Hi Randy,
Yes, here is your questions:
Quote:Hi Steve,
I just saw the thread about the new DAC on the support forum.
Very interesting. Since I bought the MHDT Labs Havana DAC a while back, I have come to enjoy the "easy listenability" of the non-upsampling format. The Camelot Uther that I used to own was an up-sampling unit and it definitely had more detail than the Havana but produced some listener fatigue over the course of a long listening session. With the Havana, I often listen for 3 or 4 hours at a stretch with no fatigue whatsoever. There is not as much detail, but enough to be true to the music and keep things interesting. It's "honest" sounding without being aggressive.
I would love to hear your new DAC in my system, but wonder if I would have any problems with listener fatigue after living with the Havana for the past year ..... ?
Well you bring up an excellent point. Many audiophiles would be shocked to discover that something could have too much detail, but in fact anything, even detail, can be overdone. Fatigue is often a side effect, but not from the excess detail in the music, but the excess detail in the distortions. It's hard to have one without the other.
My reference DAC is NOS and the primary reason is because I hate fatigue. If you can't listen to it for more than 3 or 4 hours I don't want to sell it. As we know, you can listen to our amps indefinitely without fatigue. When I A/B the ZDAC-1 with my NOS dac, the first impression is that the ZDAC-1 is smoother. Then as you listen you realize it also has more resolution. Slightly better image density is also noticeable. My brain being wired more to the nuances of vinyl, I subconsciously try to become fatigued when I listen to CD, wanting that confirmation for why I listen to vinyl... I've been listening to this DAC since December and it's just not fatiguing over time. THE main reason I choose this design.
Quote:Honestly, I still think the ZCD player was one of the very best digital front ends I have ever heard ..... but I don't think the transport mechanism of the Tascam player was up to the same standard as your output stage. There is something about a belt drive CEC transport and a Genesis Digital Lens that is special to my ears. The timing is different and the sense of the recorded space is simply better and more believable than with any other transport or CD player that I have used as a transport in my system. If I could have figured out how to use the CEC and Lens with your output stage from the ZCD, that would probably have been my ultimate digital front end.
Transports are everything. So is the digital cable you use. For people who don't have a good transport, USB from a lap top is going to have the best fidelity (lowest jitter). The new ZCD player is using a surprisingly good transport compared to previous models. I found using it with the ZDAC-1 actually sounded better than USB if you find the right digital cable.
Since people will ask, I'm recommending using the BEST transport and cable you can afford, or consider using the USB and computer.
Alternately you can purchase the Tascam CD200 for under $400 stock and use that as a transport if you're on a budget.
Quote:I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around the concept of solid state and op-amps sounding better than tubes and discreet components ..... ; )
Well, you're certainly not alone on this one. However it is possible to get great sound from solid state at the line level. It doesn't become problematic until you try to create power with it. Remember, unless you listen to vinyl, you are listening to a solid state source 100% of the time, regardless of how many tube stages follow it.
At one point during the DECFEST when I was trying to illustrate this point, we were listening to my NOS DAC with a tube stage, and then I added two more solid state stages on the fly as we listened. You're exact words were "what happened", and I replied "It just got better didn't it" to which you said, "yes it did." Then I told you I just added the solid state output stages to the tube stage and you just shook your head
With the ZDAC-1 comes the opportunity to run a ZBOX with it, so anyone wanting a touch more tube warmth or less fatigue with non-audiophile recordings has this option.
My approach is why put the tube stage in the DAC and jack the price up another $500 when I can probably make that DAC sound right without it. That way it becomes optional and way more people get to enjoy the DAC.
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