Tour of USB DAC & USB Converter

[jkeny]

My Ciúnas DAC is currently being reviewed by Andre Marc & he will be finished with it soon. I wondered if there was any interest in a tour of this DAC in the US among WBF members? I remember Amir, in the past, expressed a wish to hear it.

It is a DAC with USB only input, no SPDIF & has an internal battery isolated power source. It has a short USB charging cable also bundled with the tour package. You will need to provide a USB cable & ICs to connect to preamplifier or amp.

He has a USB to SPDIF converter which I can tour also - it has USB input & SPDIF output to connect to any DAC with SPDIF input. In this case you would need to provide your own USB cable & SPDIF coaxial cable to connect to your DAC.

How this tour would work is that it would be available to active members. Each participant would hold it for a week (I would imagine this is long enough?) & post it onwards within the US via registered post. I would also ask that participants post their impressions here after their listening week.

If interested, post your interest here & I will try to organise it

 

[mep]

What are the capabilities of the DAC?

 

[jkeny]

What are the capabilities of the DAC?

24/192 PCM, no DSD

 

[mep]

24/192 PCM, no DSD

Thanks. No DSD = Not Interested for me.

 

[jkeny]

Thanks. No DSD = Not Interested for me.

Sure! Different strokes for different folks. I'd be interested in your comparison against DSD if you ever wished to do the comparison. You might be surprised or I might be - who knows - I have no pre-conceived notions?

 

[mep]

I think I have a good handle on the sound of PCM after all of these years. Contrary to what some people might think, I gave up on expectation bias long ago based on having my expectations dashed on the rocks of reality numerous times. I may "hope" that some new hardware or software will sound better than what I have, but until I hear it I don't declare a winner. That's how I felt about DSD files. In my case, I feel that DSD sounds better to my ears than PCM files do regardless of resolution. My Mytek Stereo 192 sounds better playing PCM files than my Creative Labs DAC that was also a USB DAC capable of playing back 24/192 files. The Mytek has much better bass punch than the Creative Labs, but at the end of the day, they still sound like PCM files to me.

 

[jkeny]

I think I have a good handle on the sound of PCM after all of these years. Contrary to what some people might think, I gave up on expectation bias long ago based on having my expectations dashed on the rocks of reality numerous times. I may "hope" that some new hardware or software will sound better than what I have, but until I hear it I don't declare a winner. That's how I felt about DSD files. In my case, I feel that DSD sounds better to my ears than PCM files do regardless of resolution. My Mytek Stereo 192 sounds better playing PCM files than my Creative Labs DAC that was also a USB DAC capable of playing back 24/192 files. The Mytek has much better bass punch than the Creative Labs, but at the end of the day, they still sound like PCM files to me.

Yea but how can you hear it if you don't try out new equipment? I can assure you that my DAc sounds far, far better than Creative labs. Bruce Brown listened to my previous DAc JKDAC32 & thought it would give the Mytek tough competition but his Mytek was on loan to someone at the time & he couldn't do a direct comparison. This DAC is better than the JKDAC32

We'll be getting the Mytek 192/DSD DAC in here again and would love to directly compare the 2 head to head. From what I remember, the Mytek has its work cut out for it! Great job John!!

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showt...-High-Rez-Hype&p=116867&viewfull=1#post116867

 

[microstrip]

John,
In your site you refer that the PCM5102 from BB sounds better than the Sabre ES9023 in your DAC. Any particular reason for it?

 

[jkeny]

John,
In your site you refer that the PCM5102 from BB sounds better than the Sabre ES9023 in your DAC. Any particular reason for it?

Technical reason for why it sounds better than ES9023? Probably got to do with the use of a minimum phase digital filter (or what it calls low latency filter) on the BB which sounded best to me - the other filters sounded more like the ES9023 - but there could be other reasons?

 

[hvbias]

jkeny I used to live in Portobello (just off the South Circular Road one street opposite the canal), I would have taken you up an in home listening test if I was still in Dublin... back in my digital days I miss that city and the people.

 

[jkeny]

jkeny I used to live in Portobello (just off the South Circular Road one street opposite the canal), I would have taken you up an in home listening test if I was still in Dublin... back in my digital days I miss that city and the people.

Small world
Are you out of digital now?

 

[hvbias]

Small world
Are you out of digital now?

No, that was a poorly said joke But with only a couple of hours a day to listen to music I haven't turned on the digital in a while.

 

[jkeny]

No, that was a poorly said joke But with only a couple of hours a day to listen to music I haven't turned on the digital in a while.

Ah, right - you need to get a good work/life balance living back in Dublin

 

[jkeny]

220 views & nobody interested in auditioning either of these devices? Hmmmm wrong device &/or wrong market?
If I said it costs $5,000 would this make it more appealing?

 

[audioarcher]

220 views & nobody interested in auditioning either of these devices? Hmmmm wrong device &/or wrong market?
If I said it costs $5,000 would this make it more appealing?

I think most people looking for a new DAC want DSD capability. What are the costs involved in auditioning it? Just shipping to the next person? Shipping it back to Ireland could be a bit pricey.

 

[jkeny]

I think most people looking for a new DAC want DSD capability.

Yea, that seems to be flavour of the month. I was hoping that someone might compare it to their DSD DAC. I believe it will be a contender.

What are the costs involved in auditioning it? Just shipping to the next person? Shipping it back to Ireland could be a bit pricey.

Yes, just shipping to the next person. If you are the last (or only person) I pay for shipping back to Ireland.

 

[audioarcher]

Yea, that seems to be flavour of the month. I was hoping that someone might compare it to their DSD DAC. I believe it will be a contender. Yes, just shipping to the next person. If you are the last (or only person) I pay for shipping back to Ireland.

Ok, I'll bite. I just bought a new DAC the Exasound e20. It is capable of DSD. It plays PCM better than any digital solution I've heard in my system. I have not heard a DAC with the BB chip so it would be interesting to compare.

 

[garylkoh]

Ok, I'll bite. I just bought a new DAC the Exasound e20. It is capable of DSD. It plays PCM better than any digital solution I've heard in my system. I have not heard a DAC with the BB chip so it would be interesting to compare.

We can roll it among the few of us here in the Seattle area. I'm willing to give it a listen and post my impressions too.

 

[audioarcher]

We can roll it among the few of us here in the Seattle area. I'm willing to give it a listen and post my impressions too.

Cool. The more the merrier.

 

[jkeny]

Ok, I'll bite. I just bought a new DAC the Exasound e20. It is capable of DSD. It plays PCM better than any digital solution I've heard in my system. I have not heard a DAC with the BB chip so it would be interesting to compare.

Great! Exasound (ESS ES9018 DAC) will be a good comparison. PM me your address & you are the tour list