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Buffalo II - Assembly for the Electronically Bewildered.

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... but not before I got one! Now I've got to work out how to use it in a dual-mono setup. Looks like I'll need two Legatos, but with the Tridents fitted I'm not sure how it's all going to be powered.

Still, no Tridents or Placids for sale (although I get a Placid with the new Buffalo) so no rush.
 
Tony you've gone buffalo mad :)

How will the mux work in dual mono? I imagine you would want to use the i2s output to the dac's. Can this single output be connected to both i2s inputs on the buffalo's?
 
Today i adjusted properly the Legato - on AVCC was 3,56V on the right and 3,54 on the left channel. I set the DC on Legato inputs at AVCC/2 to ~1,78V and also checked all other voltages and currents on other modules.

It is indeed one very good DAC :) . Now i am thinking about ordering Tridents combo and Volumite, because this Dac is playing very good with a passive pre. Probably Legato can deliver a lot of current, so there is no lack of bass with a passive pre :)
 
LoBo said:
Tony you've gone mad :)

How will the mux work in dual mono? I imagine you would want to use the i2s output to the dac's. Can this single output be connected to both i2s inputs on the buffalo's?
Click to expand...

(Just corrected your quote a bit Rich)

As far as I know, you just siamese the i2S output into both Buffalos; guess you've got to ensure both feeds are the same length etc. One of many things I need to clarify!

My cursory glimpse through the TP forum doesn't reveal any clear overall plans for dual-mono so I'll ask the question over there.
 
I haven't used the MUX yet tomek - not enough power in the Placid for the Buffalo+Tridents+MUX. I think I'll need the high-power Placid when it becomes available.
 
Tony, you could for now, make a simple 5V reg circuit (stripboard or bug build) for the mux using the LM317 datasheet. Essentially just copy the 5V rail on the Gigadac. To make it better you could add a pre reg and even a VBE. You would need a single rail of one of your rectifier boards or combine a simple power supply with the LM317 circuit.

It would be very easy, you could definitely do it just to test the i2s.
 
The Buffalo thread on diyaudio is sooooooo long, i better ask some questions here :)

1. Legato should get from the PS 12V. Has anybody tried higher voltage - 13 or even 14 Volts ? If yes, than how does it affect the sound ?

2. I think that Tridents combo will be my next step and then ? Buffalo dual mono or better invest in two additional BP Placids for Legato ?

Anybody uses Legato with three BP Placids ?
 
After reading some posts on diyaudio i set the voltage for Legato at 14,5 Volt and shunt at 80mA. After doing that, one has to set the DC on the Legato input again.
Sound became little faster, more solid. IMHO it is better ;)
 
tomek said:
Sound became little faster, more solid. IMHO it is better ;)
Click to expand...

Not sure if others will agree, but my feeling is that the Buffalo delivers a fully resolved kind of sound that transcends the old PRAT yardstick and is more musical, fluid and insightful, whilst being way less tiring on the old ears than Naim cdps of old. (When I had my Avondaled CD3 I thought it was fab, and it did work very well, but I wouldn't go back now.)

The musicality of the Buffalo/legato setup, when fully bedded in, is a very good demonstration of what is wrong with most cdps and shows that the engineers who specced red book CD reproduction didn't get it completely wrong after all.

Mark
 
I do agree Mark; the Buffalo has a really special, enjoyable sound quality. Mine's not had a chance to run in properly and I suspect there's more to come.

I'm not good at describing these things without inevitably lapsing into the usual hyperbole and hackneyed phrases but I think the expression "More music than Hi-Fi" is pretty apt.

Personally, I've found the good ol' 16/44s, provided they've been sympathetically recorded and mastered, sound excellent and despite listening to various varieties of "HD" recordings, so far still top the latter.
 
+1 to that, Mark.

I do think this is the asymptote of all sufficiently-good kit though, whether from new designs or refinement of good existing ones. Get to regular 2am disc-pulling, may as well stop modding...


[NB this is not a distributive function: the implication that any piece of kit can be brought to such a state is not true.]
 
Few months ago i compared my Gigaworks DAC with Naim DAC:

http://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/showpost.php?p=1277877&postcount=1159

Today i visited again my friend with my Buffalo :)

Naim DAC has of course :) little better PRAT, but in all other categories Buffalo is better :D:D:D

NDAC is a great DAC, but Buffalo is the KING !

We where four people, three of us preferred Buffalo, only the nDac owner was not convinced and got a red face ;)

My Buffalo is in a basic configuration, i don't want even think, what the future add-ons (Tridents, 2x BP Placids) will bring :cool:
 
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