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https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl AUDIO FORUMS >> Digital >> Holo Audio KTE May Impressions https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1621798584 Message started by MrDerrick on 05/23/21 at 20:36:24 |
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Title: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by MrDerrick on 05/23/21 at 20:36:24 My first 30 Days with the KTE May Design aspects that attracted me to the May; 1. Supposedly superior USB implementation 2. NOS mode of operation 3. MHz PCM compatibility 4. Separate isolated power supply chassis 5. No touch screen for local operation 6. Apparent build quality 7. No MQA I have had the KTE May in possession for 30 days now. The May was purchased second hand, 5 months old with roughly 1000 hours. I cannot confirm whether the May had 1000 hours of playing time on it, but I logged another 750 hours and I think that it is now fully settled in. Gathered from others experiences, it appears that the May needs around 1500 hours to fully settle in. For myself, I had specific goals that I was trying to achieve with the May, some were met and some have yet to be realized. So, all of my listening and related findings are based upon the following; 1. The need to eliminate the need for any form of D>D converter between the renderer and DAC 2. All source material, SDM & PCM from SSD or streamed PCM was played through HQPlayer 3. The sample rate and bit rate into the May for all source material was 705.6/768 20 4. Since the recent release of HQPlayer Embedded 4.23.0, all impressions are based on LNS15 dither and the new sinc-Mx filter 5. Display turned off and PLL defeated, why use it if you do not need it 6. NOS mode enabled I have spent countless hours of musical rediscovery with the May. The KTE May is an extremely quiet DAC, I am able to hear further into the music more than I have ever been before. SDM files converted to PCM retain all of their silence, but some PCM files noise floors have become very apparent. The May has excellent bottom end drive and overall extension that will have you smiling and your toes tapping. Sound stage width, depth, separation and 3D placement are exceptional. The level of musical liquidity that I am now experiencing is as close to analog as I have ever heard through my system. Characteristics of the KTE May that I like best; 1. The USB input is the most well designed and implemented that I have ever heard. This was number 1 one my list of wants. Straight USB from renderer to DAC, no extra D>D converters in the signal path 2. NOS mode 3. No perceived need to implement the PLL to reduce jitter on the USB input. If it is not needed, I am happy that I can defeat it. Lock times are instantaneous 4. This is some serious build quality 5. No aftermarket footers needed; Still Points Ultra SS footers made no difference 6. The music just flows from this DAC, it places me in a meditative musical coma There are some personal nit-picky things though that I will suffer with; 1. Why no copper fox badge on the power supply 2. Why no little rubber nubs on the bottom of the remote ( ugh, the sound of metal on metal ) 3. If anybody touches the surface of the May you will know, there will be fingerprints 4. While the USB input is phenomenal sounding, it has its quirks, let’s just say that the “U” in USB does not necessarily mean universal when it comes to MHz PCM 5. My power sucks, even though I have a PS Audio PW PP3 regenerator, with 3 of my neighbors connected to my utility transformer secondary and having solar panels, their inverters raise my THD high enough that the PP3 can’t clean things up enough for the May power supply. At its worst, I can hear a slight electrical tizz coming from the power supply during the day. When the sun goes down this tizz disappears One of the intentions for transitioning to the May was to be able to experience MHz PCM files. This is apparently a hit or miss with regards to different USB design protocols? You do have to roll the firmware in the May for MHz PCM to FW 3012 from 3014. The chatter is that your USB device that is being connected to the May has to have “Intel” inside, even then it may or may not work. Putting the MHz PCM issues aside, I am very elated with the KTE May. Next goal, try PGGB from remastero.com to lower the noise floor of those PCM files! |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by GroovySauce on 05/23/21 at 21:20:56 Thank you for the great write up! Did you try flipping between the PLL on and off to determine the mode you prefer? I recommend the KCC Scientific mains reconstruction for power. PSA regenerators don't actually regenerate they work more like a noise canceling headset. If you do get a KCC ask for the "upgraded outlet" I have one on order, your write up whets my anticipation even more. |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by magicknow on 05/24/21 at 18:53:01 HI What was your previous DAC before the May? Looking over other posts I see you had or have the DirectStream DAC. Can you make some comments on the differences between the two?. Did you do the transformer mod on the DS? Thanks |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by MrDerrick on 05/26/21 at 02:19:04 GroovySauce, I will compare PLL on vs off again in a couple of weeks, right now I do not hear a difference with it on, so I can't see the need to implement it. But, maybe it is always on with the USB input? |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by MrDerrick on 05/26/21 at 02:27:54 magicknow, Welcome to the Decware forums! Yes, my other DAC is the PSA DSD. The DSD is a phenomenal DAC that I have no doubt will be enjoyed by many for years to come and is an absolute steal on the secondary market. For the direction that I want to go, right now the May ticks off more boxes for me than the DSD. I do miss the volume control of the DSD, it still is way ahead of the DAC pack in this regard. While I do have a pair of the Edcore transformers, I never got around to installing them or performing the analogue PS mods. |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by magicknow on 05/26/21 at 02:38:58 Thanks for the welcome. Don't you love competition? You know Ted Smith has read all the May DAC commentary on the PS Audio Forum. I am sure it spurs him on to stare at the wall to come up with additional improvements to the DSD MK2. |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by piezoman on 05/26/21 at 14:29:39 MrDerrick, a fascinating write-up. I'll bet it sounds fantastic! Thanks for sharing. Brad |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by MrDerrick on 05/27/21 at 22:42:04 My KTE May |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by piezoman on 05/28/21 at 15:07:23 Really nice! |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by GroovySauce on 05/28/21 at 21:03:34 MrDerrick. I'm going to be using Toslink, which some say is really bad for jitter and bad in general. I'm also going to be using USB or I2S for streaming I will try both and listen for my preference. I'll report once I've played around with it. Scheduled delivery is Tuesday 1st, day before I leave for 5 days. Nice setup. What PC are you using? Shunyata? Did you place them side by side for aesthetics, cable routing, gut feeling, SQ, ??? ? As far as the PSA DSD vs the Holo May. They're completely different approaches to the same goal. I've never owned a ladder DAC. I've been reading for years a ladder DAC might be just the ticket for me. |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by GroovySauce on 05/28/21 at 21:05:53 Oh, I also would love to see a photo of your horns! |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by Tommy Freefall on 05/28/21 at 23:20:02 C'mon MrDerrick - don't keep us in suspense any longer! Open up your kimono and show us your horns! |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by MrDerrick on 05/29/21 at 01:43:32 Here you go, a bit cluttered right now. |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by MrDerrick on 05/29/21 at 02:01:13 GroovySauce, PCs are VooDoo Electra. The layout favors cable routing and I do not like to stack if I can avoid it. You can see the edge of my sonicTranspoter i9 Optical in the bottom left. Sometimes the layout is nice and neat, but when there is a lot of in/out traffic it can look like a mess of spaghettis. I plan on eventually connecting my Theta Data Universal transport vis SPDIF to the May and giving a silver disc a spin. Back in the day when I had a Genesis Digital Lens, the Theta actually had a negative jitter figure. ( now do you think that was right? ) It will be interesting to see how it sounds. My first "high end" DAC was a ladder DAC, MSB Platinum Plus. The Theta has the MSB I2S mod to connect via I2S to the Platinum. Cost me $4k and I put another $4K into it updating the clock and DAC modules with the 2nd Gen DAC modules. The thing was breaking the bank so I had to jump off the MSB wagon. I have it mothballed, I should rotate it in to compare it to the May. |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by Donnie on 05/29/21 at 02:22:34 Wow the horns sure are jammed in there! Not much room for them to breathe. |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by GroovySauce on 05/29/21 at 13:29:24 The horns are so cool looking, I would enjoy a chance to listen to a pair some time. Are those ATS diffusers? How was the impact on the music? The knobs on the ZStage and other components look cool. Cable routing is such a head ache sometimes, especially with some of these cables that don’t like to bend. The optical rendu is on my list of future upgrades, I have the microrendu now that I use an optical media converter with right now. I just got back into spinning CDs and I’m loving it. Jay’s Audio CDT2-MKIII with the Qstab is so good! better than I expected. I have it running BNC -> IFI SPDIF Ipurifier2 -> optical -> DAC (CDT doesn’t have optical out) I have my CDT on the side of the room so it’s a long run to the DAC. I just got a text saying my Holo May KTE will be delivered today! woot! Why did you mothball the MSB? if you do pull it out it curious to hear your impressions vs the May. This hobby has sneaky ways of looting hip central bank! I don’t like calling it a hobby I feel listening to music, especially on a system that takes you out of your body and has you floating around in the cosmos more than just a hobby. |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by MrDerrick on 05/29/21 at 21:30:28 The May will arrive in a big heavy box! The diffusers are RPG QRDs, amazing what you can find at a yard sale. They definitely help spatially, the stage depth is very deep. I am guessing that your transport will connect via optical to the May. You should definitely try the USB input with your Rendu. I had an opticalRendu and it is very very close performance wise to the SignatureRendu SE optical, especially powered with a Farrad Super 3. The MSB Platinum was a great performer, but I had to keep pumping dollars into it to upgrade it. I never acquired the USB input or volume control card and bought into the PSA DSD for a lot less than I had in invested in the Platinum. I think a loaded MSB Reference is close to $80K loaded, $39K base. The power supply cable connector for the May will have a red dot on it. The dot faces up when you insert it into the port, it will click when its in all the way. There is a KTE May thread in the D/A forum over at Audiophile Style, formerly known as Computer Audiophile. If you haven't read through it yet, I recommend it. Leave something playing 24/7 for 2 months and you should be good to go! |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by GroovySauce on 05/30/21 at 17:41:44 At a yard sale you found diffusers? What else did they have? Thanks for the pre arrival heads up. It was on the truck yesterday, around 2:20 it changed status to delivery scheduled. It's out for delivery again today so maybe I'll get it today :) Wow! 45 pages on the MAY DAC at audiophile style! that’s a long read. I read the last 2 pages. For the seasoning of the DAC I wonder if heat cycling it will increase the speed? I’ll try turning it completely off at night for a week or two. |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by GroovySauce on 05/31/21 at 11:50:28 Quick update. MAY DAC arrived around 2pm yesterday. Have about 15 hours of continuous play. First few seconds I was blown away by the soundstage vs the PSA DSD, which does a fine job. The PLL active on Toslink makes a substantial difference. Doesn’t run as hot as I thought it would based on others comments about it running hot. Initially and still bass is a little lack luster, After 8 hours it was starting to show up more. I’m also seasoning new caps on the Torii, bass coming and going has been a theme with the seasoning of the Torii so it could be a double whammy on seasoning, BAM! I read on audiophilstyle after 200-300 hours the bass will be strong and full. According to many it needs 1,000+ hours of playing music to really settle. I’m not going to heat cycle it until I get more hours on it. EDIT: Well egg on my face. I had a hunch to swap out the 3 month old KT66's for a fresh pair. Wow! I have the ZRock2 bypassed now, Bass is strong, authoritative and fast. The touch of high end intensity is gone as well, turned the treble adjust wide open. To be fair to the tubes, I had them in a ZMA and was giving my speakers a workout with the meter needles dancing for a few hours. |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by MrDerrick on 05/31/21 at 22:17:15 How long did you have to wait for the May to arrive? Oh the anticipation! The yard sale was just being in the right place at the right time with the right vehicle and enough cash. There was also a set of ASC tube traps, 4 - 9" x 4' and 4 - 11" x 2.5' with 4 bases. I picked the 2 - 4' x 4' RPG QRDs and the 8 ASC tube traps up for $300. An old retired dentist moved out of state and his family was liquidating what he left behind, no equipment worth mentioning, I was just driving by and spotted the acoustic treatments out on the lawn. Even an old blind squirrel gets lucky and finds a nut every now and then. The 2 inner May boxes reminded me of the movie Tron. I think there will be a honeymoon phase with run in followed by some periodic ups and downs. Even with the supposed hours that were to have been accumulated on my May, I still had a bit of a rollercoaster ride for over 700 hours. Hyper detail followed by no detail. No soft bass passages and loud bass passages being too boomy. Wide stage followed by narrow stage. And in between it could sound fantastic. Enjoy the ride, it will be bumpy but well worth it. My May PS runs 75 F and the head end runs 93 F with a 70 F ambient. |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by GroovySauce on 06/01/21 at 15:27:01 I ordered on April 23rd and received it May 30th, 5 weeks. Now I'm waiting on my Stressless chair 3-5 months ! That's a great find and price! I'm going out of town tomorrow for 5 days, I'm not going to..., I'm tempted to leave it playing with signal the whole time. ;D I 2-3 months the MAY will be nicely seasoned, Torii will need 6ish months good times. Everything has been sounding so good, the idea that it's going to get better is exciting. |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by MrDerrick on 06/29/21 at 01:56:37 The May continues to improve, I have no idea on an hour count. 2 - 3 days playing and one day off seems to work best to easily hear incremental improvements. ( thought it was over ) Footers have been hit or miss, initially Still Points Ultra SS had no effect. I had 2 sets of Still Points Ultra AL ( aluminum vs stainless steel ) and they did make an improvement, maybe aluminum > aluminum chassis is the way to go. The USB input continues to amaze me, quite possibly the best I have ever used. ( I used to dread having to use USB ) I have managed to cross over to 1.4/1.5 Mhz PCM playback. If you have HQP and an Intel USB device, I highly recommend giving it a listen, the detail retrieval is other worldly. |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by kulafu on 07/05/21 at 13:27:14 Mr. Derrick, Groovy Sauce and Steve are making me consider getting the Holo May KTE as my end game DAC. I have the Denafrips Pontus II and I love it. Is it worth the 3X the cost of a Denafrips Pontus II? That is what I am struggling with.... Bob |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by CAJames on 07/05/21 at 15:34:23 Quote:
Consider the Denafrips Terminator II as your end game DAC. If you like the Pontus I think you'll love the Terminator, and you have the option of adding a matching DDC to take it to an even higher level. |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by kulafu on 07/05/21 at 16:03:16 CAJames, Thanks. I was looking at the Terminator as well. Price wise, is b/w Terminator and Holo May KTE. The Terminator Plus is almost 4X over the Pontus II. Which one do you have and what did you have before this, if I may ask and was there a jump on listening enjoyment. Bob |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by CAJames on 07/05/21 at 16:49:46 I have the T2. I don't think there is any reason to spend the extra money on the T+ at this point. Before that I had a Yamaha CD2100 that I was using as a DAC and it was indeed a considerable upgrade. I thought the Yamaha sounded pretty good, but the T2 is just at another level. Similar to Steve's experience I'm amazed at how it makes humble 16/44 recordings sound like hirez, with no oversampling (NOS). I recently added a Gaia, connected with I2S and the T2 clock out and it took the sound up another notch. I mostly listen to CDs via S/PDIF from an Audiolab CDT6000 and some hirez files that I play on a cheap Windows netbook with foobar2000. I don't steam so I can't speak to that specifically. Honestly I don't think you can go wrong with either the T2 or the May, but the T2 costs less and that was really the deciding factor for me. |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by MrDerrick on 07/05/21 at 17:02:52 I was considering the following DACs; Berkley Audio Design Alpha DAC Reference (outstanding track record!) HOLO Audio KTE May Denafrips Terminator Plus Chord TT with M Scaler or with used Chord Dave My budget was around $6000 too $7000, so some of the above would have to be second hand acquisitions. External clocking and dual digital in/out were not necessities for me. What I really wanted was the best USB input that I could get in a DAC. From everything that I was reading, the HOLO Audio L2 and KTE May had the USB input that I wanted. My own personal opinion is that USB is the way digital is going and I dread USB inputs due to my past experiences with them and the need to add an extra DDC to convert to I2S. ( more damn boxes! ) All of the above mentioned DACs, with the exception of the May, I have had opportunities to hear first hand. After reading that a number of people had moved from the mentioned Chord combo to the May (along with some other well regarded DACs) I decided to focus on a May. I missed out on several chances to pick up a used May. Eventually I landed a KTE May that was about an hour away at a price with shipping that was less than a L1 May. ( way below budget ) I have no regrets and the USB implementation is everything that I expected, no DDC required and exceptional performance. The only thing that I initially overlooked was that you need to feed the USB input from an Intel device in order to achieve 1.4/1.5 Mhz PCM. So I did end up having to acquire a MeLE compute stick with Intel USB to run as NAA with HQP, a small expense and 1.4/1.5 is a SQ step above 706/768 PCM. NOS mode is the way to go with PCM, which is 99% of what I listen to. If you are a DSD/SDM file kind of guy, the DirectStream has the edge, IMO. Just an FYI, the HOLO Audio Spring Level 3 is coming soon! |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by kulafu on 07/05/21 at 18:01:14 Mr. Derrick, thanks for sharing your thought process in selection! Bob |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by kulafu on 07/05/21 at 18:09:09 Mr. Derrick, I just checked the Holo Audio website and the Holo Audio Spring 3 Dac is now selling. I will give it a look. Thanks again. Bob |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by MrDerrick on 07/05/21 at 20:45:09 I had to take a look, the analogue volume control module option is quite interesting. ( Kitsune Audio Site is taking orders ) And the KTE has the same Titanis 2.0 USB input as the L2 and KTE May. A Spring 3 KTE with analogue volume looks to be just under $3500 delivered, that includes the introductory discount. Normal price delivered looks to be just under $3900. |
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Title: Re: Holo Audio KTE May Impressions Post by kulafu on 07/06/21 at 14:28:10 Thanks Mr. Derrick, this makes it harder now. Still limited feedback so far, as expected. Sent you a PM for your sage advice. Bob |
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