AudioNervosa
Systemic Development => Digital Audio Devices => Topic started by: jimbones on October 08, 2018, 06:18:48 AM
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Share your experience with owning the DAC, or if you are a past owner what you moved up to. I just got one and wanted to compare notes. Thanks.
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I’m a former owner; the Vega is a great piece, and the only reason I gave it up was to simplify my system. It was bulletproof, not a single quirky thing about it. I’m realizing as I write this I only used it for redbook playback, so I guess there wasn’t much to go wrong. I do remember that trying the different filter settings was rewarding; my current Esoteric player requires a vivid imagination to hear any changes in sound.
I had been using a Cambridge CXC transport with the Vega, and it sounded quite nice. I now use an Esoteric K07X, and I wouldn’t say it sounds any better or worse. It’s just one less piece of equipment.
Speaking of which, I have Black Cat digital cable for sale that I no longer need...
Happy listening, it’s a great item.
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I am very satisfied with the performance my Auralic Vega. While it is not cutting edge, it does have a sonically competent design that extracts a lot of music from basic 44.1 sources. It does sound a little better with DSD and 24/88 through 24/192 sample rates. I don't seem to get that much benefit from up-sampling and up-sampling 44.1 to odd multiples like 192kHz is detrimental to good sound.
I have had the best sounding results so far from Windows 10 Creator Edition running on my HAL MS-2 PC Music Server. Win10 Creator Edition finally has a native 24/192 driver just like Apples OS. Using the OS level Win10 driver to kernal stream all incoming data rather than the USB driver supplied by Auralic gives a much better sounding result. This driver lets us use kernal streaming to playback all sample rates and including DSD 128 when the discrete 24bit integer setting is used in jRiver 22. The music sounds muffled and 2 dimensional when the Auralic driver is used. At the end of the day you are listening to the software's impact on the sound quality even when its not supposed to have a sound and allegedly doesn't matter if the end result is bit perfect. RRighhtt, and I've got some swampland and a bridge I can give a good deal on, just step this way and bring cash.
Sidebar, there is a substantial difference in sound quality between jRiver 22 and previous versions. Using earlier versions than jRiver 22 does not cut it. Upgrade to jRiver 24. It sounds identical to 22.
Win 10 doesn't sound better than Win8.1 until the Creator Edition update is done which adds the OS level native driver. This particular setup has had zero aggravations related to music playback since I started using it. Absolutely painless so far.
Scotty
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Thanks, I just got mine and I am still in the evaluation stages. Sounding better as i learn the unit and settings and it has stabilized (warmed up). I am enjoying it but initially when I turned it on it didn't sound wonderful and my Burson was better but I will do an A/B after another week. BTW, Burson products are really under rated.
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Speaking of warming up, I remember now that I found it sounded best by just leaving it on all the time. If I remember correctly, the display could be set to go off after a certain amount of idle time.
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Yes I leave it in standby. This was when I first opened the box. Sounds very detailed that sabre chip sound lol
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Sounds very detailed that sabre chip sound lol
Yeah, but does it sound natural, like real music should? I always found the Sabre chip to be fatiguing over time...
My $0.02,
Pete
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Pete that was my first impression when I first turned it on!
little history:
years back i got a burson conductor with the sabre chip. an opportunity came up for me to get an additional dac board with the Burr Brown chipset. I switched out and preferred the BB chipset over the sabre.
People contend that the sabre is better, it's how it is implemented.
Fast forward to today:
The Auralic is settling in and sounds better than when I first plugged it in. It really needs a full day to settle in. The Femto clock has stabilized and once I get some time I will A/B against the Burson. My guess is that there is more detail in the Vega. I used your power cable on the vega and that helped tone down the nastiness.
I totally agree with you when not implemented correctly the sabre chip sounds like poo.
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Sounds very detailed that sabre chip sound lol
Yeah, but does it sound natural, like real music should? I always found the Sabre chip to be fatiguing over time...
My $0.02,
Pete
Perhaps, but I had a Vega for a long time and fatigue is a word that never came to mind. The entire implementation matters :)
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Perhaps, but I had a Vega for a long time and fatigue is a word that never came to mind. The entire implementation matters :)
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I notice that the sound is not as sharp as when I first turned it up. I am not going to do an A/B until I really get familiar with this unit.
I think it is pretty close between the Burson and Auralic.
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Jimbones reach 500 hours yet ?? Curious as to progress with sound.
charles