Needing DAC Advice

zlone

I've read others posts who've mentioned the buffered stage was the preferred output on the Freya. I guess I need to try it. I've conspicuously avoided playing around with the preamp, just because it goes against my grain - graduate of the straight wire with gain school. 

Budget is relative but let’s say $5k, new or used. As far as what I’m looking for in sound…rounder, richer, fuller? I have no shortage of detail now (and I like detail). But there’s a lack of character, for lack of a better term. Bass and mid bass is excellent, highs are great but the nuance around the midrange tones that form the character is lacking I think. The information technically is there, you hear it, but the presentation is…sterile maybe? 

@yage I won't be changing my speakers. I like the sound of the SL3's. They've been rebuilt and they agree favorably with my Pass amps.

@big_greg I looked hard at Jays transport before buying the Urd. I convinced myself I wouldn't like the top loader but I'm re-thinking that. Also thought about the Pro-ject CD Box Rs2T but I don't have the real estate to accommodate the lid.

@soix the LTA Aero is now on my radar.

@sls883 I  tried the transport/dac with my primaluna before I got the Freya. it just can't drive the electrostatics very well. Just not enough horsepower to make those speakers work. My 105 into the primaluna driving L100's in my studio (near field) on the other hand, is very enjoyable.

@yyzsantabarbara If I crank the system pretty hard, say +90db, it sounds pretty darn good - doesn't seem to get louder just more open, more detail, and fuller. At wife-safe volumes it's rather meh. Interesting insight on the Mjolnir.

@fthompson251 I thought about picking up an Ares at one point  just to see if this was the direction I wanted to go.

@oddiofyl I don't think the Freya is the weak link here. From all measures and reviews, in passive mode it really is only volume control and input selector. 

I spent the afternoon reading @mitch2 excellent 6 dac test thread. I was already leaning toward Mojo Audio from my own research but a few other possibilities came out of that very thorough and insightful read. I think I listen for the same things as mitch2.

For reference, I run balanced interconnects, Signal cable silver resolution dac to pre to amps. I have some Cardas and Mogami on the way to try. 

@oddiofyl thanks for your advice. For ref, I'm not quick to spend any amount for anything. I research, I demo, I study, I seek advice, and then I think about it some more. I don't 'roll' gear. I tend to stick with my main stuff for extended periods (like decades) if I like it, as evidenced by the 25yr old speakers and 20yr old amps I'm talking about here. Good stuff is just good stuff. I have several other amps and sets of speakers, btw, I've been spending unreasonable sums of money on audio gear (professional and consumer) for more than 50 years. I bought the L100's I mentioned above, new in ~'72 when they cost as much as a new car. :-0 

I can't agree with you on the need for an active pre. If a preamp is doing anything other than adding volume (simplified explanation) or input switching, it's doing something wrong. 

@g2the2nd Border Patrol does not appear to have a balanced output option. 

(Took the week off to do a little skiing...)

Thanks for all the input, much appreciated. To update, I just replaced the preamp-amp interconnects from Signal Silver Resolution to Mogami 2549 Y cables, added a second Pass X150 amp, and vertically bi-amped the SL3's with Canare 4S11 (from Analysis Plus Ovals).

I apologize for the scientific methodological faux pas of changing more than one variable at a time but I'm too old to crawl around making connections multiple times. I'd been planning for this change long before I started questioning the Benchmark DAC.

Result? More. Of everything. Full spectrum improvement and way smoother, very musical. Bass and mid-bass are amazing (I need to dial in my subs: they're too much now), sounds like the bass player is set up in a corner of the room. Highs are maybe a tad rolled off but all there (or maybe just shaded by the fullness in the mids - I need to listen to this for awhile to decide). Not to exaggerate, but the system sounds fundamentally, profoundly different. The Mrs noticed; she's a music lover but not a critical listener. 

This is still with the Freya in passive mode. So the only changes were to add more power (bi-amping) and changing speaker cables and interconnects. I'm not a believer in cable magic so I'm hesitant to give those changes much credit. Which I guess means the extra headroom is the difference maker. 

Bottom line, I don't have a problem with the Benchmark DAC, at the moment. (I was really leaning toward trying an R2R or one of Schiit''s DACs (reasoning that there has to be some synergies between the Urd cdt and their DACs - as an engineer, that's the way I'd do it.) But now I don't notice the DAC and I'm pretty sure I did before.

I'll spend some time with the system like this. Then maybe I'll do as others have suggested and try the preamp modes I have.

 

As I continued to research and ponder whether to re-dac or not, I made another change to this system that produced rather unexpected but very welcome results. I came across another Pass X150 at an attractive price and, well, you can never have too many good amps, right? So I picked it up.

Having two identical stereo amps now I decided to try vertically bi-amping the SL3s (does that make the amps 'stereoblocks'?). Stunning difference. I'm not kidding. More of everything, top to bottom, left to right, in and out. Unbelievable depth, immediacy, clarity, all the buzzwords apply. I had to basically remove the subs from the system (they make good plant stands though so still in the room.) The music sounds 'live'. Instruments sounds like real live instruments being played in the room. And I no longer 'hear' the dac.

As an engineer, I struggle to explain this dramatic change. Yes, speaker cable length went from 2m to a .5m, 2X. Sure, channel separation might improve (maybe). Of course, power available doubled from 300W@4ohms to 600w but it's not like 300w shouldn't be sufficient to drive these speakers at reasonable levels. (ML recommended power is 20-400w and a nominal impedance of 4ohms, 86db eff.)

As a musician, I just revel in the sound.