DAC upgrade?
Posted by: thijazi on 14 October 2015
Hi,
I recently upgraded my pre, amp, and power (now have the NAC282/NAP250 DR/SuperCap DR) combo and I am using the Naim-DAC V1
Any feedback on the benefits of upgrading from the DAC V1 to the Naim DAC Classic series? some folks pointed out that with my system today, the DAC-V1 is the weak link...
I play all my music from digital sources (FLAC lossless and high res music files) that are stored on a NAS drive and streamed using a small PC server.
Thanks
T
Steve J, I can see you have a very interesting and diverse setup, mine is pretty much Naim all the way from the NAP250 DR to the DAC-V1... Not sure if that adds to the fact that you saw such a dramatic change when you moved to 2Qute...
Do you listen to DSD or FLAC? or other sources? I never tried DSD playback, not sure if that makes much of a difference over lossless FLAC files which I today rely on... Unfortunately for me, where I live I cannot find the 2Qute so not easy to audition with my setup and therefore trying to research more about this bit.
I was able to try the 2Qute at home for three weeks. I just returned it to the retailer and I am keeping my DAC-V1. They are both great dacs but I did not notice a difference.
There's your answer 
try upgrading your source in front of your dac..simple and more expensive dac's depend not the least on what signal quality is offered.
Steve J, I can see you have a very interesting and diverse setup, mine is pretty much Naim all the way from the NAP250 DR to the DAC-V1... Not sure if that adds to the fact that you saw such a dramatic change when you moved to 2Qute...
Do you listen to DSD or FLAC? or other sources? I never tried DSD playback, not sure if that makes much of a difference over lossless FLAC files which I today rely on... Unfortunately for me, where I live I cannot find the 2Qute so not easy to audition with my setup and therefore trying to research more about this bit.
For years I was never enamoured with digital replay, preferring music on my LP12. In fact For a few years I was vinyl only having sold my CDX2 as I rarely played it.
A previous forum member (Gale) suggested I try a MacMini system with the then new Hugo and, with the much appreciated help from Wat of this forum, I took the plunge with the MacMini, WD Thunderbolt 8TB HD in RAID mode, Audirvana and the Hugo with an RCA-Din Hiline. It was a revelation in that the SQ was so analogue sounding and a pleasure to listen to.
A few of us on the forum had a bake off of the Hugo against the CD555 and found it to be the equal, if not slightly better than the CDP. There is a thread of the meeting on the forum.
Then, about 4 months ago, a dealer friend wanted a Hugo and I said he could have mine as I don't use the headphone facility. That was when I bought the 2Qute. At the same time I had received the new SL IC and initially found little difference between 2Qute and Hugo, maybe the 2Qute had a little better resolution. But after a while, when the IC had burnt in, I found there was a slightly harsh high frequency edge to the sound which spoilt the listening experience. I swapped the Hugo back into the system recently and all is now well, as I previously posted.
I use the HD USB port with a WireWorld Ultraviolet cable from the MacMini.
I play 16bit wav files, Flac hi-res files and DSD files ripped from SACDs, along with some native DSD files. I do find the quality of the DSD does vary, but when it's good it's superb. Unfortunately with the files I have the quality is dependent on the SACD source. Like CDs these do vary.
The MacMini/Audirvana/Hugo system I use, with a 552/500, is not too far off the SQ of my LP12 but it only cost about 10%.
I hope that helps. If you were in this country you'd be welcome for a listen.
Steve
What kind of differences did you find between Naim DAC and 2Qute? Also do you drive both DACs from same source?
God I wish there was an importer for Chord products in Finland so I could audition their DACs to see/hear if they're worth all the buzz around here.
Thanks for a detailed response! Which CD-transport did you use btw?
It sounds like an interesting product. What immediately worries me though is your description in the beginning where you say that your first impression was that 2Qute maybe isn't as fast and exciting as Naim DAC. Of course the rest is all good things you describe but this is the most important thing for me in the Naim sound.
I've used Naim gear for ~six years now. Right from the first tunes I heard from a Naim setup I fell in love with the sound. PRaT is the thing which makes Naim so different from many other brands. Linn has this area well covered also. After I first understood and heard this, the majority of other brands have failed in this area. They just usually sound wrong, even way more expensive setups. Anyway, I'm ready to sacrifice soundstage, three-dimensionality, even details to some extent for the PRaT, power and speed. I rarely sit in the sweet spot when listening so things like soundstage are not that important to me.
But still, I would love to hear Hugo and 2Qute. If so many Naim owner have moved to that direction, it must be something good.
The CD player used is an Exposure Electronics unit from around 15 years ago. It is not really a dedicated CD transport, it is a CD player just serving that purpose via BNC coaxial output to the DAC. I also want to keep the best elements of the Naim sound. Eliminated all other British brands - ARCAM, Roksan, Rotel, Audiolab, Cambridge Audio etc... all unsuitable. Exposure Elec. used to come close but Naim is the real deal. Computer based audio may be the way to go once it is optimised for sound and at least becomes as good as the CD player in to DAC.
I'm also used to being quite close to the speakers, around 1.5 to 2.5 metres proximity, standing and listening close range is best for rock music. So never much in the soundstage triangle sweetspot until listening to slower music.
The 2Qute has now been in place for 16 days and on day 8 the Rca to Rca interconnect which was Chord Chorus Vee3, was replaced by Chord Chameleon Vee3. It may have transformed the sound, that and some run-in time because the whole setup is sounding better than ever. I cannot really say now that 2Qute is less exciting or as fast as Naim DAC. 2Qute has plenty of slam and impact, speed, boogie factor plus all of the additional new aspects of resolution. In fact yesterday there was a moment where the 2Qute + Naim Nait amp sounded more rocking than when with the Naim DAC + Naim Nait amp. I am able to switch between 2Qute and Naim DAC easily since both units are in place and powered and hear this immediately. The 2Qute does now provide the same kind of PRaT, slam and attack but with even more musical involvement. To my listening anyway, 2Qute + Naim Nait amp is now the winning setup and turned out to be better than expected.
If you like it is the Naim sound...with benefits.
But still, I would love to hear Hugo and 2Qute. If so many Naim owner have moved to that direction, it must be something good.
Mass hysteria I'm afraid, just ignore it,
SJB
This is what I thought initially and ignored the first wave of mass hysteria when Hugo arrived. To me it seemed like a headphone-lifestyle product which resembled a piece of supermarket-brand sliced fruit cake.
Only by chance when passing a hi fi retailer, where the Hugo was on demo and playing music it was instantly attention grabbing. The salesperson explained that it was selling more for home audio than for portable use and there were home audition units available. The irony also was that seasoned veterans of the Naim game, some of whom have owned and listened to Naim since before I were born, started championing Hugo.
Originally Posted by Sloop John B:
normal service will resume shortly.
That might take a while, there is DAVE hysteria to come.