Holo Audio May DAC

@duckworp

there is really no way to know but to buy/borrow and try in your own system, and compare a vs b and with extended listening, with listening levels carefully equilibrated

i have been through just over 20 dacs in the past 8 months since the pandemic has had me at home more than ever

there is just no way to know by reading reviews and hearsay on boards like this ... few reviewers compare dacs head to head and even then it is not in your system, it is their taste, their ears, their cables, their streamer, their room ... the utility of the reviews and forum second hand hearsay/touts is to identify what may be worth trying if there seems to a groundswell of positivity ... no more no less

when you get into dacs it is about the presentation, the timbre, the imaging/space, the clarity with transients etc etc... system matching is key

the holo may is the hot new dac... six months ago it was the dena term... six months before that it was audio mirror tubador... before that it was the mhdt orchid... before that it was the ps audio ds... before that it was the schiit yggy .... you follow? ... the merry go round continues and never stops... be patient, wait and they will show up used (and broken in), then buy a well cared for piece and experience it yourself

I read the same Stereophile review. Also, there is a good review by the Hans Beekhuyzen YouTube channel.

I was in the market for a reference DAC, so I bought the V2 Holo May. I have had it about a month, and I couldn’t be more pleased. It shows zero evidence that I can hear of any digital artifact. It sounds very natural and musical and has only continued to improve since I first started using it. It has a huge power supply and I noticed I got a larger, more realistic soundstage and punchier bass with it. I am feeding it FLAC files from a laptop via USB going through an Intona Isolator & Impedance Controlled USB cable. I got the Intona before the May arrived, and I noticed that it alone improved the sound from my previous DAC.

In the latest edition of Stereophile, the Recommended Components has been updated to include the Holo Audio May and the Denafrips Terminator. They rank the May at A+ and the Terminator at A. The May replaced the Denafrips Ares in my system, and I can confirm that the Denafrips provides a very nice sound, though the Ares is no match for the May.

Ah, but now there's a Terminator Plus model, which ups the ante, and should boost the T+ to A+ status.

I decided to try a reference-level R2R DAC instead of my Qutest, which is the only DAC I’ve ever owned. I also didn’t want to spend more than I needed to. I chose the May based on the stereophile and stereotimes reviews. Both experienced reviewers were blown away. Terminator was similarly esteemed, though. Between the Terminator and the May, I like the design of the May better. One of the distinctions between the Terminator and May seemed to be the anti-jitter tech in the May. That was part of my decision as well. I can’t imagine you could go wrong with either. Unless you have bad OCD, I can’t imagine either choice would lead to serious regrets.

Anyone compare this to the Rockna Wavelight?