This is basically the same as using the single ended output on the spring so not really no. The only way to do it properly would be to get a transformer like ampsandsound sells, but that will add a bit of extra coloration but it might do what you want since it would give more body and denseness to the sound
How is it the same as using the single ended output if Iâm using the XLR outputs only? How does it know? Has it outwitted me?
All it does is drop the negative part of the balanced signal, same as what the spring would do internally if you plugged it into the single ended output on the spring
You could try something else though without spending any money, you already have the gsx mini, so what you can do is just use it in preamp mode and then plug in the pendant to the rca pre out on the gsx mini and max the volume on the mini, and see if you hear any difference. That should convert the balanced to single ended and will most likely sound different and maintain a bit more of the original signal but not sure since I havenât looked inside of there
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Ok, thatâs awesome. Doing that now. Youâre so great.
Ok, it works. Why do I have to turn the volume on the GS-X up all the way?
I would do that yes as long as you donât hear any distortion or anything weird. I would be curious to hear if it sounds different than normal
The box likely just ignores -ve so you get half the signal, which is probably exactly what the spring is doing on itâs single ended out.
As @M0N points out you either need something like a Dibox, that uses a transformer, and will change the sound, or something active to sum the balanced output to get the entire signal.
Personally I wouldnât worry about it, your, losing 1 bit of dynamic range and some noise rejection going single ended out, you pretty much just have to live with it.
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The nice thing about the black box is that itâs made by the same people by the pendant, so it was most likely designed to complement the sound to it, itâs a nice little transformer for dealing with poor single ended outs. When I used it with the spring to other single ended amps, you do get a bit more warmth, body, impact, and richness, a bit smoother treble, and a perhaps bit better tonality. Stage wise it felt similar width but potentially more depth, although overall it feels a tad less light on its feet but if that change sounds pleasant to you, it could be worthwhile, either way imo itâs an upgrade over the single ended on the spring
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I have been really curious about these mainly bc of R2R and DSD but canât afford one yet. I almost got a used V2 off of hf but the guy selling it said it pretty much required the Singxer usb to I2S converter [extra $40 IIRC]. Looking to get a Denafrips ARES II atm.
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So be honest I really wouldnât buy one of these for dsd, it really doesnât preform that well as pcm imo, kinda sounds a bit too dull and lifeless in dsd mode, I kinda found that my sacds converted to pcm sounded better to me than native dsd mode with this and the other holo dacs
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So is DSD, in general, a better way to go when possible? Or is it like everything else where implementation on that chain, or equipment piece dictates what is best.
There are some different mastered recordings in DSD, that can make a difference.
A lot of SACD content was remastered.
But itâs not technically superior, youâre really trading off dynamic range at higher frequencies, for less aliasing at those frequencies.
If you have a real 1 bit DAC, then DSD might be the way to do, if you have something designed for PCM, then not so much.
Some R2R DACâs have separate DSD DACâs in them or they convert everything to PCM regardless of what you feed it.
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Everything Iâve read speaks to DSD being better because itâs based on time sampling amplitude, not bit sampling rate so there are inherent benefits in accuracy. Thereâs a really good (and long) video around here where a guy was talking about PMC and DSD and the future of Sigma Delta DACs and that eventualy that design would win out because of the massive amount of processing that would continue to make gains. Went into some detail as to the specific benefits of DSD. Iâll try to dig it up.
Then again, implementation, a $100 DAC can do DSD, so.
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Personally without getting into technical stuff I do collect a ton of sacd, but itâs mainly for the remastering and slightly novelty, some albums I prefer in sacd and some in normal cd or other high res releases. I do have and have heard a few true dsd dacs that sound phenomenal with sacd and showcase what that format can really accomplish, but again itâs hit or miss on the specific recording and dac. But if you dac doesnât handle dsd well, you can always convert D2P on the fly and still get great sound even if itâs not native (since you still get that different mastering and itâs an easy thing for the dac to process since dsd64 converts to 24/88.2khz pcm
Forgot to mention this most likely wasnât a spring 2, it was prob a spring 1 lvl 2, since the spring 1 usb isnât as good as the spring 2
Just because it can doesnât mean it should lol, I would prefer that manufactures kinda leave off things that donât preform well, like Iâm sure schiit could add dsd support if they wanted to, but they choose not to, kinda respect that in a sense, since if they are going to make it an afterthought you might as well not have it on there. Regarding Holo, they do kinda talk up their dsd implementation (and also offer dsd only dacs too) but personally I really donât hear what they are hearing lol, pcm is the way to go on their dacs from my experience
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In another universe DSD releases with WAV became the main stream format and everything was right in the world. But alas itâs not the universe one weâre in.
That would require that sony not try and drm protect their format which wouldnât happen in any universe lol
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Ok, M0N. I am looking for a DAC for mainly DSD since I use the Gumby for PCM. Do you think a Geshelli JNOG will output native DSD w/o internal PCM conversion? And would it be a worthy addition? I am close to pulling the trigger on one, but am unsure how much/ if any upgrade the JNOG would be from a Zen DAC. I know folks have recommended that I convert the DSD to PCM and run it all through the Gumby, but I SWEAR it loses some of the DSD magic [for lack of a better term].
How are you converting it just wondering
I havenât heard the jnog so I canât comment there
I change the output in Foobar under the SACD section to PCM instead or DSD or DSD + PCM
And what sample rate is it set to, along with what dsd to pcm mode? I would also set the volume to +4 if you havenât done that