empty99;170653 Wrote: > P Floding asked: How does running SB3 directly into the pot sound > compared to using the MF? > > The silly audiophile in me sez no way the puny SB3 can outsound the > 20lbs MF DAC, so I haven't tried it yet. The unit is currently at Slim > for repair. But I did a little system shakeup of my own while waiting: > I can confirm that the MF DAC warms things up but also put a very thin > veil on the overall performance, as compared to using my Sony S9000ES > direct analog out. Once the SB3 returns, I will certainly try going w/o > the DAC and test it tete-a-tete with the Sony. > "Simplicity...It's the most difficult form to achieve" Anonymous
I tested my setup per P Floding request, a brief description of room and equipments is needed here: SB3-SS ver 6.5.2-WAV audio Musical Fidelity A3.24 DAC 50Kohms Alps volume pot IC all RG59 or RG6 terminated with gold plated Neutrix plugs Two Nakamichi PA7s 200w/ch stereo amps, each biwired to one side of a pair of B&W 802 Nautilus The listening room is of decent size 40Wx35Dx20H, with some considerations for good sound deadening, low reflectivity and early echo, I have virtually no sidewalls or rear wall to deal with (lucky me!) Follows are the results and as P Floding said, I also trust what I hear: -Direct SB3 to amps: sounded like a good connection with clear, strong emphasis on midrange, upon further listening, it's obvious the SB3 built-in DAC levels off at the extreme low and high frequencies, still OK for background listening. Also, built in volume control makes low level listening somewhat weak. -SB3 to 50Kohm pot to amps: Sound became leaden, almost hard, after one hour. I tried various settings, ie max on pot then control w/ SB3 and vice versa w/ everything in-between. Not recommended. If one chooses this route, I recommend using fixed value resistors to pad down volume instead of a pot. -SB3 (coax) to MF DAC to pot to amps: Very good sound, almost identical to source Sony, just a touch warmer though but the highs still very very good. Downside: light-dimming circuits wreak havoc with SB3-DAC connection, causing loud scratchy sounds, bad. -SB3 (optical) to MF DAC to pot to amps: Same as above, but I thought maybe just a teeny bit (God forbids!) clearer sounding, and less grain. No problems w/ any house light dimmers. (I knew this since last year) Ugh, but with both connections, I think I can hear jitters: the highs are still very very good, but individual timbres of instruments have just a tiniest bit of "twist" or "bent" to them. BTW, either sourced from Sony or SB3, the sounds are identical coming out of the DAC. The following statements is purely speculation on my part: I think the MF DAC is superior to the DAC inside the Sony, both in background noise and decoding accuracy, but, the added jitters from external connections cause it to suffer somewhat. I find it hard to accept that a PS mod can bring the SB3 analog SQ to par. I also find it very likely that a Transporter with matched analog outputs (see various posting about this) will top many digital source+outboard DAC setups on the market for its tremendous all-in-one low jitter advantage, simplified connection and good DAC implemention. -- empty99 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ empty99's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=3488 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=31662 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
