Loftarasa - cool on the NAD. Direct to amp seems like best option. Im going to play with the dac1 like that too. Im just wondering if this little volume pot on the dac1 is cleaner than running it through a really sterile preamp like mine. Ill probably run them through my halo regardless, but configure its input for pass-through, to test the volume pot.
Wisnon - Never heard of that one. Seems to process A LOT? Not sure what to think.
Bcgator - Im definitely a synergy believer. Read on... :)
OK, so with the DAC testing, round 1.
A/B/C'd the dac1, zDac and rega. I actually have a makeshift way of making it "blind" by shuffling around the interconnect pairs behind the rack without looking, so I cant tell which input pair is which device.
So I start with a quick "lets see if I can tell which is which." Within 15 second of listening, the rega is differentiated. No question.
The shock was the dac1 and the zDac. I dont know if anyone has heard this little zDac, but it is quite impressive. There is very little difference in the basics of imaging, frequency response and overall detail.
It didnt take that long to distinguish them, though. The dac1, as expected from the press, was just a tiny bit more "revealing." Thats probably the best word for it. It is almost certainly rendering more bits, more perfectly, than the others. Its obviously meant to reproduce music exactly as it is recorded. But, I have to say that "revealing" doesnt always equal better sounding.
In all seriousness, this zDac is good. Like, really really good. Id say 95% of the detail and very similar overall sound. Musically, I have to say that its quite possibly more enjoyable with the majority of music. That missing 5% is almost total "edge" and space, and not necesarily missing anything that I want to hear.
I must say that it was really fun to, yet again, discover new voices in arrangements that Ive heard 1000x before.
Yes, I am now publicly admitting that definition and purity are not necessarily better sounding. But I do still prefer the definition of the dac1 and zDac to the rega.
However, I also must be fair to the rega and say that, with this smaller power amp, I like the rega's sound best on about 20% of the material. It does fit some genres of music, such as solo vocals or "hot" pop/rock...quite nicely.
Part of this might be the "synergy" people keep referencing. In this case, the dac, preamp and amp are all the same manufacturer.
But the other thing I now realize, and Ive heard this said before, but didnt listen, is this... Many producers, when they record, take into consideration that the majority of listeners will not have a studio-quality reproduction system. Producers will often alter dynamics and filtering of the recordings to create a certain sound as its reproduced by consumer grade equipment (especially stuff that is meant for broadcast play...) When you start to have reproduction that is this "pure," you start to hear things that the producers never expected you to be revealed.
And that appears the case here. Yes, the dac1 is the most detailed thing Ive heard to-date in my system. But, surprisingly, this zDac is nearly as detailed, and more musical more of the time.
At this point, Id already be willing to say the zDac wins overall, especially considering the price. The only problem with it is that it has audible transformer hum if youre within a couple of feet of it. I have very sensitive hearing, which doesnt help.
Both of my zamp amplifiers have the same transformer hum, so obviously this is a problem with these "z" series components overall. Im not sure how to deal with this. I cant hear it from any listening position, so its totally irrelevant sonically. But it just bugs me that they cant supply a toroid that doesnt hum. The giant ones in the HCA's dont. I guess this is one indicator of the price difference.
OK, so Im going to listen more tonight and probably take the rega back tomorrow. Although, Im seriously considering keeping both it and the zDac. The zDac and dac1 are too close to own both, although for an occasional, "active" listening sessions, I would like to have it. Not sure about the rest. We'll see if break-in changes anything on these.
For the record, I am running these setups open-ended thus far (on the dac1 and zdac.) I dont have an amp with balanced inputs (but I might by tomorrow if my local dealer has an a23 in stock.) If so, Ill re-test these end-to-end balanced.
Wisnon - Never heard of that one. Seems to process A LOT? Not sure what to think.
Bcgator - Im definitely a synergy believer. Read on... :)
OK, so with the DAC testing, round 1.
A/B/C'd the dac1, zDac and rega. I actually have a makeshift way of making it "blind" by shuffling around the interconnect pairs behind the rack without looking, so I cant tell which input pair is which device.
So I start with a quick "lets see if I can tell which is which." Within 15 second of listening, the rega is differentiated. No question.
The shock was the dac1 and the zDac. I dont know if anyone has heard this little zDac, but it is quite impressive. There is very little difference in the basics of imaging, frequency response and overall detail.
It didnt take that long to distinguish them, though. The dac1, as expected from the press, was just a tiny bit more "revealing." Thats probably the best word for it. It is almost certainly rendering more bits, more perfectly, than the others. Its obviously meant to reproduce music exactly as it is recorded. But, I have to say that "revealing" doesnt always equal better sounding.
In all seriousness, this zDac is good. Like, really really good. Id say 95% of the detail and very similar overall sound. Musically, I have to say that its quite possibly more enjoyable with the majority of music. That missing 5% is almost total "edge" and space, and not necesarily missing anything that I want to hear.
I must say that it was really fun to, yet again, discover new voices in arrangements that Ive heard 1000x before.
Yes, I am now publicly admitting that definition and purity are not necessarily better sounding. But I do still prefer the definition of the dac1 and zDac to the rega.
However, I also must be fair to the rega and say that, with this smaller power amp, I like the rega's sound best on about 20% of the material. It does fit some genres of music, such as solo vocals or "hot" pop/rock...quite nicely.
Part of this might be the "synergy" people keep referencing. In this case, the dac, preamp and amp are all the same manufacturer.
But the other thing I now realize, and Ive heard this said before, but didnt listen, is this... Many producers, when they record, take into consideration that the majority of listeners will not have a studio-quality reproduction system. Producers will often alter dynamics and filtering of the recordings to create a certain sound as its reproduced by consumer grade equipment (especially stuff that is meant for broadcast play...) When you start to have reproduction that is this "pure," you start to hear things that the producers never expected you to be revealed.
And that appears the case here. Yes, the dac1 is the most detailed thing Ive heard to-date in my system. But, surprisingly, this zDac is nearly as detailed, and more musical more of the time.
At this point, Id already be willing to say the zDac wins overall, especially considering the price. The only problem with it is that it has audible transformer hum if youre within a couple of feet of it. I have very sensitive hearing, which doesnt help.
Both of my zamp amplifiers have the same transformer hum, so obviously this is a problem with these "z" series components overall. Im not sure how to deal with this. I cant hear it from any listening position, so its totally irrelevant sonically. But it just bugs me that they cant supply a toroid that doesnt hum. The giant ones in the HCA's dont. I guess this is one indicator of the price difference.
OK, so Im going to listen more tonight and probably take the rega back tomorrow. Although, Im seriously considering keeping both it and the zDac. The zDac and dac1 are too close to own both, although for an occasional, "active" listening sessions, I would like to have it. Not sure about the rest. We'll see if break-in changes anything on these.
For the record, I am running these setups open-ended thus far (on the dac1 and zdac.) I dont have an amp with balanced inputs (but I might by tomorrow if my local dealer has an a23 in stock.) If so, Ill re-test these end-to-end balanced.