11 replies to this topic

[bigkid]

Hi all.

Arthur has just returned my DAC.  It was originally v.1 and I sent it down to him in March for an upgrade to v.2.  He decided, while he had the opportunity, to experiment with a new clock.  I am waiting on further info from him but I understand that he may have developed the clock himself and that the jitter is very low. He mentioned -98dB to me in a conversation that was otherwise above my head.  He also mentioned some other figures which were related but I don't have them with me at the moment.  It was the elimination of jitter that was the impetus for Arthur's experimentation.  I was happy to indulge, given the possible improvements without having to fund the R&D.

As I understand it, the 'new' DAC is basically v.2 with a new clock on an independent board with its own power supply - a further jitter reducing strategy.  

Plugged it all in this afternoon and, while not able to A/B them direct, the sound seemed smoother overall than v.1.  The bass was particularly well presented - Michel N'degeocello, playing bass on Peace Beyond Passion was staggering in its clarity and detail.  Listening to an old Drizabone Acid Jazz Album (Conspiracy) I was struck by the amount of depth in the sound field - there was some quite coherent layering of instruments and vocalists from front to back. Toto's new album (Falling in Between) was freaking intense!  The clarity in the dynamic pieces (of which there are plenty!) is something else.  There just seemed to be more of everything - greater separation of instruments, wider soundstage, more detail, and clearly smoother than before.

I am not sure how the upgrade would compare with a straight v.2 as I have not heard it in my system.  

If I get some more technical details from Arthur I will post them.  

Off to have another play now as I settle in with a nice bottle of Moss Wood Cab Sav for the evening!

Regards,

Allan

[Chui]

bigkid, on Jul 22 2007, 04:19 PM, said:

Off to have another play now as I settle in with a nice bottle of Moss Wood Cab Sav for the evening!

Regards,

Allan

Yes, the DAC upgrade sounds great, but this has really got my attention. But for age, almost 'unupgradeable'.

Cheers,

Chui

[:)]

Hey big kid, great to read, and really excelent ot see your enjoying the elektra dac and now with further upgrade ot make you only happier. theres a few owners on here with elektra dacs so will be quite interested to read.

meshell N'degeocello ! my personal fav. great going ! sounds like your off to re-discover your music collection and a very enjoyable evening  

[bigkid]

alebonau, on Jul 22 2007, 04:37 PM, said:

meshell N'degeocello ! my personal fav. great going ! sounds like your off to re-discover your music collection and a very enjoyable evening  

Aaaagghhh!! If only.  Power blackout in Stanmore for 2 hours.  power came on about 45 min ago and have been flogging the DAC ever since. It fairly pops with sound! The clarity in dynamic pieces is mind blowing.  I am hearing character in vocals that would have otherwise been hidden in bass and drums!  Very, very happy with this upgrade.  Worth every minute of the wait until Arthur was happy with it.

Al, see if you can get a hold of the old Drizabone CDs, Conspiracy and London - more acid jazz, and more funky than Michel, but good for a bit of 'light' with her 'shade'.  

Woo freakin' hoo!

a

[:)]

bigkid, on Jul 22 2007, 06:52 PM, said:

Aaaagghhh!! If only.  Power blackout in Stanmore for 2 hours.  power came on about 45 min ago and have been flogging the DAC ever since. It fairly pops with sound! The clarity in dynamic pieces is mind blowing.  I am hearing character in vocals that would have otherwise been hidden in bass and drums!  Very, very happy with this upgrade.  Worth every minute of the wait until Arthur was happy with it.

Al, see if you can get a hold of the old Drizabone CDs, Conspiracy and London - more acid jazz, and more funky than Michel, but good for a bit of 'light' with her 'shade'.  

Woo freakin' hoo!

a

hehe thanks for the tip on old drizbone will sure look out for it mate. good to see your making up for any lost time ! hehe

[bigkid]

whoops, 'London' is d'influence, another acid jazz band from the early-mid '90's.  Both well worth a listen.  Which reminds me....I'm off.....

a

[JohnA]

hey great to read on the elektra dac upgrade.
It would be hard to do a direct comparison to what it was, but from your description at least it hasn't gone downhill
I suppose if you know your system well enough and the changes are enough, you should be able to tell, even without a direct comparison.

It is amazing how you forget the sound of your own system after listening to something else for a while though. Having just gone back to my B&W 703's i feel like i am re discovering them all over again

[the joz]

Was on the phone to Arther about my DAC.It seems he was comparing the modded V1 to my original V2.His comments were the V1 has lept in performance to the stage where it is very similar to the V2.
The V1 now has a marginally superior clock.
So guess what I now want that marginally superior clock

Oh! ....and I want my DAC back

Nice to see Arther staying on top of his gear with updates.

[bigkid]

the joz, on Jul 24 2007, 08:55 AM, said:

Was on the phone to Arther about my DAC.It seems he was comparing the modded V1 to my original V2.His comments were the V1 has lept in performance to the stage where it is very similar to the V2.
The V1 now has a marginally superior clock.
So guess what I now want that marginally superior clock

Oh! ....and I want my DAC back

Nice to see Arther staying on top of his gear with updates.

Hi joz, just to clarify, Arthur compared a v2 + new clock with a v2.  My v1 DAC was upgraded to v2 - which means a replacement of the whole insides of the box (only the box remains original) - Arthur then added the new clock.  So the comparison he was talking about was between two v.2 DACs, one with the new clock.

I am hoping to be able to get some more technical detail from Arthur shortly.  

Regards,

Allan

[the joz]

bigkid, on Jul 24 2007, 04:56 PM, said:

Hi joz, just to clarify, Arthur compared a v2 + new clock with a v2. My v1 DAC was upgraded to v2 - which means a replacement of the whole insides of the box (only the box remains original) - Arthur then added the new clock. So the comparison he was talking about was between two v.2 DACs, one with the new clock.

I am hoping to be able to get some more technical detail from Arthur shortly.

Regards,

Allan

No wonder he had my DAC for so long.Seems like quite an exercise to gut the V1 DAC.Though I wonder what the newest clock sounds like by comparo??

[Scotto83]

out of curiosity whats a new Elektra Dac worth??

[:)]

Scotto83, on Jul 24 2007, 05:26 PM, said:

out of curiosity whats a new Elektra Dac worth??

$3k is retail on it I think.