@mitch2 So I am really interested in the sound of the Aries Cerat DAC's. Do you notice a Tube sound or 2nd order harmonics with the Helene and does the tubes give it a different sound than the Mojo Audio DACs. The way Aries Cerat uses the R2R chips they say makes them extremely dynamic have you noticed this? How detailed are they? Sorry to bombard you with all these question.
Six DAC Comparison
I am in the middle of comparing the sound of six different DACs in my system. I own them all (I know weird) but one of them is still within a trial/return timeframe.
Not to share specific comparisons today, but a couple of observations so far are that first, they all definitely sound different from each other. On one hand, they all sound pretty good and play what is fed to them without significant flaws but on the other hand there are definite sonic differences that make it easy to understand how a person might like the sound of some of them while not liking others.
Second, raises the observation that most of them must be doing something to shape the sound in the manner the designer intended since one of the DACs, a Benchmark DAC3 HGA, was described by John Atkinson of Stereophile as providing "state-of-the-art measured performance." In the review, JA closed the measurements section by writing, "All I can say is "Wow!" I have also owned the Tambaqui (not in my current comparison), which also measured well ("The Mola Mola Tambaqui offers state-of-the-digital-art measured performance." - JA). The Benchmark reminds me sonically of the Tambaqui, both of which are excellent sounding DACs.
My point is that if the Benchmark is providing "state-of-the-art measured performance," then one could reasonably presume that the other five DACs, which sound different from the Benchmark, do not share similar ’state-of-the-art" measurements and are doing something to subtly or not so subtly alter the sound. Whether a person likes what they hear is a different issue.
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@saeed79 - That is unfortunate. The X SE, as with any of the Mojo Audio DACs I have had here, should not display either weak bass or a channel imbalance. Of course, your perception of bass may be influenced by what DAC you had before. TMR tests the stuff they sell and, I believe, offers a return policy. So, if you are convinced there are problems you should contact TMR. |
@brbrock -
No particular “tubey” sound, as in overly warm or soft. However, it does have a tubed output stage and tubed rectification. Maybe a bit more “3D” than some solid state DACs, but that could also be for other reasons. Also, consider the user-adjustable tube bias allows some customization of the sonic characteristics you will hear.
It uses multiple AD1865 chips which, as discussed here in an earlier post, display a little more vibrancy and dynamic inpact compared to their sibling AD1862 chips used in previous Mojo Audio DACs, which offer more of a rich tone and organic musicality. At least some hear those varying characteristics. The use of multiple chips is a design choice that goes way back (my Monarchy DAC from the 2000’s had an upgrade that included piggybacking the PCM63 chips) but not all designers (like Benjamin) believe the trade-offs are worthwhile. I have previously tried to touch on the differences between the Helene and both the X NCZ and the Z NC and, while not huge in my system, the characteristics I heard generally boiled down to the illusion of slightly greater clarity, less warmth in the mid-bass frequencies, and the same organically natural sound I hear from the Mojo Audio DACs, but even more so.
No problem. |
Since I am sort of done with DAC comparisons for now, I have only two DACs in my system, the solid state SMc Audio DAC-2 GT-24 that I can leave powered up all the time, and the tubed Aries Cerat Helene that I will listen to occasionally when I feel like warming up the tubes. In the process of moving things around to optimize the space on my racks, I found that the Totaldac GIGAFILTER USB cable that I was using between my Sonore streamer and Singxer SU-6 DDC was not long enough to allow me to place the streamer and DDC on different shelves. In rummaging around, I found a Singxer UIP1 PRO USB Isolation Processor (USB in and USB out). I was able to run my Network Acoustics Muon USB cable out of the Sonore streamer and into the UIP1 Pro (that sits on a different shelf) and then run the Totaldac GIGAFILTER USB cable between the UIP1 PRO and the SU-6 DDC (which are sitting next to each other on the same shelf). BTW, both the SU-6 and UIP1 are being powered by fairly high quality linear power supplies. I started wondering whether it was a good idea to subject my digital signal to "all that stuff", so I asked Google AI; "can the Singxer UIP1 PRO USB Isolation Processor (high speed USB 2.0 purifier) be used in front of the Singxer SU-6 DDC?" Here is what Google AI said:
Beyond the power of suggestion prompted by the AI response, I cannot be sure I am actually hearing a difference but, things seem a little bit quieter and more relaxed with that extra device (the UIP-1 Pro) in the signal path. It allows me to spread out my digital gear and still have the Totaldac GIGAFILTER USB just before the DDC so I will likely keep things this way, at least for a while. |
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