Very interesting, when I first got my kte I really didnāt notice a significant burn in period outside of leaving it on for a few days, but I really didnāt know the dac so I prob wouldnāt have been able to tell anyways
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Annoying discovery. My Schiit DACs have treated me so well with a wonderfully implemented USB that on the Spring 2ā¦ USB connectivity is lost when you change inputs.
That might be on purpose actually, so that when usb isnāt in use it shuts off the usb card and kills the connection to prevent extra noise and interference from usb since you arenāt using it?
That is just poor design if that is the case. If the usb was isolated like the unison usb it would not matter. Instead it has to power up and get the clocking working on every device as itās switched. The answer is to use some usb to AES that you mentioned in the systems diagram thread. Ideally the Spring 2 is said to sound the best on I2S.
For a fair amount of my dacs they disconnect and shut down usb when usb isnāt being used so this seems like common design unfortunately
Yes if you have a high quality ddc that can boost performance later on
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Iām using my Cyan on I2S for two reasons. 1) the USB out from the PC was less than perfect. Putting a DDC reclocker in the loop made a dramatic difference. 2) Precisely what you just said. I can get COAX SPDIF I2S, I2SE and have all of them connected at the same time to three different DACs if thatās what I was looking to do.
The benefits of having your PC āseeā only one Digital out is priceless operationally. 
You might even get a noticeable performance bump in the process if your USB like mine was less than optimal.
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I can sayā¦ the latest driver from the Spring 2 uses UAC 2 for sure and works GREAT with linux!!! Itās nice to see the feedback for sample rate from my computer displayed in itās proper glory!
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Bit of drama with my Spring 2 KTE - to catch up those who havenāt read earlier posts of mine, my model was an ex-demo unit that I returned to the vendor due to an undeclared scratch on the front panel. I agreed to pay the difference to get a brand new until to replace the scratched used one.
Anyway, my new unit arrived at the store belonging to the guy Iām buying it from, and heās emailed me to say that there will be further delays. Why? Because at some point in the shipping chain, someone has decided to check the contents of the box by cutting an access hatch. In the process, theyāve managed to pierce the box of the Spring 2, and the bag itās wrapped in, and scratch the top side of the case. So, the seller is taking it up with the courier and the distributor to get the matter resolved for me, and my wait goes on with the Cyan to comfort me in the meantime.
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Darn, i had and issue like that with glasses where the lenses constantly got scratched in transit.
Is the new scratch in a spot where you can hide it with other gear? Maybe finagle a small discount?
They should pad the top of the DAC with some methamphetamine so that doesnāt happen. 
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Finally, itās here. The dude ended up getting a new top cover for it from the supplier, which took ages. He then replaced it for me and sent it over, so itās in perfect new condition with no lacerations.
Got to say, doesnāt sound the same as the ex-demo model I had. That one was noticeably cleaner and clearer than the Cyan - more spacious and less congested. This new one doesnāt sound as good as I remember that one sounding (having been sitting powered on for the last 36 hours or so). The seller did say that these need a lot of burn-in, but that doesnāt seen to be most peopleās experience? I have a Bifrost 2 sitting nearby that I havenāt used in a while, and it sounds better to me than the Spring 2 right now.
Do R2R DACs tend to need burning in, beyond waiting for them to get nice and toasty?
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Some more than othersā¦I hear the Yggy can take the better part of a week to āwarm upā, let alone burn in.
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Something tells me you may have romanticized your memory a little bit. Let it go and see what happens. My Cyan did change slightly but nothing dramatic from the first day. I leave it on all the time. The change was clear through, less edgy, not less sharp, gained a little bit of smoothness.
If youāre judging an R-2R that hasnāt been left on for less than 48 hours youāre not being fair. And if itās the Yggy, then you want it on for a week at least to sound right (as Iāve seen on forums, I havenāt heard that myself). The Bifrost 2 to me sounds good after about an hour or two.
Also, remember to use the balanced outs. I messaged M0N and he let me know that the balanced outs use both ladders for the output versus a single set of ladders for the SE outputs. So if the sound is clear but kinda thin and the bass seems neutered compared to your memory, definitely make sure youāre using the balanced outputs.
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All good points. Not panicking yet. Iāll give it some time. Sadly I have to use the RCA outs with my Pendant, but itās balanced all the way with the GS-X.
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With tubes you might get away with more on the single ended side.
Now I am curious! what DAC did you buy
A few, I think at the time it was a deal on a lampizator big 7 mk2 and a nagra classic dac, both now have been upgraded to a golden gate 2 and a hd dac + mps, among others for the desk. The may also didnāt stack up against my main 2ch dac in my living room, an aries cerat kassandra ii ref, so I kinda wanted to get things up to at least that level. You can see what Iām currently using on my profile since there are a few others as well
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Get out of here, 60kg 
Would love to listen to that dac
It is a really nice dac, was lucky enough to find a used one
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