sounding? Do acoustic instruments have body, weight, texture with natural tonality? |
OK, I've exceeded 500 hours now.
I don't know what else to say. It's sublime.
I've been streaming a variety of music form Qobuz, mostly jazz and rock. It's like cool clear water pouring from a faucet. Smooth, silky, without artifact, non-fatiguing, musical. Soundstage is huge.
Beautiful |
I'm currently at around 400 hours and continuing to run it. Sound great! |
@jtrimm Thanks for the update. Very frustrating I had to get rid of mine early. Not enjoying the temporary loss of my system at all... |
Another update on my burn-in experience on my Holo May KTE edition. I hit a noticeable amazing transformation in sound at around 900 hours. I know that sounds nuts, but even after 500 hours of burn-in I’ve had multiple swings and even temporary regressions in sound quality and sound staging. The soundstage I am hearing now at 900 hours is awe-inspiring. It is not a subtle transformation. I’ve basically run it 24x7 for 35 days. YMMV with your own Holo May KTE or with the non-KTE versions of this DAC, but this has been my experience. If you are questioning the sound you are getting, run 1000 hours through it first. The transformation in soundstage width/depth, realism, and lifelike imaging is truly spellbinding. These guys giving reviews of units with only 200-300 hours of time on them are likely only hearing a facsimile of how a fully broken in model truly sounds. |
just read through this whole thread. very interesting. I am in the market for a new DAC upgrading from my Resolution Audio Cantata 2.0. I have the option of upgrading to the 3.0, but I am curious about the options out there. the absolute best DAC that I recall listening to was the Light Harmonic DaVinci, but that is unobtainium used and the new one is beyond my budget anyway.
I had my current DAC thoroughly crushed by a Lampizator GG, which showed me how much of a bottleneck my DAC is at the moment. However, I am still very resistant of going the tube DAC route.
I am just moving back from a Gryphon Class A back to my Gryphon Diablo (orginal) so I am very interested in @phastm3 ever got to do his comparison. |
@jriggy Thanks for that... I’m going to try it. |
Another break-in tip for those slower to ‘get there’ materials, like teflon... This may seem unconventional or even weird to some, but I got this from a designer years ago... During the break-in process, every two or three day power the unit down for 5 hours +/-. Evidently letting the caps discharge for a time like this can actually speed up the process some and even out the rollercoaster some. |
@snackeyp FWIW I’ve kept mine running 24x7 for 3 weeks, even when my preamp is off and no sound is coming through the speakers- DAC is still playing music 24x7.
Also, I’ve noticed multiple regressions in sound quality along the 500 hour burnin path... ie. sound is improving, and then takes a step back, sometimes for a few days. It’s frustrating and makes you doubt everything about the process. However, when it all comes together towards the end of burn-in, the transformation in sound is not subtle, and completely transformative.
Also, I suspect, and will confirm with a few hundred more hours of play, that 500 hours is not a hard and fast rule on when things reach their pinnacle... |
@jtrimm Nice write-up! As I wrote previously, the digital end of my system has taken a back seat to my analog set up, so I really haven't focused on burn time. I think I should maybe leave my system running while I'm not around to give it the time required. Great to hear that it has made a difference for you.
Cheers,
Peter |
@jtrimm Congrats, that all sounds exceptional. I wish I'd been able to hang onto mine longer to ride out the burn in process a bit more.
Damn forced moves. Everything's about to go into storage for 3 months or so. Because of that, I likely wouldn't have been able to get up to 500 until after the pandemic was over (god willing) and at that point the resale market is going to be dead as everyone shifts their surplus income from equipment to travel. |
I wanted to follow up on my experience with my Holo May KTE DAC. I’m about 450 hours into burn-in since receiving my DAC a few days before Christmas. At least with the KTE edition (I can’t comment on base or level 2), the burn-in hours are a must. There are a ton of upgraded capacitors in the KTE, and from my days of burning in teflon capacitors with my Conrad Johnson preamp and amp, you have to grind through the hours to get the reward. There were lots of ups and downs with the sound, at some points, the DAC not sounding particularly exceptional. If you are at 200, 300 hours and thinking, "Eh, this is not such an amazing DAC", hold the line and keep grinding. You should start to hear marked improvements around 450 hours.
As I close in on 500 hours (I’ll probably keep it running another 200 hours to see if there aren’t more incremental improvements after even 500), the sound has taken a marked turn for the best. Soundstage has gotten huge... both in width, height, and depth. The tone has also become more natural. Appropriately warm, but not too warm... natural.
Microdetails in the sound are startling and thrilling to hear. Strings, cymbals, brass, guitars... I hear things I’ve never heard before in most of my recordings. The Holo May KTE does this in a very natural way... not artificially highlighting detail, but when you hear it, your natural response is to mouth the words "Wow."
Bass is very solid, and particularly acoustic bass is lifelike and thrilling to hear. Very fast, tight, and natural.
The sustain and decay of cymbals, strings, piano notes, bells are delightful to hear. Echoes and soundstage of the halls of live events are also the best I have ever heard in my system.
When I say I am hearing things I haven’t heard before in recordings, it’s not hyperbole. Fresh new details come out that were simply not audible before. Soundstage detail and depth provide a fresh perspective on recordings.
You will quickly be able to discern which are good recordings in your library vs. bad recordings. Good recordings will really pop with lifelike details and soundstage. Mediocre and poor recordings stand out as such. You may be surprised which of your old standby’s end up falling into which category. Such is the resolution and realism of the Holo May KTE.
DSD recordings come across as softer at a given volume level than PCM, but are equally beautiful to listen to... just turn up the volume as needed. BTW... YMMV, but I personally found that the DSD sound quality improved in a noteworthy way after playing 50-100 hours of DSD-only recordings as part of the burn-in. If DSD is part of your music library, dedicate 100-200 hours of your 500-600 hour burnin to playing just DSD. DSD goes down a different path of resistors than PCM which probably explains the effect I’ve heard. Don’t judge DSD sound quality with just a few minutes of play time, even if you already have hundreds of hours of burnin on the PCM side of things. If you just listen to FLAC/PCM, none of the above will matter.
I am feeding my Holo May KTE with an Auralic Aries G2 streamer via USB with a Shunyata Sigma USB cable (arguably one of the very best USB cables on the market). I also have a Shunyata Sigma power cord plugged into it fed from a Shunyata Denali 6000T power conditioner, so cabling and streaming source is very good. I have a SOtM Audiophile network switch feeding the Auralic Aries G2 from my NAS and ISP (gigabit Verizon FiOS fiber). Amplification is a combination of the Conrad Johnson ET-7 series 2 pre-amp and Conrad Johnson Premier 350 amplifier. Speakers are the YG Acoustics Carmel. The Carmels are amazingly resolving and seem to scale upwards forever as I make improvements in my electronics chain and cabling. Shunyata Sigma RCA IC’s and biwire speaker cables feed amplification and speakers. Music is streamed from Qobuz, Tidal or my local NAS running minimserver. Almost all listening is in NOS mode.
I feel like there is still 100-200 hours of break in left, despite closing in on 500. That said, in the past 50 hours a lot of magic has come together. This DAC upgrade has really unchained a lot of tremendous resolution in my downstream components, cabling, and speakers. It really does come back to the source... a lot of expense and quality components downstream in my system were all being held back until I introduced the Holo May KTE DAC in my system.
I’ll give another update after another week or so of burnin.
-Jeff
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Thanks, will continuing to set it to standby when I won't be listening for a while. |
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@pgalvin I do not leave mine on 24/7. It runs pretty hot and whether it actually does or not, my perception is that it will shorten its lifespan if it's constantly left on. I also imagine that it's using a fair amount of energy being on, though I do not know the number of watts it consumes.
I don't notice it needs to be warmed up much to sound good (maybe one hour) so I just turn it on an hour before I start listening.
Cheers |
Do people who own the May keep it on 24x7? I tend to turn it on for a session, and then turn it off overnight, turning it on again in the morning. Wondering if leaving it on would shorten its lifespan etc... |
FYI, I just put the May up for sale. A great dac and worth an audition. |
Termi vs Plus. I saw Steve Guttenberg’s video review after I had decided to stay with the standard. He sums up my thoughts perfectly! That’s why he is a professional reviewer and I’m not! |
@73max, how many hours on both? With such a close sound and the Plus not handling delicacy as well as the standard, sounds like just a break-in thing. When I had a Termi, delicacy and final details is what took the time... Not saying your observations are not true, just aways a chance with something ‘new’. Especially since they’re so Definitely way more time on the standard. Over a year. I ran the plus 24 seven For about two weeks. Started comparisons around 10 days. I think most of the character had developed, but you are correct there may have subtle changes to come. Based on the overall character I had a definite preference standard. Very subjective, based on my ear, my room and my system. |
@georgehifi Honestly, I've only flipped the May out of NOS mode once. Didn't listen critically, but did prefer the NOS. I bought it explicitly because it was non-oversampling and the reviews have been so consistent in preferring NOS that I didn't really feel the need to bother. |
