@b345T I run unbalanced source direct to my Pass Labs XA25 amplifier using Roon as the volume control. Sound is excellent. If I could have ran balanced I would have, but the XA25 supports single ended.
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 20 responses by jcarcopo
I'm considering buying the May KTE DAC as well. It would help if they at least offered a 30 day trial. It's a lot of money to spend on a DAC without listening to it first. If it's not better than my Matrix XSabre Pro MQA DAC than I'd like the option to return it because spending the $3k price difference would make little sense otherwise. I'm following this thread. I await your review! |
I placed an order for the Holo May KTE this morning after a few days of mulling it over. It measures superbly. Some R2R designs don't measure well at all. I want the simplicity and naturalness of the R2R topology, but not the jitter or added distortion. The May KTE DAC fit my requirements perfectly. |
I got my May KTE DAC in way early. OMG! I’ll never buy a chip based DAC again. This thing makes music transcendental. It’s so damned detailed and yet so natural sounding. I hear everything, every little microdynamic nuance. This has surpassed my greatest expectation for taking my system to the next level. I’m completely smitten. |
@snackeyp Thanks, It's been a nonstop marathon of music playing since I've received the May! I am (and have been for 20 years) running source direct to my amplifiers because I have no analog sources to speak of, and have always preferred the more direct and detailed presentation that running from my fanless/silent running media server directly via USB to DAC and from DAC to amplifier. I co-designed several of Niveus Media's earliest fanless/silent running media server designed to operate seamlessly in an audio rack in the living room. This was a couple of decades ago believe it or not! (https://www.google.com/search?q=niveus+media+denali&newwindow=1&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS824US824&...). The May DAC connects via USB to a brand new custom silent-running and completely fanless Sigao Model B dedicated Roon server that has a 10th Gen 10-Core i9 10900T Intel Cpu, 4TB Samsung SSD for music library, 512gb Samsung 970 Pro NVME O/S/Roon/HqPlayer drive, 32gb DDR4 2666mhz, a separate JCAT FEMTO clocked USB PCIE add-in card (not in use atm because it doesn't support 1.536mhz or DSD512/1024 upsampling currently, but fortunately the Intel based USB ports do support the higher rates). I use Roon to feed HqPlayer software a 1.412mhz or 1.536mhz or DSD512 upsampled signal using their proprietary filters to the Holo May in NOS mode. I control the volume through Roon which attenuates it in HQplayer since the May Dac does not provide volume control. I power both the Sigao Roon server and JCAT USB Card separately with with a multi-rail dedicated 300w HDPLEX Linear Power Supply and that is plugged into a dedicated Equitech Son Of Q Balanced Isolation Transformer. Certain DSD512/1024 filter settings in HQPlayer can be very taxing on even the best CPUs hence the need for a 10/Core processor. SIGAO https://www.atlastsolutions.com/sigao-model-b-fanless-pc-10th-gen-10-core-i9-10900t-up-to-64gb-most-... HDPLEX PSU https://hdplex.com/hdplex-fanless-300w-linear-power-supply-for-pc-audio-and-ce-device.html JCAT USB PCIE CARD https://jcat.eu/product/usb-card-xe/ (Note: I DON'T own this JCAT model USB add-in card, but Tim Connor at Kitsune Audio (distributor for Holo Audio USA) is getting one in a week and testing it to see if the newer NEC USB chip will handle the faster upsampling speeds that the May dac supports. |
I've had my Holo May KTE DAC for a couple of months now. It's as impressive today as it was the day I got it. It never dissapoints. I do now use HQPLAYER and Roon, but I actually prefer PCM 20bits (per Jussi)/1.536MHZ to DSD512. I find it a tad more resolute, and detailed honestly. I also think DSD512 is also very good, but just a hair smoother too me and maybe that's preferred by some or it's just the synergy between running source-direct to my Pass Labs XA25 amplifier and then on to my Tekton Encores. I use Roon for volume attenuation which manipulates HQPLAYER's built-in volume control. I've only got two digital sources and no analog sources. I've always preferred the sound source-direct and not through a preamp. I'm a big fan of the shortest signal path. I've used mostly SET Tube Amplifiers for 25 years. The XA25 is the first solid-state amplifier to change my mind with its unreal set-like midrange and Pass's signature bass which is outstanding. I've also enjoyed the Holo May KTE DAC very much with no hqplayer processing on redbook lossless in NOS mode of course. It's superb, but I drank the Hqplayer kool-aid recently after swearing I'd never buy it for years while settling for Roon's upsampling as sufficient. Eitherway, it's definitely the best sounding DAC I've owned or heard in my experience. |
@lordcloud Sorry for the delay, I don’t get updates on this thread even though I’m subscribed for some reason. The Benchmark DAC3 HGC is a great Sabre chip based dac, but the Matrix XSabre Pro MQA DAC is $2k and a superior sounding dac. There’s a slight upper-midrange glare or minor harshness at higher volumes I’ve noticed over the years that the Matrix XSabre Pro MQA doesn’t have. It’s just a better execution and better sounding DAC. Now, with regard to the Holo May KTE DAC, no Sabre dac I’ve ever heard (Manhattan, Aurelic etc) sounds as real and natural as the May. It’s really in its own league. It’s kind of like going from 2d to 3d for sound. Guitars are frightenly real. Jazz/acoustic/bluegrass/blues/classical instrumental images are well delineated in their own space, and their decays hang in the air. Transients effortlessly leap out and microdynamics are retrieve and rendered flawlessly. It nails harmonic richness and timbre is stellar. It’s really a notable gestalt that is hard to put into words, but realism is the best I can attribute to the experience. It’s presentation is attention grabbing, emotionally connective, and just an absolute blast to experience. |
@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/HPtsWvhjLxA As 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. |
@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. |
@nquery Yes, he’s very backed up I’m afraid. They are inundated with orders. This includes my query which is several days old and 2 reviewers seeking to review the May Dac KTE. Usually he’s about 2 days behind, but I fear he’s even more behind atm. Lead time on regular May or Serene is at least 5 weeks as an estimate. Add another 2 weeks for KTE versions. Shipping time is 5-12 days later This is what I agreed to when I ordered 2 weeks ago and may have changed. Also, there's no cancelations after 48 hours of placing your order. Jon |
@nquery I have the Pass Labs XA25 which is single ended aswell, but honestly, it's sounds beyond superb to me. No chip dac I've heard has what the May has. Also, I ditched HQplayer, as it didn't do anything for me, personally, but that's just me. At the moment I control the volume with Roon and derive just as much pleasure, naturalness, uncanny realism, and all the micro/macro detail I've ever heard in 25 years. Now my new Legacy Whisper XDS speakers are arriving in late July and they come with the newly upgraded Wavelet 2 ( It's bespoke premium preamp, 4 way dsp active crossover, it handles room/speaker correction, and has a built-in DAC (which I'll only be using via its USB input for "Tribe Virtual DJ", an Oculus VR app that I'm addicted to 😁, which should suffice for EDM genre music I mix), the May will be going balanced into the Wavelet 2, but then back to single-ended to the XA25. I never thought I'd be a Bluegrass fanatic, but the way the May handles acoustic instruments is nothing short of amazing and has me listening anything acoustic. Good luck with your changes and I hope you gain an improvement. |