Rule out the transport next. Connect your old dvd player to dac via coax or toslink. If sibilance persists, it’s the dac. Also, could be a recording. Is it every disc you play that you notice this? Or just certain disc(s). What are the songs?
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?
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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. |
I ran across this little tidbit using Google (link)
The Aqua La Voce S2 specs note ’asymmetric’ XLR output. That seems to imply that it is not a balanced output but a voltage doubled single ended output using an XLR connection. So probably not an ideal situation for the amp’s balanced inputs from Hegel’s point of view. Here's an article explaining the difference between balanced and unbalanced connections - link. |
1) Jay’s: It has many hours on it, as I bought it a year ago. @bigtwin has described it as "somewhat forward" compared to other transports he’s heard. I actually did contact Alvin at one point re: brightness/sibilance and he recommended some inexpensive (Mogami, perhaps?) IC’s. I didn’t find they helped and the overall SQ was severely compromised by those cables. 2) Sibilance: a) With Jay’s -> Aqua -> Hegel, sibilance was mostly confined to female vocals -- soprano range being noticeably worse than alto range. b) With Jay’s -> Hegel, sibilance was lessened. At first, I thought it was gone, but further listening has revealed it remains to some degree. Fatigue, on the other hand, was much less evident. c) With DAC loop, sibilance became more exaggerated, with longer "trails" and not only S sounds affected. Furthermore, male vocals were also affected. This is the worst it’s ever been. In other words, whenever Aqua is in signal chain, sibilance is worse. FYI, I searched Forum threads for "sibilance + DACs" and came across numerous references to guys modding their DACs to get rid of sibilance. 3) RE: DIgital cables: I just looked at the description on A. Art site and it says: "Audio Art’s new Statement Digital employs a Single Crystal (OCC) silver conductor". This might be another issue.
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