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e20 DAC - DXD / DSD

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George,

Congratulations on your new exaSound e20. As an owner of your exaU2I for use with my Buffalo II DAC, your new e20 is the USB DSD DAC product that many of us have been waiting for - audio data is streamed in its native format and the e20 provides automatic switching between PCM and DSD modes. After reading the information links provided describing the features, specifications, and a generous 30 day trial, I made the purchase. I will share my experiences with the e20 in the near future.

drspence
 
Impressions of exaSound's e20 - DXD DSD USB DAC

For more than a year I have utilized the ‘exaDevices exaU2I Asynchronous USB to I2S Interface’ with my stock built Buffalo II/Legato3 combo (Twisted Pear Audio). The exaU2I allowed me to enjoy I2S PCM up to 384kHz or to be wired separately for DSD.DFF file playback up to 5.6MHz (with the included proprietary software). The exaU2I provided a more dependable and stable performance when mated to my BII DAC. I was pleasantly surprised by the performance gains, so I mentioned to George Klissarov, exaDevices (now exaSound) that he should pursue his own reasonably priced Stereo DSD USB DAC. The exaSound e20 is the culmination of his efforts.

ExaSound’s retail target price for the e20 was under $2500. The price point selected was very competitive for the stated design performance goal, ”to achieve recording studio performance”, envisioned by George, the chief designer. As a result of his price discipline, the design team prioritized decisions for the final design and also for the features selected as they relate to price vs. performance. The results is the exaSound e20 DSD USB DAC, an ultra low noise and ultra low jitter design using very high quality parts in the USB interface, DAC and IV conversion stages. Measured specifications exceed other consumer electronic products of which I am currently aware. While measured specifications are important to many consumers, as a bottom-line enthusiast like many on this forum, I prefer to make purchase decisions upon careful listening. Thankfully, exaSound offers a generous 30 day trial period. Let me also commend George’s prompt, courteous, and professional customer service. He was prompt to respond to each of my emails and even offered telephone support if needed.

Being a well conceived design, the e20 offers numerous user friendly features, is reasonably priced, and is trouble-free. (It is free of annoying sizzle, pops and clicks, and the occasional signal unlock of my DIY BII DAC as one should expect from a well designed, fully-assembled, consumer electronic product.). It is housed in an all aluminum chassis, being both designed and assembled in Canada. The e20 recognizes the signal then automatically (and silently) selects the proper format, either PCM and DSD. DSD streams are always processed in their native format without conversion to PCM. (Complete information is available on the exaSound website.) The flip-side to the under $2500 retail price point is the e20 is furnished with a wall mounted switching AC-DC power supply. Let me suggest that many enthusiasts will prefer to substitute a rechargeable DC battery to realize improved performance. My evaluations are based upon the use of a rechargeable 12 volt battery.

I allowed a week for break-in (during which the DAC played 24-7 into a load) prior to beginning my evaluation. During the evaluation I switched between the two DACs mentioned herein. So how does the e20 perform? The e-20 exhibits a stunningly low noise floor, revealing impressive dynamics, improved detail retrieval, with superb sound-stage spatial cues and resolution. Be it with Choral music or Rock, the vocalists’ diction is more distinct and the lyrics are easier to discern. Undoubtedly, the e20’s low noise and jitter specifications, contribute to the quick, open, detailed, and lively music delivery. The highs are well extended but not bright. The bass is tight and impactful. The e20 is an exciting DAC – definitely not from the soft, slow, and laid back school of design. The tonality, and overall presentation delivers a believable representation of the live performance.

My wife a casual listener says, “It just sounds cleaner and more open.”; an excellent testimonial to the musicality, and performance of this superb design. We have decided to keep the exaSound e20 DAC in our home system. I encourage members to utilize the 30 day trial period to compare the e20 DSD USB DAC to your current favorite.

drspence
 
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Here's my review. I had the opportunity to compare to the e18 which I had for a while. The results were surprising to me. That just shows how detailed the Orions are.

Introduction
The exaSound e20 is their flagship 2 channel DAC. It sells direct from their website for $2500 and is available as a free 30 day trial. First of all, no words can truly explain how good the e20 + Linkwitz Orion actually sounds. My system consists of the Orion 3.5 + Weight and Balance Mod (DIY Sonic Equivalent to the Orion 4.1). A Windows7 PC runs foobar2000 and JRiver Media Center controlled by JRemote on a retina iPad. Asynchronous USB into the e20, which outputs analog into the Orion Analog Signal Processor, which outputs four channels per speaker into an ATI AT1506 with woofers and tweeters bridged to the Linkwitz Orions and no Pre-Amp to color the sound! Interconnects are Blue Jeans LC-1 Low Capacitance Audio Cables. Orion internal wiring provided by BJC Ten Cables, the Orions and AT1506 are connected by 15’ custom 13-guage 8 conductor cable with SPEAKON connectors at the speaker termination and bare wire at the amplifier side.

I am writing this review in the hope that it may help someone objectively if seeking a similar paradigm. I can safely say there is nothing available in my local high end audio stores that have the resolution or natural quality of this combination. When I upgraded, my goal was to obtain the most natural sounding system I could find. The e20 was designed to remove all unnecessary processing from the signal path into the best DAC chip available (ESS Sabre 9018) with custom drivers built from the ground up to offer the best, most natural sounding DAC available.

Specs
Clearly, by looking at specs alone, you can immediately see the e20 boasts some of the most impressive (actually the most impressive) specs I’ve seen for a DAC:

Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 128dB, A-weighted, 2 Vrms
THD+N: 0.0002% @1kHz, 0dBFS
IM Distortion*: 0.0000079% or -142dB @ 19KHz + 20KHz 0 dBFS 2nd order IMD
DAC Master Clock Jitter: 0.13ps RMS

*Although more importantly is the third order intermodulation distortion (the worst case scenario of everything coming out of your device other than what you put in) of -130dB or below


Selling Features For Me
1. Besides the top notch specs, the e20 uses an asynchronous USB interface which means it acts as the master and pulls data from the computer when it needs it. All playback happens from the e20’s internal memory so jitter from the computer, not being a real time system, is eliminated.

Here is a 1024 point FFT spectrum averaged four times of 11.025KHz signal at 44.1KHz sampling rate designed to expose the smallest periodic jitter appearing as symmetric sidebands. The only sideband is at -152dBFS:

e20u-Jitter-5k-15k.gif


2. The USB is galvanically isolated from the audio path, and there is virtually no noise from the power line. In fact it is measured at less than -145dB (60Hz noise + harmonics). The galvanic isolation improves the noise level by 30dB!!

e20u-FFT-Noise-USB-Isolated.gif

Noise floor with galvanic isolation

e20u-FFT-Noise-USB-Not-Isolated.gif

Noise floor without galvanic isolation

3. The volume control is on the border line between the digital and the analogue domains - internal to the ESS Sabre DAC with 32bit resolution. You will not find bit truncation like other digital attenuation arrangements suffer from. This will also beat all analog attenuation which are unable to match the -135dB noise floor of the DAC.

4. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have solid drivers. Unstable drivers can ruin an otherwise great product. exaSound developed their own ASIO drivers from scratch, not using firewire or extending some other available platform for writing drivers. If you want the best performance for true bit-perfect audio, you want an ASIO driver (Core Audio also available on OSX). ASIO is the Windows driver type used in professional audio devices which bypasses all the nasty things Windows will do to your sound. I am pleased to report the original exaSound drivers are rock solid and so far the only glitch I’ve seen is with the latest beta of their drivers, which causes the device to go unresponsive, requiring a reboot. The original drivers are available for download while the latest generation is being improved.

5. Another major selling point for me was native (e.g. not converted to PCM) SACD playback. I tried this using both JRiver and foobar2000, although I prefer using JRiver. JRemote on the retina ipad and JRiver on the back end seem to be the best solution available for a well organized library.
I like DSD. While I find there is a difference between DSD and 24bit PCM, the difference is not huge. To my ears, DSD sounds much better than 16bit PCM, and slightly better than 24bit PCM, but I think a lot of the difference between DSD and 24bit PCM is due to the re-mastering for the SACD releases. Unless you record a deterministic performance in the native format yourself, I don’t believe a direct comparison is valid. For me, the winning format is having both native formats. See “Reference Tracks” for a good example.


The Sound

George took the exaSound his e18 DAC to the Ottawa DIY group for a blind listening test against the Buffalo DAC (which is another DIY project I was also considering). Unfortunately, the Buffalo DACs have inconsistent results depending on expertise in building them. The OPC NTD1 is considered the best, most ambitious IV stage for a Buffalo DAC, which is a Class A MOSFET that uses 30 watts at idle. During the blind test nobody was able to distinguish the e18, from any other, including the NTD1/Buffalo DAC. The even better news is, on my Orions, the e20 smokes the e18! Sorry George, if this puts a dent in your e18 sales, but for 2 channel audio there is no comparison - the e20 is amazing.

The improvement to the sound over the e18 was greater than I thought it would be. The soundstage became more holographic. There is clearly less distortion, and the increase in resolution is striking. Bass is fuller and more extended. Treble is more natural. Harmonics now ring in such realism you often forget there are speakers in the room. Some tracks hit you in waves of auditory glory that not only fill the room but extend way beyond any room boundaries (See “Reference Tracks”). Transients are fast, detailed, and not overly hyped. The overall spectral balance is much better than the e18. The treble blends so naturally with the midrange and is so perfectly aligned, it sounds like a single source. Female voices sound shockingly real, as if they are performing live in the room. The room grows in 3D as you increase the volume, wrapping around you from the sides as you hit realistic SPLs. It's a freaky and very cool phenomenon (Except when my fiancé asks me to turn it down...)

I’m told by listeners that my Orion + e20 Combination is the most natural sounding audio system they have ever heard.

Conclusion
The e20 is more holographic, has greater resolution, better spectral balance, and lower distortion than the e18. The e18 is indistinguishable from arguably the very best DIY design that also uses the flagship ESS Sabre 9018 chipset. Perhaps on a lesser system there may be no difference at all and your money may be better spent elsewhere. If you are in the market for a $3000 DAC you would be crazy not to take advantage of exaSound’s 30 day risk free trial and give this an audition.




Reference Tracks
1. Kraftwek - Minimum Maximum [SACD]. If I was to pick an example of a highly dynamic, electronica performance this would be a top contender.

2. Ane Brun – It All Starts With One [CD]. “These days” has such haunting natural vocals with minimal rolling drums that make you want to play it loud. When doing so, the projection becomes completely holographic, surrounding you with textures so vivid it is like an auditory seizure (in a good way!) A very cool, enveloping track. Another favourite of mine is “What’s Happening With You and Him”. The reverb trails on this song decay in 3D space and time with all kinds of movement that really draws in the listener.

3. Sophie Zelmani - Sing And Dance [CD]: ``Oh Dear” is a showcase song from my favourite artist of the year. The music is surreal and beautifully recorded. When you close your eyes, the speakers and room disappear. This is as good as it gets for a listening experience.

4. Dave Matthews: Live at Radio City [24/96 Blu-Ray]. Recorded live, and a kickass recording at that. There are harmonics with no annoying frequencies. It sounds like a live performance, sitting front row center. There is a real 3D feeling that intensifies as you increase the volume. The opening song, ``Bartender``, starts with a very fun lead in. I feel this is best experienced in the dark to avoid visual clues that remind you that you are actually still in a room with speakers.

5. Hotel California [SACD]: This vintage ear candy sounds amazing! The dynamics are way better then the PCM version and you can really hear the vintage analog gear. To me it sounds like a live performance through a classic Neve desk or EQ, but I could be wrong.

6. Diana Krall – The Girl In The Other Room [SACD], and When I look into your Eyes [24/96 HDTracks]. This is a good example of SACD vs. Re-mastered 24/96 PCM. They clearly sound different. I prefer the SACD release. It sounds warmer, has better transient response, and better resolution. The PCM sounds slightly veiled by comparison, but may be the attack of the reverb used throughout. The SACD version has more articulate bass. Again, apples to oranges (but tasty nonetheless!)
 
Welcome maravedis,

I do not see how Moophone (me, or anyone else,) can listen to your reference music and fairly evaluate a new product like the e20. That is the beauty of the offered '30 day trial period'.

I did not mention my reference recordings in my posted impressions for this obvious reason.

However, I am certainly happy to assist you by listening to a few selections you prefer and reporting back if you like.

drspence
 
Child's play? Do you really think the only way to test a dac is playing one genre of music?

Funny, two of my selections are on Sigfried's "Music and Sounds" recording listing. I suppose now you will tell me he doesn't know how to properly evaluate a loudspeaker design? :rolleyes:

With that said.. I do find the Orions to be the only speaker capable of a truly convincing piano sound. To me box speakers just don't seem to get piano's quite right. I'm always looking for recommendations of well recorded piano. I prefer close mic/more intimate sound then big concert hall recordings though.

Also I have played a fair bit of Mahler and while its all technically great and well recorded, doesn't really do anything emotionally for me, which is after-all, the whole point.

Reference Tracks!

I am really interested in this thread. But then you post the Reference Tracks. All child's play, and nothing to test a DAC or attenuator at all! You need to try solo piano, Mahler/Bruckner, Choral/massed voices, small chamber ensemble etc etc.
 
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Can some draw a block diagram of how all these devices connect together and what capabilites a DAC would need? For example, to play full DSD files.

If I had a media server with FooBar 2000, what would I need after the media server.

For Example:

Media PC>exaDeviceA>exaDeviceB>DAC>preamp

Thanks,

Vince
 
The diagram for playing DSD with Foobar looks like this:

[Foobar2000]--->[Any-DSD-Capable-DAC | e20 DAC]--->[Good-Analogue-Power-Amplifier]--->[Speakers]

In the case of the Orions, there is an extra component. Because the Orions don't have crossovers, you have to have crossovers before the power amplification stage. The line level crossovers used with the Orion speakers are called Analogue Signal Processor(ASP).

[Foobar2000]->[e20 DAC]->[ASP]---|
|-[ASP]--->[Base Power Amplifier]------------>[Base Speaker Driver]
|-[ASP]--->[Middle Range Power Amplifier]---->[Middle Range Speaker Driver]
|-[ASP]--->[Treble Power Amplifier]--------- ->[Tweeter]

Here is a step by step guide for configuring Foobar for DSD playback: Configuring Foobar2000 for ASIO DSD / DXD Playback with exaSound DACs.

I will publish a guide for configuring Audirvana Plus for DSD over PCM on OS X. It is very simple. And yes, DSD over PCM is a real DSD. PCM is used as transport stream, but there is no conversion of DSD to PCM.

Check the e20 user guide for instructions how to configure J River for DSD
playback: exaSound Audio Design > e20 DAC > Owner's Manual

Here is the Orion speakers website: ORION challenge to DIY

Best,

exa065
 
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Do you really hear any difference between the battery and DC adapter? This would be an interesting experiment for me.

What exactly did you change in order to use the battery? What kind of battery?

Any 12 Volt battery will work. You can try with a car battery, an alarm battery or a fancy 12 Volt LiFePO4 battery pack. More powerful batteries have lower internal resistance, and this is beneficial to a certain point. Eventually the law of diminishing returns will kick-in.

You can use a cable like this - CA-2185 Tensility International Corp | CP-2185-ND | DigiKey.
 
32bit/384 kHz is a PCM mode of operation, and it is not required. You need a DSD capable DAC. Yes, you can do it with the exaU2I or with another DSD capable USB to I2S interface, but the result won't be as stable and the quality won't be the same. It took us a year from the release of the exaU2I to perfect the DSD performance of the e20 DAC. You will have to solve many technical challenges to get rid of pops and clicks, bangs and crashes when your DAC goes out of sync, or when it switches from DSD to PCM mode. Making the ES9018 to reveal its DSD potential is not a plug and play game.
 
Moophone wrote:

"Do you really hear any difference between the battery and DC adapter? This would be an interesting experiment for me.

What exactly did you change in order to use the battery? What kind of battery?"

*****

Moophone,

exa065 has posted the part number CA 2185. You may wish to also use an in-line fuse on the hot lead. I do not, but I recommend members do so, to protect the e20 in case of an accidental short across the + and - leads of the battery.

I am not a power supply guru so while I will describe what I hear, I may not be able to provide the proper technical explanation. More knowledgeable members are welcome to contribute.

I found the 12 volt battery to reduce noise and subtle phase aberrations that I attribute to the stock wall-mount AC-DC switching power supply.

With the supplied power supply, there is a slight residual 'ringing artifact' that seems to come on, or after the trailing edge, of the music. The phase is subtly affected resulting in an inaccurate (shortened) natural instrument decay in space; spacial cues in the music and sound-stage are also slightly less holographic with less space/air; the beautiful harmonic structure/layering of the instruments and vocals are slightly masked.

My Optima Blue 12 volt battery corrects these subtle issues and cinched my decision to keep the e20 in my home.

For the record, I am currently using my Lumination loudspeakers (high efficiency, high quality single driver horn loudspeaker), and custom low power SE triode mono-block 2A3 amplifiers manufactured by Found Music.

drspence
 
This is very interesting. I will conduct the same experiment and post my findings as well. Thank yoou for your explanation, I realize and appreciate the difficulty in explaining such differences!! :note::D

Moophone wrote:

"Do you really hear any difference between the battery and DC adapter? This would be an interesting experiment for me.

What exactly did you change in order to use the battery? What kind of battery?"

*****

Moophone,

exa065 has posted the part number CA 2185. You may wish to also use an in-line fuse on the hot lead. I do not, but I recommend members do so, to protect the e20 in case of an accidental short across the + and - leads of the battery.

I am not a power supply guru so while I will describe what I hear, I may not be able to provide the proper technical explanation. More knowledgeable members are welcome to contribute.

I found the 12 volt battery to reduce noise and subtle phase aberrations that I attribute to the stock wall-mount AC-DC switching power supply.

With the supplied power supply, there is a slight residual 'ringing artifact' that seems to come on, or after the trailing edge, of the music. The phase is subtly affected resulting in an inaccurate (shortened) natural instrument decay in space; spacial cues in the music and sound-stage are also slightly less holographic with less space/air; the beautiful harmonic structure/layering of the instruments and vocals are slightly masked.

My Optima Blue 12 volt battery corrects these subtle issues and cinched my decision to keep the e20 in my home.

For the record, I am currently using my Lumination loudspeakers (high efficiency, high quality single driver horn loudspeaker), and custom low power SE triode mono-block 2A3 amplifiers manufactured by Found Music.

drspence
 
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