Harsh Transport

I have a dedicated 20 amp line for the system and it does sound better at night. I'm trying different IC's to see if I can cure the problem. This doesn't happen on every disk and the Shunyata Aries sound so good. The power cord on the dac is a Zu Cable Birth by the way.

when I had the DAC2, I tried it with my Marantz cd changer and the combo just plain sucked. I have a $60 Philips dvd player that I tried and it was a huge step up soincally over the changer. Then I got the Sony S7700 and it took it to another level. However, I also had a Stereovox HDXV cable and did not like it(found it OK but nothing specail). I ended up with Virtual Dynamics NiteII and the highs were silky smooth, yet extended and detailed. Great sounding digital cable. One of the best I heard. Then I upgraded to Virtual Dynamics Master and it was another huge step up. This combo - S7700+Master+DAC2 is extremely hard to beat. With NiteII cable it was awesome too. So, yeah, your transport is contributing to harsh sound. Also, if you plan on keeping this dac, or go with separates for while, then seriously consider Virtual Dynamics digital cables. Also, Audience powerChord had a nice effect on the DAC2 as far as eliminating harshness. You have to try different things with this dac. It is excellent. And responds well to transports, power cords and digital cables.

Audphile 1 thanks for the feedback. I have since taken the Stereovox cable out of the mix and put it somewhere else. I replaced it with a digital cable I had laying around from Signal Cable. It really smoothed things out. The Stereovox seems to be a tad bright in system. But like I said ,I do want to keep a changer in the rack. Any Ideas on that?

If I was in the market for a changer right now, I'd consider a music server like the Olive Musica, which is a drop-in replacement for a changer. Here and at AudioCircle there are some comments from users who have attached external DACs and been happy with the result (I think there's even discussion somewhere of the Bel Canto specifically).

I have a Musica, but have not yet gone to an external DAC (hopefully next year!).

Cordially,

Eric

In my recent experience, hard drive based audio seems far superior to any low to moderately priced transport. I have yet to be able to test against a really high end dedicated transport, but how many people are interested in spending $5000+ for a unit without a DAC when you can get a Mac Mini for $600?

The sound from my pc is much more liquid and realistic, and lacks much of the edge I am used to with digital. Plus if you are a changer fan for convenience, a pc allows you unlimited access to your music without ever getting out of your chair.

Just my 2 cents.