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Post by selind40 on Jul 1, 2023 23:19:56 GMT -5
Use a DC-1 in the man cave setup……bought another one 2 years ago as a backup, sitting in its original packaging……not in a rush to try the newest version, unless I can get a free sample version…….Lol
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Post by brutiarti on Jul 13, 2023 7:03:05 GMT -5
Any update on availability@KeithL ?
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Post by Hair Nick on Jul 13, 2023 9:15:27 GMT -5
If this doesn't launch by today then most likely early next week.
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Post by garbulky on Jul 13, 2023 9:17:13 GMT -5
WOW!!
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Post by Hair Nick on Jul 17, 2023 11:35:57 GMT -5
Heads up, XDA3 is likely pushed to next week as we are looking to launch the MR1L this week.
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Post by PaulBe on Jul 22, 2023 8:23:13 GMT -5
Heads up, XDA3 is likely pushed to next week as we are looking to launch the MR1L this week. Got the e-mail last night and looked over the specs for the MR1L. Looks like a winner! The right stuff. Versatile. Good technical spec list and function/features. |
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Post by Hair Nick on Jul 25, 2023 16:42:08 GMT -5
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Post by Hair Nick on Jul 26, 2023 9:32:00 GMT -5
We are working on a full video on it too that should be released next week.
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Post by geebo on Jul 26, 2023 10:24:35 GMT -5
I'd be interested in how the headphone amp of the XDA-3 compares to that of the DC-1.
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Post by PaulBe on Jul 26, 2023 12:06:34 GMT -5
We are working on a full video on it too that should be released next week. Hi Nick, Please add headphone output power and headphone output impedance to the video discussion and to the manual. Thanks. |
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Lonnie
Emo Staff 
admin
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain
Posts: 6,999
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Post by Lonnie on Jul 26, 2023 15:13:48 GMT -5
We are working on a full video on it too that should be released next week. Hi Nick, Please add headphone output power and headphone output impedance to the video discussion and to the manual. Thanks. 50mW of output drive and the output impedance is 20 ohms. Lonnie |
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Post by whitwye on Jul 26, 2023 19:29:21 GMT -5
Ordered one, hoping to get a more perfect sound out of CDs. They're played from an ERC-3 through a Yamaha CX-A5100, which both have decent DACs -- each excellent enough to show something of what's missing in the other. The ES9016S in the Yamaha is a bit too rich in the overtones, while the AD1955 in the ERC-3 is a bit too thin, and neither quite matches the best vinyl here. The ES was initially plainly inferior with the default "sharp roll-off" filter, but better when I found the "slow roll-off" -- to the point where I keep switching back and forth between that and the AD, never fully satisfied with either. So more filter choices -- and a later generation Sabre ... I have high hopes.
Also, the headphone output on the Yamaha was definitely an afterthought when they spec'd that out, so hopes for better there too.
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KeithL
Administrator
Posts: 10,255
Member is Online
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Post by KeithL on Jul 27, 2023 11:09:58 GMT -5
The new Sabre DACs in the XDA-3 sound very nice (and so does its analog circuitry). They're quite detailed... but lack the harshness that many products with Sabre DACs in them seem to exhibit. This means that they do an excellent job of enabling you to hear exactly what's in your recording... (And, if you have vinyl, and a phono preamp, you can connect that to one of the analog inputs on the XDA-3, and listen to it directly when you want to.) However, to be fair, you should NOT EVER expect a CD to sound like vinyl, for quite a few reasons: 1. You're NOT starting out from the same master. Virtually every CD, even those "made from the same master tape", gets remastered. In fact, just as different vinyl pressings often sound quite different, different CD remasters of the same album often end up sounding quite different. But, in most cases, this is simply due to "the artistic preferences of the producers"... and so on. However you should note that there ARE changes that are REQUIRED before a mix can be sent to a record mastering lathe to be made into vinyl. Very high level low bass must be mixed to mono or near mono to limit lathe and stylus excursions. And high level high frequencies must also be limited, to prevent overheating the cutter head, and to prevent making an album that no cartridge can successfully track. And, while the folks who make CD remasters often choose to alter the sound of that version for various reasons, these "adjustments" are NOT required for a CD or a downloadable digital file. (Unlike vinyl, neither CDs nor digital files require any particular audio frequencies to be limited, or mixed down, to avoid "processing and handling limitations".) 2. Vinyl itself, and the RIAA EQ necessary to record to vinyl, and play back from vinyl, DOES introduce various nonlinearities and distortions. Vinyl DOES NOT sound exactly like an analog master tape, and an analog master tape DOES NOT sound exactly like the original performance.... And, in fact, the sound coming from the mixing console, during the original performance, doesn't sound exactly like what people sitting in the audience heard either... (In fact it can be quite tricky to "just make a recording that sounds like you would hear if you were sitting there".) And all of these differences are quite distinctive from any distortions or artifacts that may arise due to any sort of digital processing. 3. Vinyl itself has a relatively high level of surface noise and a significant amount of specific types of distortion... (Vinyl DOES NOT "sound exactly like the original"; it sounds like vinyl; and a CD or a digital audio file just plain does NOT sound like vinyl.) Ordered one, hoping to get a more perfect sound out of CDs. They're played from an ERC-3 through a Yamaha CX-A5100, which both have decent DACs -- each excellent enough to show something of what's missing in the other. The ES9016S in the Yamaha is a bit too rich in the overtones, while the AD1955 in the ERC-3 is a bit too thin, and neither quite matches the best vinyl here. The ES was initially plainly inferior with the default "sharp roll-off" filter, but better when I found the "slow roll-off" -- to the point where I keep switching back and forth between that and the AD, never fully satisfied with either. So more filter choices -- and a later generation Sabre ... I have high hopes. Also, the headphone output on the Yamaha was definitely an afterthought when they spec'd that out, so hopes for better there too. |
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Post by geebo on Jul 27, 2023 22:26:48 GMT -5
An XDA-3 is in the rack. Haven't had the time to listen to it yet but I will soon.
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Post by PaulBe on Jul 28, 2023 8:59:00 GMT -5
An XDA-3 is in the rack. Haven't had the time to listen to it yet but I will soon. I'll be interested in your headphone amp evaluation. What headphones do you use? My XDA-3 will be arriving today. The headphones I use are Sony MDR-7509 and Sennheiser HD 650. I suspect the XDA-3 headphone amp will have better performance with the high impedance Sennheiser HD 650's. Impedance - Sony MDR-7509 - 24 ohms Sennheiser HD 650 - 300 ohms |
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Post by geebo on Jul 28, 2023 10:15:06 GMT -5
An XDA-3 is in the rack. Haven't had the time to listen to it yet but I will soon. I'll be interested in your headphone amp evaluation. What headphones do you use? Mine will be arriving today. The headphones I use are Sony MDR-7509 and Sennheiser HD 650. I suspect the XDA-3 headphone amp will have better performance with the high impedance Sennheiser HD 650's. Impedance - Sony MDR-7509 - 24 ohms Sennheiser HD 650 - 300 ohms I primarily use Oppo PM2 headphones which sound great with the DC-1 and less great with the RMC-1L. The Oppo's are 32 ohms. |
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Post by tchaik on Jul 28, 2023 10:46:22 GMT -5
so... with the addition of a phono preamp, this is a full function preamp with a great dac?? minus the am/fm.... wish I had a use for it.... unless I decide to replace my PT-100 which is connected to my iMac and mated with an a-300 and pair of T-2's.  of course I need it........ |
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Post by geebo on Jul 28, 2023 13:25:18 GMT -5
Finally had a chance to do a little listening today.
I briefly tried out the Oppo PM2's and I'd say the XDA headphone amp is better than that of the RMC-1L but I did not compare it to the DC-1 because it's in a different system and the DAC used would be different anyway. But from my recollection I'd say it may be on par with the DC-1 or perhaps a little below. I had the volume as high as -6dB for the cans which would be louder than I normally listen. My comfort level was around -15 to -12dB so more power than I need and very clean and punchy even at the -6dB level. Noteworthy is that the XDA-3 has up to 12dB of gain and the 0 setting has no gain and no attenuation. With the analog volume control we lose no resolution when lowering the volume. For my listening with the speakers I left the volume at 0. And of course, the XDA-3 has separate memories for headphone and speaker listening. As for the DAC I can say it sounds extremely good especially with well recorded material whether it be DSD or PCM. Very detailed and not at all harsh. I only have a few files using DSD128 and some FLACs at 24/192 and they all played flawlessly. For DSD I tried both Native and DOP and both just worked but I could not tell a difference between them. The USB input has an edge in quality using my Zidoo Z2600 over the SPD/IF input. I did not play around with the different filters and don't expect to hear much if any difference there. I have it set on filter #2 FWIW. And I much prefer the full rack width format in my setup and the XDA-3 looks great in the rack as my wife predicted it would. I'm extremely happy with it at this point.
I'm using the balanced outputs to my RMC-1L and Direct listening mode.
When I switched the Zidoo's output to USB the Z2600 immediately recognized the XDA-3 and the following popped up on the Zidoo screen:
VID/PID: 0x2fc6-0xf801
Device: SXW CTUAD768 PRM-A
Maximum formats: PCM 32Bit, DSD 512
Maximum sampling rate: 768000Hz
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Post by vcautokid on Jul 28, 2023 15:56:25 GMT -5
Okay where is it?
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