NVA Blog

[Latteman]

Postman must have a good back

[savvypaul]

Postman must have a good back

Yep. We had to give him a hand to get it off the van.

The transformers in the photo are just the ones that are already spoken for...there's another 20 gone into stock.

[29mile]

Paul
Would you consider selling Toroidy transformers directly to forum DIY members ? I am sure there are a good few in the community who may participate and appreciate the gesture.
Thanks

[Daniel Quinn]

That's a bit of unfair question. They are easily available and nva sells amps not parts.

[savvypaul]

Toroidy sell direct to the public AFAIK. Nothing to stop HFS members doing a group buy...

[savvypaul]

Had the Grace SDAC in and out of my main system since Friday afternoon.

Friday evening involved a little 'head cold' colouration on vocals, so I left it playing on repeat through the night and Saturday morning. The head cold disappeared and I spent chunks of yesterday swapping the SDAC with my RME.

The SDAC doesn't accentuate any particular part of the frequency range, there are no nasties like glare or sibilance. Focus, separation, timbre and depth are very respectable. It takes seconds to set up and hasn't missed a beat. The RME sounds a littler bigger, a tad more solid, a tad more resolved. It's not night and day, though. When I take the RME out and put the SDAC in, I forget the differences within a few tracks and just enjoy the music.

The SDAC wouldn't replace the RME, for me, partly because the latter sounds just a tad better, but mostly because the RME has lots of features that I want to use, especially DSP and a very good volume control with remote handset.

I wonder we are getting toward a time when the main differences between dacs are features and finish.

Worth remembering that the Sonore MicroRendu streamer I use creates a 'new' USB signal and power supply, and costs £600, so the above comment is only valid in that context.

[slinger]

I wonder we are getting toward a time when the main differences between dacs are features and finish.

...and ridiculous prices, obviously.

[CN211276]

I wonder we are getting toward a time when the main differences between dacs are features and finish.

...and ridiculous prices, obviously.

Many will regard this as sacrelidge but I believe the signal fed into the DAC is more important than the DAC itself. All the more so since my recent upgrades to the digital path, notably the i Purifier 3 followed by Cat 8 ethernet cable.

[savvypaul]

Many will regard this as sacrelidge but I believe the signal fed into the DAC is more important than the DAC itself.

In some cases, yes, I agree.

[Fretless]

I am also thinking along these lines after my current round of exploits with USB and ethernet links.