[restrav]

oh for reference this is my current setup:

Audeze LCD-2F and LCD-2 Classic | Sennheiser HD6XX | Sennheiser HD599 | Superlux 668B (Brainwavz XL) | Monoprice Retro (Sheepskin Angled) | Vmoda Crossfade LP | Marantz MPH-2 (Brainwavz Angled)
DAC/AMPS: Audio-gd NFB-1AMP | Denafrips Ares |

aLL BALANCED with the Audeze and senn and Se with the rest.

[maty]

I only have a cheap chinese Takstar ts-670, tweaked by me (much better sound). I prefer to listen to the music with my cheap tweaked KEF Q100 coaxial speakers (I LOVE them).

ifi Micro iCAN v2 and with AVR Marantz SR4500, both cheap tweaked.

USB DAC: ODAC, cheap tweaked.

*********** ***********

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=157417.msg1686754#msg1686754

[IMG] http://maty.galeon.com/WP-imagenes/foobar2000/foobar2000-Nusrat-Fateh-Ali-Khan-Qawwal-party.png

[restrav]

Maybe but after I read this other review I have big doubts with the DAC performance.

Review and Measurements of Audio-gd NFB-27.38 DAC and Headphone Amplifier

https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-and-measurements-of-audio-gd-nfb-27-38-dac-and-headphone-amplifier.2486/


http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/NFB-27.38/NFB27.38EN.htm

USD1688 (Exclude shipping cost ,With remote control) >> USD350 (Exclude shipping cost), AGD R2R11

also these masurements are so comically bad that i am suspicious.

[restrav]

I only have a cheap chinese Takstar ts-670, tweaked by me (much better sound). I prefer to listen to the music with my cheap tweaked KEF Q100 coaxial speakers (I LOVE them).

ifi Micro iCAN v2 and with AVR Marantz SR4500, both cheap tweaked.

USB DAC: ODAC, cheap tweaked.

*********** ***********

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=157417.msg1686754#msg1686754

[IMG] http://maty.galeon.com/WP-imagenes/foobar2000/foobar2000-Nusrat-Fateh-Ali-Khan-Qawwal-party.png

i have extensive expereince with both ifi iDAC and ODAC and both of them are remarkably less refined than r2r11.

[maty]

Off course. After my cheap tweaks they sound better. I always look for the weaknesses and try to solve them by spending as little as possible. I like the hardware porn. 

I am aware that the ODAC is the last? bottleneck. That is why, after buying a new amplifier, I had planned to buy the RME ADI-2 DAC. And then, after a while, build the DIY Aksa's Lender preamp, setting the level of the H2 that I liked the most. All connected in balanced, with star quad cables and good but not audiophile connectors.

But I have not bought the planned poweramp, so ...

[wushuliu]

IMO, from my experience, a modded ODAC (the original, not the newer 'OL DAC') will at best sound like the old 2012 Dragonfly. There are $30 Dacs that sound better now (IMO). That's a heck of a bottleneck.

[maty]

- Off topic -

If you listen to my second system, so cheap, you can not believe how good the music sounds. That such small boxes, 5 ", perform so well with an orchestral mass does not cease to amaze me.

Off course, the condition must be that the voltage does not reach 238 Vac, because then the sound is quite another, to turn off the equipment.

There is another very important factor to get an excellent sound, which very few take into account: optimize the operating system and software players for a better sound / image. Well, if the computer is the source.

- End off topic -

[maty]

One words more.

What is the point of using a better, more expensive DAC, if we do not have optimized the soft?

By the way, one of the weakness of the ODAC, like many others USB DAC (cheap and expensive) is to work with a noisy USB power.

Instead of spending more money on a specific power supply, I decided to try to better filter the noise that arrives (one of my tweaks).

My computer has a silent PSU with big fan, that has low ripple at 5Vdc (USB). From Germany, Bequiet! And cheap.

You know, specs, measures, maths... are things that I have very much in mind before I spend the money. If I have a doubt, I do not buy.

[restrav]

my psu is no fan (100% silent) 1000W Seasonic X series and massively overbuilt and overspec still my USB noisy as hell. also whatever i did to foobar was not as impactful as switching to jriver. i dont know how but it sounds so much better specially for DSD.

[maty]

< € 50 years ago.

https://www.kitguru.net/components/power-supplies/zardon/bequiet-pure-power-l8-400w-review/all/1/

Look at AC Ripple (mV p-p) table.

That' is why I bought it, for silent and low ripple at 5V. And for being German (and not a cheap generic SMPS).

[restrav]

so I am A/Bing the $888 Denafrips Ares and the $28 Signstek DAC. I like te enafrips a lot but damn this Signstek is good. it gets the tonality right and that what really matters. wushu knows whats up

[Tomy2Tone]

so I am A/Bing the $888 Denafrips Ares and the $28 Signstek DAC. I like te enafrips a lot but damn this Signstek is good. it gets the tonality right and that what really matters. wushu knows whats up

Have you had a chance to try the Ares in your stereo system, or any of the other dacs you’ve auditioned? I’ve been looking at the Ares as a possible second dac.

[restrav]

Ares is excellent (good all around with excellent bass, both impact and finesse) but i still would take R2R11 at less than half the price. its midrange is thicker and meatier. i prefer that sound. no all my testing with the variety of headphones. all my speakers are packed in boxes and my amplifier is sold as the renovations are still going on and i have no space.

[Tomy2Tone]

Gotcha, thanks for the reply!

[bungles]

I currently am using LCD2c's with a Chord Mojo and absolutely love the sound.  I was curious since I am also considering moving to a different amp, did you try using the Chord Mojo as just a DAC and use the Audio-gd as an amp only?  I'm curious if that combo would be killer or not.

[Kalvo]

First of all, I am looking for reviews on the R2R-1 and I stumbled upon this thread, so I decided to leave my 2 cents as I own the R2R-11. I only have two pairs of headphones ( I am not really a headphone guy) Senn HD598 and Phillips SHP 9500 - both for then I cannot play the music on the stereo because wife needs a break from my annoying noise.

So! I had the Schiit Uber as DAC before as my first "real" DAC. I had no idea this could improve so much digital sound (never got a sweet sounding CD player really - I did not believe it was possible and I was not willing to drop 2k + for a CD player), and I gave it away to a friend so he could find out for himself. Schiit Modi is a steal. Anyways, I wanted to get multibit DAC to see the difference, but I also wanted to try DSD (as digital came back under the radar big time), so I didn't go for the Multibit from Schiit due to the incompatibility there. As a result, I got the Chord 2Qute and it was a great improvement over the Modi. However, 10 times the price for an improvement on timbre sounded ridiculous, but I kept it against all odds. I was charmed by the sound of wood against wood, or flutes the DAC was portraiting. However, I was not quite happy with the sound I was getting out of the headphones as I was becoming spoiled. I decided to find my self a DAC + Headphone amp... and I wanted to retain the DSD capabilities. This is how I got the R2R-11. Now, my headphones sound really nice now (it's been about a year with it) to the point I tried to focus on drawing or painting, but it's very hard sometimes... I find myself zoning out into the recording... it's so mellow and the soundstage is just nice. Now, this is where it gets interesting. The DAC happen to have RCA outputs and an option for Fixed output, so I figured I will test it on the stereo gear.

Results? I sold the Chord 2Qute in a heartbeat. The membranes of the drums, the inner detail of the cymbals, the decay on the echoes... This R2R from Audio GD is fantastic. I mean, I listen to almost anything and everything, but it is because the R2R-11 I am finally engaging fully into classical music. Salsa, Latin Jazz, Afrobeat is exhilarating! I enjoy mostly rock, punk, and raw metal... but since I got the R2R-11 I am heavily tipping over my listening sessions towards those recordings I rarely play, and I found myself getting to buy a lot more Audiophile music because the experience is fantastic! Is that good, if anyone wonders. When I am home alone I take the extra hassle to set the speakers based on Cardas Nearfield setup specs just because the timbre is so nice it's absolutely worth to rearrange the living room for couple hours (before the wife returns and beheads me - Although she also tried once and she was floored with the experience, but no-one wants to walk around expensive speakers and wires. Actually, I quote: "If we move, we might want a studio where we can have the stereo set like this. This is so cool!").

I am looking for reviews on the R2R-1 because I want to know if the "upgrade" is worth the extra buck... If Audio GD R2R-11 is good? For the price is unbelievable. Whoever says it's crap I have no idea what music they listen to. Chamber music, live acoustic performances, and dynamic music is just delightful. Poor production never was so boring. Oh, and well produced Electronic music is very "trippy". Little sounds float all around the wall... great DAC. I cannot picture anyone being unhappy with it.