Bottlehead Forum
Other Gear => Digital => Topic started by: Jim R. on December 08, 2012, 04:48:50 PM
-
I just took delivery of a new, fairly inexpensive dac that I hope to be able to hook up and start listening to tomorrow sometime. The DAC is the Micromega MyDAC -- a $369 dac that has 24/192 capability on all three inputs -- USB, spdif coax and toslink -- and each input is selectable from a horizontal rotary selector switch on the front.
This uses the Xmos usb receiver, indepent clocks for 44.1 and 48 khz sampling rate multiples and is switchable (with a rear panel switch) for class 1 (Windows) and Class 2 (Mac/linux), has amazingly low jitter specs for all inputs and supposedly sounds very, very good.
This dac is taking some flack for being in a plastic housing, but I think that is really a good part of it's sound and high performance, as reported by several folks and reviewers that have heard it.
Anyway, anybody looking for a very good quality dac that can handle just about everything, this may may be the one to set the bar for low cost dacs.
Also, coming very soon will be the Arcam R-Dock for my iPod touch for my bedside system, and as soon as I can get my big system up, I'll be reporting on another 24/192 PCM, plus direct, native DSD DAC -- the Sonore/exD.
-- Jim
-
I have read some good things about that DAC. I have the Gungnir. In a similar category of the new sub 1K high end DAC. It would be interesting to read a comparison between the MyDac and the Gungnir.
-
Hmmm... Interesting. I've been looking for an affordable DAC that will allow me to play 24 bit high resolution files via USB. I wonder if this would work with my ALIX / Voyage set-up.
I'd be interested in hearing how this sounds in your Bottlehead system, Jim.
-
Tom,
This will work fine with the Alix/Voyage box as long as you are running above a certain level of ALSA, the version number of which escapes me at the moment, but in all likelihood you already are. That really should be all that is to it except for maybe possibly a tweak to some settings, but other than that, it should be as simple as musicfiles -> alix box -> usb cable -> MyDac.
In fact, when I have some free time, I may just give this approach another shot for our media room system -- no need for a full blown mac mini setup as this system will have a CDP, an AppleTV, the TV's own audio out, and then something like the alix box to grab files off the NAS and stream them to the dac.
-- Jim
-
Jim, did you have an opportunity to listen to the Micromega MyDAC yet? I'm eager to hear what you think of it. -Tom
-
Tom,
Embarrased to say that no, I haven't been able to yet. Why? Because I can't find my one remaining digital cable (black cat veloce) and I sold all my interconnects but one pair, so I can't even cheat with a plain ol' interconnect.
I do have an Arcam drDock coming today and that supposedly has a full complement of hookup cables with it, and if it does, then I can borrow the coax cable and put it between the CD player and the MyDac.
So, right now it's only a matter of a digital cable and swapping the interconnects to the amp and I'll b3e listening to the dac.
UPS typically arrives around this time, so maybe tonight I'll have an update.
-- Jim
-
Tom,
Arcam dock arrived and had every cable but a digital coax. I tore through all the boxes that my black cat cable could be in -- and plenty others as well, and no luck. In the process I managed to trigger a good back spasm so I'm done for the day. Tomorrow I'll go out to the garage as there is one more box that may have at least some other interconnects in it.
BTW, I also thought of using a toslink cable but I can't find any of those yet either. Obviously I have more organizing to do :-).
I did plug in the MyDac though so it is at least warming up some.
-- Jim
-
I really badly want to demo a DAC, any DAC, in my system. I tried synching a CD from my Marantz and the FLAC of that same CD throw J.River with my Juli@ handling the DAC and I couldn't hear a significant difference. I know the Juli@ is supposed to be an impressive DAC on its own, but it's still supposed to pale next to an external DAC.
-
I really badly want to demo a DAC, any DAC, in my system. I tried synching a CD from my Marantz and the FLAC of that same CD throw J.River with my Juli@ handling the DAC and I couldn't hear a significant difference. I know the Juli@ is supposed to be an impressive DAC on its own, but it's still supposed to pale next to an external DAC.
I have been using the Juli@ card for a long time to send a good clean digital signal out to my Cambridge DacMagic box. I was very happy with this setup, it sounded great.
Then one day, just for something to do, I decided to try out the DAC built into the Juli@. I hooked up my interconnects from my amp straight onto the back of the card and blow me down, it sounded just as good! There is a small difference which I can hear but I cannot say which one is better so now I just straight use the Juli@ card. My DacMagic was also upgraded with a better power supply. :o
I also paid a fifth of the price for the Juli@ than the DacMagic ;D
-
Hey Sam,
I can loan you my Halide HD for a while if you like. Warning, it's new as I had Halide make me a custom version with a .5 meter usb cable and a short set of output leads with a right angle stereo 3.5mm connector. I did this so I could have a more manageable portable solution that simply straps on the back of one of my pocket size portable amps for mobile use. Turns out we won't be travellin for the holidays this year so I won't miss it for a month or so. You willl need a female 3.5mm to rca stereo cable to connect it to the s.e.x. and I don't have one of those at all.
Just email me and we can work it out.
Thanks,
Jim
-
I have a Halide DAC HD too, and fine it very satisfying. My only other DAC was the HRT II+ which is also a great first DAC. I really like how small and portable the Halide is, and its resolving and natural sound. I think it will make a great secondary DAC once Bottlehead releases their own.
-
So, I've been listening all day to the MyDac using an unshielded twisted pair interconnect for the digital signal from the cd player, an Audioquest Big Sur RCA to stereo 3.5mm cable into my ALO National and the Q Audio silk headphone cable into my HD-800s and even at this early stage I can say this dac is really, really nice. I did listen to the same system first direct from the CDP as a baseline and there is simply no comparison. I'm not sure what the dac chip in the Piano CDP is, but I do know that it upsamples everything to 24/192 and has sounded decent in most of the systems I've tried it in, but the MyDac takes things soooooo much further. Nicely balanced, not harsh at all, but not overly warm either; very nice soundstage (and I think you have to give credit to micromega for what appears to be a superb jitter reduction scheme as the CDP with an unshielded twisted pair is pretty much an acid test for jitter. Nicely balanced from top to bottom, very nice but not overdone dynamics -- all in all, even right out of the box this is a very impressive dac.
Can't wait to get this hooked up directly to one of the mac minis and play some high-res files through it.
Let's put it this way, if I paid $1500 for it I wouldn't be the slightest bit disappointed, so at $370, I have to think it's more or less a no brainer.
Of course things are bound to change as the National, cabling and hd-800s break-in more along with the dac, but even with nothing special in terms of cabling, power distribution, etc., this thing is performing like a champ.
-- Jim
-
Got more listening in this afternoon and I'm really liking what I'm hearing.
I still have yet to have this dac in a system where I can evaluate the overall tone, but tomorrow I'm going to try the same setup with another, much better rca to 3.5mm stereo cable, my Shure SE-425 IEMs and my ALO Continental -- all of which have had a lot of play time together and whose sound I know quite well.
If things keep going this way, this may well be the new price performance leader. I wish I still had my MSII+ to compare it to but regardless of that comparison, they are both great values and nothing to turn oe's nose up at.
If anybody is on the fence about trying this, I think I can say with reasonable confidence that you'll probably like it, but you still may want to buy from a place with a good return policy.
-- Jim
-
These new DAC's are truly fantastic. Nothing like a major recession to wake up the industry!
-
Thanks for the update, Jim. You mentioned that you may give an ALIX a try as well. I'd be interested in hearing how it does with higher resolution files. I understand that may take a while to test.
I might just have to pick one of these up. Right now it would be #3 in line. #1 is a set of Orca's and a sub. #2 is a set of upgrade iron for the Paramour 45's. After that a DAC upgrade could be in order. Who knows, the Bottlehead DAC may be available by then (wink, wink, nod, nod.)
-
Tom,
Well, can't argue with that priority list :-).
I'm going to finally fire up my new Orcas today -- first without the sub as I really want to hear what they can do in their new form with the LM Mini amp. Maybe while my dad is here for the holidays I can get him to help me stuff some of the circuit boards so I can get at least the stereomour going soon.
-- Jim
-
Ok, found my proper digital cable, put it in from the transport and connected the dac first to both the ALO National and Continental portable amps and used the hd-800s first -- incredible! Especially the Continental with the 800s -- extremely nice. Then went back to the LM Mini, first with the hd-800s and then with the new Orcas, and again, just really, really impressive. I didn't even have to rationalize anything with the fact that this dac only cost $360 -- it sounds great and just nothing I can really fault it on, and for any dac that's a major surprise for me. I know Robert Harley said something about not the ultimate in bass extension and weight, but I certainly don't hear anything seriously missing there. In fact, the bass kick with the hd-800s with the Continental and the LM mini was very, very good.
This is a definite keeper and it's so good I may buy another one for my nightstand headphone system.
If you're in the market for a sub-$500 dac, (and/or probably a good deal more than that) you do need to audition this dac.
Maybe usb and some hi-res tomorrow...
-- Jim
-
Maybe usb and some hi-res tomorrow...
Hi Jim,
Curiosity question. What are your impressions of the mydac playing hi-res via USB?
Thanks,
Tom
-
Tom,
Sorry, I've not been able to get to this yet. I was sick before Christmas, then had family here, then got real sick again and just late last night got sprung from a 6 day hospital stay. It's also going to be awhile before I can get back to this.
Sorry,
Jim
-
wow Jim - I hope you better!
-
Be well, Jim!
-
Tom,
Sorry, I've not been able to get to this yet. I was sick before Christmas, then had family here, then got real sick again and just late last night got sprung from a 6 day hospital stay. It's also going to be awhile before I can get back to this.
Sorry,
Jim
Jim,
I hope you feel better soon.
BTW I hate hospitals!
-Tom
-
Hey Guys,
Thanks for the good wishes -- they do mean a lot to me. Looks like I'm going to be lying low for another while here, but believe me, I really want to get this dac fully put through it's paces. I'll probably go grab it and a mac mini and setup a headphone system on my nightstand as soon as I'm strong enough, which won't obviously be the same as the Orcas, but will still be a good test.
A happy, healthy, peaceful new year to all of you!
-- Jim
-
Just make you think... We dont have much time left on this planet. Time to listen (Grateful Dead seems appropriate). Just cued up 'American Beauty'.
-
Just make you think... We dont have much time left on this planet. Time to listen (Grateful Dead seems appropriate). Just cued up 'American Beauty'.
Can't go wrong with The Dead.
.
-
Well, I'm making decent progress and may even get to trying out the usb connection and some hi-res stuff this weekend.
Then in a couple of weeks I should also be getting one of the new iFi iDACs -- along with the iUSBPower and the iCAN headphone amp -- my new bedside system, to be fed from either a 2010 mac mini or my christmas present, a new iPad Mini. This too is supposed to be an exceptional dac, but with less connectivity options than the MyDAC. Also has a built-in headphone amp.
-- Jim
-
I ordered a mydac from music direct today. I'll be feeding it with my ALIX/Voyage Linux client. I'll post a mini review here after I get a few hours on the clock. Thanks for the heads up, Jim.
-
Tom,
Excellent! I'll be really interested to hear how the dac works and sounds with the alix as a server as that is very likely how I'll eventually use mine.
-- Jim
-
I got the MyDac today via FedEx. Flipped the USB switch to class 2 and plugged my silver USB cable from the ALIX. Then I queued up a list of various bitrates from 16/44 up to 24/192. All the songs played flawlessly. I didn't have to make any changes to my MPD configuration file so that was a plus. At this point I'm not going to comment on the sound. I just wanted to report that it works with the ALIX/VoyageMPD client. I will say however that I like what I hear so far. I'll follow up in a couple of weeks after things break in for a while. I can't wait to get my Orcas and subs next month!
-
UPDATE: After just 4 listening sessions the MyDac I'd dead. The digital stream appears to be flowing but there is no audio. I put the original 16 bit NOS DAC back in place and my music is flowing again. The MyDac will be going back on an RMA tomorrow.
-
Tom,
Sorry to hear that. I've not had any problems and I've not heard of any others, so hopefully this is just a fluke.
I've been doing a lot of headphone listening the past 3 or 4 days with the iFi usb power box, dac and headphone amp -- all fed by my ipad mini with a camera connection kit, and even at this early stage I'm pretty impressed, especially given that it is all SS and I'm only listening to 320 kbps MOG streams over wifi.
This week I'm concentrating on getting my ripped and downloaded music collection all integrated and loaded on the NAS and the stand alone drives for two systems, and the backup drives, and then I should have a whole lot more music choices at my fingertips.
Hope you get the dac back soon.
-- Jim
-
Jim,
any more impressions of the DAC? I have to admit you've peaked my interest a lot. I only wish I could demo one.
-
UPDATE: After just 4 listening sessions the MyDac I'd dead. The digital stream appears to be flowing but there is no audio. I put the original 16 bit NOS DAC back in place and my music is flowing again. The MyDac will be going back on an RMA tomorrow.
UPDATE #2: I got a replacement MyDac and it doesn
-
Tom,
I'm sure this isn't news to you, but sometimes the new ALSA versions can behave differently with a given dac. Did you check with Micromega or the Voyage folks? They're usually right on top of these things.
Sorry it's been so frustrating, but this why I don't normally recommend a linux server to people who don't know their way around linux config and troubleshooting -- still not really ready for prime time IMO.
And I'm not talking about you here -- you know what you're doing.
-
Jim,
I slept on it and with a little help from the guys at Voyage I figured it out. Somehow, don
-
Tom,
Oh, I know how frustrating that stuff can be as well. I honestly figured it was something with the ALSA config as that is where 95% of the problems people have with linux servers end up being solved -- at least in my experience. But you're right, why it should just change is not normal behavior. I'm glad you got it figured out. Do you suppose the first dac was okthen?
Yeah man, get those Orcas playing as soon as you can!
I had hoped to get things going yesterday but we had a couple of pet issues and dinner guests last night and the whole day disappeard right in front of us. Doggie is in the hospital after eating some gum with Xylatol in it, but is doing fine as we unbelieveably caught it in time, and she'll probably come home sometime today or tomorrow morning. Oh well, today is another day. :-)
-- Jim
-
No, I think that the first DAC was defective. I tried it on three different computers (Windows and Linux) and used two high quality USB cables. I couldn't get any of the combinations to produce any sound.
I suppose a defective MyDAC could have somehow changed the ALSA mixer settings on the ALIX?
-
. . . The only thing I can think of is that maybe static electricity had something to do with it. Its been very dry in the house and I can draw a nice arc while switching on/off the lights lately. . . .
-Tom
Tom, I fried a DAC by touching it and static arcing to it. So for years now I have run humidifiers in the winter months. Look at the "Cheap Vinyl Accessories" thread under the Phono folder, there is a picture of a cheap humidifier that will take care of the static.
The alternative is to take a piece of metal, put a screw/bolt in it and run a wire from the screw to the screw on your power outlet. This assumes that you have a grounded circuit. Btu touching a grounded plate before touching anything in your system will safely discharge all static.
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCaN59knUCk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCaN59knUCk)
-
Tom,
Yes, I think either the bad dac or the static discharge could have effected the settings on the server -- there is data going back to the computer too, and although unlikely in most circumstances, it can and does happen. I once had a situation with two speech synthesizers connected to one machine and some glitch happened and the synthesizers somehow managed to reprogram each other and put each other in a state where they didn't work properly, simply skipped over commmon words, substituted c ommon words with random words and punctuation, etc.
I ended up having to reinstall the screen reader software and then, without a synthesizer and hoping things were working normally again, had to blindly follow the steps to reflash the synthesizer's firmware, and then once one had been restored, the rest was easy. All in all, a 6 hour diversion for who knos what reason. So yes, firmware and system files can and do get corrupted, but again I'm not telling you anything you don't know.
Fiingers crossed that this is the last of it and it's smooth listening from here on out.
And also being a resident of the rocky mountain west high arrid plains, I know the dryness and static issues very well. One reason why we got wool carpet instead of synthetic in our new house -- far better than the old place.
-- Jim
-
...and as soon as I can get my big system up, I'll be reporting on another 24/192 PCM, plus direct, native DSD DAC -- the Sonore/exD.
-- Jim
Jim,
I'm excited to take the Sonore/exD off your hands! Delivery should be tomorrow (arrived!)...I'm all ready to go with JRiver for Mac set up for DSD over DoP v1. I'll report how things go...
Best,
John
-
I have that static electricity issue here in the desert as well. I have inadvertently 'tested' the protection circuits in my 500wpc power amp by touching it before I touched something to ground myself. It shut down right quick with a pop, red lights flashing all over the place. No harm done. I was also getting a pop every time I touched my laptop because the static would travel down the power line of the USB to my system. I was pleased that after switching to batter power on the uLink there are no more pops.