More clarity, more focus, and a bolder sound that is really stunning. The experiment is to compare 2 digital chains, both using Roon as the music server: The DS DAC is no exception to other DACs I’ve tested: it sounds much better with the optimized chain. Using HQPlayer and the Spring, I can get part of the way to the performance level of these DACs at a price I could afford. Thanks for another concise, well written review. While I’m atypical, and have a growing collection of DXD (24/352.8) music in my library, this is a small subset, so I don’t consider this limitation to be significant for most users. My interest was piqued. Comparison with QX-5 Twenty Naim NDX2 ($7495.00) Roon Ready. Effect of the Upstream Chain - Ethernet I personally would have preferred a different methodology but that certainly doesn’t negate the validity of your conclusions. “All I can say is that in my listening experience, this part of the chain makes a profound impact on sound quality, and I have invested accordingly.”. There was more clarity and coherence to the music, as if a knob had been turned to improve focus. How does the DS DAC compare to other excellent DACs in its price range? I too like to listen to the music mentioned in reviews, so I resolved to make it super easy for readers of my reviews. Me too. I am just a demo center in the US. These were not major differences. Accessories:                 Synergistic Research Tranquility Base UEF Thanks Tyson, can you give me a semi-detailed description of the sound of both and why you like the Vega? Network Bridge IIMy review unit came pre-configured with the PS Audio Network Bridge II, which is a modular, user-installable $899 MSRP add-on to the DS DAC. On the Laura Soave movement of Suite 2, P. 128, the lute had more heft, and the rhythm was better articulated and went deeper. Sonically, both DACs have very different strengths. That seems so niche I can't even fathom it. I just updated to the new Auralic driver 2.22? Has the series of upgrades culminating in Snowmass allowed the DS DAC to remain competitive in a tough field? Headphone cables:       Cardas Clear balanced and SE cables for all headphones Holographic imaging with richer and fuller tone. On the DS DAC, the bass lines and drums had a satisfyingly visceral feel to them. In my reviews of other DACs where I’ve tried this - the Ayre QX-8 and QX-5 Twenty - I found a significant gap between the USB and Ethernet inputs, with the USB sounding significantly better. The sax was just that little more soaring, the bell notes had more micro-detail, and seemed to linger a bit longer. I'm not going to get into a headphones vs. speakers debate here - plenty of threads like that already on AS. The DS DAC rendered this beautifully, from the rich, woody tone of the oud to the intricate plucking of the valiha. In contrast to the DSD-upsampling, FPGA-based DS DAC, the QX-8 is based on the late Charley Hansen’s approach of marrying an ESS chip with Ayre’s proprietary minimum-phase filter and his zero-feedback, Diamond output stage. I must also compliment you on actually picking a winner for each comparison. Thanks a lot, that was a great review and a good read. While I’ll indicate my preferred DAC in each comparison, you as a prospective buyer would be ill-advised to just take my word for it. Guess what? And third, the HMS/TT2’s particular strength is in the portrayal of voices. Its sonic character is muscular and organic. How did the DS DAC compare? On the DS DAC, the results were much closer. Posting the playlist ROCKS because it simplifies things. More detail is contained in the Associated Equipment section below. Whether sonic differences are worth the price differential is not something I’ll get into, as that is a personal calculation for every buyer to make. Music Storage:               Synology NAS DS916+ 4-bay, attached to router via Ethernet While my upstream optimizations are extreme, even modest enhancements will pay rich dividends. At the time of this conversation, Snowmass, the 8th major firmware update, had just come out and was garnering positive attention. This is a test I’ve done in my past reviews, but I’ll repeat the rationale here. Let me be clear about the purpose of comparison with these higher-priced reference DACs. Quote from: paul79 on 26 Feb 2015, 07:53 pm, Quote from: robcentola on 19 May 2015, 05:54 pm, Quote from: I.Greyhound Fan on 23 May 2015, 04:47 pm, Quote from: RDavidson on 24 May 2015, 03:44 pm. I also find that speakers highlight PRaT much more than headphones. PS Audio recently replaced the PerfectWave DAC with the DirectStream DAC, so naturally I had to get my hands on it. At least the good ones. The track Mombasa from the soundtrack of the movie Inception (16/44.1, Reprise) can be very revealing of DAC differences. Similarly, the MQA constraint is a non-issue for me, as I prefer to stream high-resolution music through Qobuz. . On the Tempo di bolero movement of Concierto Andaluz, from the Rodrigo album by Los Romeros (DSD64, Mercury Living Presence), excellent as the DS DAC was, there was clear daylight between it and the QX-5. Feature Summary  If you’ve read my other DAC reviews, you’ll know that I’m drawn to DACs that pay attention to the basics like the analog stage, the power supply, and the clocks. Review System Topology I really wonder how an optimized DSD512 chain feeding a T+A DAC 8 DSD compares. Thanks for another exemplary effort: great review. The intent isn’t to shame the DAC under review. Power Amp:                   Hegel H30 These include trickle-down findings from the cost-no-object Obsidian “Ted Smith Signature” DAC he is developing. My rationale is simple: by optimizing the upstream, I am enabling the DACs under test to deliver the best SQ possible in my system. The optimized Ethernet chain, fed to the DS DAC Bridge II input. Most reviews you get piecemeal info.   I’m a sucker for submarine war movies, and The Hunt for Red October is up there as my all-time favorite. Both DACs rendered this piece stunningly. exaSound PlayPoint DM Dual-Mono D/A Converter and Network Audio Server ($8495.00) Roon Ready. Let’s look at the competitive lineup. Instead, my impressions are an amalgam of both headphones and speaker listening. Most of the shops small, four or five brands. My favorite recording of Mahler: Symphony No. Of course, to pull this off requires paying attention to both the basics - a low phase noise clock, well-regulated and low noise power supplies, and a well-engineered analog output stage - as well as the secret sauce - the code in the FPGA to implement Ted’s digital logic. The PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream DAC lets me hear more into my music and has me enjoying and exploring all different genres. It's good to compare DACs with the best possible source. With the promise of more free firmware updates in the future, I feel confident that those who own PS Audio’s PerfectWave DirectStream DAC will be glad they invested in it. The Vega puts any DAC under $10K to shame that I am aware of, so I have no problem promoting this company. Ethernet Switch:            SOtM sNH-10G SE switch  By using our site, you consent to the use of cookies by us. The DirectStream DAC … In my various systems I feed the DACS with an opticalRendu, ultraRendu and microRendu. My DirectStream DAC used the Torreys OS, the latest available at the time of this review.                                          32GB M10 Optane SSD for OS, JCAT Net Card Femto,  All I can say is that in my listening experience, this part of the chain makes a profound impact on sound quality, and I have invested accordingly. They had a wonderful mall that was four floors of high end audio gear. The PS Audio DirectStream Junior DAC ($3,999) is a prime example of this phenomenon. That touchscreen on the Direcstream has not aged well and doesn't belie a $6k product in 2019. Applied to incoming music data, substitute DSD for Texas and you describe the DS DAC. And I do mean head-to-head listening, with both DACs on hand, and with careful matching of levels. Refined tonality, dimensionality, dynamics, and grunt - it has it all. According to reviews, the Pikes Peak update, made a profound improvement in sound quality over the original firmware the DS shipped with.   I would love to see this explored at some point. I always let the shop use their playlist initially, but once I heard how different my playlist made the gear sound, I realized that the shops' playlists were selected to show off their gear best. Review: AURALiC Vega DAC Posted on March 14, 2015 by Scot Hull in Digital // 12 Comments Stand-alone digital-to-audio converters have gotten quite good, but only in recent years, and the progression from “it works” to “it’s worthy of replacing analog” was quite rapid. Where are you sourcing DXD (24/352.8) music? With DACs of this quality, this is the level of subtlety with which one must make distinctions. I do like the ability to load new firmware. As for reference DACs: my reference until recently has been the Ayre QX-5 Twenty ($7650 with USB only, $8950 adding Ethernet). Its biggest strength is its ability to make music sound natural and real. Additional listening was done on a speaker-based setup. A long time ago, I moved to Singapore for a bit and left my audio gear in the US so I needed to buy a whole system. Hymn to Red October (16/44.1, Geffen) is the Russian male choral piece that is immediately recognizable to anyone who’s seen the movie. Power Details:               Dedicated 30A 6 AWG AC circuit, PS Audio P5 PerfectWave Regenerator A more holographic (bigger, wider, deeper) image, The optimized Ethernet path, connecting the DS DAC Bridge II to a port on the SOtM switch, vs. Still, this gives you a sense for the music I listened to for evaluation. Just received the Vega. Technically, the DS DAC is a DAC/preamp, as it incorporates a “100% bit-perfect” volume and balance controls, and an output stage that can directly feed a power amp if the user chooses. Subwoofers:                  2x Rhythmik 12g HA! That seems so niche I can't even fathom it. AURALiC VEGA G2 Streaming DAC ($5999.00) Roon Ready. DC cables:                     Paul Hynes fine silver (SR-4, SR-7) In a way I don't care if the analog-in is only 90% it's only a way to get rid of the preamp and run the DAC straight into the amp yet have an option to play the occasional LP. Most users buy gear to listen to the music they love, so this is how gear should be evaluated, in my opinion. Summary   Unlike you, I don't make 10% for every USB Cable I promote (like those routers you pedal your discount code for?). Vega is more fluid and analog like, the PS is drier and less pleasant.                                          Cardas Clear (Mutec Ref-10), Cardas Clear to all DACs under test Hey Rob.... Glad you are getting instant gratification from the Vega! Please note that in some cases, the Qobuz track will only stream at 16/44.1, whereas I may have used a local hi-res version. How did the Bridge II input sound compared to other inputs? On I’m going slightly mad, the QX-8 projects the ambience of the recording really well. Unfortunately, I think I'm going to love your playlist, and a new DAC at this price range is not likely in my immediate future... Another way to look at this is that optimizing whatever is practical in the upstream chain can possibly obviate the need to spend more on a higher end DAC. Turns out, I did! Page created in 0.074 seconds with 27 queries. Everything I bought came from those shops. This is where the rubber meets the road. Reference Clock:           Mutec Ref 10 10MHz clock driving the tX-USBultra and sNH-10G USB cables:                   Phasure Lush & Lush^2 USB I certainly don’t expect every DAC reviewer to feed the review sample with one of those but I would suggest that my setup or similar is far more common than yours. The DS DAC Bridge II ethernet input connected directly to my router. My 2 cents.   Ethernet cables:            SOtM dCBL-Cat7 Interconnects:               Cardas Clear XLR balanced (DAC to Amp)   Internally, the Bridge II is a purpose-designed card, that contains an embedded computer that implements streamer/endpoint/renderer functionality for both UPnP/DLNA as well as Roon. Alternate system for speaker-based evaluation Headphones:                 Sennheiser HD800 (Super DuPont Mod), Meze Empyrean accessories, power supplies, cables etc. It would be interesting. While this track has a low  dynamic range, the DS DAC conveyed a sense of excitement and power even at modest listening levels. BNC cables:                   Habst 5N Cryo Pure Silver   Streaming DAC. This playlist includes the tracks mentioned in this review, as well as others I listened to in the course of this evaluation. If you glance at my system topology above, you’ll see I have optimized my digital transport chain upstream of the DAC. The combo of the HMS/TT2 surpassed even the mighty QX-5 to become my new reference. In considering the Aries digital audio streamer from Beijing’s AURALiC, don’t expect the attractive brushed aluminium finish of their Vega DAC or Taurus MKII headphone amplifier. Yes, you give up a small dollop of sound quality, but save a lot of expense. After only an hour or so, I feel so much more involved in the music. Topic: Auralic Vega DAC ... (PS Audio DirectStream VS Vega) Quote.   Since I promised not to waffle, I’ll give the nod to the DS DAC for its physicality and calmer, natural presentation. Yet, the TT2  allowed the voices of the chorus to be heard more clearly as a collection of individuals rather than an amorphous whole. It needs to be emphasized that any differences in sound quality I describe are relative, and do not change the inherent quality of these DACs. Jordi Savall’s new album Ibn Battuta: Le Voyageur de l’Islam (Alia Vox, 24/88.2) is a tour de-force, with musical traditions represented from West Africa to China. They make the best products at their price points, no doubt. As my experiences have shown me, the question of “which input is best?” for a given DAC often devolves to a question of “what upstream optimizations do you have?” Just like with USB and Ethernet, optimal sound quality with the I2S input in my system would require a high-quality USB to I2S DDC (digital to digital) converter, with low phase noise clocks and good power supplies. Roon Player:                  Innuos ZENith MkII SE Sign up for a new account in our community. In Revival, Rahman fuses the Indian national hymn Vande Mataram with a hypnotic beat, decorated with interesting percussive flourishes. The improvements are fairly comprehensive: The key takeaway from this section, and my recommendation, is that investments in upstream USB optimization will enhance the already excellent sound quality of the DS DAC. There really is  no substitute for an in-home trial of. The T+A running in DSD 512 was simply much better in every way I could describe. It's easy! Now it's true - some may not care for my musical tastes or choices, but at least you will have a sonic reference to go with the words in my review. My final test was to compare: This was very interesting. My answer would be to say that AURALiC’s VEGA G2 is at the least sonically competitive with its PS Audio counterpart, but that the G2 enjoys a ‘secret weapon’, sonically; namely, its versatile Flexible Filter modes. I've had both the Directsream and the T+A DAC in my system back to back. As for driving the amplifier, the Vega G2 includes Auralic’s Orfeo output module, which operates in class-A and is claimed to produce less than 0.001% distortion. I like things to have a little bit of warmth and darkness while still being musical and detailed. While I was interested in finding out if Pikes Peak would be better than my current Auralic Vega DAC, I don't think I will try again. It may also be that no matter how good the DAC, it will never be a great DAC without an enhanced front end. You did some listening with the DirectStream the way most people would, didn’t care for it and finished the rest of your review with your modifications. BNC cables:                   Amphenol and Digi-Key Comparisons with Other DACs Mistaken you are! Thanks for the input Tyson. While playing with different sources, I noticed that my system became a lot more resolving with better sources. I’ve found one of its enduring strengths to be excellent imaging.   Same applies to the rest of the reviewer's system - the more resolving it is, the more we can learn from the review. In a previous section, I described how the DS DAC fared relative to the comparably-priced TT 2 DAC by itself. The sound stage was open and very 3D, both in width and depth. Delivering them every 6-9 months over 5 years is quite a feat. Additionally, this clock board can be disciplined by a 10MHz reference clock. VEGA, the VEGA G2 emphasises cutting-edge digital audio design features, but also takes an almost old-school, purist’s approach when it comes to its carefully voiced, pure Class A analogue output circuitry. It really is a great product, and do enjoy it! As mentioned a few posts back: reviews - my own included - are just that: momentary captures of sonic attributes at a very specific time and place. Comparison with Ayre QX-8 My intent here is to describe the character of each piece, but every DAC in this section is worthy of an audition in your own system before making any purchase decisions. DC cables:                      Audio Sensibility Signature Silver (LPS-1.2) USB Regenerator:         SOtM tX-USBultra I'd put the DAC you already have ahead of the Directstream. Furthermore, I’m intrigued by DACs that eschew chips and implement their own digital logic in FPGAs. Next up was the Ayre QX-5 Twenty, which for the last two years had been one of my reference DACs, and is still one of the best I’ve heard. The card interfaces with the DAC through an internal I2S connection. Product:  PS Audio DirectStream DAC (US MSRP $5999, or $6899 with Network Bridge II) None of these differences are ‘night and day’. I have read in Stereophile that the Pike's Peak upgrade improves the sound but it can also make the system sound bright and that it is not recommended for systems or rooms that lean to the sunny side. Even my CD collection sounds refreshed. Many DACs are user-upgradeable, but very few have received the steady stream of free firmware updates that delivered sound quality improvements - not just bug fixes - that enable the DS DAC to retain its competitive edge. I’m not one to throw around phrases like “analog-sounding,” so I will instead say that the music has effortless pacing, and instruments sound natural and well fleshed-out. And so it went. To find out, I did a listening experiment through the DS DAC’s Bridge II input, comparing: And indeed, the results were consistent with my USB optimization findings. My answer would be to say that AURALiC’s VEGA G2 is at the least sonically competitive with its PS Audio counterpart, but that the G2 enjoys a ‘secret weapon’, sonically; namely, its versatile Flexible Filter modes.  Acknowledgments 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. Without that option it costs US $5,999. I think that the music used to make judgments can influence the results. First, every DAC featured sounds excellent in isolation. Any digital harshness seemed to melt away from the music. PS Audio’s DirectStream DAC is a goto unit for vinyl fans who’ve previously found digital playback to sound too rigid or uptight. My daughters are in their early 20s, and they both have an evolving playlist called "Music for Dad" that they keep updating with their current top 20-30 songs. Went direct (for now) and had it up and running paired with the Aries. It is on kind loan from a member. Finally, at this price and quality point, we are well into the diminishing returns of the price-performance curve. Introduction Mercury’s voice has a holographic, if slightly ethereal, quality. What makes the DSJ special isn’t merely technological, but that that technology is used in the service of outstanding sound quality to make it among the best-sounding DACs I’ve heard. They recommended staying with the 1.2 version software which is more laid back. I do not sell Totaldac products. Look at "Finding 4.". The DS DAC is based on the idea of a simple LPF (low pass filter), while the Chord’s WTA (Watts Transient Aligned) is a very long (98,304) tap-length filter. The DirectStream is simultaneously more mellow and understated; there’s less of the celestial awe of the Aqua La Scala MKII and less … PS Audio’s DirectStream DAC is one of the most widely reviewed (and praised) products I can recall in the past 10 years and it was an instant hit with me.