 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
71.126.238.126
Hi all-This is something that has been raked over the coals on head-fi.org, but I really would be interested to hear if any of you have experience with the following DACs:
Oritek modded Zhaolu D2.0A
Oritek modded Zhaolu D2.5A
Citypulse D7.2Folks on Head-fi have said that these DACs compete with / win over Lavry DA10, Benchmark DAC1... Not sure that I believe, but here in Boston I don't see any way I'm going to get a chance to listen to either one. While I do have upgrade-itis, I'm not likely to buy multiple Chinese DACs to audition. Bottom line would love to hear your experience with any of these.
Incidentally, I have a Creek 5350SE, XLO reference series 1 interconnects, transport is a Sonos ZP80, and speakers right now are Infinity Primus 360s.
Thanks for your help!
John
Follow Ups:
Originally I liked my new DAC (after suitable burn in time), but wasn't bowled over by it. I'm still not bowled over, but I'm much more impressed after what I did last night.AC is being fed by a DIYed Flavor 1 with Marinco terminations on both end, FYI.
I knew I was missing something with the new DAC. So I looked at the plugs and just as I thought I had it in wrong. I had the DAC being fed AC through an Isobar AC filter/strip, which was filtering at the 50db or 75db level (can't remember which, but that's what it reads on the outlets and in the literature).
So I switched it into the direct DIY power strip that is unfiltered and voila! Big change. Dynamics improved, sounstage got both deeper and wider, and separation was clearer. Plus bass was stronger or maybe more articulate.
What I also notice, however, is that the difference in base volume between CDs is greater than I was aware of before. If it was recorded lower, I hear that more clearly; if louder, well you can get the picture. That means more volume adjusting between CDs. OK, I can live with that. It's not new, but it is more pronounced now.
It's not a uniformly pleasing picture. If the recording was done well, then there's all that great stuff. If it was recorded in some way that's muddy, that is more apparent. So it's not compensating for the deficiencies in recording engineering or quality, if it ever was, and it's more noticeable.
Also, some recordings on HF are a mixed bag. For example, Duke Ellington's "Violin Jazz" has always had good sonics, but somewhat intrusive cymbals. Now it has excellent somics with lots of great stuff happening, but the cymbals are almost fatiguingly hot. True, I can distinguish a lot more detail in the brushwork against the metal and on the snare, but I find the whole cymbal and high hat thing more intrusive. The HF on this recording occasionally dips into that with other instruments, but there it was always a bit so and that's not disturbing.
"Sir Roland Hanna Plays Gerschwin" was an absolute delight. Pretty much really improved all the way around. No HF heat there, just balanced. Same for Hot Club's "Lady in Red."
So recording quality matters more now.
I'll keep playing with this. But at least I'm more satisfied that I did make a component upgrade after all. For $250 with upgrades and shipping priority from HK, I am not complaining at all. The DAC is now strutting its stuff and I'll be working my way through my CD collection to see what else turns up.Next up is to play with the digital IC and see how that's impacting the sonics.
Al Sekela had responded to my post above suggesting that I'd let RFI issues back into the system and that was making the HF off kilter and hot. I took Al's advice and played with the placement of R-Cs and plugs.This time I put the DAC PC into the JR Iso Tranny for the digital end. That's the second outlet, along with the CDP itself. Didn't know for sure if it had the current capacity to handle 2 devices, but it did this quite well. (FYI, mine uses larger capacity transformers than the RS units JR originally recommended, so I have extra headroom.)
That took care of the top end issues pretty quickly and didn't seem to lose any of the other benefits.
Then moved around the transformer tweak and one of the other R-Cs. That helped a bit more.
So clearly, placement and filtering make more difference than I suspected.
But the bottom line is that the top end is tamed again. And the DAC is functioning qutie well. So back to listening....
I recently purchased an Oritek modded Zhaolu DAC (with discrete output stage) for a second system. I put it in my main system that has an Audio Logic 24mxl--just for a brief listen--and it held its own surprisingly well (especially given the price dif).The Audio Logic is significantly better, at 10x the price, but there's certainly diminishing returns at play. The AL has more texture and life to it, but the Zhaolu was clean and easy on the ears, and had pretty good detail, too. Easily better than several other <$1K un-modded DACs I've owned. I think it's a best buy at this price. I've owned five other modded digital pieces over the last couple years, and I think the modding of reasonably priced equipment is a very attractive proposition.
Very interesting!Thanks for the update... I'd be interested to hear what other <$1k unmodded DACs you've auditioned / owned over the past couple of years. In other words, I'm really interested to hear if the Zhaolu 'dwarf' can hold it's own vs. the 'giant-killers' Lavry & Benchmark...
Thanks,
J
My first and only outboard DAC is the Zhalou 2.5, but not the Oritek mods. The mods I have were done by the seller in HK - chip and opamp upgrade.I like the DAC, but have yet to test all the combinations and permutations of the stock unit and its appendages. I made a Flavor 1 PC and specially shielded that, but am using a single shielded Blue Jeans digital IC, and that may not be the best choice for this type of unit.
So far it beats the DAC in my NAD CDP significantly, but it isn't a spectacular upgrade. I'm not disappointed, but feel that I'm far from overwhelmed. If my experiments prove to improve it, then I'll post some more. Too early for a proper review.
The Oritek mods about double the price!
Still, the key to these components (and maybe almost all of them) is in the handling of the power and the rest of the overall implementation. Probably not in the chip alone nor in the NOS vs. upsampling/oversampling issues alone. So if the Oritek upgrades the output and the power handling, then it may indeed be worth the difference.
Two comments.
In general, I find digital source components very sensitive to power delivery. By all means try different shielded power cords which you happened to have at your (or your friends'...) disposal and look for a quality power line filter with a magnetic core. A good rule of thumb is to judge these by weight... :-)
Second comment is specific to the Zhaolu. There is a published mod for bypassing the DC blocking caps in the D2.0 and D2.5 DACs. In their stock form, these units are below average and frankly quite boring!
In 30 minutes to an hour you will have the biggest smile you had from any recent audio upgrade or purchase... It's especially easy to do for the D2.5!!! Look at the link for details of this mod.
.
Last year, I got my Zhaolu 2.0C from HK and recently had it upgraded to the Oritek Discrete Output Stage.All I can say, it becomes a different class player ! Modded units have been brought to compare against top-notch-players, like Revox B-225, Accuphase DP-67, dCS Verdi, and Esoteric. Noone regrets about the Ori Mod, sound-wise. If you know these players, you know how the Ori Zhaolu sounds. :-))
Just got the AD-1852 board, it sounds wonderful through the discrete stage as well.
to buy a dac with advanced power supply,dacs and output stage , not those craps..
try some used acustic arts mkII or mkIII, reymio dac777, audio aero dac mkII, PASSLAB D1 dac, etc...cheers.
I'll defend the Zhaolu here...
The D2 has five seperate rectifier/regulator branches for the low voltage requirements of the board. Two are double-regulated (5V and then 3.3V). All are bypassed with small caps.
In addition there is a no-feedback discrete regulation power supply for the analog stages.
Mains input is via an IEC socket which feeds a discrete EMI filter with spike protection. The quality of parts in that section far exceeds commercial EMI filter "blocks" and the unit is enclosed in a separate shielded compartment.
All this is a major overkill that you expect from a Mark Levinson, not from a low-cost entry-level DAC, priced around $130.
The DAC options of the D2 include AD1852, CS4398 and there was supposed to be a BB1794, although its faith is uncertain. Read their specs before you tag these as "crap".
The output stage is somewhat compromised - but it's fixable... :-)
I wouldn't say the units you mentioned are not worthy alternatives, but don't dismiss the low cost options in the market today. There are real gems out there!
What that means is that output can be upgraded to a discrete output stage. Think that this is an (absolutely justified, from what I hear) plug for Ori's mods ;-).There are other ways to upgrade output stage, ranging from the less desirable (better opamps) to the competitive with the Oritek modes (some European product, whose name I can't recall, has been discussed a LOT on head-fi).
J
Normally manufacturers cut corners in components for their products with a tight budget but not in this case. The Zhaolu is very well built and comparable or even better than some of those high end stuffs. So it is cheap does not mean it is inferior or crappy.
and always with the same propaganda : this 200$ dac can compete with 2 or 3 megabucks ones..
it could be if they buid it in chinese jail for free...
welcome to the real world.
What do you consider your "Chinese jail" pep talk?
Believe whatever you want. It's your money... :-)
I wish I could save that much money!Thanks for the adviceBut you're talking about DACs that cost 5-6x what I'm planning on paying in order to get a used model! I will come out and say it. I am not in the market for a $2-$4k DAC at this point in my life. Maybe in 10 years, and I'll tell you I'll really enjoy it when I get there. In the meantime, it's going to be <$1k, and preferably <$500 for me.
sorry , i didn't know that "money factor" .. in 2020 i hope the kind of dac we use would have disapear... under 1000 $ you could find many good dac such as dac like
ackdack , altmaan attraction dac, or diy dac like audiosector dac or monica dac..good luck..
No worries- I didn't say I was cost constrained when I first posted, and I gotta admit that this hobby doesn't lend itself to cost constraints!I'd love love love to have a Chord or a Wadia, but it ain't gonna happen for quite some time. Mind if I ask why your strong preferences for the DACs you mention? The Chinese DACs have gotten some strong press... just my curiosity.
Thanks,
J
i have nothing against the chinese stuff, but i prefer not to spend my money on "NEW HYPE"
because every month there a new one is born , (zaohlu, paradisea,etc..) and you are never sure if it's a crap or a good one.. 1 years old of experiences or more , not too many and to soon to sell at the same time in AUDIOGON is the key for me not to be disapointed..but even like that , i have made some mistake during this last year.....
( i show you this last dacs for their price and analog sounding..)Good luck..
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
