Opus
I have an Opus dac board but haven't come up with a connector to try it yet. I need to use the receiver of the Gigawork.
Thanks noSmoking. After blurring my eyes
over most of this thread, I think I may also use the OTs only. I most likely have an PT laying around that will fit the bill.
Bill, I'm no audiophool, nor a crazy one at that. I read that toroids can be somewhat noisy?, but just wanted some input on the PT types - IE vs. toroid. Plus, I'm cheap
This is a great thread. I've been MIA on this forum for a while
I was quite some time absent in this thread, because I was really happy with my two Gigawork DAC's:
One with Lundahl OT and the another with UTC-A20.
I used the Lundahl Version in my "big" setup in the living room.
This system is a FirstWatt F5, driving this speakers:
I really loved the result: very detailled, fine mids and bass. Great.
The UTC A20 version, I still use it in my nearfield setup in conjunction with the computer.
Then, I lent for several weeks the Lundahl Gigaworks DAC to a friend, using also an F5 and drive this speakers:
A two way coaxial system, built in this Mini-Onken boxes:
In the meantime, I replaced my ACR hornspeakers by Quad ESL57 and I purchased very cheap an Audio Alchemy DDE 3.0 DAC, based on PMD100 HDCD filter and two AD1862 DACs.
I swapped the AA DDE with the Lundahl Gigawork, and I was unhappy in this configuration with the Gigawork!
Listening fatigue!
And on the other side, my friends Onken sounded some kind of dull with the AA DDE 3.0.
So we swapped back and both are satisfied now!
Conclusion (not new):
Most difficult in a sound reproducing system is the speaker (and the room, of course).
When all other parts in the sound chain are working at very low distortion level and at good quality, the DAC will be a matter of taste.
AND: it could be, when you change your speakers, you also have to change the DAC...
Franz
One with Lundahl OT and the another with UTC-A20.
I used the Lundahl Version in my "big" setup in the living room.
This system is a FirstWatt F5, driving this speakers:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I really loved the result: very detailled, fine mids and bass. Great.
The UTC A20 version, I still use it in my nearfield setup in conjunction with the computer.
Then, I lent for several weeks the Lundahl Gigaworks DAC to a friend, using also an F5 and drive this speakers:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
A two way coaxial system, built in this Mini-Onken boxes:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
In the meantime, I replaced my ACR hornspeakers by Quad ESL57 and I purchased very cheap an Audio Alchemy DDE 3.0 DAC, based on PMD100 HDCD filter and two AD1862 DACs.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I swapped the AA DDE with the Lundahl Gigawork, and I was unhappy in this configuration with the Gigawork!
Listening fatigue!
And on the other side, my friends Onken sounded some kind of dull with the AA DDE 3.0.
So we swapped back and both are satisfied now!
Conclusion (not new):
Most difficult in a sound reproducing system is the speaker (and the room, of course).
When all other parts in the sound chain are working at very low distortion level and at good quality, the DAC will be a matter of taste.
AND: it could be, when you change your speakers, you also have to change the DAC...
Franz
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Last edited:
Do you find the difference in todays setup?
Franz
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Franz
Nice to see you Franz,
If you like the F5 it's time for you to try one of Nelson Pass's single ended designs, if you haven't yet. No glare and marvelous, fluid mids. The F5 was a little too edgy and etched for me.
Kec, I wasn't trying to be denegrating. It is true that toroids can be noisier because of their wide bandwidth. The newer boards are shipped with R core trafos, unless I'm mistaken.
If you like the F5 it's time for you to try one of Nelson Pass's single ended designs, if you haven't yet. No glare and marvelous, fluid mids. The F5 was a little too edgy and etched for me.
Kec, I wasn't trying to be denegrating. It is true that toroids can be noisier because of their wide bandwidth. The newer boards are shipped with R core trafos, unless I'm mistaken.
Hi everybody,
I ordered the DAC and bought on ebay two Jensen JT-11-EMCF. For the last few days i was reading 349 pages of this thread and 64 on pinkfishmedia, now i have some more knowledge about this DAC
I was trying to read some pdfs from Jensen for this transformer, but i am confused.
I have a question - what kind of filter or load should i apply with this DAC (CS4398) and Jensen JT-11-EMCF ?
Does anybody used this transformer ?
Thanks,
I ordered the DAC and bought on ebay two Jensen JT-11-EMCF. For the last few days i was reading 349 pages of this thread and 64 on pinkfishmedia, now i have some more knowledge about this DAC
I was trying to read some pdfs from Jensen for this transformer, but i am confused.
I have a question - what kind of filter or load should i apply with this DAC (CS4398) and Jensen JT-11-EMCF ?
Does anybody used this transformer ?
Thanks,
Hi everybody,
I ordered the DAC and bought on ebay two Jensen JT-11-EMCF. For the last few days i was reading 349 pages of this thread and 64 on pinkfishmedia, now i have some more knowledge about this DAC
I was trying to read some pdfs from Jensen for this transformer, but i am confused.
I have a question - what kind of filter or load should i apply with this DAC (CS4398) and Jensen JT-11-EMCF ?
Does anybody used this transformer ?
Thanks,
I have the bigger brother of them, the DMCF.
Just use around 200 ohms in series with each leg from the dac chip, and an RC series filter of .001uf/1k ohms paralleled across the output. A load is not required.
If you want to learn more, go back to the Jensen website and read the article on audio transformers.
I have just a new experience with the Gigawork DAC (UTC-A20), attached to my computer.
As my SndScape Cinema! Soundcard did refuse to work properly any longer, I used for some weeks an USB/SPDIF adapter based on PCM2902, driven by ASIO4ALL (I have the Gigawork DAC without USB input).
Today I got an M2Tech HiFace USB to SPDIF adapter and installed it with kernel streaming for my foobar 2000 player. Works faultless with my Windows 7.
What a difference!
Clean jitterfree SPDIF signal can be sooo fine! The HiFace is a very good device and "normal" (and also professional) soundcards are absolutely obsolete for my private PC setup now.
It is about the same big difference as when I replaced the output opamps by the trannies!
Resume: when you use the Gigawork DAC attached to a computer, better dont use the USB input or a jitter polluted SPDIF signal from a mediocre sound card to drive your DAC.
Better save some money for a jitterfree SPDIF device like the M2Tech HiFace.
Franz
As my SndScape Cinema! Soundcard did refuse to work properly any longer, I used for some weeks an USB/SPDIF adapter based on PCM2902, driven by ASIO4ALL (I have the Gigawork DAC without USB input).
Today I got an M2Tech HiFace USB to SPDIF adapter and installed it with kernel streaming for my foobar 2000 player. Works faultless with my Windows 7.
What a difference!
Clean jitterfree SPDIF signal can be sooo fine! The HiFace is a very good device and "normal" (and also professional) soundcards are absolutely obsolete for my private PC setup now.
It is about the same big difference as when I replaced the output opamps by the trannies!
Resume: when you use the Gigawork DAC attached to a computer, better dont use the USB input or a jitter polluted SPDIF signal from a mediocre sound card to drive your DAC.
Better save some money for a jitterfree SPDIF device like the M2Tech HiFace.
Franz
Last edited:
Uuups, I was not very precisely:
In reallity I connect the HiFace to the MiniDigi pcp of my MiniDSP. And the SPDIF out from the MiniDIGI to the Gigawork DAC. (I have the version from MiniDIGI with input trannies).
Sorry!
Maybe, the MiniDIGI board is more sensitive for jitter than the input of the Gigawork DAC?
Franz
In reallity I connect the HiFace to the MiniDigi pcp of my MiniDSP. And the SPDIF out from the MiniDIGI to the Gigawork DAC. (I have the version from MiniDIGI with input trannies).
Sorry!
Maybe, the MiniDIGI board is more sensitive for jitter than the input of the Gigawork DAC?
Franz
Last edited:
HiFace
That's very interesting to know that you like the HiFace with K/S better than the other usb/ asio converter. The other threads I have read have everybody bashing the HiFace based on a poor looking wave form when most people that have done any comparative listening like it better.
.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digi...tenuators-jitter-reducers-48.html#post2356658
.
You could post your impressions in any of Jkenny's threads about the HiFace but they are all closed due to ridiculous arguing by people that never tried one. I have a usb to I2S converter that can run asio but haven't tried it yet.
.
Native 24bit 96k USB to Spdif I2S Converter for DAC - eBay (item 160473208269 end time Dec-23-10 23:44:54 PST)
.
That's very interesting to know that you like the HiFace with K/S better than the other usb/ asio converter. The other threads I have read have everybody bashing the HiFace based on a poor looking wave form when most people that have done any comparative listening like it better.
.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digi...tenuators-jitter-reducers-48.html#post2356658
.
You could post your impressions in any of Jkenny's threads about the HiFace but they are all closed due to ridiculous arguing by people that never tried one. I have a usb to I2S converter that can run asio but haven't tried it yet.
.
Native 24bit 96k USB to Spdif I2S Converter for DAC - eBay (item 160473208269 end time Dec-23-10 23:44:54 PST)
.
I modified my Mac mini so the mini toslink jack is now replaced by a SPDIF BNC output.
We tried the Mac Mini SPDIF against the M2 Tech Hiface. The SPDIF won EASILY over the M2Tech. The Hiface is lacking definition and the sound doesn't have soundstage (2 dimension) Compared to the SPDIF coax. The USB on the Gigawork dac doesn't play too well. The M2Tech beats it.
We tried the Mac Mini SPDIF against the M2 Tech Hiface. The SPDIF won EASILY over the M2Tech. The Hiface is lacking definition and the sound doesn't have soundstage (2 dimension) Compared to the SPDIF coax. The USB on the Gigawork dac doesn't play too well. The M2Tech beats it.
About a week ago, I plugged a HiFace between my computer and the Gigawork DAC and was floored by the difference. Before the HiFace I was pretty indifferent about the DAC, in fact I've never been a big fan of any digitally sourced music. After about a half hour of listening I'm sold on it. Until this upgrade I had not planned on having any digital sources for serious listening.
The Gigawork is stock save for LM4562 op amps and some polyprop caps and the HiFace is stock as well, running the driver M2Tech supplied and Foobar on Windoze 7. Some of the difference may be due to going to the "bitperfect" driver and getting the default OS audio processing out of the way. I have a small collection of 88.2/96/192khz audio, a good part of it downloaded as samples from the Linn website. The faster bitrate stuff sounds great. The 44.1khz CD standard stuff is variable. Most of it sounds good but doesn't really compare and still has that some of that "digital sound" that tends to limit my listening.
After plugging in the interface, my wife walked through the room, stopped and commented that "it sounds like they're here in the room". She had no idea that there was a change in the system - I hadn't at that point bothered to tell her that I spend $150 on another audio toy, but she noticed the difference immediately. A buddy of mine with far more experience in high end audio than I have seemed to think it was pretty damn good as well.
I've come out of this with two thoughts. 1) Jitter is bad 2) High bitrate, high resolution audio can be really good. I'm sure there's better hardware out there than the cheap Gigawork DAC, but this has been a revelation, and I've always been a vinyl fan and a digital skeptic.
Jim W
The Gigawork is stock save for LM4562 op amps and some polyprop caps and the HiFace is stock as well, running the driver M2Tech supplied and Foobar on Windoze 7. Some of the difference may be due to going to the "bitperfect" driver and getting the default OS audio processing out of the way. I have a small collection of 88.2/96/192khz audio, a good part of it downloaded as samples from the Linn website. The faster bitrate stuff sounds great. The 44.1khz CD standard stuff is variable. Most of it sounds good but doesn't really compare and still has that some of that "digital sound" that tends to limit my listening.
After plugging in the interface, my wife walked through the room, stopped and commented that "it sounds like they're here in the room". She had no idea that there was a change in the system - I hadn't at that point bothered to tell her that I spend $150 on another audio toy, but she noticed the difference immediately. A buddy of mine with far more experience in high end audio than I have seemed to think it was pretty damn good as well.
I've come out of this with two thoughts. 1) Jitter is bad 2) High bitrate, high resolution audio can be really good. I'm sure there's better hardware out there than the cheap Gigawork DAC, but this has been a revelation, and I've always been a vinyl fan and a digital skeptic.
Jim W