I'm no reviewer... so perhaps the subject is more of an overview of my own personal findings over the last couple of months. There are many far more qualified members on the subject, and I'd happily hear their views vs mine.
A few weeks back I posted a new thread on the quest for decent stereo sound from a HT system. That is a a highly contested discussion for which I have my views, but less so a subject for now. Ok - maybe I just want to make one point: The practice of buying 5 or more speakers and AVR, setting them up in a room in accordance to a bunch of pictures, running Auddyssey or other measurement program and immediately enjoying the benefits of surround-sound movies along with the disadvantages of said systems poor stereo reproduction is the norm. My opinion - the biggest improvement one can make is spending a number of weeks with only the two front channels, using no processing, listening to a selection of stereo music tracks repeatedly, moving the speakers little by little until you find that ultimate sweet spot. Therafter, run your configuration program.
Oooh look....a butterfly!... back to the subject matter!
Having done whatever I possibly could through theoretical calculations and the simple science of trial and error, I got my speakers to what I believed to be their optimal positions in the room. The process was then started in comparing three external DAC options, using the same amplification, tracks and of course speakers. For reference purposes, amplification was provided by two Marantz 5-channel power amps, each one passively bi-amplifying each speaker vertically. The speakers were (for the most part) 90's Jamo Oriels, large girls using two internal bass drivers in separate enclosures with only a port each to deliver, and a third compartment with the 6.5" mid and tweeter. These speakers produce have a unique and incredible bass below 80Hz (though hard work to excite), a little more shy around the mid-bass frequencies, and really smooth and natural from there up. Pre-amps were tested both through the AVR and also directly to the power amplifiers. All tests were via the DAC USB inputs, using Roon and Tidal Hi-Definition source material.
I want to try and not get too technical, as I don't believe I am qualified to do so. All I wanted to do was make some comparisons between three DACs. Four actually, it being the internal Marantz AVR, but nothing worth speaking of there. Does it make a difference?
1. April Music Eximus DP1
2. Perreaux Audiant DP32
3. Dragonfly Red (MQA)
Eximus DP1:
Absolutely love this piece. Sound is what we are talking, but in terms of build quality and looks, this does it for me! The Eximus DP1 is a pre-amp, DAC and headphone amplifier in one. Inputs are all there from Optical & Coax Digital, USB, I2S, as well as unbalanced analogue. The item uses Dual Mono PCM1794A DAC chips, supported by XMOS 32-Bit XS1-L1 for USB. Output Voltage is 2V, upsampled via Burr-Brown SRC4192. its limited to 24-bit/192kHz, and is not supportive of MQA. Power is supplied via its own internal Toroidal power supply.
Its not neutral. In fact a little exciting. I mentioned earlier that the Jamo's require a bit of decent energy to fire up the lows it does so well, and this is the piece of kit to do it. It occurs to me that this is an easy DAC, working in harmony with just about any combination you desire. listening to it, it feels as if its in absolute control all the time, never getting remotely bothered with anything that comes its way. AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" fires off cannon-like shots with serious authority in the opening 30 seconds. Anticipating of the sometimes harsh guitar riff that follows was met with great balance, a good combination of force and without any harshness. It really makes this track sound amazing. Nothing played ever lost any of this appeal. Steely Dan just blew me away, as well as the subtle bass notes of various other tracks coming through cleanly like I hadn't heard before on the same equipment. In combination with the other kit, nothing came close. I've not known clearly what folk mean when they say a piece of equipment is "musical". Ill use it however in my own way, because this just makes music sound GOOD! Keeper.
Perreaux Audiant DP32
I cautiously borrowed the DP32 from my dedicated stereo room, where it exists with its immediate family amplifiers and a set of Monitor Audio Plat 100's and a pair of subs. No matter what the outcome was going to be, this was going to be temporary. I have heard and had many systems, and in this one I have found magic. It's my reference, and have found nothing at even twice the price I would change it for, at least in the current configuration.
I knew the DP32 was going to blow me away, but in a disappointing way as I knew it was to go back. The DP32 is, like the Eximus, a pre/DAC combo. It too has a host of digital and analogue inputs and outputs, but uses a ESS Technology Sabre32 Reference ES9018 32-Bit DAC chip. Sample rates again are limited to 24-bit/192kHhz, and is also not supportive of MQA. Internal Toroidal as well.
The DP32 I have had the most hours with. Too many to remember. It deadly quiet, very revealing, and maybe a teeny bit clinical. Amazing detail and a true asset to critical listening, but never do I feel like there is any lack of enjoyment, nor even fatigue for that matter. It's another piece that I would be very hard pressed to part with. Anyway, so we connect all the goodies and settle in for a listen. Wow.... I was in for a disappointment. Yes, it retained the attributes mentioned before, but with a a seriously lack of weight. All the detail, the practically zero noise, clarity and precision, but the low end was severely lacking in comparison to the Eximus. I was rather baffled. I moved it back to its home shelf and the magic re-appeared. I subsequently swapped the Eximus into its place amongst the Plats, but the Eximus failed to deliver the same experience the DP32 did in the set. It was still excellent, but not as.
Enter the Dragon(fly) Red:
Measly, toy-looking thing in hot-wheels metallic red, and about as exciting as a corporate logo branded USB flash drive. Has a cool glowing little dragonfly light on it that changes colour dependent on the input source quality. For those not familiar with it, it literally is a USB stick with a 3.5mm stereo jack at the end. USB powered, limited to 24bit/96khz, but supports MQA via a software upgrade which is what had me interested. A healthy 2.1V output means it can drive headphones well (I'm told), and the inside tech reveals another ESS technology chip in the form of an ES9016 32-bit. How they got this teeny little thing to power up and deliver the higher voltage output is beyond me.... something to do with what they cal the PIC32MX 32-bit blah blah which uses 95% less power than Xmos... whatever.
Plug n' play couldn't be easier, so this was happening in mere minutes. I tried not to be too critical of the little guy... and it turns out it wasn't going to let me be either. I quite like it! It brought a little more excitement into the lower frequencies, a little bit more energy throughout, and even kept it's cool, managing to stay in control really well during complex pieces. It sounds transparent enough - more in a way that there is no evidence of tampering, but with a little bit a spice. Perhaps because I was expecting very little from it, is why I'm being so complimentary, and maybe why its still plugged in and doing duty. It very pleasant, and even more so on some (not all) of the MQA stuff I was listening to.
So not a review, but an illustration of how much so, a DAC can make a difference to your system. But be sure to test... spec won't tell you much.
A few weeks back I posted a new thread on the quest for decent stereo sound from a HT system. That is a a highly contested discussion for which I have my views, but less so a subject for now. Ok - maybe I just want to make one point: The practice of buying 5 or more speakers and AVR, setting them up in a room in accordance to a bunch of pictures, running Auddyssey or other measurement program and immediately enjoying the benefits of surround-sound movies along with the disadvantages of said systems poor stereo reproduction is the norm. My opinion - the biggest improvement one can make is spending a number of weeks with only the two front channels, using no processing, listening to a selection of stereo music tracks repeatedly, moving the speakers little by little until you find that ultimate sweet spot. Therafter, run your configuration program.
Oooh look....a butterfly!... back to the subject matter!
Having done whatever I possibly could through theoretical calculations and the simple science of trial and error, I got my speakers to what I believed to be their optimal positions in the room. The process was then started in comparing three external DAC options, using the same amplification, tracks and of course speakers. For reference purposes, amplification was provided by two Marantz 5-channel power amps, each one passively bi-amplifying each speaker vertically. The speakers were (for the most part) 90's Jamo Oriels, large girls using two internal bass drivers in separate enclosures with only a port each to deliver, and a third compartment with the 6.5" mid and tweeter. These speakers produce have a unique and incredible bass below 80Hz (though hard work to excite), a little more shy around the mid-bass frequencies, and really smooth and natural from there up. Pre-amps were tested both through the AVR and also directly to the power amplifiers. All tests were via the DAC USB inputs, using Roon and Tidal Hi-Definition source material.
I want to try and not get too technical, as I don't believe I am qualified to do so. All I wanted to do was make some comparisons between three DACs. Four actually, it being the internal Marantz AVR, but nothing worth speaking of there. Does it make a difference?
1. April Music Eximus DP1
2. Perreaux Audiant DP32
3. Dragonfly Red (MQA)
Eximus DP1:
Absolutely love this piece. Sound is what we are talking, but in terms of build quality and looks, this does it for me! The Eximus DP1 is a pre-amp, DAC and headphone amplifier in one. Inputs are all there from Optical & Coax Digital, USB, I2S, as well as unbalanced analogue. The item uses Dual Mono PCM1794A DAC chips, supported by XMOS 32-Bit XS1-L1 for USB. Output Voltage is 2V, upsampled via Burr-Brown SRC4192. its limited to 24-bit/192kHz, and is not supportive of MQA. Power is supplied via its own internal Toroidal power supply.
Its not neutral. In fact a little exciting. I mentioned earlier that the Jamo's require a bit of decent energy to fire up the lows it does so well, and this is the piece of kit to do it. It occurs to me that this is an easy DAC, working in harmony with just about any combination you desire. listening to it, it feels as if its in absolute control all the time, never getting remotely bothered with anything that comes its way. AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" fires off cannon-like shots with serious authority in the opening 30 seconds. Anticipating of the sometimes harsh guitar riff that follows was met with great balance, a good combination of force and without any harshness. It really makes this track sound amazing. Nothing played ever lost any of this appeal. Steely Dan just blew me away, as well as the subtle bass notes of various other tracks coming through cleanly like I hadn't heard before on the same equipment. In combination with the other kit, nothing came close. I've not known clearly what folk mean when they say a piece of equipment is "musical". Ill use it however in my own way, because this just makes music sound GOOD! Keeper.
Perreaux Audiant DP32
I cautiously borrowed the DP32 from my dedicated stereo room, where it exists with its immediate family amplifiers and a set of Monitor Audio Plat 100's and a pair of subs. No matter what the outcome was going to be, this was going to be temporary. I have heard and had many systems, and in this one I have found magic. It's my reference, and have found nothing at even twice the price I would change it for, at least in the current configuration.
I knew the DP32 was going to blow me away, but in a disappointing way as I knew it was to go back. The DP32 is, like the Eximus, a pre/DAC combo. It too has a host of digital and analogue inputs and outputs, but uses a ESS Technology Sabre32 Reference ES9018 32-Bit DAC chip. Sample rates again are limited to 24-bit/192kHhz, and is also not supportive of MQA. Internal Toroidal as well.
The DP32 I have had the most hours with. Too many to remember. It deadly quiet, very revealing, and maybe a teeny bit clinical. Amazing detail and a true asset to critical listening, but never do I feel like there is any lack of enjoyment, nor even fatigue for that matter. It's another piece that I would be very hard pressed to part with. Anyway, so we connect all the goodies and settle in for a listen. Wow.... I was in for a disappointment. Yes, it retained the attributes mentioned before, but with a a seriously lack of weight. All the detail, the practically zero noise, clarity and precision, but the low end was severely lacking in comparison to the Eximus. I was rather baffled. I moved it back to its home shelf and the magic re-appeared. I subsequently swapped the Eximus into its place amongst the Plats, but the Eximus failed to deliver the same experience the DP32 did in the set. It was still excellent, but not as.
Enter the Dragon(fly) Red:
Measly, toy-looking thing in hot-wheels metallic red, and about as exciting as a corporate logo branded USB flash drive. Has a cool glowing little dragonfly light on it that changes colour dependent on the input source quality. For those not familiar with it, it literally is a USB stick with a 3.5mm stereo jack at the end. USB powered, limited to 24bit/96khz, but supports MQA via a software upgrade which is what had me interested. A healthy 2.1V output means it can drive headphones well (I'm told), and the inside tech reveals another ESS technology chip in the form of an ES9016 32-bit. How they got this teeny little thing to power up and deliver the higher voltage output is beyond me.... something to do with what they cal the PIC32MX 32-bit blah blah which uses 95% less power than Xmos... whatever.
Plug n' play couldn't be easier, so this was happening in mere minutes. I tried not to be too critical of the little guy... and it turns out it wasn't going to let me be either. I quite like it! It brought a little more excitement into the lower frequencies, a little bit more energy throughout, and even kept it's cool, managing to stay in control really well during complex pieces. It sounds transparent enough - more in a way that there is no evidence of tampering, but with a little bit a spice. Perhaps because I was expecting very little from it, is why I'm being so complimentary, and maybe why its still plugged in and doing duty. It very pleasant, and even more so on some (not all) of the MQA stuff I was listening to.
So not a review, but an illustration of how much so, a DAC can make a difference to your system. But be sure to test... spec won't tell you much.
