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Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Hi All.

Putting together a reference level system.
My Source is predominantly standard 16/44 played from a MacMini using iTunes and Amarra. Some of my music is purchased from iTunes and the rest is ripped from standard CD's.
For my tastes in music, my high def catalogues are still limited; so Redbook 16/44 will be my primary source for quite some time.

I'm not spending DCS or MSB money. But $15-20k retail is not out of the question.

Upsampling vs non-upsampling?
USB input vs SPDIF?

All opinions welcome.

And I know I need to hear them, but getting these ultra $$$ DAC's into your house for an audition ain't easy.

Looking for musical, emotional, engaging, accurate , with great dimension. Not looking for analytical and sterile.
mattnshilp
guidocorona
4,298 posts
 
Hi Matt, any chance of you performing break-in of OD and DSD-S in parallel? Would shorten the total process.... E.g. If your MacMini were capable of engaging two USB outs at a time.... Or you fed one device via MacMini and the other via any other source, like a cheap computer or CDp.... The outputs of Both DACs would need to be connected to an active load.... But your Criterion has plenty of spare inputs.... For the purpose of break-in, it really should not matter the quality of the connecting cables....

One of the side benefits is that that you might be able to engage the devices for more than a total of 700 hours each.... And still take less time than your estimate.

G.
metralla
945 posts
 
I hope Alex is willing for me to hold onto the unit for 45 more days to really give it the chance it deserves… He has been very generous thus far.

Perhaps you can do your part to try to reduce that time.

Regards,
mattnshilp OP
917 posts
 
I have been through this as well guys....

I can't connect more then one DAC to my Mac at a time. It won't link to 2 at once. I have no other USB digital source to use to burn in a second DAC.

It's one at a time. No other choice....

I'll speak to Alex privately to arrange things. I might be able to get it to a reviewer I know for the 4 weeks that the ODSE cooks so it's not just sitting.

Alex seamed to be ok with me holding onto it for a bit tho. He seams to be a really good guy.
aplhifi-usa
38 posts
 
I propose that ALL manufacturers establish the Off Ramp 5 (or whatever Steve's latest and greatest USB converter is) as their USB input processing of choice so that this is no longer an issue!!!

The one that requires a driver for MAC because it is based on the older Cypress Semiconductor chip?

Maybe when he offers XMOS based USB interface that supports 32 bit integer mode, up to 384kHz/32bit PCM as well as DSD64 and double DSD128 I'd consider joining ALL manufactures and use it in my products as a standard USB input.

Wait, but I already have it! :-)

Best wishes,
Alex Peychev
APL Hi-Fi
aplhifi-usa
38 posts
 
Guido,

USB and S/PDIF are quite different interfaces. Though the TAS USB chip in the Aeris supports only up to 96k, I believe it also supports asynchronous mode. However, it looks like both S/PDIF and USB are being asynchronously resampled using the AD1895A ASRC chip. So maybe the USB chip is the problem, or the computer audio source used for the comparison was inferior to the S/PDIF source.
So it is tricky. :-)

Sure, I will let Matt stabilize it and then decide, no problem. But most interesting will be what will happen when the DSD-S is connected direct to the amplifiers.

Saluti,
Alex
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