Totaldac Reference D1

[accwai]

The d1-server uses now the quad core cubox-i4. It sounds even much better than the previous monocore cubox. This new server was in demo in 4 rooms last Munich High end show in May.
reviewers feedback are here: http://www.totaldac.com/listening.htm

The previous d1-server can be upgraded to this new quad core processor. The specific cubox power supply board stays the same. The cubox shielding is changed. The Totaldac software for the quad core cubox works with MPAD, and soon with Ipeng8, Airplay and upnp.

Nice to know. Thanks.

Note: accwai, shouldn't you say if you are distributor or a private person?

I'm a private person. Please be assured that I bought my totaldac via the official local representative

 

[accwai]

Please, may you give me an idea on how you feed the Mutec MC-3+? it has an USB input?

The current model of MC-3+ is SPDIF/AES only. No USB input. I'm feeding it with a Krell CD-DSP using the CD transport section only. (I've had this combo in front of my DAC long before I switched to totaldac) There is supposed to be a new version of MC-3+ with USB input coming in the next few month.

 

[wstam]

The d1-server uses now the quad core cubox-i4. It sounds even much better than the previous monocore cubox. This new server was in demo in 4 rooms last Munich High end show in May.
reviewers feedback are here: http://www.totaldac.com/listening.htm

The previous d1-server can be upgraded to this new quad core processor. The specific cubox power supply board stays the same. The cubox shielding is changed. The Totaldac software for the quad core cubox works with MPAD, and soon with Ipeng8, Airplay and upnp.

Hi Vincent, so how can one get his d1-server upgraded to the new quad core cubic-i4? I have the d1-server and d1-dual and base in Asia (Singapore). Can the upgrade be done locally?

Thanks.

 

[totaldac]

You don't need to return the d1-server. I can send the computer board and you or your retailer swap it in the d1-server.

 

[caesar]

The d1-server uses now the quad core cubox-i4. It sounds even much better than the previous monocore cubox. This new server was in demo in 4 rooms last Munich High end show in May.
reviewers feedback are here: http://www.totaldac.com/listening.htm

The previous d1-server can be upgraded to this new quad core processor. The specific cubox power supply board stays the same. The cubox shielding is changed. The Totaldac software for the quad core cubox works with MPAD, and soon with Ipeng8, Airplay and upnp.

Hi Totaldac,

I have heard the most positive things about your dacs. However, how's your server product different than any network bridge, such as Lumin, Auralic Aries, Moon Mind, etc.? How's it different than the plain reclocker you sell, in terms of benefits to the customer?

 

[caesar]

Hi Totaldac,

Another question for you: How good is the headphone amp that you have incorporated into the DAC? Is it a serious design or more of a convenience? If it were a stand-alone product, what would you price it as?

Thanks

 

[totaldac]

Hi Totaldac,

Another question for you: How good is the headphone amp that you have incorporated into the DAC? Is it a serious design or more of a convenience? If it were a stand-alone product, what would you price it as?

Thanks

Refer to Bmichels message about the headphone output
" I found it very good, but the biggest surprise came from the quality of it's headphone out ! We heard the HD800 direct on the SE headphone out of the TotalDAC and we liked it better than when using... a Cavalli Liquid Gold !! it was clearly more precise without the External amp added ! "

This external amp is around USD4000/5000 according to the web.

With the internal headphone output for sure you get an extremely low noise floor and direct signal. It is a minimalist chain. Some people will still prefer big tube amplifiers. A matter of taste, money, size, heat, cables...

 

[totaldac]

It is like CD transports, some cost USD100, other USD50000. They do the same thing but you don't get the same sound.
I try to get the best sound using the d1-server, even more with the new version.
Last month in Munich show in the Goebel room we used a d1-server as a main source and a USD50000 Jadis CD drive for people bringing CDs, to get the best sound from each media.
http://www.hifistatement.net/event/item/1533-high-end-2015-mit-wolfgang-kemper-teil-3#pp_prettyPhoto/%20HIGH%20END%202015/38/

The AES-EBU cable counts also. I will test many and choose my favourite this month.

 

[caesar]

Thank you. Out of curiosity, for those of us who are rack-limited, are your units stackable, or does each one require a separate shelf? If stackable, how much do sound quality do you lose to interference when you stack the units on top of each other?

 

[totaldac]

Thank you. Out of curiosity, for those of us who are rack-limited, are your units stackable, or does each one require a separate shelf? If stackable, how much do sound quality do you lose to interference when you stack the units on top of each other?

You can stack them, some people do that. Hard to say if you loose something without making a careful comparison.

 

[flyer]

and those huge speakers pictured on his site.

Hello, can you share some impressions on those soulsonic speakers please? They seem quite novative in design and thus promising....

 

[nepherte]

Refer to Bmichels message about the headphone output
" I found it very good, but the biggest surprise came from the quality of it's headphone out ! We heard the HD800 direct on the SE headphone out of the TotalDAC and we liked it better than when using... a Cavalli Liquid Gold !! it was clearly more precise without the External amp added ! "

This external amp is around USD4000/5000 according to the web.

With the internal headphone output for sure you get an extremely low noise floor and direct signal. It is a minimalist chain. Some people will still prefer big tube amplifiers. A matter of taste, money, size, heat, cables...

That would be my Totaldac d1-dual > Cavalli Liquid Gold > HD800. I can confirm bmichels post that we both preferred the HD800 right out of the Totaldac's single-ended headphone out rather than the balanced out of the Liquid Gold.

 

[AudioBear]

Hello, can you share some impressions on those soulsonic speakers please? They seem quite novative in design and thus promising....

Hi flyer, I'm not sure anything I can say will be meaningful, mostly not my system and of course not my room. But having said that even though they are very big, I think I'd say they pretty much disappeared, they seemed quite natural sounding and transparent, nothing forced. I think the ribbon extends over a large frequency range, which will probably give you some better idea of the sound quality, but seemed well integrated with the rest. They were certainly up to the task of differentiating between Mac/Server and indeed between short and long USB cables.

I've no idea how expensive they were, (I think quite expensive), but if they were a touch more efficient (I have 10w amps - I think Vincent said these were 87db) and I had the space/money I think I could live with them ;-)

Vincent can hopefully provide more information.

Hope this helps?

 

[AudioBear]

...Another question for you: How good is the headphone amp that you have incorporated into the DAC? Is it a serious design or more of a convenience?
Thanks

caesar I tried the d1-dual with my Oppo headphones (PM3) and it sounded very good indeed, however I decided to go with the d1-tube-mk2 DAC instead and you should note that this does not have a headphone output.

 

[AudioBear]

...I have heard the most positive things about your dacs. However, how's your server product different than any network bridge, such as Lumin, Auralic Aries, Moon Mind, etc.? How's it different than the plain reclocker you sell, in terms of benefits to the customer?

The unified server/reclocker is what it is, only you can make that value/cost/sound judgement. I like music, I have a lot of it, I listened and I bought one. As for the cost (yes not cheap), I've seen inside and it is very well made, with the sole goal of making the best sound possible sound, so it is not designed to a price. If you are in the market for such devices, I'd certainly give it a listen.

 

[totaldac]

yes there are a fantastic tool to listen any change in the system, a DAC change, cable change, music server software upgrade...
I drive them with Voxativ single ended triode amplifiers (845 tubes), roughly 20W each, in active mode. So your 10W SIT amplifier would be less powerful, but not so much less.

 

[totaldac]

About the d1-server upgrade from previous cubox to the latest quad core cubox-i4 and its associated custom software, some people asked the price.
It is free for first hand owners, only the shipping is charged. In case of second hand owners the change is 125euros + shipping.

 

[AudioBear]

yes there are a fantastic tool to listen any change in the system, a DAC change, cable change, music server software upgrade...
I drive them with Voxativ single ended triode amplifiers (845 tubes), roughly 20W each, in active mode. So your 10W SIT amplifier would be less powerful, but not so much less.

Hi Vincent, so what is their efficiency in db and frequency range of the ribbon?
They seem to do many different models...so which model is this? & what is the rough cost of this one shown?

 

[totaldac]

Hi Vincent, so what is their efficiency in db and frequency range of the ribbon?
They seem to do many different models...so what is the rough cost of this one shown?

Let me reply in this dedicated thread about Soulsonic:
http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?16836-Soul-Sonic-Speakers&p=305816#post305816

 

[caesar]

Hi Totaldac,

While I have your attention, I have a couple more questions. Thank you, in advance.
- Which of your digital inputs works best?
- You sell a product that converts an xlr signal to rca. For people who choose the dual dac vs a single dac, is this product a must? How's it different than just a couple of adapters?