[2bigears]

  hello all you digi gurus. Is this combo still not a bad set-up ?  I think I have his modded one and cable.  Or is there in this new world a way better dac that would fit right in ?   

[newzooreview]

I used to use a battery-powered Mac Mini with a heavily tweaked operating system with a Tranquility DAC. It sounded very good.

The Mac Mini was locked into the pared-down OS and using newer versions of Audirvana or Roon were not possible. The Tranquility did well with 44.1/16 files, but it didn't handle anything else natively.

Now i have an Intel NUC setup with the free Roon ROCK operating system connected to a Holo May KTE DAC. This is better sounding and more convenient. I retain everything that was good about the dedicated Man Mini setup but add 1) a much more pared down and dedicated operating system that is regularly updated (Roon ROCK); 2) an exceptional USB input on the Holo May DAC that is optically isolated from the USB cable and has a measured jitter of -170dB ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhf9GpGC55w ); 3) everything on a networked drive; 4) all of the convenience of Roon; and 5) much better sound.

The Hollo May presents harmonics, spatial cues, bass, timbre, and overall detail better than the Tranquility DAC and very very naturally. It is very clearly better than the Tranquility DAC. The Holo May also has a true DSD converter that is separate from the primary R2R converter that handles all PCM sample rates. I can stream 512 DSD natively from the Intel NUC to the Holo May where it is properly decoded by a DSD convertor. Most DACs that handle DSD do not actually have a true DSD converter. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa3sOSRa-U0 ). On standard Redbook files, the Holo May is very clearly better than the Tranquility. The cost difference is significant, however.

[JLM]

I second that opinion.  Your setup is quite dated.  Very sleepy sounding.  I picked up a Channel Island Audio DMC-1 streamer/DAC a few months ago which performs Redbook only from Quboz or Tidal very well with in-house software.  Miles ahead of your combo but I'm sure doesn't hold a candle compared to newzooreview's setup.

[genjamon]

Newzooreview, which variant of the Tranquility DAC do you have?  The original, or the SE?  And does it have any upgrades since it was originally manufactured? Eric Hider/dB Audio has continued to tweak the design and offer upgrades/updates.  I owned the original Tranquility when it first came out, then the SE when it became available, and then had the SE upgraded with a number of tweaks in 2013.  Sold it in 2014 to go down the Lampizator rabbit hole, and ended up with a Big 7 with a lot of internal upgrades. 

In 2018 I lost my job and went back to school, so needed to downsize.  I auditioned my old Tranquility SE from the guy I sold it to and was surprised how well it performed compared with the Big 7.  The Big 7 was clearly better in a number of respects, but not in them all.  And the Tranquility SE was very livable and presented what I considered a relative bargain.  So, I sold the Big 7 to recoup some funds, and found a used Tranquility SE for cheap, that I then sent to Eric Hider for the full upgrades.  Have lived with it in my main rig since 2018 and have been pretty happy.  But the May DAC has been on my radar as one of several DACs I'd like to try at some point now that school is over and I'm starting a new career track. 

But I haven't used a Mac Mini since 2014.  Replaced it with a Auralic Aries originally, and then went down the Sonore line of streamers after that.  I have had a Sonore UltraRendu for the last several years, powered by an Uptone Audio LPS-1.2, and connected to the Tranquility SE with an Uptone USPCB connector (no USB cable needed - pretty much a hard-wired connection), running Qobuz through the network, with all network devices powered by either Uptone LPS-1.2 or Vinnie Rossi ultracap power supply.  These network tweaks have all created quite meaningful improvements in the overall sound, and the Tranquility SE has been transparent to all of these network upgrades over the years. 

My point is that I would treat the Mac Mini as a separate proposition from the Tranquility SE.  The Tranquility may or may not be what you ultimately seek, and I certainly won't claim it is a complete giant killer in today's market, where there are so many options and tons of competition at all price points.  But that Mac Mini deserves to be tested against a modern streamer for sure.  The battery power and operating system optimization must help a great deal, but still...  When I did my latest Tranquility SE upgrades in 2018 from Eric, he was still recommending a Mac Mini with his own operating system optimization as the optimal sound for his DAC, and as competitive with anything out there.  But when I asked him what it had been compared to, he didn't say.  And when I asked if he was familiar with the Sonore UltraRendu that it would need to supplant in my system, he hadn't heard of it.  It didn't give me confidence that Eric's Mac Mini had truly been tested against what's out there today. 

So, my recommendation would be to start by auditioning a different source/streamer option than the Mac Mini.  The Tranquility should be transparent enough to let you hear the differences.  And in my experience, you won't truly hear what the DAC does if the computer/streamer/source is creating its own signature through noise.  Once you are sure you have explored low-noise computer source options and have found a good low noise source at your desired price point, then you'll be in a good position to experiment with the DAC side of the equation.  Just my two cents, though, for what it's worth.

[genjamon]

I would add that there are still well-regarded DACs available that are built around the same ancient TDA 1543 DAC chip as used in the Tranquility/SE.  Border Patrol's DAC is an excellent example, and I also noticed this recent and intriguing Sparkler Audio option sold here on AC: https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=178005.0. 

FWIW, I auditioned the Border Patrol DAC against my updated Tranquility SE and it was night/day difference in favor of the Tranquility SE.  Just a way way clearer and more detailed window into the music.  So, implementation matters a great deal, and excellent performance can be had from even a modest ancient R2R chip such as the 1543.  I'd be very interested to compare the Sparkler DAC to Hider's Tranquility SE implementation to hear any differences there as well.

But if you have the original non-SE Tranquility without any updates, I would suggest there are definitely significant improvements out there.  It's been many many years, but based on what I remember of the leap from the Tranquility to the SE, I would not be surprised if the original Tranquility was somewhat competitive on sound with what I heard from the Border Patrol, while the SE steps things up in clarity at the expense of some density of sound (which is really just distortion), and the latest Tranquility updates take the SE to greater levels of refinement.

[newzooreview]

Newzooreview, which variant of the Tranquility DAC do you have?  The original, or the SE?

I had the SE version with subsequent upgrades as you describe. Eric was very helpful and excellent to work with. The Tranquility SE sounds very good, and I still have it and have been meaning to put it up for sale. My comments were in the context of the original question: are there better DACs now?

I think there are better DACs now, but the Tranquility SE will still be enjoyable and competitive for a used price. It does many things well and is always musical.

However, I do think the that a DAC upgrade would provide more potential improvement than keeping the Tranquility and playing with the computer source. The computer source and USB cable can make a difference, but DACs like the Holo May are not picky about the source computer because the USB receiver optically isolates and re-clocks the signal.

The original post didn't mention cost or detailed goals in reviving the digital playback source, so it's hard to pin down feedback.

[genjamon]

Thanks for reply, Newzoo.  While I'm jealous of your May DAC for sure, it's helpful to me to learn that your impressions and comparison are based on the upgraded Tranquility SE.  Gives me greater confidence in wanting to try May DAC eventually. 

As for placing priority on the DAC over source, we may have to just agree to disagree on that one.  I'm firmly of the philosophy that everything matters, and garbage-in-garbage-out.  I get that May DAC and others do many things to try and make USB inputs agnostic to upstream changes, but Audiophilestyle threads are littered with comments from folks who have gone to extensive lengths to reduce noise, reclock, and isolate various digital streams and network functions, and have found that no matter the level of isolation or reclocking, and no matter the proximity to the DAC, there are always benefits to further optimization of the digital source chain.  And I have enough experience trying upgrades in source computers and networks to confirm I hear the kinds of benefits that these folks constantly talk about.  And this is for people who have gone much much farther than I have in terms of optical isolation, sophisticated reclocking of network components, and more.  So while I fully believe that May DAC's USB implementation is awesome, and perhaps state of the art, and while this probably helps a great deal on many fronts, I don't quite believe that it neutralizes issues associated with upstream noise and timing artifacts. 

That said, I suppose if someone has their heart set on a particular DAC, there's no reason not to go for that upgrade first.  But if you're going to do a lot of DAC auditions to choose something, I feel like it's important to have as solid a digital source chain as you can tolerate investing in to make sure you're truly hearing what each DAC is doing. 

[newzooreview]

Yes, I agree that every part of the chain makes a difference. At the outset I used the May DAC with a very high quality coax cable (Stealth Audio Varidig) from a Denafrips Gaia digital transport. It never occurred to me that connecting directly via USB to an Intel NUC with its stock power supply using a 2m USB cable would be comparable to the excellent coax coming from the oven-controlled femto-clocked Gaia. I finally tried the USB connection and it was better. More open, more detail, better bass, better timbre.

I sold the Gaia (and need to sell the coax cable as well).

I got a low-noise linear power supply for the Intel NUC. I heard no difference.
I tried an iFi iSilencer on the Intel NUC USB output. I heard no difference.
I tried an iFi iPurifier3 on the May DAC input. I head no difference.
I have an ISO Regen and Ultracap LPS 1.2 that I could also try, but it hasn't been a priority.
I also have a fan-less case for the Intel NUC that I could move it to, but that also is on the back burner.

When I mentioned my USB experience to Tim at Kitsune, he was not surprised. The designer of the May DAC put a lot of time and thought into the USB input, even developing a field-programmable gate array together with the optically coupled input. It's a custom, in-house design. GoldenSound discusses the technical details and measurements here (he's looking at the new Holo Spring 3 KTE DAC, which uses the same USB input as the May on the KTE version): https://youtu.be/hhf9GpGC55w?t=332

I may try again to make something affect the sound on the Holo May USB input, but for the moment its a settled issue in my system.

[jMelvin]

Haven’t seen the Tranquility mentioned in quite some time! I had mine upgraded with Eric’s Gold Level Mods about 8 years ago and IMO, even by today’s standards, it’s still one fine DAC. In fact, I dusted mine off (again) as the Summer heat was ramping up to use in my main system. I swap out my tube gear for solid state gear every Summer and haven’t really felt compelled to swap it all back yet, so I’m still in solid state mode. I love the sound.

While I think a Tranquility/Mac mini based solution is still capable of making beautiful music, I agree with @genjamon’s opinion on the transport end in particular. If you want to hear what the Tranquility is really capable of it needs to be fed with a purpose-built streamer/renderer. In my experience even the entry-level microRendu is a significant cut above the Mac mini.

For context, prior to the microRendu I used my Tranquility with a Mac mini (2012, quad-core i7, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Amarra, Audirvana, HQPlayer) for several years. Happily, I might add, until the constant cycle of Apple updates breaking something finally pushed me to move on.

The take-away .. replace the Mac mini with a nice streamer and have another listen to the Tranquility, then decide if you need a new DAC.