Better DAC

[JOHN VAN BAVEL]

For my first venture in DACS I bought a Schitt Bifrost . After a fair amount of listening I have a sense of dissatisfaction . When I play Flac files from my computer via the Bifrost it is as if the sound is enclosed and perhaps limited . The sense of spaciousness is just not as great as in the original . This also occurs when i play a cd directly from my cd player and compare it with putting the cd players output via the DAC . I had considered buying a Chord MOJO but would value others opinions as to the best options short of spending a squillion . However sourcing other DACS is not so easy in Australia .

 

[H20GNA]

I think that your issue could be caused by using the USB connection, I have found that (great generalisation) USB does not sound as good as SPDiF via either Coax or toslink.

I would check this before spending money on a different DAC.

Would be good to know what your other equipment is?

Gary

 

[tuga]

For my first venture in DACS I bought a Schitt Bifrost . After a fair amount of listening I have a sense of dissatisfaction . When I play Flac files from my computer via the Bifrost it is as if the sound is enclosed and perhaps limited . The sense of spaciousness is just not as great as in the original . This also occurs when i play a cd directly from my cd player and compare it with putting the cd players output via the DAC . I had considered buying a Chord MOJO but would value others opinions as to the best options short of spending a squillion . However sourcing other DACS is not so easy in Australia .

With which software and on what computer are you playing the FLAC files?
Unfortunately computer playback is not as plug-and-play as it's being sold...

 

[Robn]

Have tried 3 so far: Topping E30; Micromega MyDAC and Chord 2Qute. On my system and to my ears the Topping didn't convey a sense of weight to voices or instruments, it was as though the sound was somehow without substance.

I liked the MyDAC more, it had great energy and flow was a little lightweight with deep bass, also I had to upgrade the firmware to stop it clicking using with Windows 10. Apparently it works better with a Mac set up. If so for the secondhand price of £80 or so it is in this context a bargain.

Then I bought a used Chord 2Qute which I like very much. It presents an organic sense of sound with good flow, excellent dynamics and more detail than the others including good sounstaging (whatever that is!). fFr now I can see no need to change, it isn't far short of my turntable set up.

These impressions are all with a Windows 10 old laptop source connected wirelessly to a Squeezebox Touch operated by an IPeng app on an IPhone. Exposure XXI, XVIIIS and Quad ESL63s.

 

[Ptah]

I think that your issue could be caused by using the USB connection, I have found that (great generalisation) USB does not sound as good as SPDiF via either Coax or toslink.

Depends on the DAC and how well the USB input and circuits are designed. The Rega DAC was better on SPDIF, the Exposure I have now is fantastic on USB using a fairly affordable Atlas USB cable.

 

[foxwelljsly]

Can you run the DAC from a battery or use a toslink cable? I am very much of the opinion that most competent DACs are very, very similar, but coax and usb can introduce earth loops and electrical interference.

 

[foxwelljsly]

Have tried 3 so far: Topping E30; Micromega MyDAC and Chord 2Qute. On my system and to my ears the Topping didn't convey a sense of weight to voices or instruments, it was as though the sound was somehow without substance.

I liked the MyDAC more, it had great energy and flow was a little lightweight with deep bass, also I had to upgrade the firmware to stop it clicking using with Windows 10. Apparently it works better with a Mac set up. If so for the secondhand price of £80 or so it is in this context a bargain.

Then I bought a used Chord 2Qute which I like very much. It presents an organic sense of sound with good flow, excellent dynamics and more detail than the others including good sounstaging (whatever that is!). fFr now I can see no need to change, it isn't far short of my turntable set up.

These impressions are all with a Windows 10 old laptop source connected wirelessly to a Squeezebox Touch operated by an IPeng app on an IPhone. Exposure XXI, XVIIIS and Quad ESL63s.

That surprises me. It was whilst listening to John Martyn's Solid Air streaming lossless from my NAS with a pi & toslink hat into an E30 in pre mode and a Quad QSP and a pairof old Kef 103.2's that I realised I was hearing one of the very finest noises I have ever heard come from any pair of speakers, irrespective of cost. Admitttedly, this was in an absolutely perfect room. I have since had to remove this system and install some Meridian Active monitors as the wife didn't like the Kefs in the living room. :-( That said, the E30 is an astonishing buy. I now have two of them and have sold all my other DACs apart from a Dragonfly.

 

[Robn]

That surprises me. It was whilst listening to John Martyn's Solid Air streaming lossless from my NAS with a pi & toslink hat into an E30 in pre mode and a Quad QSP and a pairof old Kef 103.2's that I realised I was hearing one of the very finest noises I have ever heard come from any pair of speakers, irrespective of cost. Admitttedly, this was in an absolutely perfect room. I have since had to remove this system and install some Meridian Active monitors as the wife didn't like the Kefs in the living room. :-( That said, the E30 is an astonishing buy. I now have two of them and have sold all my other DACs apart from a Dragonfly.

Great that it is working so well for you! Maybe mine was a dud, I bought it new off an ebay supplier and persisted with it for a good few days. Your reaction above mirrors my feelings about listening to music with the 2Qute in the chain.

 

[earlofsodbury]

I've worked my way through a few modern DACs that are compatible with the various high-res music formats, and none of them have proved terribly satisfying. Probably the best of them is the Pro-ject Box Design DAC RS - helped by its valve output stage - but the tweaked Audio Note UK DAC 1.1S I bought recently blows them all into the weeds - so holographic and yet so musical and easy to listen to - all from a hopelessly-obsolete 18-bit DAC chip. Clever bastards, those south coast badgers...

 

[Curtis]

I've worked my way through a few modern DACs that are compatible with the various high-res music formats, and none of them have proved terribly satisfying. Probably the best of them is the Pro-ject Box Design DAC RS - helped by its valve output stage - but the tweaked Audio Note UK DAC 1.1S I bought recently blows them all into the weeds - so holographic and yet so musical and easy to listen to - all from a hopelessly-obsolete 18-bit DAC chip. Clever bastards, those south coast badgers...

Deaf old git!

 

[timpy]

For my first venture in DACS I bought a Schitt Bifrost . After a fair amount of listening I have a sense of dissatisfaction . When I play Flac files from my computer via the Bifrost it is as if the sound is enclosed and perhaps limited . The sense of spaciousness is just not as great as in the original . This also occurs when i play a cd directly from my cd player and compare it with putting the cd players output via the DAC . I had considered buying a Chord MOJO but would value others opinions as to the best options short of spending a squillion . However sourcing other DACS is not so easy in Australia .

I've heard others describe the original Bifrost as "claustrohobic", although I've never had the pleasure myself. I believe they did an "uber" upgrade for the analogue output stage. In fact they may also have done a multibit dac upgrade too. Not sure if it's worth pursuing either of these on the original design though.

If the USB from your PC is raw into the DAC, I've never had any success like that, even using a Chord 2Qute, Topping D90 or DX7Pro. I use a reclocker for USB (and other sources too now), but I bought it specifically to make PC audio the primary source.

 

[Progmeister]

I settled on an NJC reference DAC and glad i did. I auditioned Chord etc and this was a sensible price and sounds excellent. Easy to use too. It sounded every bit as good as the £1900 Chord that i borrowed.

 

[gustav_errata]

I settled on an NJC reference DAC and glad i did. I auditioned Chord etc and this was a sensible price and sounds excellent. Easy to use too. It sounded every bit as good as the £1900 Chord that i borrowed.

That's the one that I'm looking to buy one day, too. Unfortunately, it looks like OP is in Australia and NJC only ships within the UK.

 

[Robn]

I settled on an NJC reference DAC and glad i did. I auditioned Chord etc and this was a sensible price and sounds excellent. Easy to use too. It sounded every bit as good as the £1900 Chord that i borrowed.

That sounds amazing & great to support a small personable company. May I ask which Chord DAC you compared it with?

 

[Progmeister]

It was a Hugo 2.

 

[Progmeister]

That sounds amazing & great to support a small personable company. May I ask which Chord DAC you compared it with?

Hugo 2

 

[Brian S]

That surprises me. It was whilst listening to John Martyn's Solid Air streaming lossless from my NAS with a pi & toslink hat into an E30 in pre mode and a Quad QSP and a pairof old Kef 103.2's that I realised I was hearing one of the very finest noises I have ever heard come from any pair of speakers, irrespective of cost. Admitttedly, this was in an absolutely perfect room. I have since had to remove this system and install some Meridian Active monitors as the wife didn't like the Kefs in the living room. :-( That said, the E30 is an astonishing buy. I now have two of them and have sold all my other DACs apart from a Dragonfly.

I am using an E30 alongside two Chords and a Mytek Brooklyn with great satisfaction.

 

[H20GNA]

Can you run the DAC from a battery or use a toslink cable? I am very much of the opinion that most competent DACs are very, very similar, but coax and usb can introduce earth loops and electrical interference.

Yes you can use a battery pack depending upon input voltage Topping E30 = 5v.

Gary