Author Topic: Sari-saring setup... (Read 148982 times)

mbtorn · « **Reply #600 on:** Jun 01, 2015 at 10:52 PM »

Ganda! The new rack blends well with the speakers and furniture for a clean, nice set up.

sientobente · « **Reply #601 on:** Jun 02, 2015 at 09:52 PM »

Quote from: mbtorn on Jun 01, 2015 at 10:52 PM

Ganda! The new rack blends well with the speakers and furniture for a clean, nice set up.

Thanks for the kind words Boss Marlon

sientobente · « **Reply #602 on:** Jun 06, 2015 at 10:11 PM »

Sir Rex of Watts Hifi generously lent me 2 5-star DACs reviewed (no pun intended!) in What Hifi - The Rega DAC and the NAD D1050 DAC. He also lent me the Xindak XF500E Power Conditioner to see if it will fix the quality of electricity going into my gears(more of this later.) I bought a Trebutaries Optical Cable and an Audioquest Toslink adapter to test these DACs out. I also plan to use my Musiland USB cable to maximize the NAD DAC, this is because 24/192 only runs via USB on NAD while optical only runs at 24/96. The Rega though is quite the opposite where it runs 24/192 on optical then just 16/44 on USB.

Sorry for the pics, was excited to test these gears out.

Got home at around 4PM today, only got to test the Xindak Power Conditioner and partially gone through the Rega DAC. I'd probably post a reply for each reviewed gear since I intend to fully test all of them

Gears used:
Rega DAC - 36k
NAD D1050 - 26k
Xindak XF500E - 6.5k
Trebutaries Optical Cable - 1.55k
Audioquest Toslink adapter - 435 pesos
Musiland USB cable - free from my other DAC

Ginabi na sa kaka-audition

RXV · « **Reply #603 on:** Jun 06, 2015 at 10:34 PM »

Good luck sa pagpuyat

Give us your impressions soon

sientobente · « **Reply #604 on:** Jun 06, 2015 at 10:35 PM »

Review 1 - Xindak XF500E Power Conditioner

One of the problems in condo living is the quality of electricity you are getting. In my condo, voltage runs from 230 to 245v. My Luxgen AVR has already taken care of that. I also installed a Panther surge protector for additional peace of mind. Still, I am encountering a problem where my audio equipment is very sensitive to power fluctuations. For example, if I switch a light here, my freezer defrosts or as simple as me turning the fan on, a cracking sound can be heard from my speakers. It probably has clipped and it's a scary thought.

Since the usual combo of AVR/Surge Protector didn't work. I had to ask Sir Rex if he can recommend something to help me with this problem. He told me about the Xindak Power conditioner. I know, some might think that these types of accessories are some sort of snake oil but since it was offered as a home audition, I got nothing to lose.

The Xindak XF500E cost P6,500. Too expensive for a fancy surge protector I tought. It has 4 sockets where 2 were labeled for power amps, then another 2 for preamp/accessories. Since I got 2 integrated amps to use for the review and 2 DACs, I plugged them all into the Xindak for an easy A/B testing.

Upon turning my system on. I tried the usual suspects that causes that distortion on my speakers. Turned the AC on, nope, no noise, Turned those high-wattage bulbs on, none. Turned my fan on and cranked the speed up and down, nope, still no noise. Could this mean that the Xindak Power Conditioner was working? I can confidently say YES. After this test, I am now placing my order through Watts Hifi

sientobente · « **Reply #605 on:** Jun 06, 2015 at 10:37 PM »

Quote from: RXV on Jun 06, 2015 at 10:34 PM

Good luck sa pagpuyat
Give us your impressions soon

Hahaha, masayang puyat ito Master

Courage · « **Reply #606 on:** Jun 06, 2015 at 10:56 PM »

Quote from: sientobente on Jun 06, 2015 at 10:37 PM

Hahaha, masayang puyat ito Master

Congrats master on your new DAC he he he...

sientobente · « **Reply #607 on:** Jun 06, 2015 at 11:19 PM »

Review 2 - Rega DAC(not the DAC-R)

(Again, sorry for the crappy pic. Low light + iPhone = disaster)

Probably putting this as a placeholder for the Rega DAC since I am not fully done reviewing it. The kit is pretty bare. It only contains a power cord. No other cables or a remote. A remote though would be nice to be able to switch sources easily plus to be able to browse through each filter effortlessly(The new Rega DAC-R now gets a remote though).

Setting the DAC is easy as it is just plug n' play. It was more difficult to setup my Macbook Pro to play my high-res music. At first I was just using VLC. The DAC seems to detect the right resolution, but then it does not seem to do so consistently because it locks up at a certain resolution. I now started to look for a software that can let me select the correct output for each file. Amarra and JRiver unfortunately are paid softwares. Foobar isn't available in Mac. Good thing JRiver offers a free sample that does not have a GUI but just a top bar menu. So I downloaded JRiver to play these music on my Mac.

Another problem that I just learned was all Macbooks released before 2013 have their optical out limited to 24/96. My Macbook is a 2011 model. Fortunately, my wife has a 2015 Macbook Pro which I was able to test my 24/192 files.

The sound? Let me talk about the filters first. The Rega DAC has 5 of them and they offer a bit of it's own character:
Filter 1 - Sharper highs but faster roll off in that area
Filter 2 - Slower sound. A review mentioned that this filter has more echo and reverb which I agree.
Filter 3 - Sounds more balanced than the previous 2, and is faster than Filter 2.
Filter 4 - This is actually my favorite. Midrange presence is very fluid and musical.
Filter 5 - Has the flattest sound.

I always associated the Rega house sound as laid back and very tube-like in dynamics. I find the same sonic character here. It sounds warm and lush, but what really stood out was the midrange. Matched with my Sonus Faber Toy Monitors(powered by my Cambridge Amp) the vocals were just fluid and engaging.

Aside from testing the DAC in Music I also tried it in Movies. Crazy? Actually let me explain. On my Macbook, I use a 3.5mm jack-to-RCA cable. This is because my integrated amp that I use does not have HDMI ports. For low quality movies(1 to 3GB) it works fine, but large movies where it was DD/DTS encoded(10GB up) there's distortion in the bass area and sometimes the upper frequency region. I am beginning to think it's the limitation of the cable I am using. Turns out I am correct. One of my reference movies was a remuxed Interstellar movie I got. At the very beginning of the movie while the ship was bursting through the sky or the galaxy(wherever it is), bass distortion was highly audible. Now, using the Rega DAC, this type of distortion has been completely eliminated. The movie sounds really well. Even when running a 2.1 system, layering of the sound has been great. The background effects were well separated from the foreground dialogue of the characters. What is noticeable too was the improvement in bass. I run a dimunitive REL T5 on this setup. Watching this movie made my sub more pronounced. Actually, really loud even. I got too embarassed to run this on normal listening levels because it is already late at night and I don't want to get the ire of the neighbors.

Will continue the review next time when I get more time...

sientobente · « **Reply #608 on:** Jun 06, 2015 at 11:20 PM »

Quote from: Courage on Jun 06, 2015 at 10:56 PM

Congrats master on your new DAC he he he...

Still on auditioning mode as of this time idol. Ganda nga magkaroon ng comparison vs your Teac and Marantz DACs.

cyberdraven · « **Reply #609 on:** Jun 07, 2015 at 09:14 AM »

Nice one doc. Does those dac upsample? Anung sonic character ng rega at nad? Neutral leading to warm ba?

mykel18 · « **Reply #610 on:** Jun 07, 2015 at 11:26 AM »

DAC R na ba yan?

Courage · « **Reply #611 on:** Jun 07, 2015 at 11:35 AM »

Quote from: cyberdraven on Jun 07, 2015 at 09:14 AM

Nice one doc. Does those dac upsample? Anung sonic character ng rega at nad? Neutral leading to warm ba?

REGA is a Non Sampling DAC..

Rega + NAd, maganda brader.. Yan yung DAC ko dati connected to NAD..

Courage · « **Reply #612 on:** Jun 07, 2015 at 11:35 AM »

Quote from: mykel18 on Jun 07, 2015 at 11:26 AM

DAC R na ba yan?

Wala pa ata DAC R dito as per Rex when i last went there..

sientobente · « **Reply #613 on:** Jun 07, 2015 at 03:19 PM »

Quote from: mykel18 on Jun 07, 2015 at 11:26 AM

DAC R na ba yan?

Tama master si Jason na wala pa yung DAC-R dito. Was also browsing the price increase of that new DAC, it is $200 more expensive than the regular Rega DAC. Hopefully they make it DSD capable too

sientobente · « **Reply #614 on:** Jun 07, 2015 at 03:24 PM »

Quote from: cyberdraven on Jun 07, 2015 at 09:14 AM

Nice one doc. Does those dac upsample? Anung sonic character ng rega at nad? Neutral leading to warm ba?

Master P, initial listening sessions gave me an impression that both DACs are warm sounding. Only got through the first 3 filters of Rega, and each filter provided a slightly different flavor. I'll post my review of the NAD later, so far the stage width is narrower than the Rega, but it seems to have a slightly more refined sound. Partnered with my Cambridge amp, it lacks the slam Rega provided in the lower region but overall it seems to sound a bit cleaner. I'll listen to it more later kapag nakauwi na ako and post my findings.

sientobente · « **Reply #615 on:** Jun 09, 2015 at 01:15 AM »

Review 3 - NAD D1050 DAC

Will also make this as a placeholder and will be updating this too as soon as I get to review the DAC further.

The NAD DAC is 3/4th the size of Rega. It came with the power cord and an installation manual. It does not have a manual that explains the features, how to operate it and what not. Or maybe it does, since it is a demo unit, it probably wasn't included in the box. Anyway, it took me more time to setup this DAC. Upon starting it up, I had a difficult time switching sources. Not sure if the panel that lights up from 2 different sides were touch screen or it auto detects sources. Rex actually told me that to make this responsive, I have to lift the plastic thing covering the touchscreen buttons to make it work. I actually just knew about that when I had to return the DAC a week after

When I started using this DAC, I used the optical out. As mentioned earlier, optical out is limited to 24/96. I actually am ok with this mainly because of 2 things. 1. Most, if not all the songs I downloaded from HDTracks are in this resolution. 2. I don't need to borrow my wife's Macbook to play my sparsely limited 24/192 songs.

My song selection came from Smashing Pumpkins(Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness) and Toto. Also played 16/44 songs from Jennifer Warnes and Madonna. In comparison to Rega, NAD sounds louder. The stage is also more upfront, and it is a tad more aggressive than the Rega. Using my NAD amp parterned with my Sonus Faber Toy(along with the Rel T5) makes the bass a bit bloated. Switching to my Cambridge Audio Amp, bass had better control and grip. Across the frequency range, it does have more oomph while not showing any weakness. This is definitely more forward and lively than Rega. NAD sounds more Solidstate as to Rega's Tube-like sound.

Courage · « **Reply #616 on:** Jun 09, 2015 at 02:48 PM »

Mukang napupuyat ka sa kaka review ah he he he... Congrats in advance Master G

meat_eater · « **Reply #617 on:** Jun 09, 2015 at 02:56 PM »

Ive heard the Nad d1050 but was pitted against the MF M1 DAC instead, like you, I also found the bass to be bloated and uncontrolled.

They were both similar in sound, but the NAD was the more musical and detailed of the 2, albeit the bloated midbass, which could probably sound good on bass shy speakers

Setup was Nad 356bee, Nad C545bee, PSB Image X1T, Laptop with Flac files (98/24)

sientobente · « **Reply #618 on:** Jun 14, 2015 at 03:11 AM »

Quote from: Courage on Jun 09, 2015 at 02:48 PM

Mukang napupuyat ka sa kaka review ah he he he... Congrats in advance Master G

Langhiya nga si Sir Rex magpahome audition, it is an offer you can't refuse.

Quote from: meat_eater on Jun 09, 2015 at 02:56 PM

Ive heard the Nad d1050 but was pitted against the MF M1 DAC instead, like you, I also found the bass to be bloated and uncontrolled.

They were both similar in sound, but the NAD was the more musical and detailed of the 2, albeit the bloated midbass, which could probably sound good on bass shy speakers

Setup was Nad 356bee, Nad C545bee, PSB Image X1T, Laptop with Flac files (98/24)

I highly agree on your impressions master.

Verdict
NAD shows more muscle and provides great value being both an external DAC and headphone amp. It also helps that it has an asynchronous USB feature. The 10k price difference too is hard to ignore. Unfortunately, Rega matches my Sonus Faber/Rel combo more. With Rega, my 2.1 setup was more musical and engaging. It is also fun having 5 different filters to play with, giving me 5 different options to use depending on the mood and genre I'm playing. Finally, I had my wife's ear listen to both DACs, she chooses the Rega by far. Now to get the most sought-after WAF, I told her the DAC only cost 5k (My white lie to survive the day)

So there it is, the Rega DAC now takes a permanent place in my system.

My new toys - Rega DAC and Xindak XF500E Power Conditioner.

Courage · « **Reply #619 on:** Jun 14, 2015 at 08:59 AM »

Quote from: sientobente on Jun 14, 2015 at 03:11 AM

Langhiya nga si Sir Rex magpahome audition, it is an offer you can't refuse.
I highly agree on your impressions master.

Verdict
NAD shows more muscle and provides great value being both an external DAC and headphone amp. It also helps that it has an asynchronous USB feature. The 10k price difference too is hard to ignore. Unfortunately, Rega matches my Sonus Faber/Rel combo more. With Rega, my 2.1 setup was more musical and engaging. It is also fun having 5 different filters to play with, giving me 5 different options to use depending on the mood and genre I'm playing. Finally, I had my wife's ear listen to both DACs, she chooses the Rega by far. Now to get the most sought-after WAF, I told her the DAC only cost 5k (My white lie to survive the day)

So there it is, the Rega DAC now takes a permanent place in my system.

My new toys - Rega DAC and Xindak XF500E Power Conditioner.

Congrats bro.. Excellent choice.. Maganda talaga yang Rega DAC...

jh@meeh · « **Reply #620 on:** Jun 14, 2015 at 12:29 PM »

Congrats sir sa new toy! Gano kaya itatagal sa yo nito bago palitan? Hahaha...enjoy that nice DAC!

Superman · « **Reply #621 on:** Jun 14, 2015 at 02:19 PM »

Congratulations!

gaol · « **Reply #622 on:** Jun 14, 2015 at 02:37 PM »

Happy new gear!

sientobente · « **Reply #623 on:** Jun 15, 2015 at 01:05 PM »

Thanks everyone!

raider125jeigh · « **Reply #624 on:** Jun 15, 2015 at 02:27 PM »

rega malambot bagay na bagay sa faber mo ..lalong lalambing yan
romansa fever ang hatid nyan sayo brader haha

mbtorn · « **Reply #625 on:** Jun 15, 2015 at 03:18 PM »

Quote from: raider125jeigh on Jun 15, 2015 at 02:27 PM

rega malambot bagay na bagay sa faber mo ..lalong lalambing yan
romansa fever ang hatid nyan sayo brader haha

parang hagod pang romansa

.....congrats, bro. G!

Superman · « **Reply #626 on:** Jun 15, 2015 at 03:43 PM »

Quote from: mbtorn on Jun 15, 2015 at 03:18 PM

parang hagod pang romansa .....congrats, bro. G!

V. O. S.

VOS Brandy?

sientobente · « **Reply #627 on:** Jun 17, 2015 at 10:32 PM »

Di lang pangromansa, pang X-Art pa!

sientobente · « **Reply #628 on:** Jun 27, 2015 at 05:44 PM »

A thread was looking for a mangkukulam, and I know exactly one, si Boss Rex ng Watts Hifi. Dropped by just to look for cables, pinauwi nya sa akin was the Cocktail Audio X10!! Good thing, it's a lazy rainy afternoon, perfect for slouching on a comfy sofa listening to good music.

The Cocktail Audio X10

VS

My Macbook Pro 2011 and 2015 with JRiver Media Center 20 loaded

Shootout Part 2

Cocktail Audio - P35k SRP
Cocktail Audio iOS remote - $2
JRiver Media Center 20 for Mac OS X - $50
JRemote(iOS Remote for JRiver Mac OS) -$10
Macbook Pro - I dunno how much it cost, si Misis bumili nun

Both sources will pass-through my Rega DAC going into my Cambridge Audio Amp powering my Sonus Faber Toy Monitors along with a REL T5.

Superman · « **Reply #629 on:** Jun 27, 2015 at 06:05 PM »

Good luck and enjoy! What USB cable will you be using? FYI, the headphone out of a Macbook is also digital toslink out.