Delta Sigma Versus R2R Ladder
- Thread starter Ron Resnick
- Start date
Musician Audio Aquarius is worth checking out .
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You can add Ayon DACs, cd players and servers to that list of resolved yet emotional. The current crop are delta sigma and are reportedly very good...I only have experience with the R2R players from the early 2010s (using BB PCM1704 chips). Simply superb.
you are more likely to get an exhaustive answer on the DiyAudio forum or other pro digital forumsDear experts,
Could you please help me understand how significant in NOS R2R designs the temperature drift factor is? What products employ the most effective compensation mechanisms?
I just went through rather exhaustive testing of about 14 DACs with the bulk being delta sigma split between FPGA and traditional chips along with three R2Rs. Admittedly two of those R2Rs were from the same company, Rockna.
I think generalizations around R2R vs delta sigma are poor. In terms of clarity and accuracy vs. musicality, I would argue that the design and implementation matters far more than DAC type. I have heard bright R2Rs and warm, musical delta sigmas. My advice is worry less about DAC type and focus on the sound you are trying to achieve realizing that in the specified price range you are looking at, there is a significant trade off between detail and soundstage.
In the $5K range, I tested the Chord TT2, Audiobyte Hydravox, Rockna Wavelight, PS Audio DSD and Bricasti M3 and just below this level, the Wyred 4 Sound, 2v2 SE. The Rockna was middling in terms of sound profile as the lone R2R. The Chord and Audiobyte are much more detailed while the Bricasti had a bigger soundstage and I would define it as more musical.
I think generalizations around R2R vs delta sigma are poor. In terms of clarity and accuracy vs. musicality, I would argue that the design and implementation matters far more than DAC type. I have heard bright R2Rs and warm, musical delta sigmas. My advice is worry less about DAC type and focus on the sound you are trying to achieve realizing that in the specified price range you are looking at, there is a significant trade off between detail and soundstage.
In the $5K range, I tested the Chord TT2, Audiobyte Hydravox, Rockna Wavelight, PS Audio DSD and Bricasti M3 and just below this level, the Wyred 4 Sound, 2v2 SE. The Rockna was middling in terms of sound profile as the lone R2R. The Chord and Audiobyte are much more detailed while the Bricasti had a bigger soundstage and I would define it as more musical.
Is Lampi not doing the same thing, and adding additional flavoring in the tube selection ? At a much elevated price of course !
Yes...but it’s tubes...Is Lampi not doing the same thing, and adding additional flavoring in the tube selection ? At a much elevated price of course !
I think a lot of the enthusiasm about R2R DACs is more to do with the NOS filter design. The R2Rs I have heard that used digital oversampling filters had a nice coherence between the bass and midrange where they seemed perfectly align (DS don't seem like the time is as even across the frequencies). But it's really the NOS settings that make things more raw, direct, and analog. Ironically DSD-based DACs can do a similar thing in theory, and do it better, by reducing the output filter to a simple high bandwidth analog filter. Of course, many manufacturers do complex math onboard to upsample the audio to DSD with elaborate digital filters, which can defeat the point to some degree. But some do succeed at creating a very analog sound with lots of detail and fewer sharp edges.
Is Lampi not doing the same thing, and adding additional flavoring in the tube selection ? At a much elevated price of course !
No.
The Bricasti M3 is a great bang for the buck DAC. You can get it with a nice headphone amp built in fir a nice all in one headphone rig.
Why not (within the three) why not Atlantic TRP instead of Baltic 3? And have you heard the B3 along side SW1X? I'm not going to consider Holo, but I am considering Lampi B3 or Atl TRP, SW1X III basic. The problem (at least for me) is, that I see hardly any information on the Lampi site for the internal electronics. Why so intentionally vague?
Yes, important, but what about caps and resistors, chokes, etc.? These are huge in the general architecture as well.
...nowhere near as expensive as SW1X, especially with Slawa's monstrous price increases. But I do love the architecture, wire, germanium transistors exclusively, and the cap offerings.
When you want analog musical sound, search old dacs with ultra analog r2r dac like sonic frontiers sfd 1, stax x1t or audioresearch dac 1
sounds amazing.
sounds amazing.
I own 2 DACs with this chipset (Kinergetics Research KCD-55 Ultra and a PS Audio DAC). The Kinergetics actually has 2 of these awesome modules. Both DACs sound very good and organic despite having SS output stages (I am a tube guy so...).
No problem tubes Stax1t is with tube output, you need 3 power cords, one for digital, left output stage , right output stage.
if you have a better dac for cd, congratulations i haven't found one yet.
Or a Manley reference dac can be used as preamp too, both a world class
if you have a better dac for cd, congratulations i haven't found one yet.
Or a Manley reference dac can be used as preamp too, both a world class
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