Headphone guy looking for a DAC for Feliks Envy 25th Anniversary Edition

[Ike1985]

Hey guys,

I am a headphone, I never want to get into speakers it's not my thing. I currently have a Shunyata Everest, Hugo2 and a Feliks Envy 25th Anniversary Edition. I play music from my Macbook pro to my DAC via USB. Obviously I need something to replace the Hugo2 with and I am looking at the following DACs:

MPD-8 + Plink USB Decrapifier (worried it may be too warm to be used with a tube amp but very much like the clean USB input)
Rockna Wavestream Signature (output voltage into Envy is too high, Feliks recommends 1V input the Rockna is 6.6Vrms)
Aries Cerat Helene(10vrms@0db/30Vpp@0db)
Aries Cerat Kassandra II Used(10v/5v)

The Feliks Envy works best with 1V input. If I got Rockna Wavestream Signature, I'd have to use the lowest volume possible which equal 1V outout(btw how would I know when I have 1V output will it tell me?). When I lower the Rockna DAC volume I'd also be lowering Dynamic Range if I understand correctly because the Rockna uses DSP(Digital volume control like Chord DACs as well) and when you lower volume digitally you reduce dynamic range.

The Rockna outout voltage is 6.6/13 in the SE versions. Therefore assuming I'm correct I'd lose 5.6db of dynamic range with the Rockna set to 1V(remember Wavestream outputs 6.6 and Feliks Envy wants 1v input) going into Envy.

Are the AC DACs using digital volume attenuation like the Rockna and Chord DACs. I understand ghe helene has a -6db switch, is it digital or analog? Is it possibke to ouput 1V with AC DACs? Based on the output voktage of AC DACs I'd lose MORE dynamic range with those set to 1V ouput(if thays even possible)

If so what's the best solution? Seperate preamp? Just use the dsp attenuation in the Rockna? Get a different DAC?

I'd rather not introduce a preamp as I feel additional components lower sound quality.

Also almost all the reviews I read about the AC DACs are in speaker systems and I wonder if they pair well with headphones.

@Phantom-Audio

 

[Audio Addict]

With the 1V input, I am not sure in about the Helene but I would suggest talking with an AC dealer. I have the Kassandra. My dealer is in a Western St. Louis suburbs. PM me and I can send you his contact information.

 

[Aries Cerat]

Hi
Yes we can and we do customize the outputs, we have done so i several cases where users wanted lower output.

We do not use digital volume , we redesign the output stage (different IV tuning and different output transformers) to lower the output without using dsp or attenuators.

Cheers
S

 

[Ike1985]

Hi
Yes we can and we do customize the outputs, we have done so i several cases where users wanted lower output.

We do not use digital volume , we redesign the output stage (different IV tuning and different output transformers) to lower the output without using dsp or attenuators.

Cheers
S

I'm not a technical guy but it seems that almost all DACs of note use digital volume, why do you suppose that is and I'm super interested in a Helene/Kassandra now because of this non-digital volume adjustment(that and the customization should mean I won't have to use a preamp). My setup is Shunyata Everest --> DAC --> Feliks Envy(I'm a headphone guy). Also what are your thoughts with using your DAC in a high end headphone setup instead of speakers? I don't and never want to get into speakers.

 

[Ike1985]

Hi
Yes we can and we do customize the outputs, we have done so i several cases where users wanted lower output.

We do not use digital volume , we redesign the output stage (different IV tuning and different output transformers) to lower the output without using dsp or attenuators.

Cheers
S

Last question is what do you think of using a transparent passive or even active preamp instead of customizing the output? Do you think preamps lower sound quality or do you think there can be fully transparent preamps?

Thank you

 

[Audio Addict]

Last question is what do you think of using a transparent passive or even active preamp instead of customizing the output? Do you think preamps lower sound quality or do you think there can be fully transparent preamps?

Thank you

I use an Impera Reference II to source to my RSA B-21 Raider headphone amplifier at the suggestion of Aries Cerat. One plus one didn't equal 2 but greater. There is excellent synergy between the two.

However, your situation is different given the Envy only wants 1V. The B-21 Raider doesn't have any issues with the gain coming from the Kassandra and Impera. It was designed for the 4.4V standard balance connection.

 

[Aries Cerat]

Hello
All our dacs are fixed output, we do not use any kind of volume , analog or digital.
What i mentioned above and maybe i wasn't too clear, we customize the output to have lower max out voltage,and we do this not by ways of attenuation, digital or analog, but by customizing the output stage chain.
The only reason we do customize , is because some (5-10% of the total) preamps have a max input voltage spec which is lower than the dac (high) output voltage.
It is not often to find them,but some preamp designs which have the attenuators after their input stage,do sometimes have lower input voltage spec, but this is topic for another discussion

@Ike1985 You could have a good passive preamp if it is TVC ,that can work in some systems.
From experience,we never found a system that did not benefit by a very high quality preamp.

Cheers
S

 

[Ian B]

I find it frustrating that most headphone amps can only accommodate low input voltages. 1v seems very much extreme. For the moment I've been staying with solid state amps (Zähl HM-1 currently) because many can take signals from 5-10v and beyond. I hope you can find a good attenuator/preamp!

 

[Ike1985]

ok so last question I swear, Do you think I should go with a Kassandra with 1V output or go with the standard Kassandra MKII Reference and use a preamp? Does lowering the output voltage reduce sound quality? Also take into account in your decision, I only intend to use it with a headphone setup never speakers and I'll probably be getting a middle of the road preamp not a TOTL as I'm already spending a lot on the DAC and I've heard there are very transparent pre-amps that are not expensive. Thank you Stavros! @Aries Cerat