Topping DAC's on HPZ
- Thread starter apbinu
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But not before you do a side by side comparo! you'll be pleasantly surprised at how well the Chord Mojo stacks up to much newer competition! I'm yet to find a competitor in the sub 20K market that sounds better to my ears. And it wouldn't be far fetched to throw some newer and pricier components into such a comparo.
However, one big disadvantage is usability/convenience with respect to the Mojo. The newer DACs with remote controls and displays are much more convenient unless portability is a concern. Which is why i got the E30 despite having the Mojo. Its simply inconvenient for the intended purpose i.e. connection to my TV
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If considering E50, try to hear it out first, if possible.
I have this unit on loan from @Prodigy
I tried this in my rig in DAC mode for "subjective" opinion and comparison (vs Parasound, Soekris). Here are my observations.
- at low volume there was no difference in presentation; I could not pick them apart
- at moderate volume differences were observed, Parasound was the most forgiving, Topping the least forgiving, Soekris somewhere in between
When the volume is bumped up the presentation was overwhelming with E50. Not just HF tingle, but bass and MF too.
Soekris held its ground a bit better. Parasound scaled well, never in your face.
As a DAC/Pre on another system, it was very good. Great value for money considering the features packed into it.
Cheers,
Raghu
overwhelming in a bad sense ? If I use it in conjunction with my tube preamp which has a lush, warm signature do you think it won’t pair well ?
I found the presentation upfront and in my face.
The chain used was:
Allo (RCA/BNC) --> DAC --> Lyrita (tube pre) --> AKSA (power) --> KEF R300
The KEFs driven by this combo, creates the illusion of good soundstage depth in my room.
With the E50 when the volume was at night time listening level all was good.
But at daytime levels (a bit louder), I felt the soundstage depth disappear and everything was brought forward.
Maybe I'm biased towards soundstage depth, I like it this way.
Between Soekris and Topping (or Parasound) I could do instant A/B on the same track with just input select on preamp.
Allo --> Soekris is coax BNC and Allo --> Topping/Parasound is coax RCA.
Soekris and Parasound preserved the soundstage depth better.
Cheers,
Raghu
Oh Well , I’ve just purchased the E50.
sanjivnayak
Well-Known Member
What is the model of Soekris
Don't fret. It is a very good product with a nice feature set, remote and all.
The sabre chip is one of the latest and does not have the dreaded sabre glare.
It may work well in your chain+room+ears. Maybe I'm just too picky
As I said, in my boy's room, on another system as a DAC/Pre it was very good.
This experiment was:
CCA --> E50 (DAC/Pre) --> Outlaw M2200 (monoblocks) --> Zaph Audio (speakers)
This amp+speaker pairing does not have the illusory depth to begin with.
Cheers,
Raghu
Rev7, the latest one.
Here is the link to the build.
Soekris R-2R DAC Exploration: User opinions, impressions and DIY experience
Hey Folks, A couple of months ago I was suggested by an FM to explore DACs from Soekris. I had brushed it aside because of the DIY factor. But did some reading about them nonetheless. So this is a thread starter post for my exploration into a potential DIY effort. If it happens, I will open a...
www.hifivision.com
Cheers,
Raghu
My use case will mostly be a Denon broadcast CD player digital out to E50.Don't fret. It is a very good product with a nice feature set, remote and all.
The sabre chip is one of the latest and does not have the dreaded sabre glare.
It may work well in your chain+room+ears. Maybe I'm just too picky
As I said, in my boy's room, on another system as a DAC/Pre it was very good.
This experiment was:
CCA --> E50 (DAC/Pre) --> Outlaw M2200 (monoblocks) --> Zaph Audio (speakers)
This amp+speaker pairing does not have the illusory depth to begin with.
Cheers,
Raghu
And the very occasional USB out from laptop - JRiver.
My primary sources are LPs and CDs so this DAC won’t come into the picture anyway.
Thanks for your detailed feedback ! Appreciate.
Passive_audio_enthusiast
Well-Known Member
I think the current soundstage you have with your old setup is something you got it after lot of repositioning until you got satisfied. But when you change one component in a system, amp or dac and if the resultant response isn’t Same was before, the soundstage changes for better or worse. On a reposition of your speakers, you can still get the same soundstage in terms of width and depth. But at the née position your old amp or dac would be not be having any excitement.Don't fret. It is a very good product with a nice feature set, remote and all.
The sabre chip is one of the latest and does not have the dreaded sabre glare.
It may work well in your chain+room+ears. Maybe I'm just too picky
As I said, in my boy's room, on another system as a DAC/Pre it was very good.
This experiment was:
CCA --> E50 (DAC/Pre) --> Outlaw M2200 (monoblocks) --> Zaph Audio (speakers)
This amp+speaker pairing does not have the illusory depth to begin with.
Cheers,
Raghu
If I want to use an iPad to stream to my e50 DAC , the best way would be get the Lightning to USB converter , and then connect it to the USB of the DAC with a good quality USB cable - correct ?
Sorry I’m not into digital at all.
Sorry I’m not into digital at all.
Yes this may be the reason. In my living room, the speakers have two positions that I normally work with.
1. Nearer to the wall and not obstructing movement (people and dogs)
This I use when listening to music in the background, while doing office work or something else around the house.
It has some room boundaries issues but it's not a show stopper
2. Pulled away from the wall into the room and a bit more width between speakers
This is when Lyrita+AKSA+KEF create the nice soundstage depth. Sometimes I turn on the REL sub too.
When comparing, I used position 2 as I am familiar with its presentation. Did not reposition the speakers when changing DACs.
Cheers,
Raghu
1. Nearer to the wall and not obstructing movement (people and dogs)
This I use when listening to music in the background, while doing office work or something else around the house.
It has some room boundaries issues but it's not a show stopper
2. Pulled away from the wall into the room and a bit more width between speakers
This is when Lyrita+AKSA+KEF create the nice soundstage depth. Sometimes I turn on the REL sub too.
When comparing, I used position 2 as I am familiar with its presentation. Did not reposition the speakers when changing DACs.
Cheers,
Raghu
When you speak of depth perception, you mean to say in good recordings , you are able to feel that some instruments are placed in different horizontal planes relative to your listening position, correct ? That is , few instruments are laid a bit behind some of the other spatially, nearer to your rear wall than others ? Or that only the vocals are more forward and the instruments are all recessed behind ?
souravin
Well-Known Member
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. If I were to use an Allo Nirvana (5V/2.85A), would there be any mispatch of input power. I'm completely noob
Thanks in advance.
souravin
Well-Known Member
With no intension to steal the topic subject, this is the the new kid on the block.
https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-one-signature/
with multiple input option and that too within budget
https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-one-signature/
with multiple input option and that too within budget
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Thats great. The Zen DAC is fantastic but missing optical and coaxial inputs, limiting its functionality… which led me to get the E30. Wish this existed when i first got it. Served me really well till it was required.
Adding bluetooth is cherry on the icing. Hope they price it well.
souravin
Well-Known Member
I do see RME ADI-2 DAC FS in your signature. A legendary DAC. I would have bought if I could afford. Never heard this though.
Which is what has made both my chord mojo and zen dac more or less redundant. The Zen Dac was a replacement for the internal one on my CXA81 (the internal one sounded a bit too sharp and thin over USB from my PC though not much of a concern over a cleaner source such as the Allo USBridge Signature) as i wanted a DAC that was always powered on while connected to my PC, something that was not possible with the mojo, at least not without knackering its battery if left connected at all times. I still pressed the mojo into service time to time when streaming through the Allo USBridge Signature and while the SQ justified the pains of manually switching it on to a great extent, it was still inconvenient to me.
The SQ of the RME as well as its connectivity compensates for the Mojo while having the convenience of being always on like the ZEN dac. And the remote, with the level of adjustment it allows, is and i quote RME in this “a heaven send” (thats actually written in the manual - it would help imagining it in a curt german accent). Which is precisely why i got it for after much deliberation- the convenience and control that it allows over the music and experience, both of which are important to me. It arrived just yesterday but i’m already bowled over by the convenience aspect of it. Yet to use it for exercising control over the music i.e. EQ and what not.
In that respect, The Zen DAC One respect does look like a very promising device. I think i can vouch for its SQ at the very least. With the Allo Shanti LPSU and XLR cables fed to a decent amplifier, its full potential can be unleashed.
P.s. : Im already contemplating it. IF they price it below 20K, I’ll retire my E30 immediately as it’ll be more useful for the purpose that im employing it for currently i.e. connecting my power amp to my bedroom tv over optical. A wireless solution would entirely eliminate cable clutter at the expense of a negligible loss in SQ from what i’ve heard about the BT reception and SQ of the standalone zen blue. And in any case, a compromise im willing to make
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