AudioCircle
Industry Circles => Audio by Van Alstine => Topic started by: avahifi on 18 Dec 2009, 04:06 pm
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More Vision from AVA - - - The Vision DAC/Preamplifier
All the musicality of the new basic Vision DAC combined with the Insight SL preamplifier in one economical and easy to use package.
An upgraded chassis layout, a new DAC design, a new power supply, new ground plane shielded circuit boards throughout, and we now can build a complete full function preamplifier combined with our new Vision D to A converter in one economical and functional package.
The Vision DAC/Preamp can be ordered with all of our normal Insight preamplifier options: remote control, an outstanding RIAA phono preamplifier section, buffered tape outputs, built in phase inverter, and soon even balanced line outputs and XLR output hardware.
The Vision DAC/Preamp has all the same functions standard as our great Insight SL preamplifier. The only difference is that the CD input is a direct coax connection in from your CD or DVD/CD digital output. It is built using the same rugged AVA SL chassis.
The base price is $1599, twenty percent less than the separate prices of the new Vision DAC and the Insight SL preamp. Option prices are the same as for the Insight preamp. Vision EC DAC options are not available in this package.
We are saving you hundreds on this great new package and providing you with the best music for the money you have ever heard.
Available right now.
Balanced line output option will be available in about six weeks for $200 extra
Please call me for more details. 651-330-9871
Frank Van Alstine
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Well, well, you've been very busy. aa
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Frank, what is the standard count of analog inputs and outputs on this combo unit?
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Frank:
Can you install a Vision DAC into an existing Insight SL preamp?
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The Vision DAC/Preamp has one coax digital in, plus 5 more line level sets of inputs (one used for phono if that option is ordered). It has two sets of audio outputs, two sets of tape outputs, and headphone outputs. It has a precision volume control, precision balance control, selector switch, mono-stereo switches, tape monitoring switches, and power switch.
Balanced line outputs will be available as soon as we get a new appropriate back panel label done.
Thanks for your interest.
Frank Van Alstine
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Oneinthepipe, good question that I had not yet considered.
The issue will be having to drill a bunch of holes to relocate some of the existing interior stuff. I think it can be done, but in the 17" wide chassis only.
If you want to be a "guinea pig" I will do yours for $849, the same price as installing a Vision DAC circuit set in any existing AVA DAC.
Regards,
Frank Van Alstine
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Just an editorial, but I believe that an AVA Vision DAC/Preamplifier and UltraValve amplifier combination (having heard a prototype of the DAC at RMAF) will be an outstanding combination and untouchable regarding the price. Seriously, $3300.00 for an Insight SL with a built-in Vision DAC and an UltraValve. Unbelievable.
Frank, with the AVA Vision DAC/Preamp Combo Unit, does the Vision DAC have separate analog outputs to enable the DAC to be used with other (AVA, of course) preamps? Also, can the Vision DAC be installed in the Ultra or T8 preamps, in addition to the Insight preamp.
I am shipping my Insight preamp to you. Thank you for your generous offer.
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My computer has an audio digital output jack. So I could use that to output the signal into the Vision DAC/Preamp digital input and through my foloorstanders, right?
Or even use something like the Olive 4 music server and feed the Vision Dac/Preamp's dacs; rather than use the Olive 4's dacs, right?
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Unless the Vision DAC/Preamp combo has a toslink input (similar to the standalone Vision DAC), the setup would be:
Computer's digital output (optical, I assume) -> Optical to digital coax converter -> Vision DAC/Pre toslink input -> amp -> speakers
If your computer has a digital coax output, then you wouldn't need a converter. However, converters can be obtained from monoprice for 12.00.
If the Vision DAC/preamp combo has a toslink input, then the setup would be:
Computer's digital output -> Vision DAC/Pre -> amp -> speakers
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It's a digital coax output. Thank you.
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At the RMAF, we used Frank's CD player and also Jim Salk's Squeezebox. Jim had a very great system, all wireless, featuring a terabyte file server, an iTouch and his squeezebox. The Vision DAC and the squeezebox combo was very cool as Jim had access to literally thousands of tunes. This will be my system of the future. The nice thing about a file server is that it can be remotely located to keep the noise down (hard-drive noise) and everything is wireless and way cool.
I'm glad Frank took the product in this direction, as it presents a real uncluttered musical path for serious digital music lovers, what ever their choice. Get a player with a great transport. You need 1 cable to the preamp and all is taken care of for you. A very short distance for wire from DAC board to preamp output.
Anyway, a great new merge of products onto one chassis. Who knows where this will go.
Wayner :D
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Very busy, indeed. Great stuff, Frank. :thumb:
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Who knows where this will go.
How about in an Ultra? aa
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There is no physical room in the T8 or Ultra preamplifiers for the DAC board and filter boards. So it will only be offered in the Insight SL chassis.
Regarding direct DAC output, that is pretty simple. Switch the DAC/Preamp to its CD (digital) input and take the signal out of the Tape Outputs. This will then be coming directly from the DAC analog filter/line stage ahead of the internal preamplifier line circuits.
Regards,
Frank
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There is no physical room in the T8 or Ultra preamplifiers for the DAC board and filter boards. So it will only be offered in the Insight SL chassis.
:( Dashed hopes.
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Arthur,
Then go get the DAC!
Wayner aa
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when will the website be updated with all the new products?
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I think the new website will be done in February, if all goes well. It is a completely new website with all kinds of different (and cool) sections, but needs to be proofed.
Wayner
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The AVA web site will be updated soon.
Actually our web site is getting a major overhaul at this time and should be ready for the world within 30 days now.
Regards,
Frank
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The AVA web site will be updated soon.
Actually our web site is getting a major overhaul at this time and should be ready for the world within 30 days now.
Regards,
Frank
Great! Please don't mess it up though. Personally, I think your site is one of the best sites.
I'm looking at your Ultra Valve and went looking for info.... :(
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The AVA web site will be updated soon.
Actually our web site is getting a major overhaul at this time and should be ready for the world within 30 days now.
Regards,
Frank
Oh good. More link and spell checking. :lol:
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Arthur,
Then go get the DAC!
Wayner aa
Ah that I could. Like you (& many) earlier this year my industry has taken a major down turn. Am currently self-unemployed. I run low overhead (except for the stereo splurge every 10-20 years), so I can hang for a good bit. But the most I'll be considering upgrade-wise in the foreseeable future is the 6CG7 tubes for the T-8 & Ultra pre. I did the Burr Brown upgrades, so will just have to live with the fine stuff I've got for a bit.
:thumb:
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The Vision DAC/Preamp can be ordered with all of our normal Insight preamplifier options: remote control, an outstanding RIAA phono preamplifier section, buffered tape outputs, built in phase inverter, and soon even balanced line outputs and XLR output hardware.
I don't see the price of the built in phase inverter option on the website. Would that be enough to get balanced line connections from the DAC all the way to my two OmegaStars? I wouldn't need the XLRs, I don't think. Also, should I keep my small box T8 for the phono stage or go with the phono option? :scratch:
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All of that in one box is really good value!
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Plaf26, I think I can come up with a "one off" special to allow you to run balanced line from an Insight preamp to your two amplfiers. The Vision EC DAC will provide that capability from the DAC to the preamp appropriately configured.
Or it could be done with a new Vision DAC/Preamp combo.
This is not a production idea at this time because of the extra hardware that would need to be tooled, starting with faceplates.
Call me about this please.
Merry Christmas,
Frank
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I'm guessing that you cannot install the DAC into an Insight EC because there is too much stuff in there already? Or will SL and EC both accomodate?
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You can put the Vision DAC in either the SL or EC versions. However, I thought it was only going to be offered on the EC, could be wrong on this one.
Wayner
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It is likely that Wayner meant SL only. AVA may offer the DAC/Pre combo in an EC version in the future. The proto-type is an SL.
Regards,
Dean
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Hi Frank,
You have mentioned several times that XLR outputs will be a future option in the DAC/Preamp combo, are there plans for XLR inputs on power amplifiers, specifically the UltraValve? or others?
Happy New Year to you and everyone at AVA and AC.
Dave
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Plaf26, I think I can come up with a "one off" special to allow you to run balanced line from an Insight preamp to your two amplfiers. The Vision EC DAC will provide that capability from the DAC to the preamp appropriately configured.
Or it could be done with a new Vision DAC/Preamp combo.
This is not a production idea at this time because of the extra hardware that would need to be tooled, starting with faceplates.
Call me about this please.
Merry Christmas,
Frank
Can I get my T-7 retrofitted with balanced out puts? Just a thought.
Ric
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We kind of need a new chassis to do this. The preamp chassis has had a major change to it to accommodate XLR connectors for ins and outs, plus new toslink and additional coax connectors, plus a verity of other changes, needed for the new products.
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My Vision DAC/Preamplifier has been shipped and will be here next week. :dance:
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I am listening to some very sweet music. I have only been listening for an hour. Somehow, I managed to blow the power fuse in my U70. My middle-aged mind couldn't remember where I stored the spare fuses, even though I purposely stored them in a place that I was certain to remember, and I had to run to The Home Depot to buy a couple of packs of fuses. Fortunately, my audio memory is flawless. :lol:
I am listening to the Vision DAC/Preamp (Vision DAC and Insight+ SL preamp) with the U70. I am not going to try to analyze the sound tonight. I am impressed with the detail. I am impressed with the blackness. But I am most impressed with the sweetness. Life doesn't get much better than this, at least not tonight.
Sweet, Frank. How'd ya do it? :thumb:
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Sweetness review please :wink:
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AVA fan chiming in - sounds like a product for me! Looking forward to a review!
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What are the dimensions and weight of the Vision DAC/Pre? I've got a fairly small cabinet and am trying to figure out if it will fit with the amp(s) I'm considering.
Thanks.
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It's built in the SL Chassis. From the AVA website: 17" wide, 12" deep, 3.5" high, probably just a little over 12 pounds.
What are the dimensions and weight of the Vision DAC/Pre? I've got a fairly small cabinet and am trying to figure out if it will fit with the amp(s) I'm considering.
Thanks.
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Is it possible to do the Vision DAC/Preamp in an EC version (i.e. with tone controls)? It's not clear to me from the other posts in this thread.
Also, what would be the price of such a unit with the remote volume option?
Thanks!
Joe
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Is it possible to do the Vision DAC/Preamp in an EC version (i.e. with tone controls)? It's not clear to me from the other posts in this thread.
Also, what would be the price of such a unit with the remote volume option?
Thanks!
Joe
He can't do it with tone controls. I stand corrected. See below.
Price - http://www.avahifi.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=113&Itemid=242&74a0ad6b5f7a1df0ef4ab98b8fffbb41=4bc88eb0f683029384e3144366514cc5
299 extra with remote.
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Yes, we can do a Vision DAC/Preamp combo unit using the Insight+ EC circuits, switchable tone controls and extra functions and all. The price would be $150 higher than the SL version. Note that we cannot do a combined DAC with switchable digital inputs and a preamp. We would simply run out of available space for the DAC input switch and the extra optical input board. The Vision DAC/Preamp has one coax digital input only.
Regards,
Frank Van Alstine
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Note that we can now supply the Vision DAC/Preamp combo unit with two digital coax inputs as a $50 option.
The second digital coax input is selected by a back panel toggle switdh.
Best regards,
Frank Van Alstine
P.S Sorry, two coax inputs only, optical inputs require another internal circuit board and a place to mount the optical inputs, no room for these in the combo DAC/Preamp unit.
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Ordered today - with 2nd coax input - can't wait!
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:thumb:
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Unit arrived today! Plugged the coax out from my marantz cd63se using it as a transport only - really spectacular resolution without harshness!
I'm concerned about the other input - from iTunes via airport express -> optical cable -> optical/coax converter -> coax cable into vision dac/amp cd coax input. My initial impression is of a slight veiling of the sound as compared with the input from the cd player.
I'm hoping some Apple guru's see this - I've used the Audio Midi setup app to configure the output from my iMac to 96000 Hz and 2 channel 24 bit going to the airport express. At the preamp/dac I'm using the Model 977 Digital Audio Optical/RCA Coax converter into one of the 2 cd inputs (I've also tested with a cheapo optical/rca converter and they sound identical to me). With this input chain - all digital - I'm a little surprised by the possible deficit in sound as compared with the digital out from the cd player. Again, this is just an initial reaction so will have to spend more time listening to confirm but thought I should put this out there to see if anyone else has suggestions/observations/experiences to share.
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Rez,
How was the source ripped to the iMac? MP3, Lossless, AIFF, ?
Ron
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Sorry, should have mentioned that as well... I bought a separate 500Gb drive for my library so ripping everything AIFF.
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I'm hoping some Apple guru's see this - I've used the Audio Midi setup app to configure the output from my iMac to 96000 Hz and 2 channel 24 bit going to the airport express.
If you ripped standard CDs to AIFF, you should set AudioMidi to 16/44.1, not 24/96. You've got iTunes upsampling, not something you should really do. Also, the Airport Express only supports 16/48 (meaning the files are then downsampled), and the additional wireless to optical to coax conversions probably don't help either. :wink:
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ref. you should set AudioMidi to 16/44.1 - Will try that and see! thanks very much! Any other suggestions for getting the source material from the iMac (in the family room) to the preamp/dac in the living room would also be appreciated!
Thanks again.
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with the output from the iMac set to 16/44.1kHz I would say that it is a touch subdued in the mid/treble and a slight bit more pronounced in the bass than the cd source :dunno:
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The Macs have optical out, so I use a long enough optical cable (currently 50 ft.). That's for computer sound. For music, I use a squeezebox (i.e. ethernet), then either optical or coax to the DAC. The squeezebox is slightly redundant but it helps to organize the collection and ethernet can be useful.
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That's a great suggestion - since the dac/preamp has only rca inputs then a solution that avoids the optical component I think would be preferable (as someone else has noted). In the interests of due diligence I'm going to try the same tests today but with the itunes and cd inputs at the dac swapped to see if the difference exists in the actual interface on the dac/preamp (I got the optional extra rca digital input on my unit). Hopefully the difference is not between the 2 inputs on the unit.
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Definitely a problem with one of the inputs on the pre-amp/dac - when I plugged the iTunes/iMac into where the CD was plugged in it produced a more or less identical result to the CD. The CD plugged in where the iMac was produced the same veiled/thin sound. Sending an email to Frank.
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Thought I should provide an update to my journey with the unit - looking through various on-line resources it became clear that iTunes might not be the last word in fidelity. I seem to have hit a sweet spot using Pure Music player and the Airfoil capture utility to capture the output and send it to my AirPort Express - has been an eye (not to mention ear) opening experience so far.
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Sounds like you're experiencing how wonderfully revealing your DAC/preamp is.
Thought I should provide an update to my journey with the unit - looking through various on-line resources it became clear that iTunes might not be the last word in fidelity. I seem to have hit a sweet spot using Pure Music player and the Airfoil capture utility to capture the output and send it to my AirPort Express - has been an eye (not to mention ear) opening experience so far.
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OneInThePipe -- I know it has been a while, but did you ever provide a review on the pre-amp/dac combo? What were you using before and how did it improve the sound? I'd be very interested in hearing your review or thoughts?
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In the process of going to the next step in detaching myself from another of the iMacs potential limitations, the airport express router. Just ordered some coax with rca ends from BJC and after some searching and consulting with various folks here and on other sites also bought the Audiophilleo2 usb to s/pdif converter (to be delivered). Also considered the KingRex UC192 and Stello U3 but steered towards the A2 by a reviewer who has listened extensively to all 3 and highly recommended the A2. Will post again after I've had a chance to listen using the Fidelia player.
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Well Audiophilleo 2 arrived a couple of days ago - connected it up to the iMac and set the output to it via preferences - ran out the coax to the vision dac/preamp and *deep breath* started playing some music - right off the bat I was blown away! I think I'm finally getting the full value of the Vision! Can't get enough!
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More Vision from AVA - - - The Vision DAC/Preamplifier
All the musicality of the new basic Vision DAC combined with the Insight SL preamplifier in one economical and easy to use package.
An upgraded chassis layout, a new DAC design, a new power supply, new ground plane shielded circuit boards throughout, and we now can build a complete full function preamplifier combined with our new Vision D to A converter in one economical and functional package.
The Vision DAC/Preamp can be ordered with all of our normal Insight preamplifier options: remote control, an outstanding RIAA phono preamplifier section, buffered tape outputs, built in phase inverter, and soon even balanced line outputs and XLR output hardware.
The Vision DAC/Preamp has all the same functions standard as our great Insight SL preamplifier. The only difference is that the CD input is a direct coax connection in from your CD or DVD/CD digital output. It is built using the same rugged AVA SL chassis.
The base price is $1599, twenty percent less than the separate prices of the new Vision DAC and the Insight SL preamp. Option prices are the same as for the Insight preamp. Vision EC DAC options are not available in this package.
We are saving you hundreds on this great new package and providing you with the best music for the money you have ever heard.
Available right now.
Balanced line output option will be available in about six weeks for $200 extra
Please call me for more details. 651-330-9871
Frank Van Alstine
Hi Frank,
Are you now gonna upgrade this preamp to the newer one.
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I keep noticing threads herein regarding trying to turn a DAC into a preamp too.
We offer the opposite approach; a full function preamp with a built-in high quality DAC.
Scroll back through this thread to learn more about it.
Regards,
Frank Van Alstine
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Hi,
Just wondering whether there are any reviews on this preamp/dac combo or advice from members who have compared it with other products.
Thanks Rod