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Re: Metrum onyx DAC and NVA amps

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 4:45 pm
by _D_S_J_R_
Do bear in mind the casework costs more than the electronics quite often, especially those neat little Chord castings, which do look exquisite and dinky in the flesh and come with dedicated packaging rather more fancy than a plain brown cardboard box.

Re: Metrum onyx DAC and NVA amps

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:07 pm
by Lurcher300b
I have a lot of time for Chord who also make their own chips.
I don't think they do, they use Xilinx Artix 7 fpga's last time I looked.

Re: Metrum onyx DAC and NVA amps

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:16 pm
by Lurcher300b
And having a read, Metrum look like they use two 12 bit r2r dacs joined together to make a 24 bit r2r, may well be using one of the off the shelf r2r chips. I have used those dacs in control system, and often thought about trying them in a audio setting but I could never work out what problem I was trying to solve so never bothered.

Though in both cases, I agree they do more than just use a off the shelf chip, but I don't know for certain if that actually is better in terms of sound quality or just great for marketing. As I get older I get much more cynical about the "next best thing".

Re: Metrum onyx DAC and NVA amps

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:26 pm
by CN211276
Lurcher300b wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:07 pm
I have a lot of time for Chord who also make their own chips.
I don't think they do, they use Xilinx Artix 7 fpga's last time I looked.
I should have said they don't use off the shelf chips.

The Mojo packaging is very basic, the packaging of the Qutest is elaborate.

Re: Metrum onyx DAC and NVA amps

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:38 pm
by Lurcher300b
CN211276 wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:26 pm
Lurcher300b wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:07 pm
I have a lot of time for Chord who also make their own chips.
I don't think they do, they use Xilinx Artix 7 fpga's last time I looked.
I should have said they don't use off the shelf chips.
I know I am being excessively pedantic, but they are on the shelf at Farnell.

https://uk.farnell.com/xilinx/xc7a15t-1 ... 760101?st=(XC7A15T

Re: Metrum onyx DAC and NVA amps

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:43 pm
by Dr Bunsen Honeydew
Just less extreme bullshit than the groundbox thread.

Re: Metrum onyx DAC and NVA amps

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 6:09 pm
by savvypaul
Lurcher300b wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:16 pm And having a read, Metrum look like they use two 12 bit r2r dacs joined together to make a 24 bit r2r, may well be using one of the off the shelf r2r chips. I have used those dacs in control system, and often thought about trying them in a audio setting but I could never work out what problem I was trying to solve so never bothered.
Cheers for the insight, Nick.
Lurcher300b wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:16 pm And having a read, Metrum look like they use two 12 bit r2r dacs joined together to make a 24 bit r2r, may well be using one of the off the shelf r2r chips. I have used those dacs in control system, and often thought about trying them in a audio setting but I could never work out what problem I was trying to solve so never bothered.

Though in both cases, I agree they do more than just use a off the shelf chip, but I don't know for certain if that actually is better in terms of sound quality or just great for marketing. As I get older I get much more cynical about the "next best thing".
I imagine your cynicism is, more often than not, proven to be justified.

Re: Metrum onyx DAC and NVA amps

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 6:48 pm
by CN211276
Lurcher300b wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:38 pm
CN211276 wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:26 pm
Lurcher300b wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:07 pm

I don't think they do, they use Xilinx Artix 7 fpga's last time I looked.
I should have said they don't use off the shelf chips.
I know I am being excessively pedantic, but they are on the shelf at Farnell.

https://uk.farnell.com/xilinx/xc7a15t-1 ... 760101?st=(XC7A15T
Informative.

Re: Metrum onyx DAC and NVA amps

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 7:26 pm
by Lurcher300b
CN211276 wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 6:48 pm
Lurcher300b wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:38 pm
CN211276 wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:26 pm

I should have said they don't use off the shelf chips.
I know I am being excessively pedantic, but they are on the shelf at Farnell.

https://uk.farnell.com/xilinx/xc7a15t-1 ... 760101?st=(XC7A15T
Informative.
To be fair of course saying the fpga is on the shelf misses the point that its the code you use to program the fpga that makes it unique to Chord or anybody else using a fpga. Thats the bit that where the clever lives. The whole concept of fpga's and similar can be a bit mind blowing when you realize just what power they can have. The IDE's are rather wizzy as well now, you can drag and drop entire blocks. Need a USB interface, drag the USB module onto the design and join it all up. Send the code to the chip, and the chip now has a USB interface.

Re: Metrum onyx DAC and NVA amps

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 8:27 pm
by Dr Bunsen Honeydew
This whole process is out of my knowledge or comfort zone, so I defer especially to Nick. All I do is use my ears and I use my cheap DAC all day mostly listening to Paradise Radio, while I work. It is so musically and even in hi-fi terms so good I really cannot be bothered to look elsewhere, less than £100 all in inc good cables why should I bother with these silly priced things that seem to be the current marketing push. I seriously hate marketing pushes because in a few years you will look back and see the bullshit more clearly.