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rega dac, cdq, young dac bake off

I'd love to see how a PS PWD would compete. You can get a used one for almost W4S and Calyx on audiogon, so it just might be worthwhile having a look at it.
Does any of the panel people know the PWD? :)
re the Young vs. W4S - don't forget the the W4S can also be used as a preamp, just like the audiolab minus the CD. Would love to know if the pre is as good as the audiolab's.
best regards
André
 
reverendo said:
re the Young vs. W4S - don't forget the the W4S can also be used as a preamp, just like the audiolab minus the CD. Would love to know if the pre is as good as the audiolab's.
best regards
André
Click to expand...

The W4S is DAC1 does not incorporate a pre/volume control - you have to pay £400 more for the W4S DAC2 to get that (£1299). That also has a better inbuilt power supply.
 
anubisgrau said:
is audiolab's pre good? it doesn't seem so from the reviews...
Click to expand...

Hi.

Do you mean general reviews from the hi-fi media or from the bake-off?
If from the bake-off, it was set to 0dB and fed into the Chris's passive.

I also have Naim 252/Supercap to compare, so I can tell you it's right up there and certainly very capable.

Although there are obvious differences of both presentation and resolution between the Naim and the Audiolab, as there also differences between the A and D preamps on the CDQ.

Dave.
 
bcwang said:
For the Rega, which filter setting was preferred and used for comparison and did USB or spdif sound better?
Click to expand...

Filter 5 on the Rega gave a big improvement over filter 2. It inceased the attack on guitar notes for example (they sounded brighter but I think this was correct). However, it seems to do more than just this, making the music more coherent.

SPDIF sounds considerably better than USB. In my system at home, the soundstage detaches from the speakers and it sounds more realistic and driven.

Andy
 
item said:
I've just spoken to the UK distributor who is setting the UK price of the Calyx firmly at £1495, citing high shipping costs and fluctuating exchange rates as the reason for the pound-to-dollar conversion. There are five UK dealers, all of whom have been warned not to discount the product: three are therefore offering free cables as sweeteners.
Click to expand...

In Denmark the price for the Calyx DAC is 1405,41€.
The price for the Rega Dac is a little less than half of that at 675,00€.
The Young DAC costs roughly 960 / 1050€ (with a small discount/without discount)

All prices include 25% VAT. We are a small country with a strong currency, it seems.

Best wishes,
Peter
 
you were comparing the W4S DAC1???? And it sounded 'grown up'? Now I'm DEFINITELY interested in listening to the DAC2, which is the one that has the bells and whistles I'm looking for.
 
Just listening tonight to the 'young' through ...... I dread to say it.... my squeezebox 3 wireless.... (slap the lack of audiophile pretentions!!!)

... and it really makes the SB3 sound loads better. Jeez it's a good Dac.

'' all Dac's sound the same''

.... yeah rite! - in a world where everyone knows how to make a good one...


Can't wait to get a spare laptop/NAS solution working with it, M2 Tech really know their USB, and it sounds soooo good like this...






*edit*
why did everyone jump on the ''cambridge audio'' richer sounds DAC, and yet this awesome Emotiva gets totally ignored?
while I'm asking ''why''....
''why'' haven't we seen magazine reviews of MOST of these DACs in the hifi press?...
especially when, Emotiva, Rega, Young, Calyx - these are clearly products that are doing something special...

I just don't get it sometimes...
thank god for t'internet.
 
bottleneck said:
''why'' haven't we seen magazine reviews of MOST of these DACs in the hifi press?...
Click to expand...
We're doing our part over here, albeit in French... In the latest issue of Son & Image Magazine, we've reviewed the Wyred 4 Sound DAC2, the Atoll 100 and the Audiolab CDQ. Individual reviews unfortunately, no shoot-outs, oops sorry, bake-offs:)

Jan

PS. A hearty thank you to all of you who took the time to travel, listen and write about your impressions. The Calyx and Young DACs are on our radar!
 
janerik said:
We're doing our part over here, albeit in French... In the latest issue of Son & Image Magazine, we've reviewed the Wyred 4 Sound DAC2, the Atoll 100 and the Audiolab CDQ. Individual reviews unfortunately, no shoot-outs, oops sorry, bake-offs:)

Jan

PS. A hearty thank you to all of you who took the time to travel, listen and write about your impressions. The Calyx and Young DACs are on our radar!
Click to expand...

Hi Jan,
any subjective comments as to differences in their presentations, etc.?
best regards
André
 
@bottleneck: That digital cables did you use in the test? The same cable on all the DACs?
In my setup (audiolab cdq8200) coaxial is the best (found a Tara Labs AIR after some test with digital cables), next is async. usb with asio drivers installed and the worst is optical.
On my old very moddet dacmagic the coaxial was still best, then optical and the worst was USB!
 
I'm using a Touch as transport with a Stereovox XV2 digital cable. I'm going to buy a regulated PSU for it, since it made quite a difference with my Duet. That time I used Welborne Labs.
I'm also going to do the soundcheck sw upgrades 2, since I've been using 1 up to now. I hope that it will make the Touch a better transport. Will compare with a Macbook and see what fares better.
best regards
André
 
Slightly off topic, but since you guys have played around with this, can you explain what the different filters in the rega dac do (acoustically)?

They all sound pretty much the same to me. :( :confused:
 
M@ver1ck said:
Slightly off topic, but since you guys have played around with this, can you explain what the different filters in the rega dac do (acoustically)?

They all sound pretty much the same to me. :( :confused:
Click to expand...

Read post #307 dude.

The Rega needs to have been left switched on continuously for about 3 to 4 weeks before the filters begin to sound really different. Use SPDIF rather than DAC too.

Andy
 
arthur said:
Sounds like no one was impressed with the Audiolab?

Or have I misread?
Click to expand...
I had my own bake off with the Young, Audiolab and Rega, I liked the Audiolab but for me the Young ticked all of the boxes.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the young for a couple of months now, I am pressing on towards a PSU upgrade for it.
 
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