Author Topic: EE DAC Supreme  (Read 25262 times)

Offline tmazz

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Re: EE DAC Supreme
« Reply #30 on: November 03, 2014, 07:56:13 PM »
Beat me to it Rich. I type too damn slow.  :duh
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Offline richidoo

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Re: EE DAC Supreme
« Reply #31 on: November 03, 2014, 08:12:41 PM »
Beat me to it Rich. I type too damn slow.  :duh

I just copied a link, you splained it all out. Good things come to those who wait!  :D


What about the phase errors that occur within a recording, like drum mics too close to each other, or overdubs, EQ filters, crossed mic wiring. Most engineers don't bother fixing any of that, some try to follow the basic rules of mic placement, but then run it through a flanger anyway.  Some use  phase tricks to make it sound spacious. So even the phase mistakes have merit in an artistic sense. Even reference recordings do some of their phase tricks with their stereo mics to make the hall sound spacious.

But a single stereo mic pair in acoustic space with acoustic instruments offers a perfect phase on the media. Then it's up to the audiophile to decide how much of that he wants to preserve. Lots of phase twisting perils in a home stereo system, like tube amps and reflex ports. But there are even more in normal record production, so it's mostly moot.

I use LR12 crossovers. I like the compromise between low phase error and good transient accuracy compared to steeper filters. LR12 requires adjacent drivers to be opposite polarity. standard procedure is to put the midrange in absolute phase and the tweet and bass reversed polarity. It still sounds better than LR24 steeper filters, but when the kick drum hits, it sucks instead of blows, that's pretty easy to hear the difference. So I usually reverse my speaker wires permanently to make the bass driver and tweeter in phase with mid reversed, but if mix engineer reverses the bass drum polarity, or if the mastering engineer cuts the master with reverse pol for some reason, then it's nice to press a button to fix the bass drum, or whatever other instrument might be annoying with reversed polarity. Even though everything gets reversed, making some instruments wrong polarity, it might sound better.  

It's something that the acoustic psychologists say we can't hear so we shouldn't worry about it. if you have enough nervosa, you can definitely hear it!  :thumb:
« Last Edit: November 03, 2014, 08:30:38 PM by richidoo »

Offline tmazz

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Re: EE DAC Supreme
« Reply #32 on: November 03, 2014, 09:37:20 PM »
You're right. And with multitrack recording each track can go through a different number of processors before they are mixed together so the absolute polarity of the individual instruments may not be the same even within the same recording, so I am not sure how you can ever have anything that is absolutely "correct"  in a modern commercial studio recording. If you have the ability to easily switch back and forth between the two polarity setting you may find one that sounds better than the other at times, but I am not sure that it ca really be said that this position is "correct", it is just better sounding. Which I guess can lead to the philosophical question of if some thing is technically correct, but sounds worse was it really correct in the first place? Oh boy!  #-o
« Last Edit: November 03, 2014, 09:39:45 PM by tmazz »
Remember, it's all about the music........

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Offline rollo

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Re: EE DAC Supreme
« Reply #33 on: November 06, 2014, 07:49:04 AM »
You're right. And with multitrack recording each track can go through a different number of processors before they are mixed together so the absolute polarity of the individual instruments may not be the same even within the same recording, so I am not sure how you can ever have anything that is absolutely "correct"  in a modern commercial studio recording. If you have the ability to easily switch back and forth between the two polarity setting you may find one that sounds better than the other at times, but I am not sure that it ca really be said that this position is "correct", it is just better sounding. Which I guess can lead to the philosophical question of if some thing is technically correct, but sounds worse was it really correct in the first place? Oh boy!  #-o


   Yes Siree that is why the BSG QOL is the piece to have. Kills me to say that after us dealers were thrown away by BSG.
   I tried numerous times to take it out. Just has to be in. There is no comparison when it is removed. Yes it was to expensive when introduced. However I will state that for the asking price now it will change your world.
    Now back to DAC supreme. Very easy to listen to. The tubed presentation is well tube flavored without sounding tubey. The SS presentation is more dynamic and uncolored. The tube can be changed to get what you want. Now do not get me wrong not colored per say just in direct comparison. In my system I perfer the SS over the tube but that's me.
   Changing the tube to a RCA cleartop gave more clarity and presence. Love presence.


charles
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Offline rollo

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Re: EE DAC Supreme
« Reply #34 on: November 14, 2014, 07:16:38 AM »
  Well it appears the tube section just needed some more time. This thing has tone and harmonics like the big boys.
   I think allot of EE owners will be upgrading.


charles
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Offline rpf

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Re: EE DAC Supreme
« Reply #35 on: December 30, 2014, 11:03:59 AM »
lol.... idk any Dac Ive heard and had with the Sabre seem to lack richness, texture, and inner detail. Its just a hunch more that reality probably.. I know what we compared the Yulong DA8 a lot of micro detail was missing and it seemed bright when compared to Bobs Ayre CD player. I had the previous version of the minimax with the Sabre Dac when it was getting passed about and wasn't crazy about it. I also had the Resonessence Labs Concero which was good but not great.
Have you compared the Supreme to the previous version?
Looking forward to more impressions.

Wonder why they didn't use the new version of the 9018.


I've also found Sabre DACs to be lacking a bit in richness and texture, particularly in the highs, which have a "slippery" quality (kind of like Teflon caps) to them. Changed the output coupling caps on my DAC Plus to VH Audio OIMP and problem solved.
« Last Edit: December 31, 2014, 06:31:55 AM by rpf »
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Offline Nick77

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Re: EE DAC Supreme
« Reply #36 on: December 31, 2014, 03:21:07 AM »
  Well it appears the tube section just needed some more time. This thing has tone and harmonics like the big boys.
   I think allot of EE owners will be upgrading.


charles

Any input yet on USB comparisons?

Offline Bill O'Connell

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Re: EE DAC Supreme
« Reply #37 on: December 31, 2014, 06:36:03 AM »
I know Alex and the engineers put a ton of time in getting the USB implemented correctly as he didn't want to rely on M2Tech again. From what customers tell me, the USB is very stable.
 I run HQ Player with Optimizer and JRiver, HQ player set to DSD 128 and the DAC plays 5.64MHz perfectly :thumb:
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Offline mfsoa

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Re: EE DAC Supreme
« Reply #38 on: January 01, 2015, 05:58:03 AM »
Hi Bill,

Happy new year.

Do you convert everything to 2x DSD?

I have heard that many people do this with great success.

Thanks

-Mike

Offline Bill O'Connell

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Re: EE DAC Supreme
« Reply #39 on: January 02, 2015, 02:52:36 AM »
At the moment I do the 2X DSD, I switch every other week it seems between DSD and the double DSD.
 One of my audio buddies tells me to try this setting and that setting so I haven't really settled in yet on one or another.
 It's all good with just very slight differences between all the variables.
 Bill
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Offline Nick77

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Re: EE DAC Supreme
« Reply #40 on: January 08, 2015, 05:01:43 PM »
Is the jury out yet on op amps? Sparkos or Dexa??

Offline Bill O'Connell

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Re: EE DAC Supreme
« Reply #41 on: January 08, 2015, 10:35:41 PM »
I like the Sparko's a lot  :thumb: and one of my audio buds really loves them.
 Another audio buddy tried the Sparko's in his headphone rig( HD800's and a PS headphone amp and he probably only had the sparko's burn in for 4-5 hours and had to take them out as they hurt his ears, when he went back to Dexa's all was well again and had a more analog smoothness for him. I'll talk with him in a day or two as he was burning in the Sparko's since I talked with him last time which has been just less than a week ago. I'll let you know if they settled down. The extra Gain in the Sparko's was a little to much for him in his headphone system but please keep in mind 4-5 hours just isn't enough time to evaluate or go into critical listening mode.
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Offline Nick77

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Re: EE DAC Supreme
« Reply #42 on: January 12, 2015, 05:43:04 AM »
Quote
    It is still changing so the jury is still out comparing to the ultra DACs. Hopefully after total break in will compare against the reference DACs in our club.
   As of this writing KABOM for the buck.


charles                                                 

Charles any updates? Check out the computer USB input yet?
Thanks...

Offline rollo

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Re: EE DAC Supreme
« Reply #43 on: January 12, 2015, 06:59:47 AM »
   No Nick not a computer guy yet. Was enamored by the DAC running SPDIF from  Plinius CDP.
   Preferred the SS section with tube pulled overall.



charles
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Offline KLH007

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Re: EE DAC Supreme
« Reply #44 on: February 12, 2015, 07:47:41 PM »
   No Nick not a computer guy yet. Was enamored by the DAC running SPDIF from  Plinius CDP.
   Preferred the SS section with tube pulled overall.

Charlie, Have you hooked up a laptop to the Supreme yet?



charles