eXaSound e22
- Thread starter davidavdavid
- Start date
davidavdavid
davidavdavid
Whatsnext
Are you using the lastest HQPlayer for Mac Desktop not the version REQUIRING the Network Adapter. I have been using the Desktop software over the weekend. It is not the most intuitive but it does indeed work. Here are the settings for PCM and DSD for oversampling:
PCM poly sinc NS5 3840000
DSD poly sinc {poly sinc 2s if CPU issues} DSD7 112800000 - if your DAC supports DSD256
it does work and fun to explore/play with
Are you using the lastest HQPlayer for Mac Desktop not the version REQUIRING the Network Adapter. I have been using the Desktop software over the weekend. It is not the most intuitive but it does indeed work. Here are the settings for PCM and DSD for oversampling:
PCM poly sinc NS5 3840000
DSD poly sinc {poly sinc 2s if CPU issues} DSD7 112800000 - if your DAC supports DSD256
it does work and fun to explore/play with
davidavdavid
davidavdavid
Mark,
I dislike JRiver for the MAC on just about every level. The only reason why I used the software was its ability to upsample to DSD128, once I realized that I could accomplish this with HQPlayer there no longer exists the need for JRiver.
Audirvana's interface is still the one to beat. I look forward to advances in its software design and would LOVE to see Audirvana and HQPlayer join forces and come out with killer digital playback software.
I dislike JRiver for the MAC on just about every level. The only reason why I used the software was its ability to upsample to DSD128, once I realized that I could accomplish this with HQPlayer there no longer exists the need for JRiver.
Audirvana's interface is still the one to beat. I look forward to advances in its software design and would LOVE to see Audirvana and HQPlayer join forces and come out with killer digital playback software.
S-Man
StrivingON
just brought it home
it is set up and configured
and was WELL WORTH the wait
after much agonizing and evaluating the e22 has landed safely
i listened and demo'd the Chord Hugo, Mytek 192, M2Tech Young DSD, Auralic Vega, and Wyred4Sound and when it came down to it eXaSound won.
the battle was tough and came down to the wire with the Auralic and Wyred4Sound. What clinched it for me was the following:
1, portability
2, external/universal power supply
3, integration with Apple remote
4, the GLORIOUS sound
i love my dear little FOSTEX HP-A4 to death, but with the e22 in the room, its much like the school bully who pockets your lunch money - NO COMPETITION. That being said the HP-A4 is going to be at home with my desktop computer system and since it powered over USB, i'll take it with me on my travels.
You are famous:
http://www.exasound.com/Blog/tabid/...h-Young-DSD-Auralic-Vega-and-Wyred4Sound.aspx
davidavdavid
davidavdavid
S-Man
am humbled, aw shucks
I HAD NO IDEA THAT WAS GOING TO BE POSTED...NONE WHATSOEVER
am humbled, aw shucks
I HAD NO IDEA THAT WAS GOING TO BE POSTED...NONE WHATSOEVER
For some, the e22's external PSU is a big bonus: I have a customer who chose this DAC specifically because it could be powered by a battery.
Sonically, I think most customers are going to find the £2800 e22 better than the standard £1300 Wyred 4 Sound DAC2-DSD you auditioned. I'm rather pleased it was so close, in fact!
Under other circumstances it would have been good to lend you the £2400 DAC2-DSD Special Edition which is an altogether different animal. I think it would have presented you with a difficult choice: the transatlantic compatibility of the e22 vs the performance of the SE. Good dilemma to have, though: both at the top of the tree right now and flying the flag for DSD.
Sonically, I think most customers are going to find the £2800 e22 better than the standard £1300 Wyred 4 Sound DAC2-DSD you auditioned. I'm rather pleased it was so close, in fact!
Under other circumstances it would have been good to lend you the £2400 DAC2-DSD Special Edition which is an altogether different animal. I think it would have presented you with a difficult choice: the transatlantic compatibility of the e22 vs the performance of the SE. Good dilemma to have, though: both at the top of the tree right now and flying the flag for DSD.
davidavdavid
davidavdavid
To add clarification:
ON PFM in other threads, I mentioned that I was keenly interested in the eXaSound e20 Mk III which is a step down from the e22. And I would have acquired the e20 had it been readily available, but sadly it was not, and I wanted a DAC now!!!
Waiting was not an option and patience is not one of my strong points. And when you get to a certain level as I had in my auditioning process - you can throw technical specs out the window as it comes down to what you can hear and not what you can measure.
If an external PSU and desire to travel with your gear is not as important to you as it is to me then by all means demo and audition Wyred4Sound's offerings as well as the Auralic.
And for those who want a USB powered DAC which supports DSD and can be packed easily run don't walk towards the FOSTEX HP-A4. Am amazed by its versatility.
There are bargains to be had in the world of HiFI - and at £1300 the Wyred4Sound DAC2-DSD can be considered one of them. Another product from Canada btw.
Lastly... I am LOVING the e22 - it sits there and does all that is asked of it
ON PFM in other threads, I mentioned that I was keenly interested in the eXaSound e20 Mk III which is a step down from the e22. And I would have acquired the e20 had it been readily available, but sadly it was not, and I wanted a DAC now!!!
Waiting was not an option and patience is not one of my strong points. And when you get to a certain level as I had in my auditioning process - you can throw technical specs out the window as it comes down to what you can hear and not what you can measure.
If an external PSU and desire to travel with your gear is not as important to you as it is to me then by all means demo and audition Wyred4Sound's offerings as well as the Auralic.
And for those who want a USB powered DAC which supports DSD and can be packed easily run don't walk towards the FOSTEX HP-A4. Am amazed by its versatility.
There are bargains to be had in the world of HiFI - and at £1300 the Wyred4Sound DAC2-DSD can be considered one of them. Another product from Canada btw.
Lastly... I am LOVING the e22 - it sits there and does all that is asked of it
California . . . But hey - it's all good: Hugo, W4S DAC2-SE, exaSound, Vega - state of the art technically (in their price bracket) this year. Hard to go wrong with any of them. And I'm a big fan of the little HPA4 and iFi Nano, too, lower down the food chain. With these converters we are being spoilt.
davidavdavid
davidavdavid
Oversampling with the e22 using Audirvana Plus and HQPlayer3 had yielded some interesting results:
1, if you're going to oversample to DSD256 you need some real fire/horse power in your computer - oversampling to DSD128 using poly-sinc 2s filter on HQPlayer3 somewhat more forgiving and does add to the 16/44 experience - it has to be heard, cannot be described - and then it is a "subjective" call on the part of the listener
2 oversampling in PCM with Audirvana Plus up to 384000 not such a bad thing either, it would appear to a heightened spatial quality, akin to oversampling with DSD
these are merely observations on my part - i implore others to oversample and listen for themselves - harmless fun
1, if you're going to oversample to DSD256 you need some real fire/horse power in your computer - oversampling to DSD128 using poly-sinc 2s filter on HQPlayer3 somewhat more forgiving and does add to the 16/44 experience - it has to be heard, cannot be described - and then it is a "subjective" call on the part of the listener
2 oversampling in PCM with Audirvana Plus up to 384000 not such a bad thing either, it would appear to a heightened spatial quality, akin to oversampling with DSD
these are merely observations on my part - i implore others to oversample and listen for themselves - harmless fun
adamdea
You are not a sound quality evaluation device
It is all good clean fun. What you are doing in effect is outsourcing what your dac would do anyway in terms of upsampling and filtering (unless it is a NOS dac).Oversampling with the e22 using Audirvana Plus and HQPlayer3 had yielded some interesting results:
1, if you're going to oversample to DSD256 you need some real fire/horse power in your computer - oversampling to DSD128 using poly-sinc 2s filter on HQPlayer3 somewhat more forgiving and does add to the 16/44 experience - it has to be heard, cannot be described - and then it is a "subjective" call on the part of the listener
2 oversampling in PCM with Audirvana Plus up to 384000 not such a bad thing either, it would appear to a heightened spatial quality, akin to oversampling with DSD
these are merely observations on my part - i implore others to oversample and listen for themselves - harmless fun
It is possible that the computer/software will do this better than the Dac. In any event it is probably more configurable so you can impose whatever filter you like. I would wonder about any software that did not make the options very clear though.
Clearly (at least in the case of PCM) the effect will depend on the sound of the dac filter which you are taking out of the equation and (but to a far lesser extent unless you are doing something crazy) the filter you are putting in. So you would expect the sonic effect to be somewhat dac and listener dependent
One would expect the biggest effect to be by upsampling to 24/96 (you are now probably taking out the dacs filter around 22Khz and replacing it with the computer/software's. This is as far as i have really bothered, although I briefly fiddled with 24/192) and for each successive increase to have a far lesser effect.
In the case of upsampling to DSD much of the above is true but it's more complicated because it will depend how the dac actually does the conversion of DSD. You may possibly be making the dac chip swap modes from multi-bit delta sigma to single bit conversion, or keeping it in single bit conversion but outsourcing all the work, or you might forcing the dac to reconvert the data back to something else.
Any road up, I think that the option to play around with these things is part of the fun of computer audio.
True: each DAC is a bit of a law unto itself in this regard.
It's interesting that at one end of the scale we have the Schiit Loki built solely for DSD, and at the other the Light Harmonix Da Vinci which is two separate converters in one chassis for bespoke handling of PCM and DSD.
just brought it home
it is set up and configured
and was WELL WORTH the wait
after much agonizing and evaluating the e22 has landed safely
i listened and demo'd the Chord Hugo, Mytek 192, M2Tech Young DSD, Auralic Vega, and Wyred4Sound and when it came down to it eXaSound won.
the battle was tough and came down to the wire with the Auralic and Wyred4Sound. What clinched it for me was the following:
1, portability
2, external/universal power supply
3, integration with Apple remote
4, the GLORIOUS sound
i love my dear little FOSTEX HP-A4 to death, but with the e22 in the room, its much like the school bully who pockets your lunch money - NO COMPETITION. That being said the HP-A4 is going to be at home with my desktop computer system and since it powered over USB, i'll take it with me on my travels.
Hi, which version of Wyred4Sound DAC did you try ?
davidavdavid
davidavdavid
Update: exaSound now getting its due in the UK, it is being distributed by Elite Audio/Audio Emotion.