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[abhijit28]

I pmed you details. Regarding the performance, it is easily as good as my previous Audire Zephyr, which in itself is an excellent conditioner. Beyond that I feel that the Sine is allowing better dynamics of my SL Kraft250 to shine through as it has 2 unfiltered/unrestricted outlets for connecting power amps. Also I feel that treble is smoother through the sine. I am told by the dealer that it will improve further after about 100 hours so looking forward to that. And of-course in fit and finish it is light years ahead of the zephyr.
They have larger models available and I wanted to get their TOTL unit the gateway 2, but at 25kg I could not carry in my baggage, so the S30A was the best option.
Cheers,
Sid

Hi Sid, I just got th Sine S30A. I noticed a lot of difference with PS Audio's PPP. Only done 8 hrs against 100 hrs.
I feel S30A has got much more speed as well as the image is rock steady. Large Improvement in the dynamics. Unfortunately, I needed two more outlets. I may have to go for another one to accommodate all the power outlets

 

[sidvee]

Hi Sid, I just got th Sine S30A. I noticed a lot of difference with PS Audio's PPP. Only done 8 hrs against 100 hrs.
I feel S30A has got much more speed as well as the image is rock steady. Large Improvement in the dynamics. Unfortunately, I needed two more outlets. I may have to go for another one to accommodate all the power outlets

Congrats Abhijit. Sine is truly a relatively undiscovered VFM audio essential. There is lot of noise about PS audio, Shunyata etc. globally while this lies in hiding - perhaps due to language issues etc. Phenomenal machining on the chassis/plugs - will rival anything from Europe of US and beat them too. Anyways I guess it is a good thing otherwise who knows where the prices will end up:lol:. Anyways I am planning an upgrade to saf60 or 80 soon.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[sidvee]

I recently acquired the North Star Excelsio which is a step up from my impulso. With AES/EBU connection from the m2tech evo 2 it is sounding very good, not at par with my Ayon Skylla II but not too far off - the skylla is more than double the price. However it does 2 x DSD via usb and that is where on some native recordings it is sounding superlative. For whatever reason, Northstar DAC's are Highly underrated imo.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[sidvee]

Some of the DAC's that I own currently. From top, The Ayon Skylla II, The North Star Design Impulso and the North Star Design Excelsio. The North Star's are really impressive, very smooth, warm, analog like.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[rikhav]

Hi Sid
For dsd you use directly connect pc with USB to USB in of dac or there is some interface involved?
Rgds

 

[sidvee]

Hi Sid
For dsd you use directly connect pc with USB to USB in of dac or there is some interface involved?
Rgds

Hi Rikhav,
I am using the uptone audio regen for direct USB connections, plus both of my computers use a paul pang v1 usb card/sotm usb cards respectively. The paul pang crd is powered externally by a hdplex external psu.
If I don't use direct usb to dac i.e for PCM files, then I use a m2tech hiface evo two and evo clock two, to AES/EBU connection on 2 dacs, and for the impulso which does not have aes/ebu I use a coaxial connection.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[sidvee]

Updated bedroom setup. Sounding excellent with DSD Files as are the line magnetic tubes with ATC 11 speakers. Will pause for a while here with this setup and enjoy it.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[sidvee]

Same setup with the recently reviewed Cary 200TS Dac.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[sidvee]

My new Chord Hugo TT Dac in my main system. Just got it today, let it break in for a few hours and listened to it for an hour. I am very impressed, I find it more resolving than my Ayon Skylla II on PCM without sounding analytical or cold, and on DSD it is also sounding better than my Northstar excelsio, again more resolution of details, smoother, better extended in higher frequencies etc. I hope a little bit of break in will make it sound even better. The new crop of relatively affordable DAC's that have been released in the past couple of years are sounding phenomenal and I guess that is great for digital fans.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[prem]

Congrats Sidvee on the Hugo TT. Yes the new range of affordable dacs from the likes of Chord, Metrum, Schiit, La Aqua are all really good. PS Audio Direct Stream though a bit more expensive is also a super dac

 

[sidvee]

Another DAC I have been enjoying consisting of m2 tech components:
M2 tech evo Dac
M2 tech hiface evo 2 spdif converter
M2 tech evo clock 2
Smsl Linear power supply.
Though limited to 24/192 these tiny components sound excellent and I am contemplating upgrading the new evo DAC 2 plus which can handle DSD.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[sidvee]

So I ran the Hugo TT dac for about 20 hours or so and did some critical listening last night. My verdict is that this an excellent DAC both with PCM and DSD. I am using USB cable directly into the HD usb port, which btw has been very well implemented. I could not tell any difference with the usb uptone regen, in fact I preferred the direct connection . The most endearing thing about the Hugo TT is that it has exceptional resolution, and nuances in the music like sporadic background instruments etc. are presented with tremendous clarity, which all of my current dac's obscured to a certain degree. And all this is done without any brightness or clinical representation of the sound.
Will report back in 100 hours if there is any further improvement.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[skdas]

Yes , chord DAC has exceptional resolution !
Even my Chord 2 qute DAC wonders me in every track ... so I can imagine the case ....Hugo TT !!

Although i owned Chord 2 qute over an year, just recently only , i could realized its capability after upgrading my DAC downstream gears with higher resolving one.


Sid,
in you picture (permalink#351), bottom one is servo stabilizer or something else?

 

[sidvee]

Sid,
in you picture (permalink#351), bottom one is servo stabilizer or something else?

You are right it is a 2kva servo stabilizer from vertex. This is the older one (they also used to brand as Adya), the new ones are all tower models.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[sidvee]

I always had an attraction to "Class D" amps., mostly for their tiny size and high power rating. I owned a couple of these in the past namely Bel Canto and Nuforce. However in their earlier iterations, I was not satisfied with their sound quality. To me they sounded uninvolving and unmusical and somewhat sterile. The founder of Nuforce sold that company to Optoma (projector makers) and started a new company, Nuprime. There is a lot of buzz about their products so I recently acquired a pair of Nuprime sta9's for my second system. In monoblock configuration these put out 290 watts each into 4/8 ohms with low THD. They are also relatively inexpensive. Listening to these I must say that I am very impressed with their SQ, they are controlling my ATC SCM 11's superbly and their imaging and soundstaging is exceptional. Tonally they are reminiscent of a tube like sound, with the control and drive of solidstate. Overall they sound great.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[sidvee]

Stereophile's Products of 2016 Joint Digital Components of the Year | Stereophile.com
Per the above link, The result of Stereophile's Product of the Year on Digital Components for 2016, The Chord Hugo TT DAC received the most number of first place votes. I tend to agree with JI's review and also the panelists' votes, this DAC is very good indeed.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[Fiftyfifty]

Hey Sidvee:

Apologies for using the wrong thread, but some related questions:
1. Have you auditioned any tube based DACs and do you have any recommendations? I wanted to introduce a tube sound into my otherwise SS setup. I previously had a tube hybrid amp Jolida 1501BRC and miss the tube sound after upgrading to my current setup.

2. The Vertex stabilizer - does it produce any hum or sound?

Thanks

My current setup: Bryston SP1.7 preamp used in analog bypass mode, Cary 200.2 Power amp. I currently use the Arcam irDAC. I tried Chord Mojo in the past but found the sound too bright.

 

[apk]

I recently acquired a pair of Nuprime sta9's for my second system. In monoblock configuration these put out 290 watts each into 4/8 ohms with low THD. They are also relatively inexpensive. Listening to these I must say that I am very impressed with their SQ, they are controlling my ATC SCM 11's superbly and their imaging and soundstaging is exceptional. Tonally they are reminiscent of a tube like sound, with the control and drive of solidstate. Overall they sound great.
Cheers,
Sid

Hi Sid,
A quick question on your setup - which pre-amp are you using with these power amplifiers?

Best,
apk

P.S. Just saw your signature, and realized that you have the Parasound JC2. Any idea about the quality of the Nuprime pre-amps?

 

[sidvee]

Hey Sidvee:

Apologies for using the wrong thread, but some related questions:
1. Have you auditioned any tube based DACs and do you have any recommendations? I wanted to introduce a tube sound into my otherwise SS setup. I previously had a tube hybrid amp Jolida 1501BRC and miss the tube sound after upgrading to my current setup.

I own an Ayon Skylla II Dac which has 4 - 6h30 tubes and 4 - rectifier tubes. It does only 24/192 but I think it is the best sounding 24/192 dac I have heard. One thing I noticed with tube dacs (and only my personal observations please), if you use tube dacs with a tube pre. vs ss dac with a tube pre, the sound on the latter is a bit faster/more resolving and seems more accurate than the full tube source setup. I seem to like that sound but then it is a personal preference.

2. The Vertex stabilizer - does it produce any hum or sound?

Thanks

My current setup: Bryston SP1.7 preamp used in analog bypass mode, Cary 200.2 Power amp. I currently use the Arcam irDAC. I tried Chord Mojo in the past but found the sound too bright.

No there is no hum with the vertex except occasional sound when it is correcting the voltage, like a click. It can be distracting but I rather be distracted than a multi thousand repair on my hand due to our country's great power supply situation.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[sidvee]

Any idea about the quality of the Nuprime pre-amps?

No I did not hear the Nuprime pre's, they must be quite good though based upon their amp's performance.
Cheers,
Sid