Totaldac Reference D1

[marianm]

Hi guys, just quick info that I am about to sell my TOTALDAC D2 mk2 version. Vincent's USB cable, high end fuse SR20 included.

Shipping within Europe for free.

DAC will be sent directly from Vincent after technical check or on demand upgrade.

PM if interested. Take care.

 

[SonusBonum]

Hi everyone,

I am using Totaldac (see my equipment list) since late 2014. I must say that I have never heard anything better. A couple of months ago Vincent upgraded both "monobloc" DAC's to "sixes". Also my server had some hardware upgrades. Although I thought it couldn't get any better it really got better. Even more clearer mids and real, real steady and very deep lows. I am extremely happy with my Totaldac stack. Anyone considering buying or upgrading Totaldac and in the neighborhood, feel free to contact me for a listening session.

 

[Dthagerty@aol.com]

I purchased my Totaldac-d1-six tube DAC and Totaldac server several months ago. I just love them. First digital reproduction I have ever heard that sounds analog. A dealer who sells Berkeley Audio DACs was VERY impressed and agreed with me.

 

[CKKeung]

Listened to the Totaldac Twelve at the Hong Kong dealer showroom.
Mind-blowing!
It's not about more dynamics, resolution ...etc.
Music via Twelve is much much more REAL.
I have to rewrite my dac league table!


Photo taken by my smartphone. Sorry for the poor photo quality.

 

[flyer]

Listened to the Totaldac Twelve at the Hong Kong dealer showroom.
Mind-blowing!
It's not about more dynamics, resolution ...etc.
Music via Twelve is much much more REAL.
I have to rewrite my dac league table!

Can't agree more. One tip: if you connect the reclocker's xlr or rca input to an Entreq grounding box, it gets better still!

 

[caliaripaolo]

Can't agree more. One tip: if you connect the reclocker's xlr or rca input to an Entreq grounding box, it gets better still!

+1
Great with Poseidon with Atlantis Eartha for both, reclocker and D1 Dual ( in my case ).

 

[paul79]

Agreed. The Twelve is a very special DAC. It becomes about the recording with no hindrance caused by the electronics. It is amazing how good the Twelve can sound. Recently heard a couple master tapes A to D converted to 24/192, and it was MIND BLOWING!! My thought? Digital just shouldn't sound like this....

Going by CKKeung pic above, you listened to the 3 box Twelve. You should hear the 4 box Full System Twelve! The extra reclocker makes another nice improvement.

 

[CKKeung]

Agreed. The Twelve is a very special DAC. It becomes about the recording with no hindrance caused by the electronics. It is amazing how good the Twelve can sound. Recently heard a couple master tapes A to D converted to 24/192, and it was MIND BLOWING!! My thought? Digital just shouldn't sound like this....
Going by CKKeung pic above, you listened to the 3 box Twelve. You should hear the 4 box Full System Twelve! The extra reclocker makes another nice improvement.

Hi paul79,

We did try adding the 2nd Reclocker to the Twelve but the effect was not good. Bigger authority in mid and bass but some of the agility/microdynamics was lost.

We had had similar experience. A new Reclocker added to a new Six gave not much benefit but after both were fully burned-in, the Reclocker was significantly beneficial to the Six.

The Twelve we tested was only 5 days old.
We will try adding the 2nd Reclocker to it again after the burn-in process.

 

[rau]

I ordered a microRendu 2 weeks ago because all the hype I have read about this product and will be trying it in the next week with my Twelve.
I will update this post in the next couple weeks . If anyone else has tried this already please post

 

[paul79]

Yep. Cables matter too!! Burn in on the Totaldac gear is pretty trivial IME. More about a day warm up than anything, but they do get a bit better over the period of about a week.

 

[paul79]

Also, what you think of that Rockna? That the network/CD transport?

 

[CKKeung]

Also, what you think of that Rockna? That the network/CD transport?

Its server mode is stable and sonic performance better than an Auralic Aries.
But the cd transport mode is very good, on par with any usd5k cd transport.

 

[Dthagerty@aol.com]

Yep. Cables matter too!! Burn in on the Totaldac gear is pretty trivial IME. More about a day warm up than anything, but they do get a bit better over the period of about a week.

With regard to burn in, perhaps different models are different. After 10 hrs or so on my d1-six-tube with reclocker and d1-server, I was thinking of returning it. I wondered if perhaps it was still settling in, and asked Vincent how long "burn in" takes. He too believed a few hours was all. I kept listening for another 10-20 hrs, but it wasn't getting better, and while it sounded ok, it wasn't sounding like any of the reviews I had read. I was at the end of my 30 day trial and ready to send it back, but I came home from work, turned on the rest of my system (had left the server and DAC on continuously for a few days) and my jaw dropped. I mean GOBSMACKED. I have NEVER heard such a dramatic change from burn in. Warm, rich, dense images, highly detailed, as good as any analog I have ever heard. And it has sounded the same ever since that day--amazingly good and as close to "real" as I have ever heard.

In my opinion, that's what happened in the 6 Moons review. The sound Srajean described in that review is very similar to what I heard BEFORE burn in was complete.

Just my 2 cents!

 

[adamaley]

I ordered a microRendu 2 weeks ago because all the hype I have read about this product and will be trying it in the next week with my Twelve.
I will update this post in the next couple weeks . If anyone else has tried this already please post

Any feedback on using the µrendu in your system?

 

[adamaley]

Yes , the Rendu did best the Totaldac it was very noticeable , but then I had a tweak done to the Totaldac and then the Rendu wasn't even close , I sold the Rendu

I will tell you this the Rendu is will worth it's asking price probally even double , it's a very awesome sounding streamer .

I currently have the Rendu in a headphone system (arrived this week), and last night its sound finally clicked to amazing. However, I'm looking to put together a system centered around a TotalDAC DAC in the near future, and lurk on here every now and then. I'm really interested in knowing whether the TotalDAC reclocker will best the Rendu, which you just stated it does. Could you expand on the tweaks you made to the reclocker, or are you sworn to secrecy? What sort of power were you feeding the Rendu - I use the Uptone Audio JS-2 linear power supply with the Rendu?

 

[adamaley]

Got it. That's good to hear and something to keep in mind. Thanks. I'm still wondering if you used a linear power supply to make your comparison.

 

[wstam]

I used a Sbooster LPS and a buddy of mine with a D1 server also tried the Rendu and he used a heavily upgraded Paul Hynes SR5
we both came up with the same results before and after the upgrade to the D1 server

Hi, I am still not clear what is the update/tweak to your d1-server? Is it external to d1-server and internal? Are you saying that new d1-server comes with it?

I am using a d1-server (bought ~2 years ago) with d1-six. Will like to know more about the update. Thanks.

 

[cat6man]

Hi, I am still not clear what is the update/tweak to your d1-server? Is it external to d1-server and internal? Are you saying that new d1-server comes with it?

I am using a d1-server (bought ~2 years ago) with d1-six. Will like to know more about the update. Thanks.

+1
i'd also like to understand more about this server tweak.

my experience, and i've just used the microrendu out of the box with a wall wart, is that it is as good as i have ever heard the d1-dual.
i have some battery and PS options to try this weekend, and in particular i want to compare MPD with NAA operation.
as i understand it, MPD and squeezelite and DLNA and airport modes on the microrendu use it as a renderer.
NAA mode uses hqplayer as the renderer and the microrendu is supposed to be superior in the NAA mode than in other modes, as least in some reports.

for those of you who compared with the totaldac server, what output mode did you set the microrendu for?
has anyone tried NAA? some are reporting that NAA with HQplayer doing no signal processing at all, just providing the renderer functionality, is the best sounding mode of operation.

i'm currently waiting for the linux version of the lastest hqplayer beta so i can test this mode of operation (beta is supposed to fix a network discovery issue--hqplayer configuration setup with microrendu worked fine with my daughter's windows laptop but failed on my ubuntu laptop)

as rao said, the microrendu is worth a multiple of its price.

 

[paul79]

I don't think the MR is under priced. Not by the time you spend the dough for a top notch power supply. Sonically it is very good though.

 

[cat6man]

I don't think the MR is under priced. Not by the time you spend the dough for a top notch power supply. Sonically it is very good though.

basically agree, but i'm just starting to go down the power supply route.

on the positive side, you can subtract the cost of your usb cable since the microrendu can go directly into the dac with the supplied h/w adapter.