The cable is from Ghent audio https://www.ghentaudio.com/part/dc01.html I only purchased it because I wanted a longer DC cable since I like to keep my LHY 12V supply on the floor behind the cabinet my stereo is on. Is there an audible difference between the short DC cable that came with my power supply? I don’t know, probably not. |
@charles1dad Let me maybe give you another option perhaps you might’ve not even considered for a reason you might not have even thought of. You clearly have a great CD transport that undoubtedly sounds great. As I embraced streaming a few years ago there’s a compelling reason you might still wanna consider getting an Innuos Zen Mk3 with onboard storage you can load your CDs directly into over a Pulse model. I know you’ve got an open mind so just try to stick with me on this if you could. So, when you start streaming with a good streamer and other associated equipment the sound quality might well surprise you and be not a whole lot different from your CD transport. What happened to me was that sound quality was so surprisingly good streaming, the act of getting up off my arse to spin one CD started to become absurd to me when I could have not only the world of streaming music at my fingertips but also all the other music in my library that might not be available thru streaming. So, once I got started streaming I just don’t spin individual CDs anymore cause I can get almost anything I want over Qobuz and in any order I want when I make playlists. That has a ton of value, and if, like me, you’ve got a bunch of “audiophile-type” or other rare CDs that’ll probably never make it to streaming you can simply rip them into the Innuos Zen Mk3 and have absolutely all your music available from your chair in very high quality in absolutely any order you want. If most of your music is already available on Qobuz I’d say go with the Pulse especially if one of the models has any performance advantages over the Zen But if there’s any allure of having ALL your music in one place I’d say consider the Zen. And, sometimes you just might feel lazy and be perfectly fine with the SQ of the Zen versus your transport and just wanna have the flexibility to say “screw it,’ I’m just gonna sit in my listening chair with a nice Cab and just enjoy all my music and/or curated playlists. Two things here — with the Zen you’d always have the option to leave your ass in the chair, but if the SQ difference is giving you the itch to spin a CD you’ve still got the option to do that as well. IMHO it’s just always nice to have the flexibility. But, here’s my real question — why, if you’re going to the bother having a DAC constructed, are you only getting an SPDIF input when you have both i2S and AES/EBU outputs available on your transport. Sorry, I guess you have your reasons but it makes little sense to me. Just can’t wrap my head around that one at all.
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Thank you for your comments and perspective. With regard to digital input options (IS2/USB/AES/SPDIF) I don’t find one “inherently “ superior to the others in actual use. The key determinant for sound quality is the level of implementation. Poor implementation =poor sound. Excellent implementation =excellent sound. The builder of my DAC (Abbas Zulfugarov) is in Ukraine and has been building custom components for about 25 years. He primarily designs and builds DACs, phono stages and SET amplifiers on a commission basis. Mine is the Abbas 3.2SE model. He is a devout advocate of simple straightforward circuits with very high quality parts. He puts a lot of work into the SPDIF receiver input and its separate power supply and rectification. At this point in time it has been highly refined and developed. So the implementation is exceptionally high. Feedback from Abbas DAC owners (Long thread on WBF) back this up resoundingly. I am very comfortable with his choice also because my current Japanese built DAC used the same rationale. Simplicity + high level execution yields excellent results. This has certainly been true with my Yamamoto YDA DAC. Wonderful sound quality. If my suspicion is correct, as good as the Yamamoto is (Over 12 years ownership) the Abbas will take things a step further. I will find out for myself soon. P.S. Just as some folks enjoy handling and listening to LP records, I am that way with CD. I enjoy the experience and the Pro-Ject RS2T and Yamamoto combo sound simply splendid! CD spinning and streaming will coexist beautifully in my audio system I believe. My CD collection is arranged alphabetically on shelves behind my couch. I don’t mind getting up for a few seconds to pull out another CD. It’s good to move around a bit. 😊 Charles |
@soix and @charles1dad I'm following this discussion closely. Both the rip or not rip, and the entry level or the next step up question. What do you think about the minis in either line with the added LPS in lieu of the pricier step ups? The Zen mini and Zen mini S with LPS seem quite the value. I'm an Orchid, Grannyring modded DAC user so I too do not have USB. Far be if from me to have an opinion on these but I'm also seeing recent endorsements from long-term Agonners with stellar reputation that Innuos 2.0 sounds fantastic. |
