Is D for Dry? Class D...

@arcticdeth

Have you listened to an EVS1200, or evenly the lowly (by comparison) PS Audio M1200s?

You might know I have owned a EVS 1200 for almost 2 years now. My preamp/dac is a Audio Alchemy DDP-1 + PS 5 (outboard PS).


I had taken out the optical cable so was listening via my Oppo 105 with upgraded LPM, and it was VG, BUT, the HFs were on the harsh side and depth was ok, even though I was using WireWorld Series 8 XLRs.  I finally figured that out and hooked up a WireWorld optical cable- WOWish, BUT, was rolled off. I decided to replace the 5ish yo Morrow Audio unjacketed multistrand power cord to the PS 5 with a WireWorld Electra 7 PC  to a fantastic a transformation in warmth, clarity, imaging and holographic sound stage

hth

@arctic

If you like the M1200s (and can afford $6K), Ric (EVS) says he can mod them up for you, but if you don't need big power Underwood HiFi might actually be FINALLY introducing the Voyager GaN amp or ...

FYI the have a 15 day return policy but buyer pays shipping both ways, which, due to size and weight is minimal


https://premium-audio.com/gan-audio-amplifiers.html  $699

First, the price for quality class D (or all things, including food) is much higher due to world-wide money inflation: thank you world monetary 'leaders'= banksters. Now...
I am one of the very lucky few to have made the leap of faith roughly 2 years ago, that ric had so improved the stock IcePower 1200 modules with his amazing circuit and parts knowledge when he came out with his EVS 1200, but the amp alone may not bring happiness. Case in point...
Prior to purchasing the EVS 1200 I upgraded my Oppo 105 with a Linear Power Module + replaced the OEM IEC with a rhodium IEC that has a stiff heavy gauge silver tail attached to the LPM and a silver jumper bypassing the 110/220 power switch (all from ebay). Easy peasy DIY. Huge improvement for~ $400

I was/am using a Audio Alchemy DDP-1 + PS -5 (outboard power supply). The IC from 105 to DDP-1 is a WireWorld series 7 XLR (my system is 100% diff balanced). As much as I rave/d about the EVS 1200, the sound I was hearing was a bit hot and the sound stage was not as big as I thought it should be, but I put up with it thinking it was the dac in the DDP-1, which I was/am not in a position to replace. Anyway...

Some 9 months ago I compared my Wire World optical cable (MSRP $165) to a uber expensive optical cable that I borrowed, which was/is glorious. Why, was well beyond what I could comprehend, but after a few months I had to return it. What I failed to do was reconnect my WW optical cable, and so was not listening to the DDP-1 dac, instead all the redbook music was playing via the stock internal 105 dac.

About a month ago I realized the optional DDP-1 filters were not engaging on my remote. WTH? So... I reconnected the WW optical cable and all my redbook CDs took on a much wanted roundness (bass was improved), plus a very deep and wide 3D sound stage. After a few minutes I decided to replace an old  Modwright(?) multi-stranded, unjacketed PC with my WW Eclipse power cord. That, too was not subtle, a huge improvement over the Modwright.

Moral of the story (for me at least) was: cables I had on hand took my EVS 1200 to an even higher level than I thought
hth

@viber6

Keep in mind the dac in the now ~ 10 y/o 105 is far from SOTA, as is the AA dac/pre, meaning a significant dac or dac/pre upgrade might well be more accurate without being hot, but... Typically, dac/pres are a rare breed, and separates may, or may not, be a significant upgrade, depending on additional; iso devices, power cords and cabling. Alas, those are $$$$$, and since everything is a compromise, one must choose their poison based on wallet.

Underwood is now selling a wide range of Audio-GD kit. Their R2R dacs and preamps look excellent, with extraordinary build quality. Their R2R-1 FPGA PCM/DSD DAC @ $1,199.00 might be an upgrade to my now 5 y/o AA DDP-1. For the well heeled; R7HE MK2 State of the art Resistor Ladder DAC FPGA controlled upgradable DAC w/regenerative power supply $4990.00

https://www.underwoodhifi.com/products/audio-gd
hth

@dougeyjones

I have had a number of removed posts reinserted after contacting AGon. Some of these mods are way too PC

@viber6 

It was not the cable (WW Series 8 XLR) it was the Oppo 105 dac that I had direct connected to the XLR inputs on my AA dac/pre, which bypasses the AA dac

hth

@atmosphere  

Mods should not automatically pull a post because someone reported it, but they have done so to me on at least 4 different occasions. I reported each to Tammy, who agreed they should NEVER have been removed, and had ALL reposted