I have been living a life of SACD in recent months. After finding an ultra-cheap Marantz SA 1 that was in need of TLC, I discovered how good SACD really is. It offers an overall level of transparency, immediacy, and tonal "rightness" that hi-res downloads don't quite equal in my experience. Then I found an Electrocompaniet EMP-1S worth the money, and I proclaimed it superior to the Marantz (which is entirely possible as the Marantz once cost $7500 and the Electrocompaniet $8300), but I did replace some capacitors in the Marantz that I thought may be tired from age. After the changeout, it was confirmed to me that I was correct in my assumptions, and as these capacitors continue to break in, I might have to change my opinion on the Electrocompaniet vs Marantz outcome. Time will tell.
What if you lack the technical skills to replace lasers, capacitors, or funds are limited? What if you have a nice DAC with multiple inputs for your Hi-Res download/streaming/Rip system, and you want some simple way to play SACD AND hear it for what it can really do? Geerfab DBOB.
I was skeptical. So, you need a Blu-Ray player that can output DSD over HDMI, then you set your player accordingly, hook your player to the DBOB via HDMI, then use a coax digital cable (or Toslink) to go from the DBOB to the appropriate input of your DAC (which must be capable of decoding DSD64 via DOP). The DBOB has an IEC jack so you can use your favorite power cord, and it also has an input for 12 VDC so you can power it with a battery or a super high-quality regulated 12VDC power supply. I figured it would WORK, but I was skeptical about the sonic outcome.
OK. So we're connected, and I get.....nothing. I have 2 Sony Blu-Ray players that can play SACD and will supposedly output DSD via HDMI (when connected to SACD devices), and I never did get either one of them to output DSD. I kept getting this message, "No audio will be played through HDMI". (or something to that effect) I think Sony players are so bound up with copy protection, it's a miracle they work at all. I actually went on eBay and purchased a used but working OPPO BDP-93. While they can fail like anything else, OPPO does have a well-deserved reputation for reliability. In less than 2 minutes, I had that hooked up and working. By the way, I SHOULD mention my DAC! It's a Denafrips Venus 15th. I also used my Denafrips Pontus II 12th.
As time has passed, things keep improving. The OPPO is warming up, the cables are settling in, and the DBOB is breaking in. Curiosity finally got the better of me; I had to try that 12VDC input! I have a couple of power supplies that are the correct size for that, one I designed and built, the other is one of those ChiFi power supplies for sale on eBay and Aliexpress. They run $100 or so plus shipping. They come in nice cases with a faceplate, they accept IEC power cords, and speaking as an EE here, the design of these supplies truly is outstanding! These are not "get you by" power supplies. They are capable of being a final destination. The parts alone would cost as much or more than the entire supply. The designs are superior to many power supplies used in high-end audio gear. So, I hooked one of these up. My jaw dropped. Never again will I hook the power cord directly to the DBOB. Apparently, that feature is there to "get you by". If you want a super low noise floor, holographic imaging, loads of detail, intense dynamics, hook up a ChiFi power supply. Wow.
SO, WHERE IS IT AT NOW....SONICALLY SPEAKING? For most of this, I used my older Denafrips Pontus II 12th DAC. I sort of feel that the DBOB is meant to provide the buyer with the benefits of SACD without having to part with a kidney to get the job done. Obviously, you need more than just a DBOB, you need an SACD-capable Blu-Ray player that based on my experience is hopefully not a Sony, and you need a DAC. More than likely, you have the DAC for your Hi-Res playback system that uses either USB or I2S inputs. Many have additional inputs that are 75 ohm coaxial. After DAYS of settling in and breaking in, I can honestly say the sonic results are WAY closer to my Marantz SA 1 and Electrocompaniet EMP-1S SACD/CD players than I figured they ever would be, or could be. Black backgrounds, ambience everywhere, a deep and wide soundstage, focused imaging, and excellent timbre are all hallmarks of truly excellent SACD sound. My OPPO, DBOB, and Denafrips Pontus II 12th provide them! I even get more of everything with my Denafrips Venus 15th. This is serious sound quality. The sound is not quite as "full", or in other words, the upper bass - lower midrange regions are a bit cooler than the Marantz and Electrocompaniet, but both of those players are known for being kind of....warm. Also, the DBOB is not broken in completely, I am convinced of that.
The DBOB also allows for DAD 24/96 discs to be played, and Blu-Ray Audio without dropping it down to 24/48. I tried my Classic Records DAD discs, and they sounded fabulous! I own 1 Blu-Ray Audio disc. Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon. (I only have like a thousand different versions of this by now) Dark Side was incredible, with the DBOB doing its job very well. I DID have questions about redbook CD. How would that fare in all of this? Will the DBOB harm it? Short answer, no. In fact, DBOB seems to make it sound better than it does when connected directly to the DAC. It must have something to do with the reclocking inside the DBOB. I have no measurements to prove it, but it was like a "reduced jitter" impact. Redbook was FULLY in the same league as the Marantz SA 1 and Electrocompaniet EMP-1S when they play redbook. In other words, you may have never heard your CD's sound this good before.
I think the DBOB is a bargain. I have read 2 reviews on it, one in TAS and one in Stereophile, and they didn't seem super impressed by it. Comments like "I think I may have heard some improvement to SACD connected to my DAC with the DBOB compared to playing the SACD directly out of the OPPO", stuff like that. You "think"??? Either 1) Their Golden Ears are actually Tin Ears. or 2) Their systems aren't as good as I thought they were. or 3) There is an agenda. A new way to play Hi-Res physical media has arrived, and it's going to save the customer thousands of dollars over buying a dedicated player. What about our advertisers????? My expenditure, which could be your expenditure, was as follows, and please note, I achieved the sonic results I did with cables that are NOT all that and a bag of chips!
DBOB: $799 (I got mine on sale for $649)
USED OPPO BDP-93: $270 shipped
USED AQ CINNAMON HDMI CABLE: $48
USED AQ CINNAMON SPDIF CABLE: $42
CHI-FI POWER SUPPLY EBAY: $139 shipped
I already had the DAC - sonic results are being judged with the Denafrips Pontus II 12th DAC to be "realistic", affordable, or whatever you wish to call it.
TOTAL EXPENDITURE TO PLAY SACD, BLU-RAY AUDIO, DAD, and KILLER REDBOOK AT A SERIOUSLY HIGH-END LEVEL: $1009
OK, not chicken feed, but I still have another SACD player that was brought in for comparison. The above combination was superior in every way to the other player. This player was a $3500 player. I'd rather not get into WHAT it was, as I don't want hard feelings. I simply quit using it because it spent more time in the shop than the Jaguar I owned years ago.
Physical media, in the form of SACD, when played back on a really good setup, is extraordinary. If you have a Universal Oppo, a Marantz 8004, any one of several non-ES or lower-end ES players, or a player similar to these, you have not heard SACD doing what it can really do.
The DBOB does make this possible, provided you have the transport, DAC, and outboard power supply for it. It really makes me wonder what I'm doing with all of these SACD players sitting around!
In the end, when everything shakes out, I will likely sell 2 of my 3 SACD players. I will keep one, either the Marantz SA 1 or the Electrocompaniet. I will also be keeping the DBOB. It is an interface that guarantees that my passion for SACD will be covered well into the future. Overall, my little assembled combination of stuff that's connected to my DAC, in conjunction with my DAC, unquestionably offers performance levels rivaling SACD-CD players of at least $5K. I am not afraid to say it, and I stand by it. I am, after all, the fool here by admitting that. I'm the one that's spent countless hours on the internet looking for SACD players that are true High-End devices, in need of service, so I can save all kinds of money. I'm the one that's been at my bench for hours on end replacing laser assemblies and tracking down bad transistors and swapping out aged electrolytic caps. None of that was needed, but it was that which got me here.
