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https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl AUDIO FORUMS >> Digital >> Do I need a ZBit or Preamp? Holo Audio Spring 2... https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1766165639 Message started by RY on 12/19/25 at 17:33:59 |
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Title: Do I need a ZBit or Preamp? Holo Audio Spring 2... Post by RY on 12/19/25 at 17:33:59 Hello fellow fanatics and musical alchemists.... I have a Sarah 300B coming this weekend... fantastic! I have a question regarding the best way for me to modulate volume control. Currently my digital stream consists of: -Roon Core Mac mini --> Nagra Streamer - Cardas Clear USB --> Holo Audio Spring 2 Level 3 - Silversmith Fidelium RCA Interconnects --> Amp. I currently modulate volume through Roon, with my Nagra Streamer set to "Device Volume", which I believe uses the Holo Audio DAC to modulate volume. (?). This seemed to my ears and little testing to be the best sound. QUESTION: What is the best way for me to modulate volume with my Sarah 300B? I would guess that modulating sound via Roon setup to Device Volume and using my DAC's volume control would be best.... but is there a better way? -I hear about the ZBit as a way to utilize my DAC's XLR outputs... is this worthwhile with my DAC? -Is there a preamp that is as simple and pure as possible, that has a remote? -Is my current method the "best" way to modulate volume with my setup? THANK YOU! Richard |
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Title: Re: Do I need a ZBit or Preamp? Holo Audio Spring 2... Post by Lon on 12/19/25 at 19:03:19 Here's my two cents. . . . If your DAC output is 2 volts single-ended or above, I don't think you really NEED a ZBIT. I bought a ZBIT because at the time my DAC output was about 1.3 volts single-ended, and I needed the 2.6 volts or so balanced XLR output for my Decware amps, using the DAC volume. When I moved up the chain to the manufacturer's new model DAC and its single-ended voltage output was 2 volt I really didn't NEED the ZBIT any longer but my best cabling was XLR from the DAC and it made sense to just keep the ZBIT in place. It still is and I really like it, but if I had one more set of the exact same single-ended interconnects (which cost more than the ZBIT) I could do without it I suppose. So if the voltage from the DAC is high enough I would say it's not a necessary addition to the system. As for a preamp--the SEWE300B / Sarah (for some reason I don't like to call it Sarah) amplifier has in my opinion the perfect preamp stage built into it and I used a fully-modded CSP3 preamp for a while but found it was just not necessary--it created a super dense sound, and I love the density of my system (with a ZROCK3) but prefer the sound of the system without a preamp. So if you have the requisite voltage and your DAC remote volume control is great, you can forego a preamp with the SEWE300B. Just how the implementation of the SEWE300B has evolved in my system over the last two and almost a half years. |
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Title: Re: Do I need a ZBit or Preamp? Holo Audio Spring 2... Post by CAJames on 12/19/25 at 20:46:59 Quote:
Fully balanced DACs like your May and my Denafrips (probably Lon's too) do separate digital to analog conversions for each of the 4 phases of a balanced signal: the plus and minus phases of the left and right channel. The two phases, plus ground is why balanced XLR cables have 3 connections. When you difference the two phases, in theory it cancels out the digital artifacts from the conversion, as well as the common mode noise that has historically been the reason to run balanced. And this (at least theoretically) is higher sound quality. So the the question about the ZBIT is two fold: first is how does the May convert the balanced signal to single ended to output on the RCA jacks? I don't know, but the most common way is to just use the positive phase and throw out the negative. Which means you'd only be using half the DAC for which you paid. The ZBIT does it right, it uses a transformer to difference the plus and minus phases and gives you a single ended signal that includes all DAC for which you paid. The other question is how much do you care? I run my digital signal fully balanced to the speakers, and while it is hard to do an apples to apples comparison because of cables, for me the difference was enough to buy two amps instead of one. My journey is longer than I need to include in this post, but long story short I found out early on, before balanced DACs, that balanced in general made a big difference in my system and balanced made a noticeable difference with my current DAC. But that is very much JMO/FWIW/YMMV. |
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