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doukhobar

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  1. Decware also makes the ZBIT which is of similar design also with Jensen transformers, also also a gain attenuation knob so you 'ride the gain'! By ear, of course ;-) The Decware Zen Balancing Act - Model ZBIT
  2. So, I am pretty much already married to the DAC I have for now. It is a great DAC - a Kora Hermes MKiii. Has Toslink, AES/EBU and RCA coaxial inputs, no BNC, no I2S. I am looking at a Sonore Rendu, which has a nice BNC output. The Bryston BDP-1 has BNC ans AES output. I know the AES input of my DAC is supposed to be amazing. I also realize these are two very different devices which have different principles of operation and design, but both allegedly very good sound quality. Perhaps for just playing alot of music files, the BDP-1 is a good option, as it uses the top of the line sound card and has an awesome power supply. Do you think I should do more research n the Sonore? Alas, I buy all my equipment second hand, and probably won't be able to try and equipment before I purchase it. So is the consensus that one should stop buying "tweaks" for their USB, and save their moola and for an awesome digital player or renderer?
  3. Thanks Tranz. Also, thanks FakeM for the 6Moons link regarding the SotM. I haven't read that yet...doing so now. Yes, it seems I will be moving away from USB as well. Nothing good there. The way I've been designing my systems, they are built around the DAC. That said, my preference is for high end vintage DACs, like the Sonic Frontiers SFD-2, Theta DSPro V, Kora Kermes, etc. Most of these have AT&T optical input, all coaxial, some BNC, some optical SPDIF Toslink, most AES. I don't have anything with the I2S and don't plan on moving in that direction, as these DAC's have the sound that most appeals to me. Therefore, alot of my decisions are based around the DAC's input options. Hence, the Bel Canto uLink with AT&T connection will fit into the Theta DSPro DAC and also most Wadia models. That would be pretty dope. Can always add a USB Regn, or a power supply. But I think the Sonore is sounding very appealing. As is the Bryston BPD-1. Jesus is very active on AudioCircle, and answers alot of questions about his products there. It seems that Sonore Rendu has a pretty great BNC connection. Apparently, some well known designer contributed to that. Also, most of the reviews I read about the Bryston consisted of plugging in HDD into the USB port, so essenially its an Audio Computer with BNC output as well, though I read it can be networked (something I ahve less experience with). I know of a Sonore Rendu (non-Signature version) I could probably get right now for about $800....I wonder if that would be better than going for an Empirical Audio OR5....I think so! Do you?
  4. Thank you both for your valuable input. Tranz - Is your opinion based on sound quality, i.e. listening tests and comparison, or a technical analysis? Whether the listening test, or the technical side, would you be willing to elaborate a bit more? I know the Berkeley is an expensive instrument. If I have $1k to invest in a new source - should I make it an ethernet source, or a USB source? That is my decision to make, now...
  5. I hope this is not too far off topic, but I thought I would ask here since Chris has already chimed in, and there are alot of knowledgeable folks commenting on this thread. I have been using USB -> SPDIF for awhile now, and the more I learn, the more one needs to invest to get optimal sound quality. We're talking better and better converters, costing upwards of $1,500+ if you go for the Empirical Audio Off Ramp 5 with any upgrades. Even with a lower cost, but high quality solution, like the Bel Canto uLink, which still retails for $675, one may want to add a separate power supply, like one from Teddy or the like, which can add ~$300. Even the Audiophilleo 2 with pure power is at least $550 on used market. And what you end up is a wired connection, that is directly hooked up to your computer, so no matter what I do there is 'some' level of computer generated noise, as the connection is coming out of my PC's (most probably a laptop low quality) USB port. Granted, you could use a wireless controller, such as the one for Foobar to control Foobar on your PC, etc., with Mac. Back in the day (2000-2012), I ran an digital optical output from my Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum in my PC, which had an outboard slot in the case. This has great SQ. Now, what about Ethernet in todays players? Something like the Sonore Rendu, or the Aries Auralic (which I see advertised on the header above this forum!). You can get one of these for $600-900 on the used market - granted that doesn't include the NAS. Say we spend $250 on an entry level NAS. No we get a way to wirelessly control this source, without using a USB, without needing a battery pack/external power supply, without needing a USB cable. You only need to hook the Sonore to the SPDIF of your DAC, and to the ethernet cable. Last option, as I see it, is something like the Bryston BDP-1. "The BDP-1USB can comfortably manage large music libraries of up to 30,000 tracks from MP3 to high resolution files stored on external USB or on NAS drives". The Bryston offerso both S/PDIF and AES/EBU output formats. Sonore, only BNC. Features the ESI Juli@ sound card. My Question is This: For anyone who has listen to both the high end USB/SPDIF converters, and either the Sonore Rendu or Bryston BDP-1 - in your opinion, which source had the best sound quality? Thank you, and if I should move this post to a different thread, please let me know.
  6. Thanks - I was thinking of something like the Optimus Handcrafted Dual Headed USB Cable. There is a nice write up of them in one of the reviewing magazines. Not too bad for $70-80, compared to the iFI Gemini which is like 2x price. Anyway, did you notice an appreciable difference when using the 5V power supply? Teddy Pardo makes a nice model... The Audiophilleo 1/2 can be upgraded with the pure power option. I was hoping that this power supply upgrade to the uLink would surpass the Audiophilleo with PP option.
  7. Thanks again for the response and great information. New question - has anyone tried to add an external power supply, such that there is no need for the uLink to get its power from the USB input from the computer? Would this require a USB with separate data and power inputs, and then adding a linear power supply, like the Teddy Pardo to it? Would this work?
  8. Thanks Watercourse! I intend on doing the same thing to compare different outputs, e.g. AT&T ST optical vs the BNC, both to the same, and different DACS. Question: did you have any further personal thoughts on the ST output? For example, preferring the sound of the ST vs the BNC? While you were testing the same DAC, perhaps you had a preference for one output, and I would love to hear why!
  9. Great write up on the Bel Canto uLink. Especially appreciate the video interview - quite informative! I realize this is an older article, but this SPDIF converter still appears very competitive amount the current offerings. Especially appreciate the comparison with between the ST optical and BNC. I have been contemplating a high-end 16/44.1 DAC with ST optical and am on the lookout for such ST converters. My question is - can I output audio from both the BNC and ST output at the same time? If not, when does one turn off - when a connection is made to the DAC's input? Once I get this, my goal will be to compare inputs right away. That is very fascinating to me, as the ST is often recommended for older DACs, like Audio Research, Wadia and Sonic Frontiers. Some of these have both ST and BNC. Please let me know if one is able to output audio data to two DACs simultaneously (my plan would be to A/B rapidly keeping both DACs plugged in, but just shut on/off) - and also if one can output two connections simultaneously to the same DAC, but let the DAC select the input mode via the manual switch, i.e. selecting optical vs RCA. Thanks!
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