Thanks Vinnie,
Between back orders, indecision (mine) and customs clearance it has been a long time waiting the SB to arrive.
AC option:
I was wondering if "flicking the switch" gave me a comparison of what the battery supply does (compared to stock) but this is clearly wrong. I'll have to work a bit harder on that one.
I've had them set up for about 3 weeks now and thought i would spend a bit of time before i posted a review.
But really there are so many reviews now that i don't know how important it really is. Plus, I feel like a bit of a phony writing reviews... so I thought i will just add my general impressions... which i will do in a little more detail later.
As a very brief summary:
yes it is true. Vinnie is a very helpful and patient guy. Answered all my questions and reviewed my options for alternative power supplies etc. (I was trying to cut down on shipping weight, tax, duty etc. - in the end i went for all Vinnie's gear)
Unmodded digital out:
I have one SB3 with analogue only mods and one with full mods. So I compared the digital out of the modded and non-modded units. The non modded unit was okay but definitely would not stay in my main set up. Actually i probably wouldn't be happy with it personally for anything but background music. But given the options, it doesn't get my recommendation.
This trial is flawed though - because my full mod unit ran thru the power improvements (with AC option)
Still, the difference was noticeable within about 3 seconds. Day and night.
A comparison of the analogue out versus the digital out - both though the battery Unit AC option:
The Digital out was clearly better and for my listening the only acceptable sound in the main system. the modded analogue out was pretty good though and I will be happy using it it the workroom system.
All i can conclude is that the difference between the non-modded digital out and modded unit ( maybe power upgrade is impt too) is massive and turns a relatively inexpensive server into a serious bit of Hifi.
Main Gear:
Xindak DAC3 ( Eichmann digital cable)
Plinius CD LAD preamp
Plinius SA102 (120 W class A)
Martin Logan CLS2
REL Storm sub.
(cables mostly Slinky Links)
This is the first separate DAC i have used. It is clearly the lowest cost component in my system by a long shot - yet it seems really good. But i have no experience to compare it. It is likely that a DAC60 or benchmark might be better, but that will have wait for more cash. Does anyone else have experience with the Xindak?
If EA (and others) mods to the benchmark DAC make as much difference as RWA mods do to the SB, then I am sold on mods!
Oh yeah, did I say, the full mod SB3 from RWA is awesome!
