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DACs and bass response?

I'm auditioning dacs in my system. One (COS) was way to analytical, overall, but had very tight bass. Another (Aqua La Voce) is what some would describe as "musical"  and sounds  terrific in all aspects except bass. My cdp alone does better in that regard. I have monitors and no subs. Can I expect that dacs that are hyper-detailed will also offer tighter bass as a rule?
stuartk
worldwidewholesales
135 posts
 
Hi,

The servers we have tested include all the Lumin servers, 2 Antipodes server, DS and DX, 3 Aurender servers but not the top Aurender, Total dac server (very nice but only when using the matching Total dac) and several units like Cocktail and Auralic. Our favorite servers we have tested are the Sonore products. My reference server is the Sonore Signature Rendu SE model but even the smaller ultraRendu with an aftermarket linear power supply tested above many of the more expensive servers that we tested.

 

When we did our testing we did it on several higher end, very sensitive systems. We were testing for a lower noise floor, better soundstage, better harmonics and less digital glare. The Sonore products just produced a more natural music flow and sounded much more analogue than the other servers.

 

The other factor that really effects the sound of the server is the quality of the CAT 7 cable that you use and the quality of the USB cable that you use. Inakustik USB Reference cable and the Inakustik Reference CAT 7 cables are our reference cables. We have blind tested slightly over 400 different cable models over many years of testing cables.

 

Just a quick note; we are the Canadian and North American distributor for some of these products but we never take on new lines unless they beat our previous reference lines.

 

Cheers and enjoy your holidays.
stuartk OP
2,824 posts
 
@lalitk : My source is probably the weakest link in the chain: an aging Jolida JD100 tubed cdp.  To be honest, I've been very confused by the claims and counter-claims in these forums re: the degree to which any transport feeding a dac affects the sound. I've gone back and forth between thinking I should put all my $ into a dac (which I can continue to use with a server once the Jolida breaks down), and dividing my $ between a better transport and a less expensive dac, The latter would mean allocating about $2500 per component. The Heed obelisk is one transport I've considered, as it has an internal buffer. Of course, the PS audio transports do as well. 

@worldwide wholesales: thanks for the detailed response. 
stuartk OP
2,824 posts
 
@shadorne: Well, my cdp has a tubed output and I was concerned that using a separate dac and bypassing the tubes might be a problem, but so far, with the 3 dacs I've tried, it hasn't been an issue. The SS  Majestic integrated provides plenty of "tube-like" warmth. In fact, coupled with the Metrum Adagio, it seems like too much weight/thickness. I know these are not audiophile terms-- sorry for my ignorance. Darko described the Aqua La Voce as "cool" but it sounded terrific in my system, except that I found its bass response severely lacking. 
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,232 posts
 
Bass in general should be more articulate or nuanced with better devices.
audioengr
3,282 posts
 

Stuartk - I think you should address the CD transport before you get a new DAC.  The source is at least as important as the D/A, maybe more.  Before you drop $2500 on a new transport, consider a reclocker that will actually get you much lower jitter in the S/PDIF signal than a transport at a lower cost, and also provide for galvanic isolation to break ground-loops.  You can still use your existing transport. The Synchro-Mesh with Dynamo power supply and BNC reference cable combination will do this.  You could start with the Synchro-Mesh OTL and the reference BNC cable for $1100.00.  This will get you jitter in the 25psec range.

Here are some jitter plots comparing the SM to a popular transport:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=154408.0

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

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