OK, after playing with the DCG3 on headphones for a couple days and being pretty impressed I figure its fully broken in at about 40 hours. So I decided to do a little shootout with the Pass BA-3 pre in my speaker system for a couple hours...I made it fair, same ICs, same power cord, etc.
My DCG3 is single mono using a a lm317/337 followed by a cap multiplier. 10K SMD stepper pot for now (20K on the way). 3X gain (I'd like some more...will change to 4 or 5X)
BA-3 is single mono, Jung super reg, 25K ladder pot.
I gotta say, I like the DCG3 better than the BA-3...I didn't think I would but I do. Both preamps are nice, for sure. And to be honest, they are both great and somewhat similar. But there are differences.
DCG3 sounds more effortless, less overhang. Bass is deeper and less sloppy. Vocals are more present and a little more weighty. And higher in space. Width seems similar. Depth is perhaps a little better and overall a little less forward.
But the big thing is DETAIL. The DCG3 has sneaky good detail, not just treble lift. Voices trail off with naturalness, cymbals seem fully formed and dimensional. I think some of the "intenseness" people have commented about is because the sound is very cohesive and rich. It's the kind of cohesive naturalness and richness you hear in real life but is hard to reproduce in playback. Kind of like switching from Mp3 to hi-res. It just seems more natural and effortless. Your brain doesn't have to work as hard.
A positive for the BA-3 is it sounds a little more "liquid", perhaps due to the sloppier bass and it is a little less composed and tight. Some might prefer it. But the detail difference between it and the BA-3 is noticeable. Also, the BA-3 is tunable for harmonics and I have it set where I prefer it...so some time has been spent tuning it to my ears.
Now I have to figure out if I need TWO dcg3, one for headphones at work and one for my speaker setup...
My DCG3 is single mono using a a lm317/337 followed by a cap multiplier. 10K SMD stepper pot for now (20K on the way). 3X gain (I'd like some more...will change to 4 or 5X)
BA-3 is single mono, Jung super reg, 25K ladder pot.
I gotta say, I like the DCG3 better than the BA-3...I didn't think I would but I do. Both preamps are nice, for sure. And to be honest, they are both great and somewhat similar. But there are differences.
DCG3 sounds more effortless, less overhang. Bass is deeper and less sloppy. Vocals are more present and a little more weighty. And higher in space. Width seems similar. Depth is perhaps a little better and overall a little less forward.
But the big thing is DETAIL. The DCG3 has sneaky good detail, not just treble lift. Voices trail off with naturalness, cymbals seem fully formed and dimensional. I think some of the "intenseness" people have commented about is because the sound is very cohesive and rich. It's the kind of cohesive naturalness and richness you hear in real life but is hard to reproduce in playback. Kind of like switching from Mp3 to hi-res. It just seems more natural and effortless. Your brain doesn't have to work as hard.
A positive for the BA-3 is it sounds a little more "liquid", perhaps due to the sloppier bass and it is a little less composed and tight. Some might prefer it. But the detail difference between it and the BA-3 is noticeable. Also, the BA-3 is tunable for harmonics and I have it set where I prefer it...so some time has been spent tuning it to my ears.
Now I have to figure out if I need TWO dcg3, one for headphones at work and one for my speaker setup...
I never realized how exceptional the bass control is until I watched "The 100 year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared". Streamed it over amazon, but the low end sounds during some blast scenes was great
The movie was a funny blast as well.
Never seen it. I will look it up in Kodi tonight.
Nothing much, you are welcome. Congrats for you build also.
When you will have it in double mono it will be even better. Try different PSUs sometime too, just for fun.
Maybe he does not want to turn it up more than the now max and drive it into clipping but to enhance the dynamic range through higher system voltage gain before clipping?
Exactly. At 3x with vinyl I run out of volume control right about at clipping. A little more gain will help me have a few notches of volume left for other sources or quiet albums. Also, I think a little more gain adds dynamics and weight and snap. Iam not talking about a lot of gain...remember, I only have 15db in the power amp. I don't think 30-35db of system gain is unreasonable. Many power amps have this much gain by themselves.
Its all about the loudspeakers. 100dB sensitive horns are usually a good match to 20dB integrated amps. You add voltage gain as much difference in sensitivity you have down from there is a rather good rule of thumb I say. 88dB speakers on 32dB system gain above line input for example. And so on and so forth.
Thats a nice movie
Watching it now on blast friendly DT770s. Started with he blew up the fox, that killed his cat he was calling Molotov, on dynamite trapped sausages LOL
So I'm assuming you're using standard RCA cables for the active monitors instead of balanced cables?
Some studio monitors have unbalanced inputs and some don't.
Actually these monitors have both RCA and XLR connectors. The DCG3 is connected to XLR terminals via semi-balanced RCA/XLR cable and my AV amp is connected to RCA terminals with regular RCA cables.
Manufacturers can get the phasing codes wrong during manufacture.
That's why the Builder has to test/measure as assembly progresses.
Use a Mains Bulb Tester and measure the secondary voltages before and after connecting the PSU.
This all BEFORE attaching any amplifier !