Lol. @Souldriver it takes at least 40 minutes to make sure all the pics and working links get imported into the forumās post editor when a review that long goes up.
Thanks for the plug, Dago.
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If anyone wants some engineering orgasm, feel free to take a look. This is very impressive, I can definitively respect Holo Audio for this design. Making a full PLL for your own internal clock is NUTS.
If it wasnāt like 4 or 5 months of my wage I would 100% consider, just to look and study this thing.
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The Spring 3 is supposed to get pretty close to the May and is a bit more attainable. Used would be better but thereās hardly any used for Holo stuff, at least rn.
Yup, Patreon, Subscribestar, affiliate links to at least Amazon and Apos along with YouTube monetization of 3 or 4 channels?
I wonder how close it will actually be, since Iād assume the spring 3 isnāt going to have the much beefier psu like the may, which likely plays a big role in the mayās sq (outside of the other changes in the design that will likely be carried over to the new spring like the better fpga code and improved digital side of things like usb and other changes the may had vs the spring 2)
Tim from Kitsune told me itās about 95% to the Mayā¦In addition, thereās an optional pre-amp for an additional $500 which he claims is ~80% to the Serene. I saw that the May had volume buttons on its remote but havenāt confirmed with anyone whether it actually has a built-in pre, nor do I see an option on the website. You probably know, @M0N?
Now, Iām well aware he has to sell the thing of course, but who knows - he may be genuine in his answer.
Spring 3 should be released this month if anyone is interestedā¦
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I mean, well it would be interesting if that was the case, but realistically as a business it would make no sense to make it that good, unless it was priced closer to the May. But who knows
Now that is cool, a built in pre would be a pretty sick thing to have in a 2ch setup
Didnāt have a volume control on mine, so likely just reusing the same remote
Thanks for the info 
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Wel if true there goes my upcoming audio purchase plans. I donāt need a new Dac nor a pre but that combo would be sick.
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What were your plans before the Spring? The May?
Just to add to your temptation Iāll copy/paste what Tim told meā¦
āItās similar to May, maybe 95% roughly
It has the exact same dac module used in May albeit May has two and is in dual mono, so the sound staging is improved a little on May. But tonally they are pretty close.
The spring3 is superb value especially with the preamp module! Only 500usd for full discrete preamp module it wonāt be as good as our serene preamp which was designed for May dac and to be the most transparent preamp possible. Itās truly something special and will give you the most from the May dac without a doubt. Most preamps on the market will be either colored or lacking in transparency to some degree if used with the May dac.ā
I currently have the spring 1 KTE that Iām happy with. Was going to get a nice streamer (auralic aries) + Flux Volot (hp amp) + focal solo6 monitors for my desktop rig.
If I had any funds leftover a Manley Chinook tube phono was the 4th purchase this year.
Based upon what you said about the spring 3 I might want to sell my KTE, pass on the Volot and just get the spring 3 and a cheaper hp amp (say soloist 3XP) and a cheap streamer say BlueSound node.
Anyway Iāve been saving for some time and am just waiting for a few releases and reviews.
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I guess I shouldnāt mention that theyāre also coming out with a headphone amp called āBlissā later this yearā¦
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2 to 3 times my wage is not that better. Worse if you consider I need to ship this here and pay a 60% in taxes. So yeah, I think I wonāt see any Holo audio so soon. Still, thanks for the info.
I mean, if youāre happy with it, why bother changing it? Maybe go first to other items, then consider trying the new DAC. I donāt know, I prefer to enjoy what I have unless itās to try something really new or different enough. That said, I am still in budget territory so maybe itās just a reflection of where I am in my journey.
I guess you shouldnāt. After all, ignorance is Bliss. 
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man holo audio is my favorite audio company. beauty and brains in a sexy package. for everything. high price though. im wondering what the best bang for the buck is as far as their products. do they have a speaker amp? would the DAC change the sound the most? or would their headphone amp change the sound the most from a 200$ schiit DAC. and a iemagni amp and ncore speaker amp.
the ncore amp gives a bit too much class D sound for me, the IEmagni sounds great but is cheap OP amps based design . and the schiit modius is a neutral DAC but its either a bifrost 2 DAC upgrade or a speaker or headphone amp upgrade. im looking to add warmth and space to my gear but not warm like tubes . anyone have suggestions for holo audio components that would change the sound the most in any way from the gear i already have? i know they are ātransparentā but it still changes sound or upgrades sound from cheaper stuff so i dont mean āwarmā sound but i do like warm. let me know thanks. Or should i just get some denafrips ares II and their speaker amp and call it a day .
Changing sound the most out of your speakers?
My vote is on some room treatmentā¦
If you canāt then the next general step would be the amp then DAC. Do take into account system synergyā¦
And no, Holo does not make any speaker amps. Here is their product page: Holo Audio | Kitsune HiFi - HoloAudio USA
Are there any DACs that come to mind with a worthwhile built-in pre-amp? Separates are usually the way to go but maybe thereās an exception I havenāt heard ofā¦
There are many imo
So it depends, in some situations, right out of a volume controlled dac to power amps can give a more desirable sound, in other cases itās better to have a good pre. All depends in the quality of the internal dac preamp mode and also the power amps and what they expect to be fed with
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damn,
this one isnt even that expensive (compared with the May ofc) 
To those in the US, happy 4th!
Spring 3 DAC is now ready to order for those interestedā¦
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Manā¦ I want the Spring 3 KTE + preamp so badly! $3300 just isnāt in the cards for me right now unfortunatelyā¦ I wonder if the preamp section will also have a HP amp out like the Serene did?
I also am not a fan of Holoās website as the layout and the descriptions of packages are pretty terrible. Holo could just do for a better PR person to work on their releases to explain what improvements are made from Spring 2->3 and what is included with each level.
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Just to add, around $3500 w/ flat-rate shippingā¦
Nah, donāt think so. The spring only has one pair of balanced outs if you look at the pics. Also, if it did they would have mentioned it on the webpage I would think.
Keep in mind theyāre a pretty small company so they prioritize what they prioritize is what I like to think. As for the descriptions, I think it was pretty straightforward what they would offerā¦I donāt see any confusion in it personally.