The dB Audio Labs Tranquility DAC - Wow!

srb · « **Reply #580 on:** 10 Oct 2010, 01:01 pm »

Quote from: 2bigears on 10 Oct 2010, 12:27 pm

....do you really need to take out the IR controller ?? does that mean no ipod for a remote. ????

The iPod uses Wi-Fi wireless networking for remote control, not IR.

Steve

bhobba · « **Reply #581 on:** 10 Oct 2010, 01:03 pm »

Quote from: 2bigears on 10 Oct 2010, 12:27 pm

it's going to sound better ???? i still have the mini-tranq dac in 'hohum' set-up.i thought it sounded really good.will have to get the pure music going .do you really need to take out the IR controller ?? does that mean no ipod for a remote.????

Nope. I haven't done that and it sounds awesome. You simply do what Eric recommends.

Thanks
Bill

2bigears · « **Reply #582 on:** 10 Oct 2010, 01:13 pm »

thks Steve,Bill.by ho-hum i mean i have not got pure music--hog mode yet,behind the times as per normal.my little mini-tranq is still standard outta the box state.still the best digi i have ever heard.

need to call a friend-mobile shout-out,call Eric for the latest i quess ????

don't reallt know what i am missing but let me tell ya,if this digital gets even better,i am selling my turntable,hehe....

truant · « **Reply #583 on:** 11 Oct 2010, 06:53 am »

While I had performed Eric's software tweaks at the time they were presented I had not disabled Spotlight. I thought I had disabled it but had only unchecked items in Preferences. I've been researching methods for disabling it but after finding numerous versions and getting a bit spooked I happened upon SPOTLESS shareware. It allows you to turn Spotlight off (and on) with just the press of a button.
A noticeable difference now that it is actually off. Another veil has been lifted.

bhobba · « **Reply #584 on:** 11 Oct 2010, 09:16 am »

I headed down to Mike Lenehan's place (the maker of ML1's) to check out the Tranquility with PM on his reference system. I was hopeful it may now pip the prototype of the DAC he and an acquaintance is working on, the PDX. But they had made a few changes to it that lifted it top another level and it wasn't to be - it still was better. It must be pointed out it is also more expensive. The signature is the PDX's more natural competitor.

We verified PM in hog mode was better. However we noticed a couple of things - first for some reason Itunes was louder which really should not happen if it is bit perfect. Which is not bit perfect who knows. Secondly it took on a 'cold' character and Mike thought it may have been a bit grungy. I really couldn't hear the grunge thing but the coldness was there for sure. I will have to give Eric a ring to check out whats going on.

Thanks
Bill

Bigfish · « **Reply #585 on:** 11 Oct 2010, 12:05 pm »

I took my Mac Mini/Tranquility System to a local audio G2G on Saturday Evening where we compared 6 different, popular DACs. All ICs were JPS Superconductor 3's and PCs were also JPS. The preamp was an Audio Research Ref 3 and the amp was a Moscode 402 AU. All power connections except the amp were into an Equi=Tech Power Conditioner.

No, The Tranquility was not considered to be the best sounding DAC but the one that was considered the winner lists for double the Tranquilities $1495.00 list price. This comment written by one of the attendees accurately describes the reaction toward the Tranquility:

Quote

Most of the rest of night centered around various DACs. Ken's Tranquility/Mac mini was a very winning combination. Perhaps giving up the last bit of detail, but sounding smooth, relaxed and extremely listenable. It was almost like listening to an LP.

If you wish to read more comments about the various gear and DACs you can see them here: http://www.audionervosa.com/index.php?topic=2497.30

The Tranquility/Mac Mini system just makes music that is a pure joy to hear, making you think you are listening to vinyl. I am excited about the new SE Version and don't really know why except for the nervosa of this hobby.

Ken

ted_b · « **Reply #586 on:** 11 Oct 2010, 03:46 pm »

Good stuff Ken. I'm amazed the Zodiac Plus was even listenable at 20 hrs break in. That DAC is glorious, but not until 200 hours plus (others who have it will attest). Until then it is harsh, flat and midfi. Over 200 hours...wow! (but also 2x the price of the Tranquility standard). Look forward to hearing Eric's DAC soon.

bhobba · « **Reply #587 on:** 11 Oct 2010, 03:47 pm »

Quote from: Bigfish on 11 Oct 2010, 12:05 pm

The Tranquility/Mac Mini system just makes music that is a pure joy to hear, making you think you are listening to vinyl. I am excited about the new SE Version and don't really know why except for the nervosa of this hobby.

Thanks for posting that. I think you found out exactly what we found out with both the Trsainquility and the WFS DAC2. The Tranquilty is compeditive against anything but some more expensive and/or heavily tricked out competition may have a slight edge. The SE version will be a fairer match for that sort of stuff. The WFS is impressive in a Hi Fi sense but just like you we found it cold, uninvolveing, and with a slight problem in the upper midrange such that 'The Wyred 4 Sound was surprising to me, in that it immediately sounded pretty harsh, on all inputs'. However I would not have said 'pretty harsh' simply a bit harsh on occasion.

I gave Eric a ring about the coldness thing and he thinks it's a power supply issue - maybe because we had the Mac Mini plugged into power conditioning which is not recommended.

Thanks
Bill

dBe · « **Reply #588 on:** 11 Oct 2010, 04:04 pm »

Quote from: bhobba on 11 Oct 2010, 03:47 pm

Thanks for posting that. Is think you found out exactly what we found out with both the Trsainquility and the WFS DAC2. The Tranquilty is compeditive against anything but some more expensive and/or heavily tricked out competition may have a slight edge. The SE version will be a fairer match for that sort of stuff. The WFS is impressive in a Hi Fi sense but jusy like you we fond it cold, uninvolveing, and with a slight problem in the upper midrange such that 'The Wyred 4 Sound was surprising to me, in that it immediately sounded pretty harsh, on all inputs'. However I would not have said 'pretty harsh' simply a bit harsh on occasion.

I gave Eric a ring about the coldness thing and he thins its a power supply issue - maybe because we had the Mac Mini plugged into power conditioning which is not recommended.

Thanks
Bill

The Tranquility DAC does not like conditioners, to be sure. The designer did his homework on the power supply in the Tranquility and it does not need one to sound great. Kind of a bummer for me being the UberBUSS guy and all.

The Signature will be a different thing, though. Power cables and good conditioners "should" have more of an effect either positevely or negatively. We will soon see. I have one coming.

Dave

Bigfish · « **Reply #589 on:** 11 Oct 2010, 04:24 pm »

Quote

The Tranquility DAC does not like conditioners, to be sure. The designer did his homework on the power supply in the Tranquility and it does not need one to sound great.

Double darn, I don't know why I did not know plugging the Tranquility into a Power Conditioner could degrade its performance. All of the DACs that we evaluated were plugged into an Equi=Tech.

I think everyone that visits the Audio Forums realize that many factors influence how we feel about any piece of gear when we have shoot=out comparisons. There were some new, highly regarded DACs we were fortunate to have the opportunity to compare at Richidoo's on Saturday Evening. We tried our best to compare each DAC providing each with its best potential to sound its best (in that room with that particular gear). I linked to our results but I hope no one will take these results as absolute.

Ken

dBe · « **Reply #590 on:** 11 Oct 2010, 05:12 pm »

Quote from: Bigfish on 11 Oct 2010, 04:24 pm

Double darn, I don't know why I did not know plugging the Tranquility into a Power Conditioner could degrade its performance. All of the DACs that we evaluated were plugged into an Equi=Tech.

I think everyone that visits the Audio Forums realize that many factors influence how we feel about any piece of gear when we have shoot=out comparisons. There were some new, highly regarded DACs we were fortunate to have the opportunity to compare at Richidoo's on Saturday Evening. We tried our best to compare each DAC providing each with its best potential to sound its best (in that room with that particular gear). I linked to our results but I hope no one will take these results as absolute.

Ken

The base Tranquility has a resonance filter built into it that is like a mini-Power Factor Correction circuit for the want of a better term. CorComs, shunt filters and such screw with this filter and degrade the sound.

It is all about synergy.

Dave

bhobba · « **Reply #591 on:** 12 Oct 2010, 01:20 am »

Quote from: dBe on 11 Oct 2010, 04:04 pm

The Tranquility DAC does not like conditioners, to be sure. The designer did his homework on the power supply in the Tranquility and it does not need one to sound great. Kind of a bummer for me being the UberBUSS guy and all. The Signature will be a different thing, though. Power cables and good conditioners "should" have more of an effect either positevely or negatively. We will soon see. I have one coming.

I too have a signature coming that I will be checking against the PDX which is expected to have completed its first production run soon. That will be a fairer comparison because the PDX is more expensive and tricked out with stuff such as hellishly expensive, but hellishly good, Duelund capacitors. However I expect the coolness was more caused by the Mac Mini being plugged into a conditioner than the Tranquility. Eric specifically warned me about that. We have tried the Tranquility before and never noticed that and it certainly does not occur in my system - only on the reference system we used. The Mac Mini plugged into the conditioner was the only thing I could think of that was different.

Thanks
Bill

dBe · « **Reply #592 on:** 12 Oct 2010, 01:43 am »

Quote from: bhobba on 12 Oct 2010, 01:20 am

I too have a signature coming that I will be checking against the PDX which is expected to have completed its first production run soon. That will be a fairer comparison because the PDX is more expensive and tricked out with stuff such as hellishly expensive, but hellishly good, Duelund capacitors. However I expect the coolness was more caused by Mac Mini being plugged into a conditioner than the Tranquility. Eric specifically warned me about that. We have tried the Tranquility before and never noticed that and it and certainly does not occur in my system - only on the reference system we used. The Mac Mini plugged into the conditioner was the only thing I could think of that was different.

Thanks
Bill

Bill, I think we are all going to learn a lot about the Tranquility/Signature/MAC Mini this weekend at RMAF. There is nothing like the hellish environment of an audio show to bring out the worst and best in things.

Stay tuned.

Dave

jkelly · « **Reply #593 on:** 12 Oct 2010, 09:19 pm »

Going back to the Mac Tweaks.

Can I have a user account that has all the "stuff" removed
and another user account that is the Apple stock setup?

This would help in using the Mini for other tasks.

Jeff

Mariusz · « **Reply #594 on:** 12 Oct 2010, 11:15 pm »

Sorry for a bit of topic question.....

But did anyone had a chance to compare db Tranquility to Wyred 2 DAC

I know that db is dedicated USB DAC and should perform better but wonder how good is Wyred USB reproduction. It certainly is more feature loaded but I am more interested in its USB conversion.

Thanks in advance

tvyankee · « **Reply #595 on:** 12 Oct 2010, 11:20 pm »

hey,

i have not heard either one myself but i have read some stuff that says that they said they liked the db dac better.

just saying what i read. take it for what its worth.

ted_b · « **Reply #596 on:** 12 Oct 2010, 11:27 pm »

Quote from: Mariusz on 12 Oct 2010, 11:15 pm

Sorry for a bit of topic question.....
But did anyone had a chance to compare db Tranquility to Wyred 2 DAC
I know that db is dedicated USB DAC and should perform better but wonder how good is Wyred USB reproduction. It certainly is more feature loaded but I am more interested in its USB conversion.

Thanks in advance

?? Mariusz, have you read this thread? Bill (Bhobba) has many many posts about the Tranquility and the Wyred DAC, and just a few posts above yours Ken has a link to a thread about a dac shootout where the Wyred was compared to the Tranquility. They are compared all over this thread..

Mariusz · « **Reply #597 on:** 12 Oct 2010, 11:36 pm »

Quote from: ted_b on 12 Oct 2010, 11:27 pm

?? Mariusz, have you read this thread? Bill (Bhobba) has many many posts about the Tranquility and the Wyred DAC, and just a few posts above yours Ken has a link to a thread about a dac shootout where the Wyred was compared to the Tranquility. They are compared all over this thread..

Sorry Ted.
I read first few pages long ago and very randomly there after. If it is in this thread, I'll find it.

Thanks

highfilter · « **Reply #598 on:** 12 Oct 2010, 11:39 pm »

Quote from: Mariusz on 12 Oct 2010, 11:15 pm

Sorry for a bit of topic question.....
But did anyone had a chance to compare db Tranquility to Wyred 2 DAC
I know that db is dedicated USB DAC and should perform better but wonder how good is Wyred USB reproduction. It certainly is more feature loaded but I am more interested in its USB conversion.

Thanks in advance

You can look at bhobba's posts, he has compared them both and made quite a few comparisons between them (heh, Ted beat me to it). He preferred the Tranquility over the W4S DAC-2 because it was absent of any sibilance and was more liquid and smooth sounding. One of the most common things I hear about the Tranquility is how smooth and liquid it is, with no traces of digital glare.

I have a Signature Edition Tranquility on its way over here, and I currently own the Wyred4Sound DAC-2 - so look forward to a head-to-head comparison fairly soon. I know the Tranquility SE is more expensive than the DAC-2, but it should be interesting noting the differences anyway.

Regarding the W4S DAC-2 USB... I was using a Black Cat cable from the Logitech Squeezebox Touch to the W4S DAC-2 before and it was sounding good. I then bought a Mac Mini and used the W4S DAC-2's USB connection. It wasn't even close to being as good as the Black Cat cable to the Squeezebox Touch. I was using a generic USB cable from Monoprice. So I thought I'd try the Essential USB cable from dB Audio Labs - and that really pushed it up in performance. So well, in fact, that it was quite a bit better than the Black Cat / Squeezebox Touch combo. I no longer use a Squeezebox. After all the reviews and the impressions from the USB cable, I contacted Eric and ordered a Signature Edition Tranquility because I have to try this thing out.

From my experience, the best sound I got from the W4S DAC-2 was using a high quality USB cable with a Mac Mini as a source. And since I am only going to use USB, it makes sense to try a product where they focus on a very high quality implementation of USB and get the most performance possible. Another thing I learned about the W4S DAC-2 was that it benefits quite greatly from isolation and damping. I just tried putting a 2.5lb weight on top of the chassis and it brought more focus and meat to the mid-range, and cleaned up the high freq. a bit. Something from Herbie's Audio Lab should kick it up a few notches. I heard this was not essentially the case for the Tranquility as it has been built to already have good isolation and damping, but it depends on each person's setup most likely.

Hope this helps and sorry to derail into W4S comments in a Tranquility thread.

Bigfish · « **Reply #599 on:** 13 Oct 2010, 12:09 am »

Quote from: Mariusz on 12 Oct 2010, 11:15 pm

Sorry for a bit of topic question.....
But did anyone had a chance to compare db Tranquility to Wyred 2 DAC
I know that db is dedicated USB DAC and should perform better but wonder how good is Wyred USB reproduction. It certainly is more feature loaded but I am more interested in its USB conversion.

Thanks in advance

If you wish to read more comments about the various gear and DACs you can see them here: http://www.audionervosa.com/index.php?topic=2497.30