choose a DAC to complete my system

"10-24-13: Pelo911
do you mean to replace the acoustic zen silver reference ii XLR interconnect with other cable?

it's hard for me to describe (bad English)

almost no Bass , no soundstage
sound not full, not extended at the ends, not warm

i listened at CES to Focal Diablo and 1038 like i have
and i love it so much."

The reason that I mentioned trying a different cable is that every time I put a silver cable between an amp and preamp, I don't like it. I've also come across a few people that have AZ cables and said the same thing. I just thought it wouldn't hurt to try a copper cable between your amp and preamp.

Given your last post, its probably not cables that are the cause of the problem. I agree with Audioengr in that it would probably be best to look at the source first. I know you are using the Oppo as a DAC. Do you have the same problem when you use your PC as a source and when you play disk's through the Oppo directly? Or does one sound OK and the other bad?

Thanks for the added info.

Looking at your photo it appears that you are not giving your speaker any room to breathe. With a few exceptions, most speaker sound best when symmetrically placed out into the room and away from any large objects. Your speaker placement looks as if it violates all three of these objectives. At a minimum you need to move your speakers away from the TV and further away from the back wall.

There are any number of articles and threads on speaker placement. I strongly suggest you research and read them.

Until you properly place your loudspeakers, any further expenditures on equipment are ill advised.

Huge +1 for Onhwy61. Your photos indicate possible major problems with speaker setup and room placement. There seems to be a large difference in the space behind your left vs.right speaker, with the right in front of a large void under a staircase? Differential reflection and node cancellation from this could in itself be enough to explain your absence of bass and also soundstage. Other improvements would result from : moving cluster of gear away from current location between your speakers, or moving your speakers further out into the room.

Please consider investing in a great setup reference, such as Jim Smith's
classic "Get Better Sound" (www.getbettersound.com) and follow its tenets. You will be amazed at the difference. You already have some excellent gear, and no costly upgrades will make nearly as much difference as a proper setup.

i listen to Sting live in Berlin BlueRay from the OPPO

sound great !!!
i guess my problem is when i play music from the computer.

on the CES show
the plug the Focal 1038 to Devialet D-Premier and Crystal Cable and play music from ipad (not sure how)
it was much much better then the sound i'm getting.

"The reason that I mentioned trying a different cable is that every time I put a silver cable between an amp and preamp, I don't like it."

That is because you are buying the wrong cables. The silver metallurgy and care in assembly is critical. Most silver cables have broken crystal lattice, so they sound harsh. I used to manufacture and sell silver cables.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio