If you need help with your HIFI system or general advice, then send me a mail to: realhifihelp@gmail.com (my name is Larry) For free help, then look at my videos and comments. Then there are several 1000’s of hours put into these videos for the entire community. (circa 450 videos)
A lot of price snobbery going on here. Mike Moffat, who designed the Theta DACs, designs the Schiit multibit DACs. I have a fairly resolving midfi system using a Gungnir MB upgraded from a DS. Easy to hear the difference even with old ears. You don't have to spend big bucks to get very good sound.
I found this from a 90s audio magazine. From Theta Digital "They said multi-bit technology was dead. Theta’s design team tried this new technology in high-performance designs and found it smooth sounding but lacking in aliveness, dynamics, and bass. "
I think you're bang on saying its a "hybrid sound", see my response to a hifi shop on why I wouldn't buy it In short I said... "it has tamed the recording" As for the Holo Spring DAC performance, it is a very good ladder DAC and I can see what reviewers have been talking and why some people would love this sound As for me, the sound signature is not for me, it was the first time I’ve heard a ladder DAC and it was a different presentation of sound, see notes below - the overall sound stage is lay back, further away from the listener - the DAC removes all subtle harshness in the recordings - It controls all sounds within the sound stage and doesn’t let any one element jump out too far or become shouty - the over all tone is slightly warm - the sound separation is excellent - there is excellent note extension and resonance - it makes all music sound nice, sweet, relaxed So the reason I would not buy the DAC, see below - there is less attack, excitement, engaging, it has tamed the recording (less spice, snap and dynamic) and in doing so removed the fun - Also by removing harsh hiss sounds it has reduced the airy feel that’s found in recordings
I used your tip about making ça les with fine threads. It works very well. After searching i understand more why. Fine threads conduct more current. It's the same principle than litz wire. Thanks again
He's talking about multistranding finer threads but ending up with the same or similar cross sectional area. It combats skin effect but even better would be litz wire where each strand is insulated with lacquer. Then you won't get conduction across strands which can blur the sound somewhat. Some cable builders swear by using one larger gauge solid wire though.
You are spot on. I was listening to a brand new gustard r2r dac with good cables and could tell so much was missing. I couldn’t even tell if I liked the sound. 70% of the music was there. 30% is missing. It reminded me of listening to a radio. 1700 dollar mistake. Life goes on
Brand new, like out of the box or has it been burned in? I'm wondering because people say that the R26 needs at least 100 hours of burn in to start setting and sounding good. I'm considering buying a R26 because of the reviews, but your comment made me think about it.
Interesting way of putting it. I think cheap DS dacs have their own problems too. They throw out so much detail but it’s in a way that you can’t make sense of it. For lack of a better way of putting it: everything seems like it’s a mess and you can’t focus on individual layers of the sound.
Two sides of the same coin. Resistors create chunks of voltage. DS single bit DACs create chunks of current. R2R ladder DACs with individual discrete resistors have linearity and resolution issues. Single bit DS DACs are highly linear but have noise floor issues. There are now DACs that essentially combine both approaches by using a massively parallel single bit DS DAC and randomize the choice of signal at the output to improve S/N. So the answer is both approaches have limitations and advantages - so to overcome the inherent limitations chip designers like Sabre are applying both techniques to achieve the highest specs. Purist implementations of one design or the other don’t perform as well technically (as measured)
I have seen this video and just couldnt help myself and comment. Did anyone here though about why giants in the industry like the good billion dollar bussiness old Philips, BB, TI,AD made R2R dacs in chips and not descreete anymore??? Well its mostly because discreete resistors are insanely expensive and hard to make in 0.0001%matched (not that they couldnt), and non inductive with very few pF capacity. And lets say that they can do that, then the pcb traces will ruin it, then you eventually have to laser trim-cut them all (usually made by an stable alloy) and throw them in a chip where the traces are nanometers to get DECENT performance. My gosh that people are spending 100k+ $ on dacs that usually are in a 300bucks CD player Pcm63 or AD1862 based dac..... The technology matured and we have hibrid dacs, DS dacs, etc that usually nowadays exceeds descreet R2R dacs and with a tiny software you can fine tune it from an Intel Nuc. In my opinion this discreete R2R movement is a niche and a huge engeering effort.... I have heard at a recent local meeting an AK 4490 dac fully balanced that made our jaws drop compared to a Denon based PCM1702 dac wich was very nice till then.... Enjoy music guys thats all it matters in the end, and not about who spends more just to make a showoff at meetings.
I have not heard it or know enough about it. But it's a high end exclusive brand with a steep unit price, which usually translates into a very evolved/detailed sound. I don't like the design with all of the chips going on. But still, it could be very interesting to hear.
@@skynguyen7545 There are a lot of good sound qualities from Acapella. But I feel the sound isn't quite there. To me it is a lot like Avantgarde: way over priced. AN make speakers that give like 5x more value IMO. Plus it sounds more real/down to earth with detail making more sense. I would though like to own the top 2 Acapella speakers, that was mostly good that experience. But I would only give 1/15 of the price for that type of sound.
Man, you are so correct about so much, or at least I agree with you. There are most certainly levels of R-2R, as there are anything else. As you noted, R-2R can be made cheaply, or they can be made at the highest end. Same with non-R-2R. When combined with DSD-256 or above recording done on great source/recording gear, a great R-2R addresses almost every digital issue up through 100 kHz. At both lower-end (sub-$20K including monitors) or 7-figure plus systems, of which we have both ends of that spectrum here- whether listening to Merrill Audio enhanced Teac or Otari Reel-to-reel, or DSD plus R-2R, they will both bring you to tears on great recordings. The highest end of the studio market, such as at our studio where we have few cost/price restrictions, R-2R vs non is a small cost factor percentage-wise, but a great DAC, power supply and clock source are critical digital components. I believe you need to look at the whole chain and their synergies, and second, it is built around trade-offs. We also use non-R-2R DAC gear like Merging Anubis & HAPI and several others. I would say that recording quality is far more the limiting factor than the DAC architecture.
From some experience and listening to others, I think both r2r and chip DACs can both sound great. One might be superior to the other, but many others factors go into making a great DAC.
If I understand you correctly, are you saying that R2R DAC's are compensating for people not getting the basics right in terms of correcting the inherent problems with 'dirty'/noisy electricity sources and this creates inherent audio problems that 'normal' brands try to work (unsuccessfully) around? So when building a system should one be starting with getting the right power supplies, power cables, interconnects and matching them to gear that's made for how they sound rather than how they measure? Would be great if you could clarify where one should start if one has a budget of say £4000. What gear/brands would you recommend in terms of amp, DAC, speakers, cables for a digital source from files/streaming?
Yes that is what I am saying. I made a video called something like: If I only could own 1 system. There I suggest 2 really good value starter systems. It's the video with a picture of a Delorian car, from the movie back to the future. I also lately made a lot of videos where I recommend a lot of gear. Especially in my OTO se signature (best amp in the world) There is a lot of good gear recommendation in that as far as I remember.
@@RealHIFIHelp fantastic videos thanks for pointing them out to me. Last weekend, I decided to buy the Vandersteen 1ci’s (with bases) and YBA A100...they’re arriving tomorrow or the day after! Vandersteen have raised the price on their 1ci to $2950, which translates into £3950 after importing via a dealer/distributed in the UK. So, mine are 2-3 years old from eBay £800...I think that’s a bargain given the new pricing. I think Vandersteen has just killed their market so I’ve managed to get on board just in time. Thanks so much for the advice in your videos. The sound is going to be so different to my current gear.
@@RealHIFIHelp things are also changing with YBA. The dealer said that they’re redesigning the heritage line and the replacement will be closer to £2000 (currently they’re £1500). I struck lucky getting one of his ex-demos for £950 with full warranty. Given they’ve been shut the last year and a half due to the pandemic it’s hardly been used! Like you he has a strong preference for valve amps and said the YBA line are special because they come close to that sound. As the owner of the shop, he took a YBA Passion home while he waited for a replacement valve-amp...he kept it for 2 years! Which goes to show how highly he thought of it.
@@RealHIFIHelp I received the YBA A100 and the 1Ci a couple of days ago and wow oh wow! On the first day, they sounded awful...no synergy, very thin, no bass and bright. Even plugging in my Rel subwoofer didn’t help. But leaving them on for two days completely changed the sound. It totally filled out in the mid and bottom end, and now they sound balanced they’re no longer bright even though they’re not rolled off. They’re now a complete joy to listen to and the total cost was just £1750. I just spent 9 hours straight going through all my 100 test tracks with zero fatigue! Soundstage and clarity amazing and all very natural sounding. My test tracks sound completely new - it’s like starting all over again. What blows me away is this combo works with all genres: heavy metal, electronic, classical, opera, jazz, acoustic, vocals. I’ve never been impressed with Diana Krall...find her voice weak and I hate how she mumbles from the back of her throat, but on the 1Ci’s she sounds okay. I need more time to evaluate, but think this combo (even though it’s only budget gear) will last me for many years, which means no more distraction by lusting over reviews. Instead, I can focus on sorting out my source and power. You have no idea how much easier this makes my life! It also means I can choose power/source options to match the YBA/Vandersteen combo, which will also narrow things down. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!
I understand because I have experienced these feelings. But for the most of the people won't understand. I am very interested into the sound of ladder DACs
Maybe one day, there will be a good one on the market that is cheap. I have only heard 1 that blew me away. Audio Note prototype. It would most likely anyway have costed something like 150k USD. A true Ladder DAC has not a simple chip in it. All the current ones, are more built like a mainboard from a PC that a real R2R ladder DAC.
@@RealHIFIHelp we design dac for fun, like similar technique of Audio GD. For my ears ladder dac sound beautiful, we have tested AKM, Sabre, burbrown, cirus logic and modified almost everything, because to search for beautiful sound, We design crossover for speakers, power cables, speakers cable, choose correct spares without caring for the money. After testing for many years, I realized similarly what you have mentioned in this video.
Real hifi help: you will need an upward of 100, 000 for a real r2r DAC to get a real music Me: then I will get a turntable so I do not need a DAC Real hifi help: ........ You will need an upward of 500, 000 for a real turntable to get a real music Me: ....... What the.....
There are about 1000 steps inbetween the worst R2R dacs and the very best. If you hold on to that it has to cost a certain amount of money, you won't find the best sound. That is the best I have heard for around that price, and maybe in 10 years time, it only costs 1/10 of the price to produce. So in my book the best value DACs are the top Holo may DACs, then the AN 2.1 signature, then around AN DAC 4, 5, fifth element, and then maybe this in 10 years time which is maybe 50k if we are lucky. So they obvious choice are the first ones I mentioned.
So you mean Aqua audio? I have listened to digital audio from theta, ps audio, dcs, msb, spectral, wadia, and audio research. While auditioning speakers the source was the la scala r to r and it was the most human sound I jab ever heard in digital. Just to make sure we changed to a 20000 msb. And the magic was gone. Still at 7 k out of my range
Jup. Try a Audio Note 2.1 signature DAC used for like 2-3000 dollars, that can easily beat everything on that list. Most underrated DAC on the market, and can make most crap signal before that, actually sound pretty good.
I think I’ve just found the answer my previous question by watching your other videos. It seems like I need to save at least £35k to get what you describe as a Level 3 system e.g. your Audio Note system. Problem is my listening room hasn’t yet been built and will be at least 5 years way and my current listening room is too small. In the meantime, your video about using Abbys 1266 TC Phi’s is something I’ve already been exploring. The only hurdle is I’ve not found a shop in the UK that also carries the Woo Audio WA33 tube amp (which Abbys recommends) so that I can audition it. However, your video has given me an idea for an Audio Note upgrade path from the Abbys 1266…first I buy the headphones with the Audio Note 2.1 DAC and Decware triode amp. Later, I can upgrade to the Audio Note Meishu with the headphone mod you suggested. Then once funds and room become available, then I just need to add Audio Note speakers and streamer. The good thing is I can plan a head with the electrical wiring & widgets now that I know it’s an integral part of the chain. Does this make any sense? Now I just need to find an Audio Note dealer where I can audition the audio note sound to confirm it’s as good as you suggest.
Yes it all sounds good/smart what you are saying, that is how to play the game so you have a good base, and go deep from the start, so everything else shows it's true colors.
@@RealHIFIHelp I’ve decided to focus on 2 channel for the moment...easier to enjoy with other people. But will keep this idea with the 1266’s in mind...just need to hear them on a decent valve amp to make up my mind.
My EF500 R2R DAC with a Himalayan chip definitely sounds much better than my similarly priced sigma delta DAC. I also don't notice any loss of dynamics. I'm also noticing more detail than my sigma delta DAC. I'm never going back to sigma delta.
In my books I sell for 50 USD I reveal that the general r2r DACs are mostly not nearly as good as the good integrated DACs in the few good top amps that you can get a hold of. Simply because external DACS only fix problems at the lower levels on the surface parts of the sound that give a wow factor. Once you hear the good internal DACS together with most external r2r DACs at a very high level, you start to notice that r2r DACS are flavouring the sound way too much, losing a lot of integration of sounds, while the internal DACs are just a lot more simple/integrated/deep in sound in a more pure/real way once you are able to do both tests at a high level. I also show evidence in my books that there is one amp/DAC in particular that is blowing everything away because it uses DAC processing without using opamps and bypasses the use of a DAC chip, and delays the processing to the very end so the sound can´t smear/distort/color. The use of external DACs is a bit of a joke, because yes it gets a hell of a lot better at the lowest levels of HiFi and even better at the midlevel. But once you reach the top level then there are also other problems with external DACs being Sigma delta or r2r or whatever which I talk about in the books.
I prefer R2R when the potential is fully maxed out. So far as of year 2022 the current standard of R2R tech is only about 5% of what it can actually do. And the current top models are maybe 15% there but then cost maybe 50-100k USD. I am guessing that the Audio Note R2R prototype that I heard would have to cost about 150-250k USD for it to be able to sell, and that it was about 70% of what you could do with that tech is my guess. I would guess that normal PCM DACs use about 2-10% in average of it full potential of of it can do, and maybe the really good ones like Playback Design and similar class currently are at about 30%, and the best from Audio Note is maybe at 50-75% of what the tech optimally can do. Audio Note DAC 5 is maybe 60% where their Fifth Element is maybe 75%. Later in the future it might turn into a fully R2R DAC is my guess. That is supposedly the best DAC in the world that no one really has ever heard except maybe 2 handful of people is my guess. I feel that DSD DACs are usually only at about 10% of what the DAC tech can do, and that we have already pretty much maxed out the potential at around 90%. And money/sound wise PCM DACs is the way forward in this current age. The problem with R2R DACs is that it has most likely the very best potential. But that using really good parts with it is close to impossible while still making it a solution that the average Joe can buy.
You do realise that the AN DAC's are R2R DAC's not? They are not discrete R2R, but the Analogue Devices DAC basically contain a network of laser trimmed resistors on a die. Needless to say it's much cheaper to throw a few million gates to the problem like with Delta Sigma DAC's. Yes, its it is very hard to make a GOOD discrete R2R DAC, Audio Note is (still) working on it. (I did not watch the whole video, so maybe I missed something)
All you've told about is about either ancient r2r IC, or even worse - about r2r driven by FPGA/SoC directly. No, that does not work this way. You need FPGA just to switch resistors to a proper voltage source with digitally calibrated signal, when according to your ladder, you have to send 1001 instead of 1010. And sample-and-hold subsystem is also very important. All these Pi hats, or another $100 "r2r" from China are just toys. Open Holo Audio DAC and you will see what is a properly designed r2r dac. PS Audio Note has issues with higher high frequencies. A sound is not "transparent". But mid freqs sound very naturally, and low freqs are full of energy, that's true.
Nope. Just get the su-r1000 then you won´t ever need another amp/DAC, best value DAC on the market. Works best on a AN-E speaker, most other speakers only reveal 1/3 of itś innate sound.
I have one question guys why should one buy a well build high-end R2R DAC when all digital music (even audiophile releases) are recorded, coded and mixed on crap DS DACs that measure good ?
IMO normal R2R is just to compensate for bad source signal for a little amount of money. It's like DSP/DSD/equalizer, meaning that it does a lot, but ultimately at these normal levels it's just compensation sound.
1. You just explained 100% why you think the way that you do, and the way that I do. Let me make it a bit more obvious to you... 2. The gear you have is way below the standard of these normal R2R DACs that are reviewed, typically also costing 1.5-5x more of what you own. So you at least have to get to that level to know what R2R in the normal class sounds like. 3. After that you have to try a decent DAC at least which is for example the Mcintosh mcd1100 type of class which is a huge step up from this type of gear. 4. Then after that it again gets much better with stuff like top Emm Labs. 5. Then After that stuff like Abbas audio DACs. 6. And then finally at this level something around Audio Note 2.1 signature where it starts to become world class. 7. Then there is the very best DACs which are DAC 4 & 5 again from AN that beat everything on the market. 8. And then the very best DAC in the world which is the Fifth Element DAC. 9. And in the end when you have reached all of these classes of DAC levels, you have to hear most products on the market within these categories to get more experience, these are just some of the best of those categories. 10. And then you have to hear a proper R2R DAC like Audio Note made with REAL R2R parts which has a much shorter signal, is 100% transformer coupled and is made with resistors like Niobium and tantalum. And which does not have any chips in them which cheat. (which hasn't been released yet, but is in Peter Qvortrups room and R&D room) At this level what I said and wrote will then become a reality for you. If you haven't even been in these categories of gear, of course what I write will not be real for you. Nice talking to you.
Larry is bending over backwards to explain something that is very complicated and nuanced. All other reviewers act like there is a linear line from bad to excellent and they place components somewhere on this line. But if you take those people's advice you spend way more then you were comfortable with and when you get your new gear home you are tired of it after 100 or so hours of listening and likely think it's your fault for not appreciating it more. But Larry is trying to explain that there are hundreds of qualities that go into reproduced sound. Some of them can seduce us in the short term but eventually the brain/ear axis figures out what's going on and if we don't know any better because we lack experience, we become disinterested or bored or even irritated with the sound, and not realize we're having a normal, healthy response to the sound this gear makes. This is really the essence of what he's trying to teach us. He's learned the hard way (is there any other? We won't listen otherwise). I discovered Larry about 4 years ago after not turning on my dCS sourced system for 6 whole years. When I did turn it on it didn't work and needed servicing. Now I have an Audio Note DAC 5 Signature, Audio Note Meishu as headphone amp and Hifiman Susvara headphones. And even with this gear it took a lot of tweaking to get the sound really good. Initially I had them placed on 3/4 plywood on industrial pallet racking. Later I bought a proper rack and it improved the sound like crazy. Then I made my own silver interconnect from a recipe on Real World Audio and that was a revelation. I hate copper with a passion now. Then I bought Critical Mass Systems M2 Center Stage footers and those warped physics. It makes no sense how they make such a difference. Now it's getting where I'm way more open minded about what to try. But one thing I agree with is Audio Note everything is usually the very best. Want to make your own interconnect? Use Audio Note silver wire from hificollective. Mundorf silver/gold is fabulous and Connex 6n silver is incredible (not the OCC) but Audio Note silver is on another level. Yet we still disagree on some things. The only other person I listen to is an AN dealer/service tech. in Brooklyn. He thinks Pass Labs is the best solid state and Spectral and Nagra sucks. He thinks Oyaide plugs suck and Rhodium anything sucks. He buys the cheap silver plated plugs from hificollective. Larry thinks Spectral is the best solid state and Pass Labs is okay. Larry thinks the 1266 sounds excellent out of the Meishu. I bought both and think the 1266 could remove paint. Out of the Wells Audio Milo it sounds pretty good to me though. Still not in love though. These are the 2 biggest questions I have at this point. 1. Is what should I do/buy next? 2. Is why do these people whose ears i can trust, and myself, not agree on everything? If there's maybe one deficiency in Larry, it's teaching how to build a system you love on the cheap. See his video about the best solid state system he ever owned. It's heart was a YBA Passion 100 integrated amp and when it broke and was repaired, never sounded the same. I think most people shouldn't spend a lot of money on hifi gear. That it's a form of mindless idolatry that we'd all be better off without. Some of us are just fixated on it though. There's something about it we love. When I was a teenager, my best friend had a small Sony system in his bedroom. It sounded absolutely bloody awesome. That's all people need. Something that sounds incredibly good but is inexpensive. I never could get sound that good after all the money I spent on hifi.
The video of his I mentioned in my other comment is called "Back when I owned one of the best transistor systems." That's sounds like what he's trying to accomplish.
A six or seven hundred dollar product that will make someone happy with a hundred dollar amp and a five hundred dollar set of speakers is an excellent high fidelity product. No home re-wiring necessary. Taste more speakers with the money saved, imho. Your mileage will vary.
You need to hear some more high-end R2R dacs like the classic Theta Gen Va or Aqua Acoustic La Scala MkII. I do agree that good R2R probably starts at $5k minimum, but there's definitely good R2R gear available today. Also be mindful of painting R2R in such broad strokes, I've heard R2R dacs which are about as different as burr brown and saber. Nice channel otherwise.
I have a AudioGd R7 (R2R) which kills hand down the DA1 in my McIntosh 8900 (delta sigma) which is better than Yamaha's one. His best point is precisely dynamics : dynamics is not all about R2R or DS, but about alimentation too, and mainly. I had an Ayre QB9 (Twenty) which had the same characteristics than DA1 : very clean, detailed but a little "grey" or "pastel" compared to AudioGd, which have a "fleshy" and vivid sound.
Generalizing a DAC type is just ignorant. It is all about implementation and quality parts. Just like not all Saber dac chips sound automatically bright and harsh. All parts in the setup need to match to the sound you like. There is not one sound for everyone. So yes, as you said yourself, you are grossly generalizing. Lack of experience and testing?
I tested several and this is a trend going through them all, even though they all have a different signature which I mentioned. When you have tested most brands with most of their models and have heard a AN r2r prototype, then your opinion matters.
@@RealHIFIHelp I haven't heard it yet myself, but it certainly had some glowing reviews, though I then heard that the Yggdrasil OG spanked it, and the Holo Audio May allegedly spanked the Yggdrasil. I had real issues with the Yggdrasil when I first got it. It is the second incarnation with the newer analog output. I was having real issues with the highs. I had never bought into AC conditioning, but out of desperation I tried it. It did make the Yggdrasil listenable. The older version was said to sound better than DACs into the $80K neighborhood, so they may have been mistaken, but they didn't seem to be too concerned about pissing off the manufacturing companies, and purchasers of +/- $80K and below DACs. That rather diminishes your argument about reviewers not doing their jobs. That isn't to say that their being willing to call a spade a spade makes them necessarily correct in their opinions. OTOH, musicians tell me how amazingly realistic my system is, and how they have never heard any stereos even close to it. That I take far more seriously. They'll want to listen to this or that to hear a realistic replication. I expect don't really buy into listening equipment at dealers as you don't necessarily know what is doing what to the music. It has taken me literally decades to get to a neutral system. I used to try to balance the system by finding equipment to fix this or that, but I finally figured out that that is an exercise in futility. Working from memory, the only component that, were I rich, I might try to work around would be Quad ELS57s. They had too low a listening level for me to live with, but if memory serves. The mids were awesome. These days I might be more critical than I was 30 years ago, but I loved what they could do when I did own them for about a month. Anyway, I think that we have different approaches to music, and that's what makes life interesting.
Every design has some bad and good sides. The author is throwing a big blanket, generalizing very r2r he could find in the market. In reality, each r2r dac is different from the other. Some are bad, some are in the middle, and some are very good. Even better than Delta Sigma or FPGA.
I really tried to give your argument a chance, but your points are all just audiophile mumbo jumbo. If you can't explain it easily to someone who is just starting in their journey then hearing this, they may not even start at all. Try and nail down your points before posting a video like this. I cut my teeth in digital with the Philips CD-880, an R2R CD player from 1988. Let me tell you my brain still remembers the musical smooth and dynamic sound from that beast. Now I'm still trying to adjust to the sound of the AKM AK4497 chips in my new DAC.
If you need help with your HIFI system or general advice, then send me a mail to: realhifihelp@gmail.com (my name is Larry)
For free help, then look at my videos and comments. Then there are several 1000’s of hours put into these videos for the entire community. (circa 450 videos)
A lot of price snobbery going on here. Mike Moffat, who designed the Theta DACs, designs the Schiit multibit DACs. I have a fairly resolving midfi system using a Gungnir MB upgraded from a DS. Easy to hear the difference even with old ears. You don't have to spend big bucks to get very good sound.
I found this from a 90s audio magazine. From Theta Digital "They said multi-bit technology was dead. Theta’s design team tried this new technology in high-performance designs and found it smooth sounding but lacking in aliveness, dynamics, and bass. "
I think you're bang on saying its a "hybrid sound", see my response to a hifi shop on why I wouldn't buy it
In short I said... "it has tamed the recording"
As for the Holo Spring DAC performance, it is a very good ladder DAC and I can see what reviewers have been talking and why some people would love this sound
As for me, the sound signature is not for me, it was the first time I’ve heard a ladder DAC and it was a different presentation of sound, see notes below
- the overall sound stage is lay back, further away from the listener
- the DAC removes all subtle harshness in the recordings
- It controls all sounds within the sound stage and doesn’t let any one element jump out too far or become shouty
- the over all tone is slightly warm
- the sound separation is excellent
- there is excellent note extension and resonance
- it makes all music sound nice, sweet, relaxed
So the reason I would not buy the DAC, see below
- there is less attack, excitement, engaging, it has tamed the recording (less spice, snap and dynamic) and in doing so removed the fun
- Also by removing harsh hiss sounds it has reduced the airy feel that’s found in recordings
Ladder DAC done right as a discrete class A DAC is amazing and so revealing that nothing comes close
Which ladder dac?
@@rajasankar1245 audio note discrete ladder dac
I used your tip about making ça les with fine threads. It works very well. After searching i understand more why. Fine threads conduct more current. It's the same principle than litz wire. Thanks again
Finer the thread greater the redistance so lower the current
He's talking about multistranding finer threads but ending up with the same or similar cross sectional area. It combats skin effect but even better would be litz wire where each strand is insulated with lacquer. Then you won't get conduction across strands which can blur the sound somewhat. Some cable builders swear by using one larger gauge solid wire though.
you should really consider having a podcast channel with your videos. I enjoy them allot, Thank you!
You are spot on. I was listening to a brand new gustard r2r dac with good cables and could tell so much was missing. I couldn’t even tell if I liked the sound. 70% of the music was there. 30% is missing. It reminded me of listening to a radio. 1700 dollar mistake. Life goes on
Brand new, like out of the box or has it been burned in? I'm wondering because people say that the R26 needs at least 100 hours of burn in to start setting and sounding good. I'm considering buying a R26 because of the reviews, but your comment made me think about it.
Interesting way of putting it. I think cheap DS dacs have their own problems too. They throw out so much detail but it’s in a way that you can’t make sense of it. For lack of a better way of putting it: everything seems like it’s a mess and you can’t focus on individual layers of the sound.
Two sides of the same coin. Resistors create chunks of voltage. DS single bit DACs create chunks of current. R2R ladder DACs with individual discrete resistors have linearity and resolution issues. Single bit DS DACs are highly linear but have noise floor issues. There are now DACs that essentially combine both approaches by using a massively parallel single bit DS DAC and randomize the choice of signal at the output to improve S/N. So the answer is both approaches have limitations and advantages - so to overcome the inherent limitations chip designers like Sabre are applying both techniques to achieve the highest specs. Purist implementations of one design or the other don’t perform as well technically (as measured)
I have seen this video and just couldnt help myself and comment. Did anyone here though about why giants in the industry like the good billion dollar bussiness old Philips, BB, TI,AD made R2R dacs in chips and not descreete anymore???
Well its mostly because discreete resistors are insanely expensive and hard to make in 0.0001%matched (not that they couldnt), and non inductive with very few pF capacity. And lets say that they can do that, then the pcb traces will ruin it, then you eventually have to laser trim-cut them all (usually made by an stable alloy) and throw them in a chip where the traces are nanometers to get DECENT performance. My gosh that people are spending 100k+ $ on dacs that usually are in a 300bucks CD player Pcm63 or AD1862 based dac..... The technology matured and we have hibrid dacs, DS dacs, etc that usually nowadays exceeds descreet R2R dacs and with a tiny software you can fine tune it from an Intel Nuc. In my opinion this discreete R2R movement is a niche and a huge engeering effort.... I have heard at a recent local meeting an AK 4490 dac fully balanced that made our jaws drop compared to a Denon based PCM1702 dac wich was very nice till then....
Enjoy music guys thats all it matters in the end, and not about who spends more just to make a showoff at meetings.
What are your thoughts on Aries Cerat Kassandra II Ref DAC? I don’t own the dac just audio note dac5 signature. Love to hear your thoughts
Thanks
Sky
I have not heard it or know enough about it.
But it's a high end exclusive brand with a steep unit price, which usually translates into a very evolved/detailed sound.
I don't like the design with all of the chips going on. But still, it could be very interesting to hear.
@@RealHIFIHelp I will like to know your thoughts on audio note and acapella speaker?
Really appreciate you knowledge
Thanks
Sky
@@skynguyen7545 There are a lot of good sound qualities from Acapella. But I feel the sound isn't quite there. To me it is a lot like Avantgarde: way over priced.
AN make speakers that give like 5x more value IMO. Plus it sounds more real/down to earth with detail making more sense.
I would though like to own the top 2 Acapella speakers, that was mostly good that experience. But I would only give 1/15 of the price for that type of sound.
Nice one, as well making dac which are rolled off on the top is making something worse to sound better
I'm currently testing a new ladder dac with DSD support and tube stage output.
Kenneth which dac are you trying?
Man, you are so correct about so much, or at least I agree with you.
There are most certainly levels of R-2R, as there are anything else. As you noted, R-2R can be made cheaply, or they can be made at the highest end. Same with non-R-2R.
When combined with DSD-256 or above recording done on great source/recording gear, a great R-2R addresses almost every digital issue up through 100 kHz. At both lower-end (sub-$20K including monitors) or 7-figure plus systems, of which we have both ends of that spectrum here- whether listening to Merrill Audio enhanced Teac or Otari Reel-to-reel, or DSD plus R-2R, they will both bring you to tears on great recordings.
The highest end of the studio market, such as at our studio where we have few cost/price restrictions, R-2R vs non is a small cost factor percentage-wise, but a great DAC, power supply and clock source are critical digital components. I believe you need to look at the whole chain and their synergies, and second, it is built around trade-offs.
We also use non-R-2R DAC gear like Merging Anubis & HAPI and several others. I would say that recording quality is far more the limiting factor than the DAC architecture.
Just bought a Aurilac Aries G 2.1 and and Holo May Kitsune ..to add to a NimitraS , Modright KWH225i Integrated Hybrid Amp ,Boenicke W8se+ speakers ..
From some experience and listening to others, I think both r2r and chip DACs can both sound great. One might be superior to the other, but many others factors go into making a great DAC.
If I understand you correctly, are you saying that R2R DAC's are compensating for people not getting the basics right in terms of correcting the inherent problems with 'dirty'/noisy electricity sources and this creates inherent audio problems that 'normal' brands try to work (unsuccessfully) around?
So when building a system should one be starting with getting the right power supplies, power cables, interconnects and matching them to gear that's made for how they sound rather than how they measure?
Would be great if you could clarify where one should start if one has a budget of say £4000. What gear/brands would you recommend in terms of amp, DAC, speakers, cables for a digital source from files/streaming?
Yes that is what I am saying.
I made a video called something like: If I only could own 1 system. There I suggest 2 really good value starter systems. It's the video with a picture of a Delorian car, from the movie back to the future.
I also lately made a lot of videos where I recommend a lot of gear. Especially in my OTO se signature (best amp in the world) There is a lot of good gear recommendation in that as far as I remember.
@@RealHIFIHelp fantastic videos thanks for pointing them out to me. Last weekend, I decided to buy the Vandersteen 1ci’s (with bases) and YBA A100...they’re arriving tomorrow or the day after!
Vandersteen have raised the price on their 1ci to $2950, which translates into £3950 after importing via a dealer/distributed in the UK. So, mine are 2-3 years old from eBay £800...I think that’s a bargain given the new pricing. I think Vandersteen has just killed their market so I’ve managed to get on board just in time.
Thanks so much for the advice in your videos. The sound is going to be so different to my current gear.
@@GodfreyMann Wow nice to know. Incredible how some things change in price.
Great combo you got going there. Very Exciting :-)
@@RealHIFIHelp things are also changing with YBA. The dealer said that they’re redesigning the heritage line and the replacement will be closer to £2000 (currently they’re £1500). I struck lucky getting one of his ex-demos for £950 with full warranty. Given they’ve been shut the last year and a half due to the pandemic it’s hardly been used!
Like you he has a strong preference for valve amps and said the YBA line are special because they come close to that sound. As the owner of the shop, he took a YBA Passion home while he waited for a replacement valve-amp...he kept it for 2 years! Which goes to show how highly he thought of it.
@@RealHIFIHelp I received the YBA A100 and the 1Ci a couple of days ago and wow oh wow!
On the first day, they sounded awful...no synergy, very thin, no bass and bright. Even plugging in my Rel subwoofer didn’t help. But leaving them on for two days completely changed the sound. It totally filled out in the mid and bottom end, and now they sound balanced they’re no longer bright even though they’re not rolled off.
They’re now a complete joy to listen to and the total cost was just £1750.
I just spent 9 hours straight going through all my 100 test tracks with zero fatigue! Soundstage and clarity amazing and all very natural sounding. My test tracks sound completely new - it’s like starting all over again.
What blows me away is this combo works with all genres: heavy metal, electronic, classical, opera, jazz, acoustic, vocals. I’ve never been impressed with Diana Krall...find her voice weak and I hate how she mumbles from the back of her throat, but on the 1Ci’s she sounds okay.
I need more time to evaluate, but think this combo (even though it’s only budget gear) will last me for many years, which means no more distraction by lusting over reviews. Instead, I can focus on sorting out my source and power.
You have no idea how much easier this makes my life! It also means I can choose power/source options to match the YBA/Vandersteen combo, which will also narrow things down.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!
I understand because I have experienced these feelings. But for the most of the people won't understand. I am very interested into the sound of ladder DACs
Maybe one day, there will be a good one on the market that is cheap. I have only heard 1 that blew me away. Audio Note prototype.
It would most likely anyway have costed something like 150k USD.
A true Ladder DAC has not a simple chip in it. All the current ones, are more built like a mainboard from a PC that a real R2R ladder DAC.
@@RealHIFIHelp we design dac for fun, like similar technique of Audio GD. For my ears ladder dac sound beautiful, we have tested AKM, Sabre, burbrown, cirus logic and modified almost everything, because to search for beautiful sound, We design crossover for speakers, power cables, speakers cable, choose correct spares without caring for the money. After testing for many years, I realized similarly what you have mentioned in this video.
@@rajasankar1245 mate. I've AudioGD Master 7 (4 dac chips per channel). Which one sounds better it's compared R7HE (R2R) ? Thanks
Real hifi help: you will need an upward of 100, 000 for a real r2r DAC to get a real music
Me: then I will get a turntable so I do not need a DAC
Real hifi help: ........ You will need an upward of 500, 000 for a real turntable to get a real music
Me: ....... What the.....
There are about 1000 steps inbetween the worst R2R dacs and the very best.
If you hold on to that it has to cost a certain amount of money, you won't find the best sound.
That is the best I have heard for around that price, and maybe in 10 years time, it only costs 1/10 of the price to produce.
So in my book the best value DACs are the top Holo may DACs, then the AN 2.1 signature, then around AN DAC 4, 5, fifth element, and then maybe this in 10 years time which is maybe 50k if we are lucky.
So they obvious choice are the first ones I mentioned.
So you mean Aqua audio? I have listened to digital audio from theta, ps audio, dcs, msb, spectral, wadia, and audio research. While auditioning speakers the source was the la scala r to r and it was the most human sound I jab ever heard in digital. Just to make sure we changed to a 20000 msb. And the magic was gone. Still at 7 k out of my range
Jup.
Try a Audio Note 2.1 signature DAC used for like 2-3000 dollars, that can easily beat everything on that list. Most underrated DAC on the market, and can make most crap signal before that, actually sound pretty good.
I think I’ve just found the answer my previous question by watching your other videos.
It seems like I need to save at least £35k to get what you describe as a Level 3 system e.g. your Audio Note system. Problem is my listening room hasn’t yet been built and will be at least 5 years way and my current listening room is too small.
In the meantime, your video about using Abbys 1266 TC Phi’s is something I’ve already been exploring. The only hurdle is I’ve not found a shop in the UK that also carries the Woo Audio WA33 tube amp (which Abbys recommends) so that I can audition it.
However, your video has given me an idea for an Audio Note upgrade path from the Abbys 1266…first I buy the headphones with the Audio Note 2.1 DAC and Decware triode amp.
Later, I can upgrade to the Audio Note Meishu with the headphone mod you suggested. Then once funds and room become available, then I just need to add Audio Note speakers and streamer.
The good thing is I can plan a head with the electrical wiring & widgets now that I know it’s an integral part of the chain.
Does this make any sense?
Now I just need to find an Audio Note dealer where I can audition the audio note sound to confirm it’s as good as you suggest.
Yes it all sounds good/smart what you are saying, that is how to play the game so you have a good base, and go deep from the start, so everything else shows it's true colors.
@@RealHIFIHelp I’ve decided to focus on 2 channel for the moment...easier to enjoy with other people. But will keep this idea with the 1266’s in mind...just need to hear them on a decent valve amp to make up my mind.
My EF500 R2R DAC with a Himalayan chip definitely sounds much better than my similarly priced sigma delta DAC. I also don't notice any loss of dynamics. I'm also noticing more detail than my sigma delta DAC. I'm never going back to sigma delta.
In my books I sell for 50 USD I reveal that the general r2r DACs are mostly not nearly as good as the good integrated DACs in the few good top amps that you can get a hold of. Simply because external DACS only fix problems at the lower levels on the surface parts of the sound that give a wow factor.
Once you hear the good internal DACS together with most external r2r DACs at a very high level, you start to notice that r2r DACS are flavouring the sound way too much, losing a lot of integration of sounds, while the internal DACs are just a lot more simple/integrated/deep in sound in a more pure/real way once you are able to do both tests at a high level.
I also show evidence in my books that there is one amp/DAC in particular that is blowing everything away because it uses DAC processing without using opamps and bypasses the use of a DAC chip, and delays the processing to the very end so the sound can´t smear/distort/color. The use of external DACs is a bit of a joke, because yes it gets a hell of a lot better at the lowest levels of HiFi and even better at the midlevel. But once you reach the top level then there are also other problems with external DACs being Sigma delta or r2r or whatever which I talk about in the books.
R2R ladder DAC vs sigma-delta PCM DAC vs DSD DAC.....so which is your pick ?.......
I prefer R2R when the potential is fully maxed out.
So far as of year 2022 the current standard of R2R tech is only about 5% of what it can actually do. And the current top models are maybe 15% there but then cost maybe 50-100k USD.
I am guessing that the Audio Note R2R prototype that I heard would have to cost about 150-250k USD for it to be able to sell, and that it was about 70% of what you could do with that tech is my guess.
I would guess that normal PCM DACs use about 2-10% in average of it full potential of of it can do, and maybe the really good ones like Playback Design and similar class currently are at about 30%, and the best from Audio Note is maybe at 50-75% of what the tech optimally can do. Audio Note DAC 5 is maybe 60% where their Fifth Element is maybe 75%.
Later in the future it might turn into a fully R2R DAC is my guess. That is supposedly the best DAC in the world that no one really has ever heard except maybe 2 handful of people is my guess.
I feel that DSD DACs are usually only at about 10% of what the DAC tech can do, and that we have already pretty much maxed out the potential at around 90%. And money/sound wise PCM DACs is the way forward in this current age.
The problem with R2R DACs is that it has most likely the very best potential. But that using really good parts with it is close to impossible while still making it a solution that the average Joe can buy.
You do realise that the AN DAC's are R2R DAC's not? They are not discrete R2R, but the Analogue Devices DAC basically contain a network of laser trimmed resistors on a die. Needless to say it's much cheaper to throw a few million gates to the problem like with Delta Sigma DAC's. Yes, its it is very hard to make a GOOD discrete R2R DAC, Audio Note is (still) working on it. (I did not watch the whole video, so maybe I missed something)
Yes that is right, just like you said.
All you've told about is about either ancient r2r IC, or even worse - about r2r driven by FPGA/SoC directly. No, that does not work this way. You need FPGA just to switch resistors to a proper voltage source with digitally calibrated signal, when according to your ladder, you have to send 1001 instead of 1010. And sample-and-hold subsystem is also very important. All these Pi hats, or another $100 "r2r" from China are just toys. Open Holo Audio DAC and you will see what is a properly designed r2r dac.
PS Audio Note has issues with higher high frequencies. A sound is not "transparent". But mid freqs sound very naturally, and low freqs are full of energy, that's true.
Cayin ru6 r2r for your smartphone. the best money i ever spent on audio. 249$ to taste it. Never went back to sigma delta after.
The cayin is excellent, (I own it) but saving for the Musician Draco.
Which Dac suits best with Oto Silver Sig. Integrated?
The new DAC 3 in terms of impedance. But check with AN via email, I don´t write to them anymore.
@@RealHIFIHelpor maybe wait for AN R2R?
Only millionaire can make a stereo system. 😂
Nope. Just get the su-r1000 then you won´t ever need another amp/DAC, best value DAC on the market. Works best on a AN-E speaker, most other speakers only reveal 1/3 of itś innate sound.
I have one question guys why should one buy a well build high-end R2R DAC when all digital music (even audiophile releases) are recorded, coded and mixed on crap DS DACs that measure good ?
IMO normal R2R is just to compensate for bad source signal for a little amount of money. It's like DSP/DSD/equalizer, meaning that it does a lot, but ultimately at these normal levels it's just compensation sound.
This guy just uses a certain technology to have a vendetta against sound produced! I've got a DS DAC but want to try R2R next.
1. You just explained 100% why you think the way that you do, and the way that I do.
Let me make it a bit more obvious to you...
2. The gear you have is way below the standard of these normal R2R DACs that are reviewed, typically also costing 1.5-5x more of what you own.
So you at least have to get to that level to know what R2R in the normal class sounds like.
3. After that you have to try a decent DAC at least which is for example the Mcintosh mcd1100 type of class which is a huge step up from this type of gear.
4. Then after that it again gets much better with stuff like top Emm Labs.
5. Then After that stuff like Abbas audio DACs.
6. And then finally at this level something around Audio Note 2.1 signature where it starts to become world class.
7. Then there is the very best DACs which are DAC 4 & 5 again from AN that beat everything on the market.
8. And then the very best DAC in the world which is the Fifth Element DAC.
9. And in the end when you have reached all of these classes of DAC levels, you have to hear most products on the market within these categories to get more experience, these are just some of the best of those categories.
10. And then you have to hear a proper R2R DAC like Audio Note made with REAL R2R parts which has a much shorter signal, is 100% transformer coupled and is made with resistors like Niobium and tantalum. And which does not have any chips in them which cheat. (which hasn't been released yet, but is in Peter Qvortrups room and R&D room) At this level what I said and wrote will then become a reality for you. If you haven't even been in these categories of gear, of course what I write will not be real for you.
Nice talking to you.
@@RealHIFIHelp what DAC do I own then?
Larry is bending over backwards to explain something that is very complicated and nuanced. All other reviewers act like there is a linear line from bad to excellent and they place components somewhere on this line. But if you take those people's advice you spend way more then you were comfortable with and when you get your new gear home you are tired of it after 100 or so hours of listening and likely think it's your fault for not appreciating it more.
But Larry is trying to explain that there are hundreds of qualities that go into reproduced sound. Some of them can seduce us in the short term but eventually the brain/ear axis figures out what's going on and if we don't know any better because we lack experience, we become disinterested or bored or even irritated with the sound, and not realize we're having a normal, healthy response to the sound this gear makes. This is really the essence of what he's trying to teach us. He's learned the hard way (is there any other? We won't listen otherwise).
I discovered Larry about 4 years ago after not turning on my dCS sourced system for 6 whole years. When I did turn it on it didn't work and needed servicing. Now I have an Audio Note DAC 5 Signature, Audio Note Meishu as headphone amp and Hifiman Susvara headphones. And even with this gear it took a lot of tweaking to get the sound really good.
Initially I had them placed on 3/4 plywood on industrial pallet racking. Later I bought a proper rack and it improved the sound like crazy. Then I made my own silver interconnect from a recipe on Real World Audio and that was a revelation. I hate copper with a passion now. Then I bought Critical Mass Systems M2 Center Stage footers and those warped physics. It makes no sense how they make such a difference.
Now it's getting where I'm way more open minded about what to try. But one thing I agree with is Audio Note everything is usually the very best. Want to make your own interconnect? Use Audio Note silver wire from hificollective. Mundorf silver/gold is fabulous and Connex 6n silver is incredible (not the OCC) but Audio Note silver is on another level.
Yet we still disagree on some things. The only other person I listen to is an AN dealer/service tech. in Brooklyn. He thinks Pass Labs is the best solid state and Spectral and Nagra sucks. He thinks Oyaide plugs suck and Rhodium anything sucks. He buys the cheap silver plated plugs from hificollective.
Larry thinks Spectral is the best solid state and Pass Labs is okay. Larry thinks the 1266 sounds excellent out of the Meishu. I bought both and think the 1266 could remove paint. Out of the Wells Audio Milo it sounds pretty good to me though. Still not in love though.
These are the 2 biggest questions I have at this point. 1. Is what should I do/buy next? 2. Is why do these people whose ears i can trust, and myself, not agree on everything?
If there's maybe one deficiency in Larry, it's teaching how to build a system you love on the cheap. See his video about the best solid state system he ever owned. It's heart was a YBA Passion 100 integrated amp and when it broke and was repaired, never sounded the same.
I think most people shouldn't spend a lot of money on hifi gear. That it's a form of mindless idolatry that we'd all be better off without. Some of us are just fixated on it though. There's something about it we love.
When I was a teenager, my best friend had a small Sony system in his bedroom. It sounded absolutely bloody awesome. That's all people need. Something that sounds incredibly good but is inexpensive. I never could get sound that good after all the money I spent on hifi.
The video of his I mentioned in my other comment is called "Back when I owned one of the best transistor systems." That's sounds like what he's trying to accomplish.
Flat, NO Dynamic at micro levels YES, Detail YES, warmth Yes Strings VERY NATURAL Great for Jazz and Orchestral YES!!
A six or seven hundred dollar product that will make someone happy with a hundred dollar amp and a five hundred dollar set of speakers is an excellent high fidelity product.
No home re-wiring necessary. Taste more speakers with the money saved, imho. Your mileage will vary.
You need to hear some more high-end R2R dacs like the classic Theta Gen Va or Aqua Acoustic La Scala MkII. I do agree that good R2R probably starts at $5k minimum, but there's definitely good R2R gear available today. Also be mindful of painting R2R in such broad strokes, I've heard R2R dacs which are about as different as burr brown and saber. Nice channel otherwise.
Try Audio Music DAC/1
I have a AudioGd R7 (R2R) which kills hand down the DA1 in my McIntosh 8900 (delta sigma) which is better than Yamaha's one. His best point is precisely dynamics : dynamics is not all about R2R or DS, but about alimentation too, and mainly. I had an Ayre QB9 (Twenty) which had the same characteristics than DA1 : very clean, detailed but a little "grey" or "pastel" compared to AudioGd, which have a "fleshy" and vivid sound.
My blog page: realhifihelp.wordpress.com/
Haha, ok, pretentious as hell, but absolutely correct at the same time. :)
Generalizing a DAC type is just ignorant. It is all about implementation and quality parts. Just like not all Saber dac chips sound automatically bright and harsh. All parts in the setup need to match to the sound you like. There is not one sound for everyone. So yes, as you said yourself, you are grossly generalizing. Lack of experience and testing?
I tested several and this is a trend going through them all, even though they all have a different signature which I mentioned. When you have tested most brands with most of their models and have heard a AN r2r prototype, then your opinion matters.
This guy’s talk is non-sense or he is not actually understand R2R DAC fully!
This r2r DAC might change your mind.
m.th-cam.com/video/hhf9GpGC55w/w-d-xo.html
I just tried it a couple of days ago and wrote a review in my PDF which is in my latest video around chapter 205.
@@RealHIFIHelp I haven't heard it yet myself, but it certainly had some glowing reviews, though I then heard that the Yggdrasil OG spanked it, and the Holo Audio May allegedly spanked the Yggdrasil. I had real issues with the Yggdrasil when I first got it. It is the second incarnation with the newer analog output. I was having real issues with the highs. I had never bought into AC conditioning, but out of desperation I tried it. It did make the Yggdrasil listenable. The older version was said to sound better than DACs into the $80K neighborhood, so they may have been mistaken, but they didn't seem to be too concerned about pissing off the manufacturing companies, and purchasers of +/- $80K and below DACs. That rather diminishes your argument about reviewers not doing their jobs. That isn't to say that their being willing to call a spade a spade makes them necessarily correct in their opinions. OTOH, musicians tell me how amazingly realistic my system is, and how they have never heard any stereos even close to it. That I take far more seriously. They'll want to listen to this or that to hear a realistic replication. I expect don't really buy into listening equipment at dealers as you don't necessarily know what is doing what to the music. It has taken me literally decades to get to a neutral system. I used to try to balance the system by finding equipment to fix this or that, but I finally figured out that that is an exercise in futility. Working from memory, the only component that, were I rich, I might try to work around would be Quad ELS57s. They had too low a listening level for me to live with, but if memory serves. The mids were awesome. These days I might be more critical than I was 30 years ago, but I loved what they could do when I did own them for about a month. Anyway, I think that we have different approaches to music, and that's what makes life interesting.
Every design has some bad and good sides. The author is throwing a big blanket, generalizing very r2r he could find in the market. In reality, each r2r dac is different from the other. Some are bad, some are in the middle, and some are very good. Even better than Delta Sigma or FPGA.
I really tried to give your argument a chance, but your points are all just audiophile mumbo jumbo. If you can't explain it easily to someone who is just starting in their journey then hearing this, they may not even start at all. Try and nail down your points before posting a video like this. I cut my teeth in digital with the Philips CD-880, an R2R CD player from 1988. Let me tell you my brain still remembers the musical smooth and dynamic sound from that beast. Now I'm still trying to adjust to the sound of the AKM AK4497 chips in my new DAC.
Ramblings
If it sounds good it is good
🐎💩
:-)