Soekris "dac1541": DAC/Amp - Stream of Consciousness Impressions

It's a Bifrost Multibit killer, my opinion. @Hands do you want to hear one a dac1321 with a NOS filter?

 

The DAC1321 with UltraCap LPS-1 was definitely up there with what I remember Gungnir Multibit sounded like.

It didn't feel embarrassed next to my Yggdrasil A1/G5 on my work setup.
I didn't feel it was dry or anything.
Very detailed and with great (mid)bass impact, definition and separation (until the music gets really busy, in which case it lost some separation. Might be improved with the new filters).

 

Any more listening impressions about the new firmware/filter?

 

I have just put up a new set of firmware for the dac132, with new, longer and refined antialiasing filters, with up to now 4K taps per filter. They're still beta, but I would appreciate if people on this list with one of the DACs and with experience downloading new filters would give them a listen and let me know how it goes....

dac1321: http://www.soekris.dk/download/dac1321/1321_full_120.skr

Just go into uManager, do "download" followed by "update" and a power cycle. Verify by entering the uManager again and check that both revs are 1.20.

Some of the first dac1321 have a firmware error and will come with a "Incorrect Image" when doing the update. If you experience that, just get the additional file at http://www.soekris.dk/download/dac1321/1321_ucz.skr and do the "download" and "update" again.

 

I will probably add a port for firmware updates in next generation DACs, what kind I don't know yet.

 

OK, some impressions after a few days on the new filter pack.

First @soekris, are these filters just enhancements of the current filters? Or is there something new going on?

Red - Linear Phase filter, also called brickwall filter
Orange - Mix between Linear and Minimum Phase filter
Green - Minimum Phase filter, also called butterworth filter
Off - Soft Minimum Phase filter, a soft butterworth filter

On to impressions.

Overall the filters now seem harder to distinguish between than the stock pack. They do sound like a distinct improvement, but there is a drop in versatility of being able to select different filters for different effects since they sound generally more similar. If I have to pick a winner, the updated Red/Minimum phase is nicely improved and is the most versatile and dynamic of the four.

Red
The red filter in stock form sounds 'crunchy' to me in the treble with percussion, sibilants, plosives and fricatives. But it had a noticeable fullness in mids that could benefit the Soekris sound. The new version retains the mids' fullness but the crunchiness is much improved, making this a filter that I find myself using much more frequently now. There were occasions where the old crunchiness was useful for overly smoothed recordings and is less effective now, but the crunch reduction/refinement makes this a very dynamic and versatile filter. It gets most of my ear-time now.

Orange
In stock form there was a clear reduction in the red 'crunch' while not being as lean as the Butterworth filters which made this a good all-rounder. I would have chosen this as the default filter like @soekris chose to do. In updated form it is very similar to red, but with a little of the mid-centricity gone and has a less clear value proposition vs. red IMO.

Green
In stock form the green filter was one of my favorites, used almost as much as the soft butterworth. Where the red filter was crunchy, the green is more 'slicey' for lack of a better term. It has less turbulent sibilants, plosives and fricatives and less trashy percussion than thye old red and orange. There was a little more body than the soft butterworth and this filter did well at sharpening just slightly smoothed or muffled/compressed treble. In new form it's character is a little less 'slicey', and with the improvements in red/orange crunchiness becomes more similar to them. It's a bit less mid-centric than Orange and feels generally like a weaker version of its former self. I find myself not really using this as much as its stock version, not because its worse but because the red is improved.

Off
The old soft butterworth was one of my frequent picks. It really dealt well with sibilance and sheen despite having the least 'body' or mid-centricity of the filters. The new soft butterworth is still very useful for bright recordings, but the new red filter competes with it in the sense that its treble issues (crunchiness) are largely mitigated and the greater body actually reduces the treble effect overall. It's still the most refined-sounding filter IMO, but its been getting less ear-time.

As I said, it's harder to distinguish differences in the new pack, and that's IMO due to improvement. Maybe there's room to drop one and put a NOS filter into rotation?

I'll comment again as I gain clearer impressions or things settle. I also think I'll dremel a hole in the rear casing for the serial cable .

 

@soekris were there two versions of 1.20 firmware for dac1541?

I compared the one I downloaded today vs. the one from Mar 2018, the file compare fails.

I used the one I downloaded today 4/14. Updated from 1.14 to 1.20 successfully.

 

Initial listening impressions. I like the new red filter - smoother / less harsh. I find the imaging/separation/placement slightly better (or is it placebo effect ).

Now unable to differentiate between red & orange filter. Very very similar.

Green filter can hear the high slightly rolled off. I wasn’t using green previously, therefore unable to compare.

 

I got the DAC1421 in the mail recently and have been listening quite extensively to it. I don't know how else to say it, but no other source has "clicked" with me as much as this has.

I am about to go off the rails trying to explain my take on the sound without overreaching into esoteric audiophile lingo. You have been warned.

you know what, nevermind...

tl;dr organic and clean. delivers on the R2R promise

I am starting to feel like a shill but if it wasn't for the pending EC AF purchase, I would be picking up a dac1101 for my "away from the rig" listening... In fact, that thought was what brought me here to finish this post that I started a few days ago.

 

Just got it today! Set it up on my desktop. I stacked the unit under my Saga, Loki mini, and Modi Multibit, since it is the largest of the 4.

I haven't tried the line out yet. I'm curious about its dac/amp capability after reading Torq and Hands' impressions. When I tried the headphone SE out with my HD800 and HD650, I notice a noise in my music....kinda like clipping tok tok tok tok tok...... Tried it with DSD and PCM. Same thing. And the clipping only happens when there is music. Dead silent when there is no music. Even when I play a song, before the singer starts singing, there is no clipping. When singing starts, clipping starts too. Anyone knows whats going on?

I'm using the latest driver (Soekris_dac1xx1_DriverSetup_v4.38.0) from Soekris website.

Connection:
PC(USB Out) Soekris 1541 (RCA Out) Loki Mini (RCA Out) Schiit Saga (RCA Out) Mogwai.

Edit: Tried the line out to my Mogwai. The same noise persists. But I'm feeling that there is something to this, and not because of a faulty unit.


Thanks.

 

Can you try another source? Even your phone if you have OTG?

 

At the moment no. The only source I got is my PC.

The clipping is most evident when using speakers.

1. Tried turning off my wi-fi and cellphone.
2. Changed USB cable.
3. Turn off all electronics in the room except for PC, monitors, and the Soekris
To no avail.

 

Have you tried a different USB port/unplugging other USB devices? It sort of sounds like digital noise

 

What does the volume indicator show ? Be aware that the volume can be set for up to +10 dB, which in most cases will cause clipping....

 

Thanks for coming in, Soren. Volume is normal at -25.

 

Hhmm....my other USB devices are my 2 monitors.

Yes, when I tried a different USB cable, it was from a different USB port.

I'm using Foobar2000. I tried setting my PC sound output to the Soekris 1541 and listened to youtube videos using the headphone-out. Same noise (clipping?)

Yup, the clipping really follows the song. So, let's say when the singer sing a short note, you can tell that the clipping is following it (split second after the singer). Same thing with instruments. Is it a digital artifact?

 

Figured out a way to try another source. Connected my main TV to the Soekris 1541 through optical. Funny thing...clean as hell. No clipping. What gives? So, the cause is my PC?

 

Yes, this is why products like Wyrd exist.