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Post by boomzilla on May 31, 2021 15:39:10 GMT -5
Well, surprise, surprise! A Marantz Model 30 Integrated amp showed up at my mailbox for review. This is a 100W @ 8 Ohms & 200W @ 4 Ohms unit with Class D Hypex modules. This is the first time I've had the opportunity to hear a Hypex-based amplifier and right off the bat I must say I'm very favorably impressed with the sound quality. Since the Marantz doesn't have its own DAC, I'm currently feeding it with the Audioquest Dragonfly Black 1.5, but plan to move the AURALiC Aries Mini into the mix very soon. This thing is probably the vinylista's dream with variable gain and variable loading for MM & MC cartridges. Alas, since I no longer have a vinyl setup, I'm hoping that dsonyay will do the honors on the phono review. Happy Memorial Day to all'a youse! Boom
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Post by boomzilla on Jun 9, 2021 7:36:40 GMT -5
DAC Comparisons:
AURALiC Aries Mini - 8oo10 - remotely switchable filters allow comparisons on the fly. No glare to speak of. Pretty good dynamics. Variable volume. Streamer included. Audioquest Dragonfly Black 1.5 - 5oo10 - No glare despite using an ESS Sabre chip, but less dynamic than some of the other DACs. Variable volume Topping D10s - 5oo10 - The infamous "Sabre glare" is somewhat audible with this DAC. Not as bad as the older ESS chips, but still audible. Emotiva Big Ego+ - On order, but not yet here... Hoping for great things.
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Post by boomzilla on Jun 11, 2021 13:26:40 GMT -5
OK - Let's lay it all out. These DACs were all played through my Black Ice Audio F22 vacuum tube integrated amplifier, Klipsch RP600m speakers, and a Klipsch R-12SW subwoofer. The first three use ESS Sabre DAC chips, the last two don't. The contenders:
1. AURALiC Aries Mini streamer/DAC. This was connected via Ethernet to the Mac mini server, and its unbalanced analog outputs fed input 1 on the amp. 2. Audioquest Dragonfly Black, Ver. 1.5. This was plugged into the USB port of the Mac mini server, and its â…›" stereo output jack split to two (R&L) unbalanced analog cables via an Emotive BasX series splitter. These fed input 2 on the amp. 3. Topping D10s. This was plugged into the USB port of the Mac mini server, and its analog outputs connected to input 3 on the amp. 4. Emotiva Big Ego+ DAC. This was plugged into the USB port of the Mac mini server, and its â…›" stereo output jack split to two (R&L) unbalanced analog cables via an Emotive BasX series splitter. These fed input 4 on the amp. 5. â…›" Headphone jack of the Mac mini server (using the internal DAC) connected to input 1 on the amp (after the AURALiC was removed).
RESULTS: On a 10-point scale with 5 the mean, here are my ratings (yours may or may not agree - too many variables...).
First Place @ 8 - Tie between the AURALiC Aries Mini and the Emotiva Big Ego+ - If anything, I might give a slight nose to the Emotiva, but the differences are so small that I couldn't consistently tell. The AURALiC, despite using an ESS Sabre DAC chip, manages to tame the notorious "Sabre glare." How, I don't know, but they've done it. The detail remains, but the emphasis is not to be heard. Now the Aries Mini is a (long) discontinued model, but the resale values run consistently high ($400 up) due to its exceptional versatility and sound. The Big Ego+ was not auditioned via headphones, and although it lacked the "detail" in the upper midrange of the AURALiC, its warmth and "naturalness" made it a real competitor. Considering the price difference, and if you don't need the streaming capabilities of the AURALiC, the Emotiva is a screaming bargain, IMHO.
Second Place @ 5 - The modest Audioquest Dragonfly Black 1.5 ($100) has a fuller sound than the Topping, but not as natural as the Emotiva. This DAC also has less output than the other DACs, requiring that the integrated amp's volume be used to compensate. All DACs were level matched at 85dBA using pink noise. The Dragonfly is a good value @ $100, but the Emotiva is DEFINITELY worth the extra $50! In fact, you could probably buy the "Little Ego" and get the same performance as the Big Ego for less $$$.
Third Place @ 4 - The Topping D10s - Until I actually level-matched these DACs, I didn't realize quite how much this DAC glares compared to the others. Yes this DAC may measure great on the test bench, but its slight presence range emphasis did NOT work well with my (already somewhat enthusiastic) Klipsch speakers. If you have more dynamically restrained speakers in the upper midrange, then this might a good match.
Last Place by a mile @ 2 - The headphone jack of the Mac mini. Despite the fact that I ran this at 100% fixed volume so as not to invoke the digital volume control of the Mac, this output boomed and tizzed, but made the midrange sound both recessed and tinny. No width or depth either. Your deaf grandma could hear the difference between this and ANY of the above DACs.
BEST VALUE FOR THE MONEY: The Emotiva Big Ego+ (and, by the way, the one I plan to keep). So Kudos to Big Dan and the others on Emotiva's design team. It takes some guts to blow against the wind of an increasingly all ESS-Sabre DAC world. But the results speak for themselves.
Glenn Young (aka Boomzilla)
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Post by dsonyay on Jun 18, 2021 17:46:41 GMT -5
Boom… I have aTopping D10 too. In my configuration it shines. Laptop to D10 to XSP-1 gen2 to XPA2 gen3 to Zu Omen DW. But of course, this is through my ears.
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Post by boomzilla on Jun 18, 2021 19:00:41 GMT -5
Hi dsonyay - Also through your room. The room has as much influence on the sound as the speakers. Everything else is details.
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Post by boomzilla on Jun 23, 2021 18:33:32 GMT -5
Best location yet for the diffusers:
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Post by boomzilla on Jun 24, 2021 15:51:54 GMT -5
And just a side comment on the Emotiva Big Ego+... I'm REALLY enjoying mine. With Roon, I get remote volume control through it, and if I want to, can run the Ego's output directly into whatever power amplifier I choose. If I want a second source, I can plug an analog source (TV, for example) directly into the Mac mini's "microphone" input & switch between the two. The sound quality of the Big Ego+ seems on par with (or in some cases, better than) DACs that cost up to $1K. That said, I'm still waiting for the Stealth DC-1 replacement from Emotiva. But for the mere $150 I spent on the Big Ego+, I don't know that I've ever gotten so much value for my money! So consider this an enthusiastic endorsement of the Emotiva Big Ego+.
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Post by garbulky on Jun 24, 2021 15:56:02 GMT -5
Best location yet for the diffusers: Did you stain the wood recently? It looks like you did.
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Post by boomzilla on Jun 24, 2021 16:28:27 GMT -5
Did you stain the wood recently? It looks like you did. Tung oil Note also the outriggers with rollers attached to the bottoms of the diffusers! They allow me to easily roll the diffusers around and try different locations and orientations! The outrigger arms make the panels less likely to tip over.
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Post by boomzilla on Jul 2, 2021 22:31:52 GMT -5
Cool amps I have owned: Adcom GFA-1Pioneer SA-5200McIntosh MC352VTL Compact 100sEmotiva XPA-2, Generation 2Emotiva XPA-1, Generation 2Heathkit SA-3 MonosBlack Ice Audio F22There have been others, but the above are memorable...
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Post by leonski on Jul 6, 2021 0:30:51 GMT -5
And I put the XPA-2, Gen. 3 back on the hot seat last night to assess how it would drive the (very, very picky) Thiel CS 1.6 speakers. In theory, this is a match made in Heaven. The Thiels are low impedance (4-ohms nominal, 3-ohms minimum), hard to drive (multi-element crossover that changes the phase that the power amp sees), and fairly low sensitivity (rated by Thiel for 90 dB / 1w / 1m, but generally considered to be somewhat less). The XPA-2 is high-powered, load-tolerant, and highly-rated by critics. And yet... The sound is more muddled sounding with the XPA-2 than it should be. The Emotiva BasX A300 is like removing a THICK pane of glass into the performance window compared to the XPA. The XPA is less dynamic than the A300. And the XPA sounds like it has more variation in frequency response than the A300. I'd expected the opposite in every case. Even though I bought my XPA-2 used from a fellow Lounger, I don't think it's defective - it's a good-sounding amp (unless you directly compare it to the A300). It may just be a speaker-amp cat-fight. Just as some amps seem to be synergistic with some speakers (synergies that I've stumbled across in my wanderings: VTL Compact 100 tube monoblocks and Klipsch La Scalas - Adcom GFA-1 amps and Dahlquist DQ-10a speakers - McIntosh MC352 amp and Thiel 1.5 speakers - Emotiva BasX A300 amp and (take your pick of): Tekton Pendragon speakers, Thiel 1.6 speakers, Emotiva T2 speakers), other times the amps seem to be just UGLY matches with some speakers (anti-synergies that I've stumbled across include: Emotiva XPA-1L amps and Martin-Logan hybrid electrostatic speakers - VTA ST120 amp and Tekton Pendragon speakers - VTA M125 amps and Thiel 1.6 speakers - Emotiva XPA-2 amp and Thiel 1.6 speakers). Note that the above dancing couples don't imply that either the amps or the speakers are bad - only that some couples are magic on the dance floor and that other couples seem to step on each others' toes. I read one review (Stereophile?) that said one of the XPA-series amps was a match made in Heaven with some Magnepan speakers. I could believe it. The writer speculated that the amp's brawn and power was a good match for the low impedance and low sensitivity of the Magnepans. That triggered my thought process that if what the writer said was correct, then maybe the XPA would ALSO be a great match for my Thiel 1.6 speakers. Not... But it was worth a try. So why does the relatively low-cost, cheerful little BasX A300 go so well with almost everything? Heck if i know. But it's my fave solid-state amp in the house for now until something else catches up. YMMV Boomzilla Need to actually put the amp on a bench and test with various reactive loads. Might not do as well as you'd hope. Maggies are In General not a bad load....just low sensitivity with overall low impedance. If you don't need it loud, most good SS amps under 100 a side will work fine..... I don't know which way it falls, but tube amps (transformer coupled) will have trouble with some reactance....either capacitive or inductive......
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Post by audiobill on Jul 6, 2021 5:52:22 GMT -5
Instead of bench testing reactive loads, why not just listen and decide?
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Post by monkumonku on Jul 6, 2021 9:52:34 GMT -5
Instead of bench testing reactive loads, why not just listen and decide? Because that takes the fun out of it!
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Post by leonski on Jul 6, 2021 14:02:23 GMT -5
Tough decision in some cases. People 'color' opinion with expectation. Somebody who spends a LOT of $$ on what turns out to be an amp
not fully compatible with a given set of speakers? Maybe reluctant to throw in the towel....??
A little data never hurt anybody!
Some speakers.....was it BOOM who noted something about a few certins speakers being difficult?......should be driven by the most capable amps.
Too bad that ELECTRICL 'goodnews' is no guarantee of 'audible' goodness......In this case, Audiobill has a terrific point. But I'd prefer to COMBINE...
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Post by boomzilla on Jul 6, 2021 16:20:21 GMT -5
Planned system for next quarter:
Big Ego+ DAC (used to control volume) through a mechanical switch box (switching from either of two sources: the DAC or my Disc Player) Switch output split between subwoofer & amp (works fine because volume control was done at the DAC) to direct inputs of Crown PSA-2 power amplifier (gain adjusted via amplifier pots so that the sub's plate amp can match the volume) Dahlquist speakers (version TBD)
I'd eventually like to get a sealed-box subwoofer driven by an external amplifier. Anyone know of any good designs?
Thanks - Boom
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Post by boomzilla on Jul 16, 2021 9:35:34 GMT -5
Is there any easier way to do this?
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Post by leonski on Jul 16, 2021 17:50:06 GMT -5
Yes....
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Post by garbulky on Jul 16, 2021 18:51:48 GMT -5
Depends on what you are okay with changing. Sometimes people do their setup for very specific reasons and simpler stuff just doesn't cut it. For instance, using a receiver would cut out most of your boxes. But you would miss the choice between solid state and tube.
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Post by audiobill on Jul 16, 2021 19:23:27 GMT -5
Short of a nice preamp/dac with multiple amp and pre outputs (like a McIntosh c2600, for example), not really. Every connection has the potential to lose audio quality and present potential impedance mismatches.
You may be at the point of having two sets of speakers, think a tube system and a solid state system. Or just lose the Crown transistor amp. Not adding anything to sound quality. Weakest link.
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Post by boomzilla on Jul 17, 2021 21:24:47 GMT -5
Depending on the "new house" that will come in about 2022-2023, the dual-system option may work. Until then, I've got not one, not two, but three solid-state power options to deal with:
Ashly MOSFET pro amp Crown PSA-2 pro amp Emotiva PA-1 mono amps
Of the three, the Crown & Emotivas are tied for first place in the sound quality horserace, but the Crown has more current & control. I don't need the current with my current speakers, but who knows what might come my way in the future...
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