I wish them well
+1.
HOLO Audio Spring DAC: Affordable discrete R2R Multibit Dac, could be a winner.
Many manufacturers are going back to R2R Multibit d/a conversion, a good portion of audiophiles are saying it sounds better than the cheaper d/a conversion of Delta Sigma, (1 bit), Bitstream, Saber. etc.
And it says it uses dual R2R’s Multibits to support DSD natively!!?
Product Description:This new DAC.”Spring” is the first design of a new era, a milestone for HOLO Audio’s own Jeff Zhu. It’s a full discrete R2R type of audio decoder and does not have off the shelf-DAC chip! This is a bespoke custom-designed core DAC module and truly a breakthrough with technology for any DAC chip today. The Spring is here to achieve new heights, new dynamics and simply a full spectrum of audio to please the aural senses. This Dac has been called the poor mans Total Dac / MSB / Wavedream / Chord Dave Etc. It plays with the big boys.
https://kitsunehifi.com/product/springdacbase/
Looks amazing inside for $1,700. Schiit Yaggi better watch out!!!!
Cheers George
And it says it uses dual R2R’s Multibits to support DSD natively!!?
Product Description:This new DAC.”Spring” is the first design of a new era, a milestone for HOLO Audio’s own Jeff Zhu. It’s a full discrete R2R type of audio decoder and does not have off the shelf-DAC chip! This is a bespoke custom-designed core DAC module and truly a breakthrough with technology for any DAC chip today. The Spring is here to achieve new heights, new dynamics and simply a full spectrum of audio to please the aural senses. This Dac has been called the poor mans Total Dac / MSB / Wavedream / Chord Dave Etc. It plays with the big boys.
https://kitsunehifi.com/product/springdacbase/
Looks amazing inside for $1,700. Schiit Yaggi better watch out!!!!
Cheers George
Showing 16 responses by jon2020
It uses the AK 4137 chip which is third in the "Velvet Sound" line-up of chips from AKM, used also in all Esoteric players and dac's. Interesting that the AK 4137 can be implemented as R2R. http://www.akm.com/akm/en/product/featured/velvetsound/ http://www.akm.com/akm/en/product/datasheet1/?partno=AK4137EQ&link_id=link760 |
This thread makes good reading.... http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f6-dac-digital-analog-conversion/holo-audio-spring-digital-analogu... but nothing about its sound. |
Getting a bit confusing here, "discrete dsd" vs. native dsd........ From Jeff Zhu, the dac designer :- "If Spring works in ’NOS’ mode. There is no oversampling, no conversion, just the original data doing the final digital to analog conversion..........I just explain how Spring can do ’discrete DSD conversion’. Actually it is like DCS and CHORD. If you looking to DCS and CHORD’s pcb, you will find ’discrete DSD conversion’ is also using switches and precision resistors, like resistor ladder dacs. So, no matter it is ’discrete DSD conversion’ or ’discrete PCM conversion’, they all use the same discrete devices. Just work in different architecture. That makes possible to combine these two modes in one device." |
as i know , AK4137 is only for SRC, it is bypass in the nos mode nos mode should be optimal for pcm as I have found with my own Esoteric dac(N-05 which uses the AK 4490 chip) set at no upsampling plus pcm filters off. Looks like for dsd, the Spring dac needs to be switched out of nos mode to OS(oversampling) or OS DSD mode as stated in the CA forum thread. This is similar to the Esoteric dac. |
Charles, You are so right. The Yamamoto punches way above its price point. http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/yamamoto7/dac.html Rgds. Jon. |
Comments from Jeff Zhu :- ".....I can’t say it’s 1 or 2 DACs inside. Physically, it is 1 DAC module, but it works in 2 different modes. Each mode uses different part of the module and also shared some parts. Spring is a 24bit DAC, bit23 is msb (most significant bit) and bit0 is lsb (least significant bit). Yes, you are right, more bits can be used for digital volume control. But Spring is a pure DAC without digital volume. Actually digital volume is no match for a good resistor attenuator. That’s why we need a dedicated pre-amp, rather than use digital volume in a DAC....." |
I too am in George's bad books for mentioning the fuse! Don't sweat it. :) Many of us including yours truly, have been in his bad books for eons, simply for holding contrarian views to his dogmas. Pet issues of contention have been 1. R2R vs delta-sigma dac's 2. Active preamp vs passive/no preamp 3. DSD sucks 4. Change the source/dac if it cannot directly drive the power amp instead of adding active preamp even if doing the latter improves the sound 5. Fuses We simply learn to let things slide. Definitely better off listening to music than to continue sparring ad nauseum. J. :) |